Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-03-15
Father william II. Seibertz, of
New Albany Makes
Inquiry.
Parents Should Have Care
Least Their Children Lose
Faith.
SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS

The Rev. william F. Seibertz,
rector of st. Mary's church in New
Albany, in a sermon last Sunday
morning at the 6 o'clock mass, and
later at the 10 O'Clock mass, read
and comemnted upon statistics from
official sources which he held in his
hand Of how Catholics, and Irish
Catholics too, who are supposed to
be more steadfast than others, are
falling away from the faith of their
fathers-from the faith that their
forefathers shed blood for on many
fields and suffered prosecutions for
during several centuries.
Father Seibertz quoted from the
prophecies of st. Malachy, which he
said had been fulfilled down to Pope
Leo and the present Pope Plus x,
and the question was would the
prophecies of the saint be fulfilled
during the reign Of the next Pope.
II seems that st. Malachy predicts
that religion will almost disappear
during the reign Of the next Pope.
II is not incumbent upon any Cath
olic to believe these prophecies of st.
Malachy, but they give thoughtful
men, like Father Seibertz, room for
pause. On every hand It is notice
able that there is very little regard
for religion, and none for dogma,
among the great mass Of people.
This is more noticeable among the
sects than Il is in the church, where
there are still many pious souls, but
the majority are chasing the al
mighty dollar, regardless of religion,
and having no care for it. There is
no difference between non-Catholics
and Catholics in this respect.
Only brief notes we're taken OF
Father Seibertz's sermon, but he
quoted from a writer in the Catholic
Encyclopedia, Just issued, and very
high authority. This writer, an
Irishman, said that during me Biast
century -than 10000, 900 Irish
and their descendants had come to
the United States and Canada. or
course more than 80 per cent. of
these we're OF the Catholic faith.
What has become of them? The
present-day statistics show that Of
the 100000 Catholics in this
country only 100000 are of Irish
birth or parentage.
Allowing that the writer in the
Encyclopedia exaggerated to some
extent" said Father Seibertz,
''and that only 25,000,000 Irish
and their descendants were in
this country during the past cen
tury, what has become OF the
2O,OO0,OO0? The answer is they
have fallen away from the faith"
st. Mary's congregation, of which
Father Seibertz is rector, is German,
and of course his hearers were pos
sibly saying to themselves as Father
Seibertz read these startling statis-
tics that these "Irishers' must be
very tickle in the faith, but Father
Seibertz was not through. He read
statistics showing that the Germans
and French were equally as bad, and
he might have said worse than the
Irish in the matter of falling away
from the faith.
All Of this is a warning to parents
to SO train their children that they
may not fall away from the faith, so
that when ''the days shall be short
ened," as recorded in Holy Writ.
they may not be found wanting.
rdtheT oeioollA ID 70 20 Vohbio oeu
lated on preparing so interesting a
discourse. Statistics unless rightly
handled are as a rule uninteresting.
Catholics boast that they are in
creasing in this country, in Germany
and in all the English speaking
countries. II is true they have in
creased 200 per cent, but at the
same time non-Catholics have In
creased 400 per cent. according TO
Father Seibertzs statistics, prepared
from authentic sources.