The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-12-18
THE NFALL|BLE BARK
OF Peter DESCRIBED
An Eloquent Tribute to the
Catholic Church by Father
Day, a Celebrated English
Jesuit--The Evil of Spirit
ualism Condemned more
than once as a Modern Sup
erstition and Worst off
spring Of Satan's Brood.

spring OF Satan's Brood.
The following beautiful tribute to
the infallible barque of Peter is by
Father Day, the noted English Jesuit:
Her hull Is battered. Her sails are
torn. But she keeps her course and
sails slowly and majestically over the
water. Why slowly? Because the bar
nacles of time have gathered upon her
keel. Why majestically? Because she
is the royal ship Of the Kingdom of
God. The pennant of Christ is flying,
and all the ships Of the sea dip their
burgee as they pass. Dare we signal
her? Yes, why not? Who are you?
Whence do you come? For what port
are you bound? Who's your captain?
And how is your crew? 1--WE are the
Barque of Peter-the one holy Catholic
and Roman Church, come down from
Christ Who is our Captain. We have
sailed 1000 years-carried cargoes Of
salvation for millions of souls. Two
hundred million passengers are now
aboard, and we are bound for the City
Of God. Our pilot is the same who
stepped on board when first we start
ed. The other chief navigators have
been taken from us by death. But
Peter, in the person of Plus, still steers
oh; to- 10 ;oFo
trtsth:i All are still persevering in the
doctrine Of thsakpostles. SAlllsare still
submitting themselves to the infallible
voice. Of the living APOSTLE ~ .il
1 And 30 the great ship passes BY. She
Ii ING 6afist tide church ofs Christ. Watch
her and wonder as she goes. She is the
ship Of faith. Her timbers are sound
She is as firm and infallible now as in
the days Of the Apostles; and she was
as infallible during the medieval ages
of pretended darkness as she was in the
years Of primitive purity. There has
never been any break in the continuity
of her prerogative to believe and to
teach without failing.
She has been, and is, always and ev-
erywhere infallible. Infallible in the
Catacombs whilst struggling against
the rage Of tyrants; infallible when,
having emerged from those caverns,
she covered east and west; infallible
when east and west separated; infall-
ible in sunshine and darkness, in pros
perity and adversely, when all things
favored her, and when all things went
seemingly against her; infallible in
spite of the weakness, errors, crimes
and impenitent perversity of many, Of
multitudes Of her members; infallible
in spite Of the perpetual recurrence Of
heresies and schisms; infallible with o
divine and therefore unerring precision
which no lapse Of ages and no events
of earth could influence, change or i'm
pair down to the contamination.
thanks to God for having made you
members Of that communion in which
you are preserved, from all errors in
faith, and from all illusions in the prac-
tice Of virtue. Give thanks, moreover,
to God that you belong to a Church
which has also a keen sense to detect
and expose those moral and social
shams and religious frauds which pass
under the name Of morality, religion
and humanity, but which are in reality
subversive Of all faith and morality and
social progress. Neither Mormons nor
Agapemonites nor Christian Scientists
nor spiritualfsts nor Socialists have
any recruits in, the Catholic Church.
She will never suffer her children to
be ensnared by these impostures, how
specious soever they may be.
About the last-named superstition I
would say a word. The subject Of
Spiritualism is forced on our attention
by the newspaper publicity recently
given to certain seances which have
taken place In the house and under the
direction OF Mr.. w. T. Stead, the found
er Of the New Journalism" and its
most brilliant representative. Many
people have been gulled or deceived by
the, results of these seances. Many
more have been entertained or amused
But comparatively few have been
shocked The reverse Of this public
sentiment ought to have manifested it.
self through the length and breadth Of
England. Shame should have been cried
on the promoter Of this public scandal
and on all who shared in the immoral
presiding