The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-09-13
WHY l AM A CATHOLIC.

l can not answer as an old-time
Democrat did, and say l am one be-
cause my father and grandfather were,
says w. G.. Hume in the current num-
Der of Extension Magazine, for my
paternal ancestors were Presbyterians
and my great-grandfathe was Pres
byterian minister.
am Catholic, first, because I
could not be anything else. BY the
process of elimination after investigat-
ing all the other creeds, the Catholic
Church is the only existing religion
that possesses the marks or attributes
Of the one true Church founded by
Christ
Every earnest Christian must adj
nit:
First-That Jesus Christ founded
some Church.
Second That the Church of which
He was, and is, the head was to last
for all time and therefore must exist
on earth today.
Now, accepting my premises, the
One Church of Christ can not be di-
vided into many branches teaching
different doctrines. Many good Prot
estants say that if we believe in Christ
and keep His commandments, it mat
tiers not with what denomination we
affiliate, unless-Oh, shades of logic
we are Catholics! If Presbyterians
are right, then Baptists and Lutherans
are wrong, for each sect teaches differ
ent things; and Unitarians certainly
can not be included in church of
which Baptists and Episcopalians
claim to be branches.
The usual argument of many non-
Catholics is something like this: Eyes,
we admit that during the seven or
eight centuries after Christ there was
Church which was founded by Him
and which taught truly the things He
told His apostles to preach. But in
the course of time errors crept in and
large part of the Church became cor
rupt. Then the good members of this
Church withdrew and united together
to continue the early Christian Church
and perpetuate Christ's original COM
mandments as laid down in the Bible. "
Without admitting the accusation, ]
will acknowledge that If all Protes-
tants had united together and formed
one Church, and It all the members OF
this Church believed the same things,
their position would at least be more
tenable. In this respect the Greek
Church has an advantage over Prot
estants.
Following their argument, however,
there is on earth today one Church,
one form of divine worship founded by
Our Lord Jesus Christ, and only one
Which is it? If it is not the Catholic
Church, which Church did He found;
Which of the many creeds and ''isms'
is the one true branch that perpetuates
the early Church which is to continue
until the end of time? Unless {
Protestant can answer this question
positively and at least to his own sat
isfaction, he has no excuse for re
naming what he is.
The Episcopalians, believe, are the
only Protestants who seriously ever
; claim direct succession from thu
, apostles, but they are obliged to trac,
through the Roman Catholic Church,
) and they themselves in so doing ad
nit that during a certain period tn,
: Roman Catholic Church was the tru,
: Church. 1.-THE gates of hell shall no
prevail against her" If once the tru'
Church, she is bound to be SO still
otherwise hell has prevailed. If Epis
copalians could show true succession
(Which they can not), how can the,
reconcile high and low church, on
, claiming to acknowledge the Rea
Presence, and the other denying il
Can Christ's Church be divided agains
! itself?
The direct apostolic succession ha
5 always seemed to me the simplest an
/ at the same time the most vital ties
5 of any Church's claiming divine al
S thority. Strange to say, most Pro
r estant admit the claims of the Gait
L Olic Church in this regard
L One thing has always impressed nj
t There are, Of course, exceptions, bg
= ~ almost avery rneo ~ which I1av