The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-11-29

wrong for Catholics to attend and take
part in raffIes or dances on Saturday
night extending into Sunday morn
ing? 2. Is it wrong to take part in
a dance at neighbours on Sunday
night. 8. If rosary broke and
bead or two are lost is the attached
indulgence gone or does it still re-
main?
l. A rattle or a dance, even on
Saturday night, may be very harm
less form of amusement, but it may
become an occasion of sin by reason
of circumstances. AS long as it re-
mains within the sphere of innocent
pastime there is no harm in attending.
These Saturday night affairs should
not be prolonged into Sunday morn
ing, because they may become
source of scandal or be the cause of
Catholics missing Mass. 2. No, pro-
vided it keeps within the bounds OF
innocent recreation. 8. The lndul-
gence on a rosary is attached to the
beads and the losing of three or four
beads does not destroy it.
1. Will you please inform me if
the book atlantis" by lgnatius Don
nelly, is on the Index? 2. Have all
priests a list of books on the Index?
8. Where is Elias?
1. It is not. 2. Any priest who
wishes to procure a list of the books
forbidden by the Church can do so. 3.
It is related in the fourth book of
Kings that, as Elias was conversing
with his spiritual son, Eliseus, on the
hills of Moab, "a fiery chariot, and
fiery horses parted them both asun-
der: and Elias went up by a Wh1rl-
wind into heaven" All efforts to find
Elias by those who disbelieved the
story of Eliseus we're unsuccessful.
Like Enoch, Elias was translated" so
that he should not see death. Further
than that we know nothing about him.
Various opinions have been expressed
as to the purpose for which he was
taken up alive into heaven. Some say
that God preserved him alive to en-
trust him, at the end of time, with
glorious mission. There is no con-
sensus among commentators in re-
gard to this mission.
A woman asked me to be god
mother for her baby girl but | could
not be present when the child was bap-
tized and so she had the priest put
my name down as the godmother and
had another woman hold the child.
Now who is godmother, the woman
who held the baby when 1t was bap-
tized or myself?
One can be godmother to child by
proxy, that is to say, one can con-
tract the spiritual relationship that
exists between a godmother and her
godchild even though she is not pres
ent at the child's baptism. For this
all that is necessary is that another
person hold the child and act as her
representative at baptism. In such a
case the person who actually held the
child does not become it's godmother,
or contract the spiritual relationship,
but the person whom she represented
at the baptism. Hence, if the mother
of the child really wanted you to be
godmother to her baby and told the
person who held the baby that she
was acting for you, then you are in
reality the godmother and have taken
upon yourself the obligations annexed
to that relationship.
I. Can Catholic marry an unbap-
tized Protestant divorced man, the
Catholic being the cause of the separa-
ton? Can they be married in the
Catholic Church? 2. Why are not all
the questions answered that are sent
to The Catholic Bulletin? 8. Can you
give the names of Catholic societies
where one can send to have Masses
said for their deceased relatives? d.
Why does the Pope change the law
of the Church from time to time?
How can the Catholic Church make
laws and let her people marry divorced
Protestants and be the cause of sepa-
rating a wife from her little family?
Ii is mistake of the Church today.
/. If, for any reason, the first mar
riage of the unbaptized Protestant was
not valid, then after obtaining legal
separation, he is free to marry again.
In such case he is not divorced
man in the true sense of the word,
because he was never really married.
If he afterwards marries a Catholic
the marriage can not take place in
church unless, in the meantime, he
has become a convert to Catholicity.
The marriage can take place in the
presence of priest and two witnesses,
either in the parochial residence or
in the sacristy. 2. Because those
who ask the questions do not observe
the requirements set forth at the head
of this department. The questions
must be of general interest to all our
readers and they must bear the name
of the person who asks them. The name
is not for publication, but as a guar
antee of good faith. No attention is
paid to unsigned communications of
any kind, nor do we answer in this de-
partment purely personal questions or
those that have merely local inter
est. If you want an answer to such
questions you must send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope for reply. 8.
Consult your parish priest. Give him
whatever intentions for Masses you
have and if he cannot say them him.
self he will have another priest saw