Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-23
FATHER HARVEY
OPENS LECTURES
PauIist Missionary Gives First
of Local Series for Nom
Catholics.

! A course of lectures ON Catholic
faith and practice course intended
primarily to give n-Catho,ics first
hand Information about the Catholic
church-opened at the Blessed Sacra-
| ment Church., Clinton avenue and
Van Ness place, last night. It Is to
| be given by Rev. John b. Harvey, Of
New York, and will continue until
next Sunday night. Father Harvey
| is a member of the Paulist Order.
which devotes much of its work 10
non-Catholics in the American field.
Before the lecture last night he ex-
planned the purpose of the lectures.
There Is no doubt" he said, that
much of the present-day opposition
to the Catholic church is due to
honest MISUNDERSTANDING, as well as
to some deliberate misrepresentation
of her claims, teachings, laws and
customs We feel it a duty to our
church, to ourselves. and to our ILL
informed separated brethren, to give
them every opportunity we can to
find out what we really believe, and
to learn the reasons for the faith
that is In us.
Chief Points As Topic.
1.-THE lectures are to be on some
of the chief points of difference be-
tween the Catholic church and the
other Christian denominations That
there may be no lack of opportunity
to get desired information about
other matters a question box has
been placed near the central door.
Whatever inquiries are placed in that
box, or are sent in by mail, about the
Catholic religion, will be answered
as soon as possible, and as fully as
time will permit. No questions will
be considered except those that bear
directly or indirectly on Catholic
faith and practices. Purely local,
personal or political questions Will
not be answered.
The subject of Father Harvey's lee
ture was Loyalty to Christ" 1t was
divided into two parts. In the first
Father Harvey cvnsidered the reasons
for loyalty to Him-holding that our
allegiance of mind and heart and
will, is due to Christ not merely be-
cause of His goodness and wisdom,
but chiefly because He is the incar-
nate God. He then went on to show
haw far loyalty should extend. 1t
must be absolute, not conditional;
complete, not partial; whole-souled,
not hadf-hearted. Christ came as a
teacher, a Iawmaker, a provider of
spiritual gifts His every teaching
must be believed. There must be no
setting aside of anything He taught
on the score that it is not fundamental
or essential, or for the sake of har-
mony with ones fellow-men.
a Sacred Duty.
1t is desirable 1t is a sacred duty
to be of one mind and heart with
others, but that peace must not be
purchased by rejecting, ignoring. or
sacrificing even only jot or little of
the truths made known by Jesus
Christ. He must come first, and there
must be no break with Him to patch
up a fragile truce with ones neigh
bors. His laws, too, must be made
the supreme rule of our lives-enter-
ing into and shaping our thoughts,
words and actions. To say that they
are too hard: that they do not fit
modern conditions or circumstances;
that they must be abrogated, or
amended, is to say that God lays I'M
bearable burdens on His children, or
that He Is unable to grapple with the
problems of humanity.
Father Harvey went on to say that
His institutions, too; His remedies for
human sin and weakness, His food for
the hungry, His plans for our purifl-
cation, development and perfecting
must be accepted and employed.
The reject His guides, to despise
His ministers. to score His ambassa-
doris, is to commit a like offence
against Himself; to turn ones back
on His paths, and to strike out for
ones self is to tell Him by ones deeds
that His ways are not wise, that one
does not need HIS help.
Loyalty, in a word, demands that
we go forth to meet and accept Jesus
Christ in all the relations He has been
pleased to assume towards mankind.
The lecture tonight will be on THE
Catholic Church, the Friend of the
Bible'