The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-12-30
/. Can ) man beIono to the KNIGHTS Of

1. Can man belong to the Knights OF
Pythias and receive the sacraments
of the Catholic Church? Was the
ban ever lifted off this society? 2.
Can a divorced Protestant become a
Catholic and get married In the church
while his divorced wife is alive? 8.
State what the letters S. S. s. stand
for after priests name; also the
letters o. p, v. c., and o. S. B.? 4. Is
it true that Governor johnson received
the rites of the Catholic Church before
he died? 5. Why are bonfires lit
on the hills in ireland on the night Of
June 237
/. The Knights of Pythias is one of
the societies expressly condemned by
the Church The others are the
Masons, the Odd Fellows, and the
Sons of Temperance. The ban has
not been lifted from any of them. A
Catholic may retain his membership
in the knights of Pythias if he Joined
before the society was condemned and
has what is called vested rights in it,
provided he does not attend the meet
ings, hold Office in the organization,
or associate publicly with it's members,
and receives permission from the
Apostolic Delegate to remain men,
Der on presentation of his reasons for
asking this concession. Under these
circumstances he is permitted to re-
ceive the sacramento of the Church.
His membership in the organization is
merely passive and he has been
granted the necessary permission by
the Papal Delegate. 2. If it can be
proved that the first marriage was
invalid there is nothing to prevent a
second marriage in the case stated.
In particular case one cannot decide
without Investigating all the circum-
stances and matters of this kind
should be referred to ones pastor who,
having knowledge of all the circum-
stances, will be in a position to state
what can be done in the case under
consideration. g. The letters S. S. S.
after a priests name indicate that he
is a member of the Order of the Most
Blessed Sacrament; o. P. stand for
Order of Preachers; " G. for Vicar
General; and o. S. B. for Order of,
st. Benedict. 4. There is nothing to
indicate that Governor Johnson was
received into the Catholic Church be-
fore he died. 5. In ancient Ireland it
was customary to light two fires in
every district on the first of May and
to drive pair of each herd of cattle
in the district between these fires as
a preventative against all diseases for
that year. This was known as Beal-
tame or Bells fire. When Ireland was
Christianized ST. Patrick and his fol
lowers transferred this ceremony to
st. Johns eve, June %, and the custom
is still observed in most, districts of
Ireland. In later times bones were
burned in the fires probably as sub
stitute for the bones of the cattle that
should have been sacrificed. Hence it
was called bones fire and later on
bonfire.
I. Will uncivilized people who
have no opportunity to learn about
God be deprived of Heaven because
they have not been baptized? z.
What is meant by the baptism of de-
sire?
1. We do not know the mystery of
Gods dealing with those who have
never had an opportunity to know Him
or His Gospel. 1t is generally be-
lieved that God provides in some way
for the salvation of such people.
Theologians have suggested ways in
which this may be accomplished
by God; but we know nothing
certain in regard to this matter.
We know, however, that God rewards
or Furnishes each one in accordance
with his works, and those who,
through no fault Of their own, have
had no opportunity of learning what
God has taught will not be punised
for what they could not help. 2. BY
the baptism of desire is meant an
ardent wish to receive the Sacrament
of Baptism. This desire has the same
effect as the baptism of water when
it is impossible for a person to re-
ceive the latter o.
A person who is baptised and
brought up Catholic falls away from
the Church and marries a Protestant
outside the Church. He then gets a
divorce in the courts and again mar.
ries Protestant. Can this third per.
son after obtaining divorce and be
coming a Catholic be married to a
Catholic in the church,
Before giving decisive answer to
this question we would have to be
conversant with all the facts in the
case 1t may be said, however, that
If the first marriage of the Catholic
to the non-Catholic was valid then the
second marriage after securing q
divorce was not valid. In that case
the Protestant party to the second
marriage is free to marry another per
son. Before such a marriage could take
place, even after the Protestant became