The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-09-16
MARRIAGE HANDICAPs CLERGY
Some Examples of Family Ties Over
coming Religious Duty.


The following letter appears in d re-
cent issue of the Catholic Transcript
Of Hartford. Conn:
Sir-Your editorial. in your issue OF
July q on Married or Celibate Cier-
gy." reminded me of an interesting lit
tie incident not long since in one of
our large cities. 4 well known priest
was called one night to q large fine,
where there were unfortunately many
seriously injured anG dying victims. IL
the course OF his ministration to The
Catholics who we're among the suffer
ers he met young Protestant clergy
man, who he knew well and who had
come on similar GRAND. When all
was over, the young EpiScOpalian min
lister, meeting the priest again, said:
Father, we are both pretty tired by
this time and ] am going to Il res
taurant for Il cup OF coffee before re-
turning home; will you not join me-"
Il am sorry" replied the priest but
it is after midnight and I must remain
fasting in order that l may celebrate
mass in the; morning, and SO / must de-
cline your invitation.
All was the jocular response, that
is where ] have the 'cinch' on you! Be
ing a Protestant, there is no law of my
church compelling me to fast now and
can take the refreshment 1 want"
A few weeks later another fire oC-
Cured and the priest and the Protest
ant clergyman met. again. The burn
ing building had fallen in and some
unfortunateS were pinned beneath the
wreck. The priest craWled in under
fallen beams and -Wreckage and gave
the last sacraments to the Catholics he
found while the fireTnen were working
heroically for their rescue from almost
certain death. On returning to the
street from the ruins Father s. met
the Rev. Mr.. j.
We'll Mr.. Il why did you not
follow me? There were Protestants
amongst those sufferers who would
have welcomed your ministrations, in
what may very likely be their last few
moments ON earth"
"Oh, father, I should be glad to have
done something for them but-but, I
am engaged to be married, and pron1-
ised my fiancee that I would do moth
ing to put my life in danger.
Then" said Father S., this is
where 1 have the 'cinch' on you! l
shall never have any duty to fiancee
or wife to prevent me from taking any
risk of life or limb in fulfilling my
spiritual ministry to dying souls,"
1 am a convert to the church and
grew up, of course. under the ministra-
lions of q married Protestant clergy.
Undoubtedly many clergymen's wives
are excellent, religiOus-minded women,
who are a help and not a hindrance in
the parish. But on the other hand
great are the trials and fluctuations OF
many a minister, especially in the
country, from the mistakes of their in
discreet and perhaps over-zealous
wives. who feel their official impor-
lance. An injudicious better-half
whose tongue has gotten beyond COLI
troll for the time being has set many q
parish into fractional warfare and driv-
en- the poor minister out. Even a min
lister cannot select q wife, as one would
a clerk, purely for serviceable qualities
in his professional work. He marries,
as other men do, from sentiment and
personal attraction and often finds
himself much handicapped in conse-
quenCe.
But even when that is not the case,
he cannot marry without mourning
very positive duties to wife and chill
dren, duties which must be met and yet
duties which prevent him from giving
himself as absolutely to his work for
the good of other mems souls as he
might and often wishes he could.
know most estimable Protestant eler-
gyman who had been eminently sue
cessful in building UP his church in q
certain section of the country and who
was in consequence elected to be a
missionary bishop in a distant part OF
our land where he was particularly
fitted to put a somewhat neglected field
into flourishing condition. He was a
really earnest and good man, who saw
the need and wanted to go, but he was
obliged to decline because his Wifes
health would not allow Of her living in
the section to which he had been called
You have spoken for the clergy and
punctured Mr. Bogert's little delusion
about there being many Roman
priests who secretly deplored the
church's rule of celibacy for them. l
am sure you are right. I have been
Catholic for twelve years and more and
have had an opportunity of knowing
very many priests in different places,
some in France, some in America, in
the relations Of an intimate friendship
and never once have / perceived the
faintest discomfort with this salutary
rule of discipline. I may speak for the
laity. too, who feel most strongly how
this absence of human ties and duties
binds their spiritual shepherds to their
hocks and accounts largely for that al
most passionate devotion to our priests
and pastors who are so ready at any
moment to spend and be spent for our
welfare and the salvation OF our inn
mortal souls.
JESSE ALBERT LOCKE.
Hackensack, n. J.