Kentucky Irish American., 1906-07-07
Grand Reception Will Be G.
Delegates to Nationa
Convention.
Hon. BOLrke Cochran Will Ad-
dress a Public Mass
Meeting.
ECCLESIASTICAL INTEREST DESIRED

The American Federation of Catho-
lie Societies will hold it's fifth national
convention at Buffalo, N. Y, July 29.
30, 81, and August 1. The Buffalo
committee, headed by the Right Rev.
Bishop Cotton, Is making great prep
arations for the event. The opening
ceremonies will be conducted at st.
Joseph's Cathedral. Public mass
meetings will be held and one of the
principal speakers will be the Hon.
Bourke Cochran, who viii deliver ap<
address on "The Duties of Catholicy
Citizen"
His Holiness Pope Plus X. has
commended the Federation and his
apostolic blessing to its members.
Through his Papal Secretary of State
the Pope has addressed the follow
ing letter to Thomas B. Minahan,
President of the Federation:
"Sir: That in union there is
strength is evident from the letter
you have sent us explaining the man
ner in which the Federation of Catho-
lie Societies over which you preside
has been inaugurated, and the extent
to which the various associations of
which it is composed have thus far
done for all in their power to carry
out the purpose for which the fedora
tiOn has been instituted: namely, to
extend helping hand to the clery in
safeguarding Catholic interests; to
strive for the Christian education OF
youth which is the hope of the church,.
to further peace and morality in fami-
lies; to expound Catholic truth in
books and periodicals; to combat err
Iors; to foster established works OF
charity and found new ones; finally.
to endeavor to renovate public and
private life in conformity with the
teachings of Jesus Christ.
How much Joy this gave to the Sow
ereign Pontiff can be more easily inn
agined than described. For you are
aware that he has federations of this
kind very much at heart because of
the abundant blessings that accrue
| from them to civil society. Rejoicing
therefore at the fruit which you have
already gathered, he sees the hope
and the promise of still more in the
| future, and this hope is increased be.
cause of the Fifth Congress which you
announce is about to be convened in
Buffalo next July, at which such dis
tinguished assemblage of prelates will
assist. Meantime the Holy Father ex-
presses the wish that your labors and
those of the federation which has been
begun with the prudence worthy of
the highest praise may be crowned
with the blessing and assistance of
God, and as a pledge of his benevo-
lence, he, with all his heart, imparts
to you and to each of the associated
socities his Apostolic Benediction.
l vail myself of this opportunity to
express my own consideration in your
regard, and to remain, Yours most
devotedly"
r. CARDINAL MERRY DEL VAL.
The federation is now six years old,
but there was no convention last year,
| owing to the prevalence of yellow
fever in New Orleans, where the con-
vention was to have been held. The
organization was the original idea OF
the Right Rev. Bishop James A. Nc
Faul. ID. D., and its membership is in
creasing each year. In the call for the
convention President Minahan writes
in part as follows:
Eat several of its sessions during
the past year the Executive Board, dis
cussing the future Of federation, was
unanimous in the conviction that the
time had come to urgently request
more active cooperation with us on
the part of the hierarchy. Although
nearly all the Archbishops and Bish-
ops have written letters of approval
and in many instances expressed the
heartiest commendation, it has still
seemed they were content to leave the
active work of organizing to the few
prelates who have from the first had
a strenuous hand on the laboring oar.
Many laymen and some societies have
interpreted this absence from active,
cooperation to mean that federation u
only tolerated, not earnestly encour-
aged. The Executive Board respect
fully submit that the period of proba-
tion has been reasonably long and that
federation's record should now COM
mend it to the active, interested CO.
operation of episcopal ecclesiastical
leadership. Organization completed
and prudently directed can become
the right arm of Catholic interests in
the magnificent development awaiting
the earnest action of Catholic unity.
. We therefore must earnestly urge
prelates and clergy to attend and to
personally invite leading Catholic lay
men to represent in the Buffalo con-
J vention each and every archdiocese,
/ diocese, institution and parish In the
} country. Changes in the mthods and
organization of federation may be de-
+ sirable. What is most needed is rep
: resentation OF the best Catholic
thought to so mold and direct the fu-
> ture OF Catholic unity as to insure the
, benedcient results within the reach Of
, united action"
; The Kentucky Federation will
ably represented this year as y