The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-05-23
PASTORAL LETTER
OF THE BISHOP OF BISMARCK.

| the sacrament of Matrimony husband
and wife are brought into the closest
union with Jesus Christ Himself.
"Matrimony is a great sacrament, but
| in Christ and His Church" Such a
union can never be perfect unless the
two persons entering matrimony are
united by the unity of faith and by
sanctifying grace which is increased
through this sacrament. Whoever real
ICES this will never enter a mixed
marriage, except for the very gravest
reasons; he will also avoid all those
things which gradually lead to mixed
marriages. Let priests and people,
especially Catholic parents, do their
very best to make young people under
stand the great losses of grace and the
grave dangers caused by mixed mar
riages.
In the Catholic Church we are united
with Jesus Christ and with His Vicar
on earth by the unity of obedience.
To Peter, our Lord said: Feed
my lambs, feed my sheep" To
him, more than to the other Apos-
ties, are the words directed: "Who
hears you, hears me and who despises
you, despises me-" To the Pope, as
successor of st. Peter, we all, Bishops,
priests and people, owe obedience. All
ecclesiastical obedience is, at least in
directly, rendered to the Pope. He
sends the Bishops; the Bishops send
the priests. Obedience given to the
nv ocfC &c riJy RI
Bishops, given to the Pope, given to
Jesus Christ Himself Who has sent us
as the father sent Him.
For this very reason all ecclesiasti-
cal superiors can and must demand
obedience as far as it is according to
the will of God. Thanks be to God,
generally, priests and people have CIV
en- willing and filial obedience to their
Bishop; this I can testify before the
Pope.
l will have to give an account of the
progress the diocese has made within
the last five years. The progress in
virtue, often invisible to men, is the
most important; but we have right
to rejoice also in the outward growth
of the Church
Since 1909 the number of priests
has increased from 81 to 62; the num-
Der of Religious Sisters, devoting their
life to school work and works of bod
lily mercy, has increased from 55 to
122. In fifty-one new places congre-
churches built or are now in the
course of erection.
All this gives testimony to the hard
Jealous work of the priests and to the
self-sacrifice of our Catholic people.
To all of them l give my sincerest
thanks and pray God that He may
bless their good will and reward them
with His choicest gifts.
1t is proper that l bring to the Pope
an offering of Peters Pence. There
fore, order that the collection taken
up on Pentecost Sunday which has al
ways been for the most pressing mis-
sion needs of the diocese, be this year
applied, half to the home missions and
half as Peters Pence. | beg you, dear
brethren, to be generous with this
Pentecost collection. Where it cannot
be taken up on Pentecost Sunday, it
should be taken up the first Sunday on
which Mass is celebrated after that
date s
Finally, | ask you, dear brethren, to
unite your prayers with mine that this
pilgrimage to the center of the Catho-
lie world become truly beneficial to the
whole diocese.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
| and the charity of God the Father and
the communication of the Holy Ghost
| be with you all. Amen.
| / direct that this Pastoral Letter be
read to the faithful the first Sunday
after it's reception.
! +VINCENT WEHRLE, o. S. B.,
Bishop of Bismarck.
Bismarck, May Is, 1914