Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04
Ble88e8 Local WQrk.
Apostolic Mission House at Brookland Subject of
Special Commentator in Letter From
Pope Plus x to Cardinal Gibbons.

bishop of the non-Catholics well as
of the Catholics. and is more OF less re
sponsible for their coming to the knowl-
edge of the truth. lie is especially re-
spcnSib!e for the baptized Catholics that
they be we'll instructed i'll the doctrines
of the faith and he is responsible for the
non-Catholics that these may be brought
To the knowledge of the truth and be
saved. Ii is no small part of his duty.
then. TO provide the means whereby the
non-Catholics may learn what the teach
ing of the church is. Many methods
suggest themselves. as, for example.
Wide distribution of explanatory lltera-
ture. opening the doors of the churches
to the non-Catholics. etc. But it has
been found that the best way 10 reach
the Catholic and the non-Catholic alike Is
to have we'll established band of do
cesar miSSiOnari eS VINO have been train
ed for this special work. and who are
therefore prepared 10 stand before any
audience and explain in an attractive
way the teachings of the faith. Faith
comes by hearing. and ii Is the author
lied preacher who delivers the message
of the gospel TO the souls who are hum
eering for the truth. Tie primary voca-
ton of the church is a missionary voca-
ton. for the only commission that the
Lord gave to the apostles was TO go and
preach the gospel to every creature.
diocese that has a we'll trained mission
band is one that is we'll equipped TO do
the work of Christ in the fullest measure.
:: ::
Besides enabling Il bishop TO do effective
evangelic work. it has been found that an
apostolic mission band has good tonic
effect on the labors OF the rest OF the
clergy. 1t sets up an ideal OF prieStly
work that presents high standard of
parochial preaching, and one also that
awakens an earnest desire to instruct the
people in all the doctrines of the faith. 1t
is constantly said that the best Catholic
is the who knows his religion well.
Most of the opposition and bitterness to
the church comes from the many bizarre.
and false notions of the teaching of the
church that prevail among the nOn-CathO-
lies. The missionaries who meet the nom
Catholics frequently have occasion to say
to them that that thing that you think is
the Catholic Church l would hate as much
as YOU do, but that is not the Catholic
Church at all. 1t teaches doctrines en-
tirely different from what you suppose it
does. Learn the truth about the Catholic
Church and You will love it as we do
The question of making converts to the
church is very largely one of supplying
diocesan missionaries who are prepared
to do the church's work of preaching
the gospel to all men.
The second point that the Holy Father
emphasizes is the method of preaching.
He believes tnat the days or fdncOrOQS
religious discussion and theological con-
tention have gone by. AS he says. the
power of the truth is great in itself. and it
needs but to be known to be loved The
primary purpose of the preacher. there
fore, should be to present the truth of
the church in an attractive form. to elm
mate the polemical tone. which only
arouses opposition and makes one only
more positive in his error. and substitute
in its stead the attractive. expository
method. The best missionary is the one
who has learned to say the word that will
attract, and to leave unsaid the word that
will repel. How is it possible to bring
back to the faith the throngs who have
gone out of the church If one begins by
denOuncing them and using all kinds of
OpprobriOus epithets toward them? Yet
such d policy has prevailed in many
places. The irenic policy must now be
substitutes for the irritating polemic. and
the expository method for the contentious
controversial