The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-06-08
PRO PATRiA ARMAMUS.
#. Mckinley, Rial, Philippine
Islands.


lie soldier serving in this far away
outpost of the country's possessions,
will be of more than common inter
est. Whether or not due provision is
made for the preservation of his faith
and the safety of his morals, is al
ways an important matter, in the
opinion of Catholics. And the soldier,
because of the circumstances of his
life, needs the props of religion, per-
haps more than the civilian.
The difficulties which characterize
his condition are innumerable. There
are discouraging influences, strong
and constant temptations, and almost
insurmountable obstacles to his main
tanning of the Faith and to his con-
forming his life to the teaching of
the Church, which obstacles might
often be found very difficult to over
come, by his civilian brother, even
with the aids and religious convent
ences to be found in civil life.
At FIT Mckinley, the conditions of
the Catholic soldiers are quite unfav-
orable. 1t is the largest post in the
service, and one may look from one
end of it to the other for some sign
of the power and greatness of the
Church, but in vain. The friends of
the Y. NJ. C. A, have given them
large building, to be under their con-
troll and to be used for their own pur-
poses, but there is no building here,
even of the most modest sort, which
may be used for the Catholic services.
On Sundays, I celebrate Mass for the
soldiers, in the Y. M. G. A. gymna-
SUM, there being no other place. It
can hardly be imagined what seri-
Gus detriment this is to the Catholic
cause, and to the spiritual welfare
of the soldier. This is especially true
of those of weak faith, of those who
have been poorly instructed, and of
the victims of human respect, when
their fellows scofingly point out
that their Church has no mark of
dignity or greatness throughout the
post.
And what is happening under this
serious handicap? AS the unfortu-
nate conditions, at this post, unfortu-
nate from the Catholic standpoint, go
on, from year to year, as the lack
of fitting place for the Mass, for the
old time Catholic devotions, for the
dignity of religion, asserts itself, what
result is noticed? The stronger ones,
many of the weaker ones have their
Faith seriously injured, and some lose
it altogether, and go forth from their
Fathers House, perhaps never to re-
turn. And you can easily realize that
there are not wanting other inter
ests that will brush away the qualms
of conscience of the renegade Catho-
lie, and even make him boast of his
DETECTION from the Church. There
are loud voices that will tell him that
this is an age of enlightenment and
broadmindedness, that the Church is
a product of the Dark Ages, and that
he should feel proud of his liberation
from it's shackles. His own pride
will persuade him that his love of
freedom is the chief contributing ele-
ment in his disloyalty, and that his
rebellious conduct only evinces high
er order of intelligence. And he may
be carried so far as to become an
associate of the pronounced enemies
of the Church, and to constitute him.
self an ardent and bitter scourge of
his spiritual Mother. Whereas, a
Catholic Chapel, where the irresist-
ible power of the Blessed Sacrament
could be welded, where the doctrines
of Christ could be disseminated, and
where Catholic soldiers could be
gathered, to be strengthened by grace
and their common example, might
avert all this.
And who are these soldiers, that
the broad spirit of Catholic charity
should take then under it's protect
ing wing? They are the sons of
Catholic fathers who have denied
themselves many comforts, that these
boys might have the incalculable ad-
vantages of a Christian education.
They are the sons of fathers, who
hoped that on their death-bed, they
might leave them as legacy, to be
the props OF the Grand Ola Cnurch.
They are the brothers of Catholic
girls, the embodiment of the highest
virtues, rivalling the very angels in
goodness, and whose bright example
and gentle encouragement so helped
them, in earlier days, and kept them
from the ways of error. They are
the children of Catholic mothers, who
watched them in their cradles, and
who looking into the future, with
fearful eyes and throbbing hearts,
pleaded with God, to make them
staunch and loyal sons of the Church;
mothers who taught them, in their
boyhood, to lisp the Holy name of
God, to fear sin and to love virtue.
They are men over whom, as boys,
many a Jealous priest spent long
hours, to instruct them in the truths
of the faith, to instill love for the
5,4;oc re IN illuroiuc