The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-10-29
THE MISSION AND THE REDEMpToR1sTs.

In spite of Church, Clergy, Sisters and Cath
Ole colleges, considerable proportion of the Cath
Ole population of our cities will remain untouched
! by the religious influences which surround them.
Every parish priest knows that even amongst those
! who in the main are really earnest-the mass of
churchgoers and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and
laxity will from time to time creep in and that in
order to keep them up to the mark, speak,
there needs to be occasionally, little new blood
infused into the system. True, this ought not to
be so. Men and women ought to be content to go
on, month after month, and year after year, grad
ually growing in grace and evincng a steady de-
velopment of spiritual strength upon the same I'M
varied and unyarying spiritual food Yet there
are times when we all feel the need of something to
stir us up and to mpart to us fresh religious en-
ergy; in a word, that no parish, however well fur
nished with appliances for religious work, or how
ever perfectly administered, afford to dispense
entirely with external aid This external aid is
asked from those who are trained by education,
prayer and meditation, to essentially spiritual
life and freely granted from time to time during
what is known as the EMISSION week."
Everybody knows that the Preaching Orders
founded in the thirteenth century by st. Dominic
and st. Francis of ASSIST were set on foot in the
first instance to fill gap which the parish priests
were powerless to do, and to undertake work
which they were unable to accomplish At that
date the Gnostic heresy was beginning to make
hostile inroads upon the territory of the church.
and seriously to endanger the ancient landmarks
of the Faith. Some special agency was felt to be
necessary at such crisis; and, notwithstanding
4Io To4o -, boJ g. H.
establishment of new Orders the Pope in each
case accorded his favor to Saints Dominic and
Francis. Then came the days of Saints Vincent
de Paul and Alphonsus Ligouri, who, to meet a
pressing demand from cities and rural parishes
founded the now famous Congregations of the |
Vincentians and Redemptorists, whose work has, |
in more ways than one been permitted by God to |
exert so striking influence upon the religious |
of own day in these United States.
This great work-one of the most important
and highly valued agencies in use amongst US
is accomplished by what are popularity known as
Missions About these Missions there is an emf
nently practical and an evident and successful
attempt to supply by their means that occasional
stimulus which mans complex nature Graves. The
absolute need of occasional change for the health
of the soul, less than for that of the body, has
long been recognized in form or another by
all students of the inner spiritual life
The Church being intended to bear upon all
classes of persons at all times and under all cir
,umstances, must, if she is to perform her Office
Alright, necessarily possess such Elasticity as will
enable her to meet the wants. and harmonic with
he characteristics of the day; and not only to
possess such quality, but exercise it, too. The
luty of the Church is to deal with men, not they
ught to be- but they are; to take notice of their
-aryng peculiarities and even of their foibles and
@ do her best to turn these pecuiarities and fol-
lies to account for the good of the souls of men.
The Soul Of the Church is Wisdom, by which title
he Holy Ghost is addressed by Gods prophet, and
Vhen she approved and encouraged the religious
orders established to give EMISSIONS" to her chill
rem, she also approved the means and methods
sed by them for the uplifting and salvation of
lan.
If we are to attract to Gods worship those
HON the Church has practically lost we must not
e afraid of doing and saying things which are
TRANCE and out of the common way.
Now the Mission" which ends tomorrow was
iven by priests who really know how to preach"
at Ubo oan do con,ot,nr ,,,oro H.,