The Irish standard., 1907-11-30

OF religious orders who teach ana
preach. There are ninety-three dio-
ceses, divided into fourteen ecclesias-
tical provinces, with Bishop in each
diocese and an Archbishop over each
province"
What is the number of your church
buildings?"
"Our latest figures show s.o72 resi-
dent priests and 4.072 missionaries with
buildings for religious services. Our
largest Cathedral. which is in New
York, cost $4,000 900"
What is the value Of your property,
including, of course, converts, asylums,
hospitals, etc.,
I'VE have no information as to that.
There are 4o,6ss orphans i'll 255 asy-
lums and 169,s3s inmates in our 922
charitable institutions. 1t would be
impossible to ascertain Just what all
this property cost or it's present value" !"
In response to the question. In what
part of the country Is the church hav-
ing the largest growth?" Mgr. F'alconio
said:
I'm the East. and especially In New
York About 100000 immigrants came
to America last year. Two thirds of
them were Catholics. They were poor
people. and couldn't travel very far
after they landed. So they hunted en-
ployment near at hand. Those who
went West moved about considerably
before they found available places In
which to settle. We are doing our
best to take care Of our immigrants.
but have needed priests who under
stand their ways and can speak the
various languages. You see. there is
latitude in our forms OF worship. The
Greeks who recognize the Pope Of
Rome worship, not In Latin, but in
their own tongue. 1t is so with the
Slavs. This year. am told. there will
be 100000 immigrants. The church
must meet those who are Catholics and
help them all 1t can. We now have
a Greek Bishop. and he will organize
q part of the work which has been
somewhat neglected. We have priests
for the Italians. and are looking after
them Systematically. We follow the
immigrant no matter where he goes;
put up a cheap wooden church, and
then build a. better one il he decides
to settle permanently. That is the way
we work. Often, however, a colony Of
Italians will have employment in one
spot for year, in q. mine. for example,
when circumstances compel them to
90 elsewhere. II they go the church
will be broken up and so the priest
has to accompany them"
rs not this country thought TO be
the most promising field in the world
for Catholic effort?"
= Undoubtedly: hundreds of thou
sands of Catholics are leaving Europe
annually to find homes in America,
where there is liberty of worship
and no interference with religion. In
Spain and Italy, Catholic countries.
increase in the membership of the
church depends upon the birth rate
Therefore we are growing faster
here than anywhere else. But what
like best In the United States is
the freedom which each religion en-
joys to carry on the work of right.
eousness III its own way. The statA
has nothing to do with the church.
In some countries. Italy and Spain.
by way of illustration, and in France,
formerly. the whole population was
Of one mind relisiously, and Church
and State interlaced in the concerns
OF civil government without objec-
tion. Moreover, the church was
filled with educated men, whose
services and talents were wanted in
secular matters. Here we have many
religions or denominations, and a
national church would be an impos-
sibility Conditions are entirely Diff
ferent from those in Austria, Spain
and Italy, and likewise in France.
Speaking OF France. should like to
say that many ot the American peo-
pie have believed that until recently
Catholic Bishops and the clergy were
supported by funds drawn from the
national treasury - by a direct tax
upon the people, in fact. Such was
not the case at all. The church was
rich In it's own right and had en-
dowments from which the clergy
were paid. Nevertheless, the Govern
inent turned the church out OF doors
and confiscated It's property. TO
bring the illustration home let rs
suppose that Congress or President
Roosevelt should forcibly take pos
session of every church building In
the country. including the rich es-