The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-11-11

meRt as one intended for Tie conversion oi the
American Indian. Father Lapeer explains that the
extension society contemplates that labor too but
again only indirectly The fact is that Church
Extension is intended for every field of missionary
ondeavof in the Catholic Church OF america, be-
cause tits on q foundation that helps them all.
The man who builds strong vail upon which a
large and magnificent palace is to be erected, may
not be, ard usually is not good plastcrer; but he
shares indirectly in the plasterer's work. We are
to work on foundations" says the priest.
To put the case more clearly, it Is best to quote
Father Kelly in his own language "A little
church. he says is the best nucleus around which
to build a parish, and parish organizations have
been the timc-honorcd centers from the Apostolic
days, from which radiate the saving power Of the
sacraments, from which the work of the Church IS
done. All other arrangements for carrying on that
work have beer but temporary strivings to reach
the parish ideal There are, in our western and
southern country especially, many little places with
a few Catholics, poor in this worlds goods, and yet
fairly rich in faith The Catholic pioneers went
to the new country in its early days. They were
Obliged to borrow money to buy their farms, bor-
row again to secure machinery, and borrow again
to build modest home. They we're not numerous
enough to make their small religious contributions
count in material way so they struggled on with
out church, having priest visit them occasion
ally and offer Mass in their houses. In this prim-
tive condition the Church made progress. By
and by came the mixed - riage with a conse-
quent weakness Of the - generation and about
this time, too, entered the Protestant Church Ex
tension Society; amongst these people arose the
secple of q. churcl--not the Church-but yet
temple of religion.
The old people who had kept the Faith never
went to the temple but still waited for the oc
casional visits of the priest The second genera
ton, however, did not see it that way, for though
still Catholic, they were more or less liberal 1t
does net take much guessing to tell what the third
generation will do. 1t is this second generation
that we are meeting today generation with the
Faith not strong as in their fathers, but yet
plant sturdy enough for cultivation. Its quality is
best from the fact that its possessors are will
ing to make sacrifices for it and that they still
cling to their Catholic name. The Church Exten-
sion Society proposes to foster this plant proposes
to place side by side with the other steepe one sur
mounted by cross; proposes to give these few and
scattered people that center from which flows Gods
saving grace through the Sacraments of His
Church; proposes to awaken in the few pride in
their heritage of religion that will mean better
things for the future, and be magnet to draw
others to the fold of Christ. We seek to make the
parishes upon which every other missionary work
depends. We build foundations"
That has the right ring to it. The Catholic
press ought to be and u doubtedly is enlisted in
such apostolic enterprise. As the plan develops,
more knowledge of it will be diffused through these
columns