Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-21
PRIESTHOOD TO
BE PERPETUAL
APOST0LIClTY DECLARED TO
BE MARK OF CHURCH
BISHOP coNATY TRACES ORIGIN
OF EARLY MISSIONS
Head of Catholic Diocese Declares It
Is Necessary for Religious lnstl-
tutions to Show Their Gre
dentiaIs of Authority

ApOolOllIAly DIS a NndAh VI ZIG
/ Church" was the subject of Bishop
Conaty who preached the fourth of
his series of advent sermons yesterday
morning at the Cathedral of St Vibi-
ana. The bishop took his text from
Jeremias 6:16: "Thus saith the Lord:
Stand we on the ways and see and ask
for the old paths, which is the good way
and walk We in it; and you shall find
refreshment for your souls He said
in part:
ITO prove it's divine mission, the
church must be able to say with the
prophet Isaias, The Lord hath sent
me and his spirit 1t must show its
| credentials, clearly indicating the au-
| thority by which it appeals to the In
telligence and hearts of men. AS the
representative taking part in national
| legislation as the judge appointed to
! the administration of law, as the dele
| gate representing a foreign nation, all
bearing with them certificates, properly
signed and sealed by virtue of which
their authority is recognized, so we
have a right to demand and pass judg-
ment upon the credentials of the church
which comes to us representing CHRIST
and demanding our obedience.
among the seals upon its creden-
tails should be the apostolic one, by
virtue of which 1t proves its authority
to have come from Christ through the
apostles. and the power which 1t pos
! sesses to teach and to administer to be
| in line with the power and authority
which Christ invested his church.
1.-THE apostles themselves constantly
reminded the people that they should
stand fast to the traditions which they
had been taught whether by word or
epistle, and to mind the command
ments of us the apostles and so the
history of the early church tells us of
the disciples persevering In the doc
| trine of the apostles
"Christ's kingdom on earth is his
church, and 1t is to be governed and
administered by virtue of the authority
which he confided to those whom he
placed over it as the priests of his sac
| riflce and the ministers of his recon-
citation, the shepherds of his Sheep
fold, and the masters of his house.
"In the plan of divine redemption ad-
ministered to men, Christ clearly es-
tablished a priesthood and sacrifice
| and that priesthood was to continue
through the ages, Offering the clean
oblation of the body and blood of the
| divine redemption.
"Christ came to forgive sin and IN
! his plan of forgiveness it is clearly
1 seen that he appointed the ministers
Of his redemption, to whom he gave the
power over sin as the Father had given
it to him, and sins were to be forgiven
by a public ministry through men.
Judges Of Human Conscience
"Christ so willed it, as may be seen
from his words and from the estab-
| lishment of his tribunal of forgiveness
in which he appointed his apostles and
| their successors as the judges of hu-
man conscience in matters of sin. Thls
| priesthood of sacrifice and of SIN 1or-
! giveness was not intended merely for
the day of Christ and the apostles, put
| was intended for all days so long as
| man was in the way of forgiveness
| and thanksgiving and sacrifice and sac
| rament So the apostles selected their
successors and so through the ages that
succession has continued uninterrupted
and public in an unbroken series.
Antiquity alone is not certain crl-
terion of truth but the church of Christ
today demanding allegiance by virtue
of its apostolic character must have
the antiquity of 1900 years to entitle it
/ to a hearing.
'.'The history of Christianity chronicles
various epochs of opposition to the
church, during which men separated
| themselves from the center of Christian
unity and established organizations in
dependent of central church authority.
"History records the names of indt-
| viduals as originators OF these different
religious movements, and it seems diff
| ficult to understand how men cannot
see in that the break in the apostolic
succession, not only IN authority out
also by variance of doctrine by their
| condemnation of what Christianity has
always recognized as a part of the
apostolic church. both in the establish
ment of the Christian priesthood and
In the maintenance of the ministry or
/ reconciliation through men.
1.-THE Catholic church claims spiritual
/ M dnfnpG nOinfG
of doctrine concerning which there may
have been dispute, administers the sac
raments, speaks with no uncertain voice
/ the word of doctrine and morals, and
in the language of the council of Jeru-
salem to the early Christians, she says
to all her people when defining faith
and morals, 1T hath seemed good to the
Holy Ghost and to us
Roman Pontiffs' Ancestry
! 1.-THE most remarkable line of ances-
try In the world is that of the Roman
pontiffs. From Plus x, who so glor-
! iously rules the church today, through
his 266 predecessors. she traces an I'M
broken succession of pontiffs, who as
| successors to Peter have been recog-
nized by the Christian world as the
Wears of Christ.
Even though sometimes in their his
| tory rival camps may have appeared,
/
ever clear, for the contest to place does
not destroy the title of the office, even
| though the question as to the rightful
occupant may be in dispute.
THE Catholic church opens the books
| of its teaching to all students of her
| claims and maintains that her history
| is the history of Christianity. Her pom
! tiffs her bishops, her priests and her
people have formed that great visible
/ corporate body which the world has
j recognized as bringing to it the message
of the gospel and the means of saliva
ton, believing unhesitatingly in that
/ gospel and using the ministrations of
4 that priesthood in order to realize the
u purposes of life and gain eternal saliva
4 ton for their souls.
History clearly indicates that this
i corporate body with its apostolic char
acter has laid the foundations of our
Christian civilization and built for us
the church of God in all the nations. in
all the ages. Not only that, but it has
established the mighty systems of edu-
cation by which knowledge has beer
preserved and learning has been stored
in the libraries of the world for the
benefit of mankind.
"No Christians can question that the
church of the apostles was the church
of Christ, nor can they question that the
apostles and their successors were the
preachers Of the Christianity which the
nations heard and believed. The church
I of Christ battled with paganism ano
upon many of it's ruins established
u Christian temples, brought knowledge
i and faith to the barbarian nations anC
i preached that gospel which came tt
. \ ,t.la hor