The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-06-04
THE NEGRO MISSION.

ST Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart for
Negro Missions has a college and seminary in Bal
tmore, with various other Institutions and priests
entirely devoted to the colored in nine of our
states. However, the work Is so vast when we CON
slider there are eleven millions Of coIored in our
country, that the following appeal is made to the
noble OF heart In behalf of the colored Catholic
missions OF the south make this appeal to our
! Catholic young of America
St Josephs Seminary and the Epiphany Apos-
toc College are the nurseries of priests for the
| negro missions We desire, then. TO invite the
young men of our faith to consider the missionary
! vocation to the coorcd people Of the United
/ States
There arc fully eleven millions of the African
race III this country, less than two hundred thou
| sand of whom ARE members of the true Church
More than half do not profess any sort of Chris
tIanlty. Yet the colored people are naturally in
telhgent, have admirable moral qualities, and are
remarkably gifted by nature with the religious
sense being fond of participating in public wor-
snip, easily led to accept the truths of revelation
and have bright perception of the beauties sof a
moral and religious life
Taken as body, this people is not averse to
Cathohclty On the contrary, the missionary eff
forts already made have demonstrated not only
the general religious traits we have Just men
toned but particular aptitude for the Catholic
faith and discipline Wherever intelligent and
them, these have resulted in conversions and that
Is especially the i'll localities where our holy
religion had been before hardly so much as known
we nave found the negroes easy to convert We
have found scarcely any difficulty in opening
schools to which non-Cathoics willingly send tcir
children, in face of the certainty that thew would
be trained up there in the Catholic faith In cGun-
try places we have been able to gather about MS
numerous audiences of cOlored people, not one of
whom was a Catholic, and to establish Cath 1c
schools IN their midst Of course we have not been
without opposition. but it has come for the most
part from the white neighbors of the colored peo-
pie, and even of them not all have been opposed
TO us.
In one word there is a ripe harvest of converts
ready at your very door. A whole race of men.
newly elevated to the dignity of American citizen
ship whose career in the world is barely BEGIN
ming, willing to hear the Word of life and
whose future depends OH our Holy Church's sue
cess among them
The difficulty is to obtain apostolic men to
preach that Word. From every part of the south
the loud call for negro missionaries is heard The
bishops of the Southern States are asking for mis-
sionares to open churches and schools in their
dioceses The answer hitherto has always been no.
but, by the providence of God, this seminary with
Its feeder the Apostolic College, has been estab-
lished to supply this rich harvest field with apos-
tollc laborers. Already many young men are as
sembled in these institutions pursuing their stud
heroic vocation Their hearts are afre with that
flame of divine love for souls which our blessed
Savior came on earth to scatter among men, and |
which the breath of His Holy Spirit is daily en-
kindling in the choicest souls. | invite you to join
them.
l cannot invite you to join us by promising an
easy life III the priesthood. There is no such thing
for any good priest. least of all for missionary
But dare affirm that the consultations of our life
will give YOU reward capable of compensating
you for thousand times greater hardships than
it Is possible for man to bear. st. Francis Xavier
wrote home from India that one minute of the d.
vine JOY that sometimes filled his heart amply re-
paid him for the dangers and sufferfigs he under
went i'll his long voyages The noblCst souls of the
Catholic church have gone before YOU in this royal
way of the missionary yocation--are daily going
This way from all the DID Catholic nations of Eu-
rope. They bid adeu forever to home and kin
lrcd: they tear asunder the sweetest bonds of hui
man attachment: they forsake their very names
md mother tongues that they may bear the banner
If the beyond the frontiers of Christendoom.
they combine in this the heroism of finely consti-
uted natures with the supernatural graces Of
ugh spiritual perfection.
And how much more perfect is the profession
If piety when il enables one to rise superior to
amily race caste and every other form of mar
owness. When man has risen above his own
,ood he has gone far in the conquest of self, and
title remains between him and God Thhe young
sincere heart has put under foot opesof the most
powerful enemies of Christian charity-race pre-
udce His faith is truly UNIVERSAL strictly Cath
lie. and his charity tallies with it,. Hhe truly
5od-liike man longs to be adorned with some divine
mark of universaliY and there is nonegtnore signi-
cant of predestination to eternal life tlan that of
he missionary He has a near view of the truth.
lie has broad and loving view of humanity.
Therefore, invite cur Catholic youths 10
onsider to missionary vocation Of the conversion
f the negro race in America Make it alsubject of
rayer Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you Take
he advice of spiritual men Impore the prayersr
the Mother of God Ask the intercession of st.
oseph under whose invocation work is dedi-
ated to God.
If you have inquiries to make, we shall be glad
answer them.
REV THOMAS B. DONOVAN,
ector Epiphany Apostolic College Walbroook,
Baltimore Nd
0p T0TTc DE rE nFEA5opTAT