The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-12-10
KINDLY TRIBUTE
A Minister on "Tle French
Catholic Church of Today"
Passing Along tie Way of the
Cross, the World Knows.

| ".The French Catholic Church of To
| day." an article written by Rev. james
Church Alvord, Il Protestant minister
of Woonsocket, r. L., and published
in the "Congregationalist." of Boston,
is in the main Il splendid tribute to a
people and clergy who are suffering
| bitter persecution ut the hands of the
rulers of their own country and who
have been iiercely assailcd by critics
in other countries The picture pre-
sentcd by this Protestant but sympath-
etc observer is we'll worthy of exam
4 ination and preservation.
THAT the French church is passing
along the way of the cross all the
world knows" writes the Rev. Mr.. AL
I word. Every provincial town is filled
with the disconsolate forms of the
I teaching orders, monks and nuns.
Men and women, they are cultured,
scholarly, lovnble, who, to borrow
phrase from lie Petit Parisien. have
been Kicked out upon the pavement
and into the homes of their peasant
/ brothers and sisters, where they find Il
, Srud..in@ welcome and Il penury to
which they have been long llnaccus-
! toned. That thousands more of faith
4 full, pure-hcarted, earnest parish
priests are menaced With poverty aud
oven starvation il the government
forcing of an evolutionary develop
, ment toward dseStablishnent no one
can doubt 0, the French church is
walking the way Of the cross assured
ly. And NJ. Combcs is in fair way
to prove her Annas, so bent is he on
execution.
But the result is-O, what it has
/ always been! When the robe of
worldly success is stripped from the
shoulders of tho church. when the lash
of persecution falls, she ever shows
beneath hiatt robe the ageless image
Of the Master With the terror of the
future and the horror Of the present,
, there is observable from one end of
/ France to the other Il deep spiritual
awakening. ~ The glow of a
new life shines OH the face of the
whole body religious. from Normandy
to Burgundy and from Burgundy back
to Brittany. Tie way Of the cross is
leading to Il resurrection profound, i'm
measurable, certain"
The Rev Nh. Alvord mentions some
sermons heard in Catholic churches in
France which surprised him by their
simplicity, their directness, their hum
bic trust in God. One priest in the
Cathedral Of EvreuX preached so
forcibly on confession and repentance
that the visiting minister sat dumb
founded. The next Sunday he heard
the cardinal archbishop of Rheims,
and, after Il description of the beauti-
full picture which the fine old eccle-
siastc made with his white hair and
his red robe, he tells how the car
dinal spoke to the priests who sat in
ordered rows beneath the pulpit:
80 their reproaches oppose deeds,
not Words counseled the cardinal.
Show how glad you are to suffer
abuse, hunger, cold and nakedness;
nay, if need be, how glad you are to
starve and die in the service of Him
who was pierced for your sakes.'
"IIe turned to the people for a mo-
ment. and his voice rang with eager
ness: You charge us with mistakes.
Yes, we have made mistakes, we
priests, for we are human. But have
we not championed your rights. fed
your poor, comforted your dying?
/ Nay, haven't we willingly died in your
laHar houses since the church first be-
can to preach the Gospel of the Savior
she lovcs?'"
And the Rev. Mr.. Alvord declares
that the spirit of the people answers
that of the clergy. He says:
"France is responding. The services
were not only we'll attended, but at
tended by all ages and both sexes. 1t
is Il common saying in Paris, Women
and children go to church; men don't
Never WAS q lie more transparently
false. Trusting that | was doing good
service in the cause of truth,
snapped Il Sabbath morning audience
If the maSculinity of this
audience wouldn't make glad the heart
of amy New England pastor, With what
, could he be satisfied?
, "Ihcrc were exceptions. Along the
= valley Of the Loire and ut Laon
! church going WAS not so much in evil
' deuce. At the Cathedral of Rheims
: women predominated. On the other
! hand. Notrc Dame at Paris was filled.
~, and by actual reckoning the men dis
| iinctly outnumhercd the women. When
, | saw that. | thanked God and took
courage. Furthermore, among the
daily wrrshipers in the churches. de-
vout and humble in their faith, were
many men. And the men were young.
''Mcrcovcr,' continues Mr.. Alvord.
''thc whole land to-day is giving it's
i best info the priesthood. 1t has been
| reiterated for decades that the French
l clergy is gathered from the peasants.
to when even the pitiful pension of Il
! parish priest proves an allurement