The Irish standard., 1907-03-09
Census Reports Prove That Sixty-five Per
Cent of These Marriages Are Lost
to the Church.
These Losses Are Due to Want Of Catholic
Education and the Example of the
Non-Catholic Parent.

Bishop Matz, of Denver, in his
strong Lenten Pastoral on Marriage.
tells Some plain truths about the
dangers OF mixed marriages To the
Catholic party and to the children.
te writes
Mixed marriageS--marragcS namc-
w, Of Catholics which persons not
ba ptlzed or baptized Protcstants. con-
stituts one Of tho worst drains upon
the Church in tho Unitad states, Our
numerical strength in this country
would be much greater, only for these
unfortunate mixed marriages. The
United States census reports arc
authority for the statement that sixty
five per cent Of these marriages. arc
lost to the Church. We know that
eighty per cent is nearer the truth.
Tho reason for these losses will be
found in the want OF Catholic educa-
] tlon IL, mixed families. L. requires the
combined efforts of father and mother
TO raise a Christian family, and the
education hero implied must be con-
veyed by example and prcccpt; OF
powerful. But how cain we expect a
nom Catholic parent either to teach or
to practice tho moral precepts OF the
gospel as interpreted by the Church"
The most we may hope to obtain is
| liberty for the Catholic party to prac-
tice his religion and raise The chill
dren in the Catholic faitil--i, other
words, non-interfcrcncc. Now ii turns
out that this policy Of non-intcricr-
tianity.
| The mother, for instance. teaches
the children their prayers; takes them
| to Church on Sundays and tells them
they cannot cat meat on Fridays, etc.
The children never SEQ the father say
a. prayer. ho never goes to mass with
| them on Sundays and cats meat on
| Fridays as OH any other day of the
| week, etc. Now if it is true that words
teach but example draws, when these
children come to the age of under
standing, they will notice these diff
ferences and ask for an explanation.
| why must go 10 mass, instruction,
confession? Papa don't do amy Of
these things. Can't have a pieco of
meat today, the same as my papa
And when once these children may as
sert their independence, which teach
ing, think you-will they follow: !:
Moreover as a rule these children are
not sent to the Catholic schools for
their education. The Protestant father,
does not believe in parochial schools:
he says the ublic schools are good
enough and he does not intend paying
drcn. You see, the Christian Catholic
education Of mixed families is vitiatcd
at homo by the non-Catholic parent,
and positively banished from the
school where it ought to bo most posi-
lively and formally inculcated in the
tender minds and plastic hearts of the
children. So much for non interfcr-
cncc.
| In the marriage OF Christians
(whero both parties arc baptized or
between a Catholic and an infidel with
the dispensation Of the Church, we
can not separate the contract from
tho sacrament; they necessarily go to-
gether since the institution of natri-
mony is a sacrament. Now st. Paul
tells us that this sacrament repre-
sents the union Of Christ with His
Church. Naturally we are prompted
to ask the question: How can the
marriage OF a Catholic with q hereto
or an in1del represent tho union of
Christ with His Church? There is
here something shockingly out of
joint. No wonder st. Ambrose calls
such marriages sacreligeous. st. Paul
goos on illustrating his comparison: