The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-07-29

ed the waves bringing men and money
and ammunition to the Green Isle, and
when all these plans failed our Irish
soldiers found an honored place in the
Spanish army, forming the three regi-
ments of Hibernia, Ultonia and Ir-
landa. But our object now is not to
follow the careers of our soldiers of
fortune, but rather to describe what
Spain did for the youthful soldiers of
Christ who came to Salamanca and
other places to At themselves for the
priesthood and then returned to Ire
land as captains and leaders of the
people in the terrible prosecutions they
We're enduring.
In the fourth year of the reign Of
William and Mary a law was passed
THAT all Popish archbishops, bishops.
Wears general, deans, Jesuits. monks,
friars and all other regular Popish
clergy and all Papists exercising any
ecclesiastical jurisdiction shall depart
this kingdom" If they remained be-
yond a certain date or returned they
were to be transported and if they re-
turned again they should be consid-
cred guilty of high treason and suffer
the death penalty.
Catholics had been already de-
barred from being teachers or tutors,
and when it was found that they We're
cgn colleges the following law was
passed.: IF any subjects of Ireland
should after that session go or send
any child or person to be educated In
any Popish university, college or
school or in any private family, or If
such child should be Instructed in the
Popish religion, or if any subjects Of
Ireland should send money or things
towards the maintenance Of such child
sent every such offender, being there
of convicted, should be forever dis
abled to sue or prosecute any action,
bill, plant or information in law or
equity, to be guardian, administrator
or executor to any person, or to be
capable of any legacy, or deed of gift,
and besides shall forfeit all their es-
tates heth real anassPsrsensl s,.1 during
their lives"
The education. therefore, of any child
in thsza Catholic religion in Ireland be-
came utterly impossible as. far as the
law could make it so. Hence to the
so-called foreign colleges Ireland owes
a deep debt of gratitude. They did
for Ireland what she could not do for
herself. They supplied her with de-
voted and learned ministers Of the
gospel during the centuries Of persc-
; cution. and these brave men, who sue
ceeded each other in a never failing
stream, preserved the Catholic faith
to the vast majority of the Irish peo-
pie. Good priests are a great boon to
the Church in any country; but when
we consider that ireland hefSelI was
supplying no priests at the time. that
the education of a priest was a cap
ital offense, and that the mere exist
ence Of priest in the country made
him liable to the death penalty, then
! these continental ecclesiastics, who
ventured back to Ireland at the peril
of their lives, become for us true con-
fessors of the faith, martyrs In desire
and real apostles Of their native land.
Indeed, many Of them actually wore
. the martyrs crown. The foreign Irish
ecclesiastical colleges were founded in
various lands. France, SO long the be-
; loved and trusted friend Of ireland,
had not a few colleges for the cduca-
ton of Irish students; our countrymen
: also found a home in Flanders: every
one has heard of the celebrated Irish
| College in Rome 80 intimately asso-
ciated with the names Of J. Luke Wad-
ding and the Venerable Oliver Punk
ett