The Irish standard., 1907-08-10
NEW APOSTOLIC COLLEGE.
Pressing Need Of Vacations to tn,
Teaching BrothSrhoods. :.

Teaching Broth6rhoods.
Commenting ON the opening fof an
Apostolic College near Philadelphia
recently, the reverend editor Of the
Ave Maria says: The opening of such
an institution Is another Indication
that the need for laberers in the
Lords American vineyard; ID becom-
ing easingly evident. ana that spe-
cial efforts are being made. to aug
ment their number. 1t would.;be we'll
for parish priests and all confessors
Of the young to exercise an Nlditional
measure of judicious zeal in prudently
discovering which OF the girls AMI
boys committed to their spiritual di-
rections have been favored. with the
germ of a religious vocation. and then
wisely to foster the germ until 1T fully
develops: A point worth noting in
connection with this subject lis that a
boy may have a we1l-defined call to
the religious, though not to the sacred
otal life: and pastors would do. well
to exercise caution about diverting
youths from the lay brotherhood g,
the ground that the priesthood af-
fords a larger scope for doing good.
is a more honorable state. etc.
ut is sometimes said. that. here IN
America remarks the Very Rev Gill
bert Francais.. c. S. c.. in a plea for
the fostering of vocations, "the foun-
tain Of vocations for the teaching. and
especially the lay, Brotherhood, is be-
coming less copious from day to dav
and even that it will soon be entirely
dried up. can not persuade myself
of the justice Of this view. In a great
country like the United States VIII are
progress in every sense of that term
is the watchword, where everything Is
so effectively organized, not only as
to material well-being. but as regards
the intellectual and the spiritual life
as well. 1t cannot but be that Catholt-
cism will enjoy its most complete
fecundity and produce. extraordinary
fruits.
Parishes are being multiplied and
strengthened: grand seminaries are
being founded to give the priests. al
available equipment from; within and
| without: under the direction Of a
pious. intelligent and active episco-
pate the apostolic spirit is developing
and seeks out wherever the are to be
found groups Of wandering. undecided
and perishing: Catholic. souls; And
springing from the soil are cathedra!s
truly worthy of their. prototypes in the
old world during the Middle Ages
And it is in the very center Of thi.
prodigious Catholic vitality ;. of thu
United States that we hear talk abou
the decadence and the irremediablt
ruin of lay and teaching Brothers
Is it not rather the direct opposit,
of this that should be foreseen ant
expected? There may indeed be .
present crisis. but. far from presas ia.
death, the. crisis is merely. lesson
warning us to bring to bear upon thi
point as on all others. our most ener
getic possible action. ......
The religious vocation, purely ant
simply SUCH. outside the priesthoc
is the direct fruit of these words o
our Lord: III thou wilt be, perfect
go and sell what thou hast. and Civ
to the poor, and thou shalt have treas
ure in heaven; and come. follow Me-
<Matt. xix. 21) None of our divin
Lords words have ever failed
Heaven and earth shall pass away
but My word shall not pass, (Matt
xxiv, 36.) Like all His. other state
ments, that just quoted creates tn
condition it announces and has. a. per
petual fruitfulness which nothing ca,
arrest. That Come follow Me-
-