The Irish standard., 1907-07-27
CATHOLIC CENSUS
Archbishop Glennon of St
Louis Has Been
Commissioned to Supervise the
Important Work.

One of the most important move
ments ever begun for the benefit of
the Catholic body in the United States
has just been inaugurated through the
united action of the bishops and the
government.
Several times at their annual meet
ings the archbishops have tried to in
duce the government to undertake the
work of compiling a complete and
correct census of the Catholics Of this
they received no favorable response
At last the matter was placed before
the president in such a light that he
could no longer decline to act A
committee was appointed at the last
meeting of the archbishops to take the
matter up with the commissioner of
the census, and that their efforts were
crowned with more than expected sue
cess.
Archbishop Glennon Of ST. Louis has
been commissioned as assistant COM
missioner of the census. and he has
most ample power to engage assist
ants and in every way to prepare a
full Catholic census of the country.
All the cost of the vast undertaking
will be borne by the government. His
Grace of st. Louis depends upon the
hearty cooperation of the bishops and
the parish priests. These will work
under him and report to him. The
parishes are units of activity, and st.
Louis is to be the clearing house for
their reports. Supplies and instruc-
tons will be supplied from the ST
Louis chancery, and all mail matter
will pass under the franking privilege
of Archbishop Glennon, who is ap-
pointed special agent of the census
bureau to supervise this census. He
hopes to be able to complete 1t in six
circular letter to the bishops asking
for their cooperation says:
What we all want is thorough.
complete and reliable census OF the
Catholic body in the United States.
neither exaggerated nor diminished
and l am sure that, on that program
we will have your hearty cooperation.
The plan proposed for your CO.
operation is the following: In answer
to letters sent out by the census bu-
bishops and bishops lists of churches
and ministers have been received for
SO dioceses Cor archdioceses) and en-
velopes have been addressed to the
pastors of these churches. For those
dioceses Cor archdioceses) for which
no lists were received the envelopes
have been addressed upon the lists of
churches as contained in the official
Catholic directory for 1905.
I'm these envelopes addressed to
the pastors) are to be placed the fol-
lowing Enclosures: CD card sched-
ule for the collection Of the statistics:
(2) the printed instructions for prop
erly filling the same; 90 copy Of
the letter of the archbishops similar
to that you have already received a.
a circular letter from myself to the
pastor giving necessary instructions
. and urging a prompt response on his
part; and 60 an addressed envelope
for return of completed schedule, as
hereinafter explained.
Instead of sending these envelopes
with their Enclosures direct to the
churches, they are to be sent by the
census bureau in bulk, and unsealed,
, to each bishop Cor archbishop, with
a request to kindly forward them to
, individual chur hes after having made
such corrections and additions in the
: addresses as may be necessary, and
: having seen that each envelope con-
. tains the right number of cards-one
for each church served by the pastor
to whom it is addressed.
THE schedules, after being filled
out by the pastors of the churches
are to be returned by them to their
, respective bishops Cor archbishops) in
addressed return envelopes. similar to
) sample envelopes Enclosed herewith
and which can he used by the pastor
for this purpose without payment of
postage. Each bishop Cor archbishop
will be requested to open these en-
; velopes as received, to make such cor
rections in the returns for the in
J dividual churches as may be neces-
sary, and, as soon as the returns for
all of his churrhe shall have been
received and properly inspected, to
forward them, in bulk, to me- using
for this purpose addressed labels to
be supplied by the census bureau and