The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-05-14
AN APPEAL IN BEHALF.
OF the Coiored Catholic Missions
of the South.

VI IhS oOiLu.
st. Josepl's Society of the Sacred
Heart for Negro Missions has a college
and seminary in Baltimore, With vari-
GUS other institutions and priests ell
tiroly devoted to the colored in nine of
our states. However, the work is so
vast when we consider there are eleven
millions of colored in our country,
hence the following appeal is made to
the noble Of heart.
st. Joseph's Seminary and Epiphany
Apostolic 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 colored people of the
United States.
There are fully eleven millions of the
African race in this country, less than
two hundred thousand of whom are
members of the True Church. More
than half do not profess any sort of
Christianity. Yet the colored people
are naturally intelligent, have admira-
bic moral qualities, and are remark
ably gifted by nature with the re-
ligious sense, being fond of participant
ing i'll public worship, easily led to
accept the truths of revelation, and
have a bright perception of the beau
ties of moral and religious life.
Taken as body, this people is not
averse to Catholicity. On the con-
trary, the missionary efforts already
made, have demonstrated not only the
general religious traits we have just
mentioned, but particular aptitude for
the Catholic faith and discipline.
Wherever intelligent and Jealous eff
forts have been undertaken to evange-
lie them, these have resulted in con-
versions, and that is especially the case
in localities where our holy religion
had been before hardly so much as
known. We have found the Negroes
easy to convert. We have found
scarcely any difficulty in opening
schools. to Which Catholics will
ingly send their children, in face of
the certainty that they would be
trained up there in the Catholic faith.
In country places we have been able to
gather about us numerous audiences
of colored people. not one of whom was
Il Catholic, and to establish Catholic
schools in their midst OF course we
have not been without opposition, but
it has come for the most part from the
white neighbours of the colorcd people,
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.
\ whole race of men, newly elevated to
the dignity of American citizenship,
whose career in the world is barely
beginning, are willing to hear the Word
of life, and whose future depends on
our Holy Church's success 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 bish-
ops of the Southern states are asking
for missionaries 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 established to supply this
rich harvest field with apostolic labor
ers Already many young men are as
senbled in these institutions. pursuing
their studies and exercising them
selves in the virtues of their heroic
vocation. Their hearts are afire 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. I invite
you to join them.
How much more perfect is the pro.
fession of piety whenl i enables one to