The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-05-01
AN AWFUL THING TO Be IN RELIGIOUS DOUBT
Went to Various Places Of Worship Where He Found
Edifying Diversion but no Real
Spiritual Consolation.

"Sone Roads to Rome in America"
is the title of a. volume compiled by
Miss Cieorgina Pel Curtis. which con-
ssts Of a series of contributions from
numerous converts to- the Church in
this country in which they relate their
experiences in quest of the Light and,
following 1t, the incidents OF the jour
ney over the path which brought them
to the True Church. says the Beacon.
One of the interesting sketches Is from
the Rev. r. Stuart Chambers, D. D..
Of the Church of the Blessed Sacra
nlent in this city which may he taken
as an indication OF the great interest
which the book possesses. DR.. Cham
hers writes:
II is not without hesitation offer
to the American Roads to Rome" the
contribution Of my own spiritual tim
erary. nor should ! presume to do So
but for the fear-maybe a scruple--
that otherwise in the strange prov-
dence of God, sof,,e wandering sou
might forever rem,ain Ell route.
1t is an awful thing. as converts
must know. to he tossed about on p
religious sea by every wind of doc
trine, will, pilot, If any. more de-
pendent upon us than we upon him:
awful ] say. even for Americans, fond
too fond, as we arc. of clnnec of
movement and of the kind which leads
nowhere in particular. But ono tires
sooner or later, in 80 far as one is sane,
Of travel and adventure. and longs
to settle down In a. permanent resting
place; one yearns for a homo Of ones
own. religiously-though he may not
know it---no less than domestically.
To help. even in the most inefficient
way. some young, restless men to
desire. IL not actually to find, this
home, is my apology for writing what
otherwise would be far too personal
and private and precious (at least to
myseID for print.
At best only hints can be given, not
only for lack of space. but because n
conversion to the Roman Catholic
Faith, If not a real miracle, is never
without it's mystery; theologicalIy we
here deal with the grace of God and
mans free will and psychologicnlly
would attempt to describe the action
Of the Holy Ghost upon a human soul
Il thing which defies analysis and
transcends verbal expression.
Hence tho difficulty Of thinking and
speaking clearly on such a subject the
impossibility of unintentionally not Of
Tending, Of not being misunderstood
by somebody, the non Catholic or bort
Catholic or both. Few of us arc able
practically to distinguish between sys
tens and persons, and thus we take
offence or give offence where none
is meant, in religious matters.
On the Patronage of st. Joseph, 1894
in st. Patricks Cathedral, New York
I I was baptized and formally received
into the Catholic Church by the Rev
Joseph n. Mcmahon. Just fourteen
years ago therefore.
Had anyone told me four years be-
fore that, that some day, however far
distant, would be a religious man, a
Catholic and a priest l. should have re-
gardcd the prediction as too absurd
for attention. ] was naturally inter-
ested, tits: true, in philosophy, but Of
the modern Agnosttcal kind, interested
in the meaning of life, the whence
and the whittier Of my own existence;
interested in literature, in art, in mu.
sic, even in business, because T haC
to be-; but Interested in religion; ii
| OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
In the various Protestant Churches
to which ! went when l felt like it, ]
found an edifying diversion and pleas:
ing gathering Of friends; good music
| a beautifully written If not beautiful,
read service in the Episcopal Church
l-with too often a dry though fortunate: