The Irish standard., 1911-09-16
Archbishop Blenk Requires Parties
to Sacrilegious Marriages to do
Public Penance.
Required to Kneel at Altar in Pres
ence of Congregation While
Apology is Read.
Hopes Thereby to Discourage Hasty
and Ill-Advised Civil Mar
riages of Catholics.

SAAUISllOH D1CI1h VI INC" O1lSdAo
is not going to allow laxity on the
part of the administration of his Of
fee to be a cause of encouraging ILL
considered and hasty marriages among
t4ie Catholics of his diocese. There
are some Catholics who are so weak
as to disregard the admonitions of the
Church in entering the martial rela-
tion only to find themselves later
compelled by remorse Of conscience to
apply to the Bishop to have the error
into which they have fallen corrected.
1t is to discourage and, if possible,
eliminate the evils of indiscretions of
this kind that the Archbishop has an
nounced that henceforth parties to a
sacriligious marriage wishing to re-
gain their standing in the Church
shall do public penance for their bad
example. The Morning Star" Of New
Orleans, commenting on this an
nouncement says:
An important announcement was
read at all the Masses in st. Joseph's
Church OH Sunday last, and is repro
duced in "The Morning STAR today.
1t should be read and pondered by
every Catholic man and woman who
contemplates entering the holy state
of matrinony. It explains in nut
she'll the strict regulations Which His
Grace the Most Reverend Archbishop
intends to enforce in order to protect
the sanctity and dignity of the mar
riage ceremony. The following is the
announcement:
"In order to put a stop to a sacri-
legious abuse of the great sacrament
of matrimony by those who dare to
stand before civil judge to be legally
married only, thereby despising their
Church, their Archbishop and their
pastor; profaning a sacrament by
mocking it uselessly and scandalizing
the whole parish, our Most Reverend
Archbishop has decreed that all those
public penance in the church before
the whole congregation, kneeling at
the altar rail, while the pastor reads
out their expressions of sorrow and
regret for the scandal and bad exam
pie they have given.
To-day at the last Mass we shall
perform this solemn duty, but shall
dispense with the appearance before
you of the young couple, knowing how
they were urged on to this sin and
encouraged in it by bad advisors, even
ought to know better. I have the
names of these five witnesses right
here, each of whom share fully in the
scandal committed by the couple,
whose apology 1 shall read"
At the 10 o'clock Mass was read the
following public apology for the scan
dal Of being married by judge, con-
trary to the law of the Church:
"We, the undersigned, wishing to
remain faithful children of Holy
Church, having, by the kindness of
l
our sin. and been properly married be-
fore the altar, do hereby publicly ex-
press our sorrow and regret for hav-
ing despised the laws of Mother
Church by appearing publicly before
civil judge to be married, knowing
that such marriage, though legal,
would not be valid before God and
His Church.
1--WE ask pardon of God, Of our
priests and of all the people of the
parish for our bad example"
The names of the parties are omit
ed from publication, but the lesson is
one that should be taken to heart.
A public apology was made in an
other church recently for the same
scandal of being married by judge in
Gretna. The Most Reverend Arch
bishop has determined to stop 1t If
possible by this means.