The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-04
FATHERHEALY
SUNDAY NIGHT LECTURE IN MO-
 BILE CATHEDRAL
Priest Addresses a Large Congregation Showing Why He Is a Catholic. He Elucidates Doc
 trfue.

Mobile, March 3.--(Specialo--To night Father Heely delivered mas terly address on Why I Am Cath olic."
 In the introduction of his lectures after summarizing the various mean' by which converts have been led tt know and accept the Catholic church Father Healy came to his own per sonaI and individual argument in sup, port of his church's claim. He saie that he was not convert to the Catn' ollc faith, as some had supposed, Dur was born and reared Catholic ane educated for the priesthood. That great portion of his time. however since he was ordained priest hac been spent in missions for non-Cath- ollcs. and that he was familiar witt every phase and form of objections tc Catholic faith and doctrines.
 Father Hea1y then said there were two principal arguments on which ne based his own faith-z(D the divinity of Christ, and CD. fhe testimony oi history.
 T believe" said the speaker, thai Christ is God. have true and Keen sense of His divinity. Ills word therefore( is the word of God. Where else shall go. what else shall do' but believe? He may speak or 2 mystery most profound. He may uttei sayings strange and hard 10 me pu' I know and believe that he is Chrisi the Son of God; and to whom else shall I go: for He has the words oi eternal life And so I accept the mys- tery, the law, the sayings, without discriminating, without minimizing.
 "Only because of my faith in Chrls' am I able to believe in the mystery of the Trinity. the incarnation, the redemption; by that faith believe .f giveness of sins: only because of thai faith can believe that under the low ly appearance of bread and wine IS the Lord God present in very truth Can you believe otherwise and accept that faith in its fullness.
 This Is not all; because of that faith I am bound to accept these lat ter doctrines. If I accept the mystery of the redemption of mankind through the cross so must I believe in for giveness of sin through sacrament ol penance. because 1t is the one Christ who has revealed all the mysteries taught, or deny His divinity.
 Again. I know that since Christ is God. His promises are divine, there fore infaIlible-they could not possi- bly have failed. They were infallibie promises Christ made; therefore. when in founding His church He said; To I am with you all days. ever to the consummation of the world. On this rock I will build my church. and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And will pray the Father and He shall give you another comforter that He may abide with you forever even the spirit of truth
 And now the testimony is brought into play. The study of history shows that the Catholic Church as an insti- tuition Is nineteen hundreds years old It Is the impartial testimony of his tory that the Catholic church is the only church as a distinct church that goes back to the days of the apostles the only one that falls heir to thai divine promise, T am with you
 History testifies to this fact that the Catholic church alone today teaches the doctrines of the earliest days of Christianity: yet whatever was taught and believed in those days could not have been wrong, and must be believed today. History shows thai the Catholic church down to the pres tsday is at one with apostolic teach ing. And If Christs promise was di- vine and infalIible, then the Catholic church must be true.
 Christ is God: His promises arc divine. History is impartial, it's tes. timony favors the Catholic church Therefore I, am Catholic"