The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-07-18

I. Can priest offer up the Sac
rifice of the Mass if he is in the state
of mortal sin? 2. What is the near
est Dominican seminary, and to whom
can ] write in order to get some in
formation concerning it?. 8. What
years in the seminary are the follow
ing orders administered to the semi
narians: Porter, Lector, Exorcist,
AcoIyte, Deacon, Subdeacon?
1. A priest in the state of mortal
sin can offer up the Sacrifice of the
Mass validly, since it's efficacy does
not depend upon his personal merits.
But he cannot offer it lawfully since
he must be in the state of grace for
the lawful celebration of Mass. So
far from gaining any benefit for him
self by such an unworthy celebration,
he would incur the guilt of sacrilege.
Meanwhile the Mass in itself as a
work of Christ and of the Church, has
its full effect, even though offered by
an unworthy minister. 2. Holy Ro-
sary Convent of the Dominican
Fathers, Sherman Bark, Westchester
Co. Hawthorne P. o., N. Y. Write
to Very Rev. Alexis Casterot, o. P,
Superior, Pleasantville, N. Y, or to
Very Rev. ]. A. She'll, o. P. (Prior),
Church of the Holy Rosary, 2424 18th
avenue south, Minneapolis. g. Minor
orders comprising Porter, Lector, Elk
orcist and Acolyte are usually given
at the end of the third seminary year
Order of Subdeaconship at the end of
the fourth, and Deaconship at end of
fifth. All seminaries do not agree in
this matter.
l. Is the Roman Catholic Church
connected in any way with the Greek
Catholic Church? 2. To what extent
is one allowed to use the dictates of
ones conscience in discerning right
from wrong? 8. 1t is often remarked
by the poorer classes that the enor-
nous amount of money spent in erect
ing the new Cathedral would have
been better spent If given to the poor.
How am ! to answer them?
/. By the Greek Catholic Church
you probably mean the Catholics of
Eastern Europe and of Western Asia
They profess the. Faith of the Catho-
lie Church, have the same Sacramento
and Sacrifices and acknowledge the
authority of the Pope. The See of
Rome allows them some peculiarities
in the matter of discipline, such as the
language and the ceremonies to be
used in Divine Worship and the ad-
ministration of the Sacramento, cler-
ical celibacy, etc. But in all essen
tials they are in full communion with
the See of Rome. They are called the
innate Greeks and are to be carefully
distinguished from the Schismatic
Greeks who call their Church the Or
thodoX Greek Church, who are wholly
separated from Rome, and deny GER
tain articles of the Catholic Faith,
such as the Procession of the Holy
Spirit from the Father and the Son,
and the primacy and infallibility of
the Pope. 2. In the strict sense, con-
reason on the practical question as to
whether the doing or not doing of a
certain action that one is about to do
or to omit, is right or wrong. When
ones own mind decides with certainty
that the action or the omission is
right, then for him it is right; he is
free to follow his conscience. When
the clear unwaverirg decision is that
the action or the omission is wrong
then it is wrong for the individual
concerned He is bound to follow his
conscience, and abstain from the ac-
ton, or not omit it as the case may
be. But the decision must be firm
and unwayering. 1t must involve no
real substantial doubt. In case such
a doubt is involved, it must be got rid
of before one can lawfully follow his
conscience. If one is simply ignorant,
does not know whether the action or
omission is right or wrong, and is
aware of his ignorance, then he is
bound to remove it before he can act;
if he cannot remove it now, and still
is compelled to act, he may do so law
fully provided he choose the lesser of
the two evils. Every man, however,
is bound to know the ordinary duties
of his state of life, etc.; at the time
when he neglected to acquire that
knowledge, he became responsible for
the errors of conduct into which he
foresaw ignorance would betray him.
On matters of right and wrong a
Catholic cannot lawfully set up his
own private opinion against the infal-
lible teaching of the Church, for IN
less he is very ignorant he must know
that such an opinion would be false
and so could not be lawfully followed
in practice. Finally, a certain line of
conscience may, in itself, be lawful for
you and still if you adopt it you may
give scandal to others who are under
the mistaken impression that it is
wrong for you or for them. In this
case, as st. Paul points out, charity
bids us sacrifice our personal liberty
rather than. lead others into sin; at
all events we ought to try to correct
their mistaken impression before we
proceed to act 8. You can tell them
this story: Mary took a pound of
ointment of great price and anointed
the feet of Jesus. Then one of His
disciples said, Why was not this ONT
ment sold and the price given to the
poor?' Our Savior said, The poor you
have always with you but Me We have
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