The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-07-01
Continued from page 50
THE vIcAR-GENERAL.

| anu every Case OuS WAS ulSS0Q
sick-call: his had been the fault. An
other was a man driven from the
Church by harsh word spoken In
anger. The Vicar-General remember
ed the day when he referred to this
man in his sermon and saw him arise
in his pew and leave. He did not re-
turn. Another was priest-his own
assistant The Vicar-General had no
patience with his weaknesses. From
disgust at them his feelings had turned
to rancor against the man-and the
assistant was lost. The Vicar-General
trembled; for these things he had
passed by as either justified by reason
of the necessary severity of his Office,
or as wiped out by his WITHSTAND
he had had many virtues.
The Vicar-Generals eyes sought
those of the Silent Angel, and he lost
some of his fear, while the weight of
his vestments became a little lighter.
But the Silent Angels gaze caused the
Vicar-General again to look at the
witnesses. Those against him We're
increasing. The faces of the new
corners he did not know. The Vicar
General felt like protesting that there
must be some mistake, for the new
corners were red men, brown men,
yellow men and black men, besides
white men whose faces were alto
gether strange. He was sure none of
these had ever been in his parish. The
newcomers were dressed in garbs of
every nation under the sun. They all
alike looked very sternly at the Vicar
General, so that he could not bear
their glances. Still he could not I'm,
derstand how he had ever offended
against them, nor could he surmise
why they should be witnesses to his
hurt.
The Silent Angel still stood beside
the Vicar-General; but the troubled
soul of the priest yet could find no
enlightenment in his eyes. All the
while witnesses kept arriving and the
multitude of them filled the Vicar
General with terror. At last he saw a
face which he thought familiar and the
Vicar General began to understand
1t was the face of a priest he had
known, who had been in the same
Diocese, somewhat under the Vicar.
Generals authority. On earth this
priest had been one of the quiet kind
without ambition except to serve in a
very humble way. He had always
been in parish so poor and small
that the priest himself had in his man
ner, his bearing, even his clothes, re.
fected its humility and it's poverty.
The Vicar-General remembered that
the priest had once come to him as a
matter of conscience to say that, while
he was not complaining, nevertheless
he really needed help and counsel.
He said that his scattered flock were
being lost for the want of things
which could not be supplied out OF
their poverty. He told the Vicar-Gen-
eral what was needed. The Vicar
General remembered that he had
agreed with him; but had Informed
him very gently that it was the policy
of the Diocese to let each parish main
tain and support itself. The Vicar
General had felt justified in refusing
his aid, especially since, at that time
he was collecting for a new organ fol
his own church, one with three banks
of keys-the old one had but two
The Vicar-General now knew that his
slight feeling of worry at the time was
not groundless; but that, while the1
he had felt vaguely that he was wron.
in his position, now he was certain o
, error. His eyes sought all through hi
own witnesses, but they found no like
lhood of testimony in his favor baset
: on the purchase of that grand organ
Then it all came to the Vicar-General
: from the eyes of the Silent Angel
, that he had received on earth all tht
reward that was due to him for it.
) The presence of the men of al
} colors and of strange garbs was still !;
: mystery to the Vicar General; but a.
last he saw among them a bent ole
priest with long beard and cruel
fix in his girdle. At once the Vicar
General recognized him and his hear
} sank. Too well he remembered the
poor missionary who had begged fol
assistance; money, letter, a recon
: mendation- anything; and had faced
the infiexible official for half an hou1
} during his pleading. The Vicar Gener
al had felt at that time, as he fell
when his poor Diocesan brother haC
} come to him, that there was SO much
, to be done at home, absolutely nothing
could be sent out. There was the Or
lphanage which the Bishop was build
ing and they were just beginning tx
| gather funds for new Cathedral The
Bishop had acquiesced in the Vicar
: Generals ruling. The Diocese hat
grown strong. The Vicar-General hat
, always been its pride. He was hum
1 bled now under the gaze of the Silen
Angel, whose eyes told him wherein
t he had been at fault. He knew tina
4 that fault was not in the building O
t the great and beautiful things, whicl
of themselves we're good because the.
were for Gods glory. but rather wa