The Washington herald., 1912-08-24
Catholic

! Although the lonG fight which, Car
dinal Newman conducted SO unsuccess-
fully for the education of English Ro-
man Catholics at the University of Ok
! ford has been won. the change of policy
| has not drawn many Roman Cotholic
students to the university: the number
there is still far below that registered
at the great American universities. Yet
ample provisions are made for the recep-
tion of adherents Of the Roman commun-
ion. A number of Roman religious or
| ders have opened houses Of study, among
them the Benedictines. the Jesuits, and
| the Capuchins A special priest Is de-
tailed beside by the University OF Ro-
man Catholic Board to supervise the
Roman Catholic student body. which as
yet does not exceed 100 in number. II
| is significant that a Jesuit father. a
member of Exeter College. has lately
published a guide to Oxford for Roman
Catholic students. The work Is written
| in an admirable spirit and Its contents
are not contentious. A writer In the Ro-
man Catholic Ecclesiastical Review, no
ticing this volume. quantity speaks OF
this hardly formidable Roman Catholic
revival in Oxford as a termination OF
the university after nearly four cen
turtles of delirium. during which II seems
to have lost its true identity.
Rev. Valentine F. Schmitt. pastor OF St
Joseph's Church. left Washington yester-
day to be present at the ceremonies OF
| Homecoming week" at Frostburg. Mo
Father Schmitt was pastor OF the Catho-
lie Church at Frostburg for many years,
and his friends In that part OF the coun-
| try are legion.
During the absence of the pastor, Rev.
Ienatius Fealy, assistant pastor OF St.
Joseph's is directing the affairs Of the
parish.
Widespread regret exists in st.
Aloysius parish over the recent transfer
of Rev John ]. Greene, s. j.. to New
York City. As director OF the League OF
the Sacred Heart In St. Aloysius' parish
, Father Greene established himself in the
hearts of young and old alike. Eloquent
as a preacher. able as a director, kind
and sympathetic as a confessor and ad-
visor. Father Greene represented the
ideal priest of the Catholic Church. Good
wishes and thousands of players for his
welfare will follow him. to his new field
of labor.
In its fight to stem Socialism the Cath
olic Church has warned Catholic arch
bishops in America how necessary it is
that large cities be amply provided with
I
born only but Catholics coming here from
Europe. Reports Of students recently
made in Vienna and Paris, the centers
of Socialism. about the equipment, or
lack of II, of Catholics in those cities.
have been transmitted to archbishops
here Parishes with 5000 to 10000 COM
municants are deprecated. and archbish-
ops are urged to increase the number OF
!, churches II they can possibly do so, and
number Of schools.
Old Catholic strongholds like the Aus
trian ant French capitals are, the re-
ports show, badly on for churches. Car
dinal Nagl, only recently enthroned, re-
ports one district Of Vienna where there
are Is 0oo Catholics to attend each church.
another where there are 5000 to each
| church. and still another where there Is
but one church for 10000 Catholic popula-
ton. Paris reports are even worse. Some
single churches there must serve 5000
and 10000 Catholics, and these have
hardly larger clergy stats than are pro-
vided in America for populations Of 5000
| to 5000 Cardinals Nagl and Amettee
agree that fifty new Catholic churches
| in their respective see cities must imrne-
diately be provided. o..
In American cities parishes Of 1000
Catholic population are exceptional
Archbishops are warned that even these
are too large, and that, IL the expert
epces of Vienna and Paris with regard
to Socialism's growth are to be avoided
here, far more churches must be pro-
yided wherein people can be better
taught and children more carefully
| trained Recent meetings Of the arch
bishops have considered this question OF
the sizes of Catholic parishes. and before
the warnings from Europe arrived. arch
bishops had been doing what they could
toward increasing churches and decreas-
ing numbers who must attend a single
church.