The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-08-17
OF the Knights of Columbus at
Convention Held in City of
Colorado Springs.
Orator is Archbishop Glennon of
St. Louis, One of the Youngest
of the Prelates.
Answers Charges Brought Against
Catholic Order by Enemies
of the Church.

At the recent convention of the
knights of Columbus at Colorado
Springs, Archbishop Glennon of st.
Louis delivered an eloquent and in
spring sermon at the pontifical high
mass in st. Mary's church before a
congregation which filled the ediflce
to overilowing. In the course of his
address he said in part:
Tho last few years show a return
OF the old and miserable A. p. A. men
and methods. II is hard to kill the
serpent OF bitterness and religious
prejudice. In it's latest attaeksAupOn
the Catholic Church 1t gives you an
honorcd place as the Churchs most
potent if not most insidious defend
ers. You are, in their opinion, IN
armed body They assert that your
club rooms and the Easements Of
churches as usual, are stocked with
gun and sabre; and that you are
trained to use both one and the other
to defend the cause of Rome. They
claim you cannot be patriots; that
you must be enemies of America ana
Democracy; and that your mission is
to, make Aalorica. tho fec Of papal
Rome.
And. to prove their position they
say hat Plus the Tenth has boldly
orf1erod hi, al hcr TO ,,1.
America Catholic" And, of course.
America can be made Catholic only
through the swords of the valiant
knights of Columbus. Or, in other
words, we have the two statements
which run up and down the gamut of
the present day anti-Catholic aGita-
ton: first. america shall be made
Catholic:" second, ''thc knights of
Columbus are an armed body to
help in it's accomplishment"
To the first of these statements,
namely: That there is purpose, Il
mission. nay, even a. duty incumbent
on us to make America Catholic, Is
statement that readily admit; nay,
am anxious to go on record and
plead guilty. 1t is our hope. it is our
prayer. and with Gods help we may
succeed yes. we hope to make Am
erica Catholic.
And while We are not aware that
our Holy Father. Plus the Tenth, has
spoken this command in so many
words, yet were he to do so, while not
outstepping his own God-given duty
and mission, he would not be the first
to give such Il command. Neither
would his predecessor, Leo the Thi--
teenth. For this command we must
go farther. even beyond the days
when Columbus brought the cross
here to conquer new Kingdoms for
his nation and his Faith. For this
command we must go to the very
fountain-head and listen to the Great
Commander Himself the One. who
once commanded the waters to be
still, the dead to rise, and humanity
itself to hope. He it was Who in the
long ago spoke to our forefathers in
the Faith, GO teach all nations, teach
them all things whatsoever have
commanded you; and I shall be with
you all days, even unto the consum-
nation of the world"
And it was that same Christ that
founded our Faith, the One. Holy,
Catholic Apostolic Faith, founded 1t
on the Apostles, at whose head was
Peter; to whom He gave the conf
mand that have just now spoken, SO
in Peters successor that command
still obtains, and with us the duty
still remains-in Gods name to SO
and teach all nations-even America,
to teach all truth that He has COM
manded, whether it be in the Scrip
ture or Apostolic Tradition. In other
words, Christs command to us would
read, Make America Catholic in MY
name. and with America the other
nations 60 to the islanders Of the
Pacific; preach to the brown men OF
the East; belt the world with proc
lamation of One Faith, One Lord. One
Baptism. One Holy Catholic Church."
Xes, we must confess to the first of
d i,