The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-01-06
IS IT NEGLECT?
Hundreds Of Abandoned Church
es Exist in Philippines
Because No Priests Are There
to Fill Them.

land. Ohio, prints a remarkable ar
ticle in it's current issue. The au-
thor is Filipino, and writes of condi-
tons that exist in the Philippines. His
paper virtually is a revelation, assum-
ing, of course, that his statements are
truthful. Here is brief summary Of
his observations:
| The Filipinos are Catholics. They
wish to remain Catholics. But how
are American Catholics helping them
SO to remain. The United States is in
control of the islands, but few Amer
lean priests care to go there. 1t is not
so with the other countries, the writer
asserts. Visit European colonies, he
says, and mark how the Church fol-
lows the flag in every case. The
French missionary is toiling in Alge-
ria Sahara, Madagascar everywhere
In Zanzibar, East Africa, the Caroline
Islands, ETC., ETC., the German priest is
struggling. In Egypt, India, Borneo,
Australia. etc., English and Irish
priests are active. Belgian priests are
in the Belgian colonies, Spanish priests
| in Latin America, Portuguese priests in
the Portuguese possessions.
Where are our priests laboring
abroad? Practically nowhere. Not in
Cuba, not in Porto Rico, not in the
Philippines. I'm the Philippines" he
| says. I'VE have many educated Amer
lean Catholics. We have American
Catholics among the employees of Of
| ficers of the government. We have
American Catholics in the army and
navy. We have American Catholics
among the teachers, lawyers, nurses,
merchants, etc. Among these there
may be friend, relative, perhaps a
sister or a brother, and again I ask
myself, where is the American priest?
Where is the American priest who will
take an interest in the souls Of his
countrymen in the Philippines? Among
the Spanish and Filipino priests there
You have sent four bishops to the Phil
ippines but what can they effect with
out help? l look over all the islands
and can hardly find dozen American
priests. There are about 100000 in
habitants and the majority Of these are
Catholics. There are about 1000 par
CHI md mic n oh L..
mately 600 Filipino priests are expect
ed to baptize, administer the sacra
ments, attend the sick and dying, in
struct old and young and defend the
Catholics against American Protestant
influence. There are five do
ceses and in each there are more par
Cebu is best served, but even here
there are fewer priests than parishes.
Some parishes and missions have had
to be abandoned altogether for lack Of
priests. The same may be said of the
dioceses of Manila, Vigan, New Cac-
eres and 1loilo. The last named do
of all.
"The Spanish bishops could obtain an
ever increasing number of religious
and secular priests from the mother
country and they accepted these quite
freely. The bishops did not need many
Filipino priests and in consequence
paid little attention to their seminaries
The result was that when the revolu-
ton drove the Spanish priests from
their parishes and the Filipino priests
alone remained, there We're not suff1-
Gent of the latter to attend them prop
erly. The last Spanish bishops saw
many parishes deserted and they found
themselves without priests; and then,
when it was too late, they recognized
and confessed their blunder in neglect
ing the home seminaries.
The American bishops felt this lack
of priests from the start and began at
once to reorganize the seminaries.
They are working at present with great
zeal to educate fresh Filipino priests;
but, besides other great difficulties
| which they need to surmount, training
priests requires time. Meanwhile a
new generation is growing up without
| faith and without religious instruction
for lack of clergy.
1T was our custom formerly to bap-
| tie our babes within one week of their
birth; now when you travel through
! the islands you will find in the bosom
of Catholic families children Of three
four, five or more years who have not
yet been baptized, and all for want If
priest. Yet right there in their ma
tive towns you will see church, a
monastery building and thousands Of
Catholics. The Filipinos will receive
the American priest with joy. Remem-
Der first Of all that they are Catholics
and that they realize the need of more
priests.
| From the beginning the American
government entered upon its part of
the undertaking with magnanimity,
with gigantic energy, with an infinite
courage. 1t has begun to write its
chapter in the Philippine history with
a record Of marvellous deeds and won-
derful enterprises. Its first pages are
magnificent prose and lofty poetry.