The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-07-30
New England is Now the Stronghold
Of Catholicity in the
United States.
The Secret of the Growth of the
Church in the Northwest is
Colonization.
Archdiocese of St. Paul Organized
to Take Care of Catholic
Immigrants.

The New England States, according
to William Sidney Rossiter, a census
official of Washington, may now be
regarded as the stronghold of Catho-
licity in this country.
In Massachusetts, 355 persons in ev-
cry thousand of total population were
reported in 1906 as members of the
Catholic Church; in Rhode Island, 400;
Connecticut, 29s; New Hampshire, 277;
New York, 278 Some of these propor-
tions are double those shown sixteen
years before.
The non-Catholic communicates per
1000, of the States mentioned, num-
bered but 14S in Massachusetts, 131
in Rhode Island, 1876 in Connecticut,
149 In New Hampshire, and $50 in
New York; and practically all show
a decline per 1000 of total population
from 1890 to 1906.
In Massachusetts, with a popula-
ton of little over 100000 approx
mately 100000 are descendants of the
native stock, and probably over 1,00O,-
600 persons in the commonwealth are
available from which to draw mem
bershfp for the nom Catholic denomi-
nations; and this is practically the
same number that were thus available
in 1850.
The same official says that the nom
Catholic population has not increased
in New England for sixty years.
Much credit must, of course be Civ
Ell to the tenacity of the Faith in the
Irish blood from the first sorely tri ed
Immigrants unto our present third and
fourth American generations. When
it comes to later accessions from with
out, like the hardy and prolific French
Canadian, so well represented in our
manufacturing towns, too much can
not be said in praise of the priests Of
the same stock, who have migrated
with their people and built up schools,
charities and the rest in the indus
merical degree of the Italians, the
Poles, the Lithuanians, yes, and of
the Syrians-whose second church
will be opened in Boston next Sun
day-and of many eastern Catholics
undreamed Of here twenty-five years
ago.
Father De Vos, promising that "the
study of statistics is one of the most
puzzling and heart-rending occupa-
the figure of 100000 Catholic immi-
grants into the whole United States
in 1909, with the official statistics
which records for the same year Il
gain of 1855 both from natural in
crease and from immigration! Now
the gain from the former cause must
exceed that, and it seems to us quite
impossible that we lose the total of
our Catholic immigration. But it looks
as if we were losing large part of
it. Why? Father De Vos answers
his own question:
There are reasons to be found in
Europe-Neglect of religious instruc-
ton, socialistic and atheistic propa-
ganda, tendency of the restless nov
city seekers in things religious to emf
CRATE. But these do not explain the
whole case. In reality, the majority OF
our immigrants are the sturdiest and
steadiest workers of Europe. They
have been good Catholics at home and
they would remain good Catholics ir
this country if they could find 2
Catholic welcome awaiting them ir
their new homes. Railroad men, after
close calculations, have estimated that
at least 100000 Catholic immigrants
are transported every year by the
railroads to churchless places. Ever
greater numbers are conceivably los;
where there is church, because the
breach between alien and American
is not bridged over by special effort
If these ew-comers were grouped
and Systematically assimilated by en-
ergetic Catholic colonization, what 4
different story there would be to tell!
What is the main cause Of the