The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-26
BISHOPS PASTORAL
 READ ID CATHOLICS
Right Rev. E. P. Allen Exhort8
 His People
.DEVOTIONS DURING LENT
Monsignor Korkemas Says Mass Ac- eordlng to the Maronite Rite. Many Syrians Attend Service
 and Approach sacraments.

The Sunday masses at the various Catholic clutches of Birmingham and vicinity were well attended. The Right Rev. Bishop Aliens circular letter re- garding Lent and a circular setting forth Lenten regulations with regard to ab- stinence and fasting were read to the con gregations.
 Monsignor Gabriel Korkemas. a priest of the Maronite rite to which rite about 90 per cent of the Syrians in union with Rome residing in Birmingham belong has been conducting a mission among his countrymen for the past few days. At St. Paul's church yesterday after the 7:8O o'clock mass Monsignor Korkemas said mass according to his rite. Quite a number of Syrians approached the sac raments. The visiting priest goes from here to Montgomery and thence to Mo- bile and New Orleans in which cities there are large Syrian colonies.
 At high mass the Rev. Father Kitrek was celebrant. Among the announce ments from the altar was that the Rev. Father Duffy would preach at high mass each Sunday during Lent.
 On Ash Wednesday the ashes will be blessed at the 8 o'clock mass at St Pauls and distributed. The ashes will also be distributed Wednesday night when the services will consist of rosary, ltany sermon and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Every Friday after noon at 2:9O o'clock there will be stations of the cross devotions for the Sunday school and at 7:9O p. m. for adults. A sermon will be delivered every Sunday night and every Wednesday night.
 Bishops Pastoral.
 The bishops circulars were read in lieu of q sermon. One was in the form of pastoral. It was as follows:
 Mobile Ala, February 20, 1906. Dearly Beloved Brethren:
 The first Sunday of Lent is the day ap- pointed by the third plenary council of Baltimore for the annual collection for the home and foreign missions.
 We most earnestly exhort all the mem bers of our flock to give generously to this worthy cause; for your aims will help to maintain missions not unfre- quently established at the cost of heroic sacrifices on the part of priests and re- ligious. Your aims generously given will encourage these laborers in their work and will entltle you to a share in all good accomplished in the mission field. Charity is never more becoming than in the holy season of Lent, when the church commemorates the Sacred Passion of 1 Him who died to save all men.
 The church proclaiming at this sea- son the solemn fast of Dent, and, to remind her children that they dwell in houses of clay, she at the beginning sprinkles ashes on their heads and prays that those who receive from her hands this outward token of Penance, may also { Ft1I 4Io f,ar.r 1 ,f sorrow for sin Those who understand their faith, realize that penance should enter into the daily life of every true Christian; for it Is the only road to heav- en left open for those who have com mitted grievous sin after baptism. Lent is a time of grace, an acceptable time when there shall be 'joy before the angels of God upon sinners doing pen ance," Luke XIV. 10. Some there are who lack the spirit of penance and who resent any interference with their liberty in re- gard to food, Gomfort or pleasure. These l need the positive law of the church to 1 enable them to rise superior to their love l of self their desire of ease and their eagerness for worldly pleasures. The law | of self-denial proclaims the superiority of the spirit over the flesh and the neces- l sty of doing penance to keep the latter in subjection to the former.
 On FaStlnq anu ADStinenCe.
 The church by her Lenten regulations declares war against the enemies of God, | the world and the flesh with its car nal appetites. When in obedience to mother church, we fast and abstain, we l attack our enemy in one of his strong holds-that of self-indulgence. When we practice the virtue of temperance, which is a duty before us always, we may be said to act on the defensive but when we deny ourselves something which we might lawfully use, we assume the of 1 fensive and proclaim the liberty of our | will to do what reason dictates rather 1 than what our feelings crave. Thus we humble our pride and dispose our hearts for prayer; for "the prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds
 .. and shall not depart before the Most High behold" Fec. xxxv., 2l. By humble and persevering prayer, we ob- 1 tain all graces and favors. The Lenten season should be for us time of prayer and for the fervent reception of the sac raments Those who can assist at daily mass and at the beautiful service of bene- l diction of the blessed sacrament and the way of the cross, should make every | sacrifice to do so.
 | From time immemorial it has been the custom of Catholics, during the Lenten | season, to avoid attendance at theatres ! and similar places of amusement, as well | as social parties and festive gatherings, | even though these may be unobjectionable in themselves. It Is to be regretted that not a few are losing sight of these lauda- be practices of our Catholic ancestors. Lent is time for self-examination in