The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-05-09
Continued from Page ~
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE
NEGRO.

NEGRO.
And the work goes on. But, say
the Bishops who are directing the
campaign, 1--WE have not yet advanced
beyond the beginning of this promis-
ing Apostolate. We must have souls
for Christ among the ten million
| Negroes of these states because we
are Catholics. We cannot, therefore,
be narrow sect limited to a tongue,
race or land since Christ has made us
universal, giving us the whole world
| for spiritual kingdom and the ma
tons for an Inheritance" Animating
the work of the Catholic Board for
mission work among the colored peo-
pie with it's thirty-eight new missions
started since 1907 and extern ding from
the Great Lakes to the Gulf, this
spirit has also spread like an infec-
tion to other quarters of the Church
and at the present time ISL diocesan
and religious priests serving ninety
eight churches and caring for less
than 100000 souls are ably sup
ported by the Sisters of twenty-three
religious communities, two of which
are exclusively colored.
Debt of Gratitude to the Catholic
Church.
l cannot close this brief historical
sketch without quoting Pope Plus X,
who, through the Cardinal Secretary
of State, declared to the Bishop of
| Nashville, Tenn, that he considered
''the work of the Apostolate to the
colored people worthy of being en-
couraged and applauded beyond any
other undertaking of Christian civil
zation.' Furthermore, the late DR..
Blyden, replying to a Methodist Bish-
OPP warning Negroes against attacks
of the Roman Catholic Church on their
ranks, wrote as follows: "The
thoughtful and intelligent Negro even
if he is a Protestant cannot study his
tory without feeling the great debt of
gratitude that his race owes to the
Catholic Church. The only Christian
slaves that freed themselves and up
held the position of free citizens,
those of Hayti, were Catholics. And
the greatest Negro Christianity has
till now produced, Toussaint Lower
ture, was also member of this
Church. Rome even canonized sew.
eral Negroes of both sexes. What
honors did Professionalism deem worthy
to bestow upon it's Negro members
The historians of Brazil glorify the
name of Henry Diaz, a Catholic Negro
general, and he is not the sole mem.
Der of his race that attained to such
high honors in the Portuguese army
The Real coIored Problem.
But the Church has had and is hav.
ing her problems both from within
and without owing to relations created
between her and the American Negro
by reason of her attempts to reach
him, for, whilst she can give the char.
acter of the priesthood to men, yet
she cannot change men and though
she can teach Christian principles to
the laity she cannot compel their
practice. ''The real colored problem "
an authority says, consists in intro.
ducing the principles Of justice and
charity among the unschooled and
somewhat bigoted portion of the
population. The Church
province is not to deal with the social
side of the problem + she
teaches the whites to be more Cath.
Ollie, and her principles of justice and
charity will guide them in the settle.
ment of their local differences and
troubles. She reminds the colored
people that it is not by buying the
lands, it is not by the possession of
wealth, or by receiving university de
gree that the race is elevated. =
The ultimate test of race is moral
worth, and this is the only power that
can overcome race antagonism."
The Negroes Position and Claims.
In making an eloquent appeal be-
fore the Missionary Congress, Father
Burke in the following telling SEN
fences defined the Negroes position
and his claims:
Il am not pleading for foreign mis-
|
some far-off region; but for a nation
within nation, in our midst-not the
wards of the nation, but self-exist-
ing, Independent people, equal before
the law with ourselves, with great
and laudable aspirations for all the
advantages of religion, education and
thrift, who are going to stay here and
have right to remain
And oh! how the ears of his audi
tors must have tingled and thrill
of surprise run through their veins
when he told the Catholic laity how
they should use their influence to re-
move race prejudices which are an OBJ
stacle to the work of the missionary,
how they should form positive con-
victions and give expression to them
regarding the injustice Of discriminate
ing against any man, woman or child
on account Of race or color. 1--WE
should be the first" he said, Ito
grant them lucrative work when they
are fit to do it."
Did the assembly realize moreover
how pregnant with meaning was his
earnest appeal to the Catholic layman
to exercise his influence for the eleva-
ton of the colored woman? And, to
Catholic women particularly, he will
assign the task Of helping her colored
sisters. cit will not be enough" he