The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-01-03
CATHOLICISM IN ENGLAND

Fathers" insist upon the cassock
whenever a clergyman of the order
appears on the streets Along with
the cassock they have adopted from
France that atrocious travesty of art
the so-called clerical hat" It is
like the abomination of desolation in
the holy place as spoken by the
prophet However, it helps to draw
a line of distinction between the
clergy and the laity. And the English
who are as subservient to French
ideals of dress as are the Americans,
seem to be satisfied with it.
Anglican Retreats"
The multiplication of religious or
ders in the Church of England is
| another actor-perhaps the most
powerful the creation of a Cath
olic atmosphere and in the recovery
of Catholic doctrine. The practice of
holding retreats" so long in vogue
in Catholic countries, has been re-
| yiyed here, and members of religious
forders conduct the services The
custom is now quite general through
out England. AS a result of retreats,
there is a renewal of zeal and
keener appreciation of spiritual
values. The English clergyman learns
that roast beef, fox-hunting and a fat
benefice, so far from promoting the
Kingdom of God upon earth, are
rather suggestive of the sinful
Hebraic attitude toward the fesh-pots
of Egypt. A retreat serves to clarity
the spiritual vision, keeping the cler-
gyman within his proper orbit, and
accentuating those demands of the
spirit, which he should consider i'm
perative. Since the so-called Re-
formation in England there is no
Catholic custom or practice so valu-
able or SO powerful in maintaining
the spiritual life of clergy and laity as
this revival Of retreats. 1t is, to my
mind, the strongest weapon which the
High Church party has yet taken
from the Catholic armory.
Anglican Religious Orders.
Next to the practice of giving re-
treats, the insistence upon prayer and
frequent communion deserves special
notice. Supernatural life can be pre-
served only by supernatural means.
Hence the Anglican pulpits are now
ringing with the old Catholic cry
i The life of Christian is life Of
pray yer"-"The life of Christian de-
pends upon the Bread of Life which
4 u
frequently of this life-giving food"
Canon Knox-Little said the other day:
christians of the first two centuries
were daily communicates; why not
we?" And, SO, frequent communion
and the recitation of evening and
morning prayers are now the custom
among all high churchmen. If one
looks for the cause, / am inclined to
think it is traceable to the Anglican
sisterhoods who have charge of the
education of the young. There are
fourteen religious orders of women
in the Church of England-women
who are engaged in teaching, and who
use French manuals of Catholic in
struction. These sisterhoods are all
points are common to the rule of all,
no matter how much they may
diverge in other respects-namely,
the necessity of frequent prayer and
of frequent communion for the
maintenance of the supernatural life
of the soul. In teaching these doc
trines to thousands of English youths,
cic 1oxy In
lfoundation-stones for the grand Cath
olic building of the future They are
providential heralds of a truly Cath
olic dawn.
Revival of Catholic Art.
The revival of Catholic art is no
ticeable everywhere. IL follows, as a
logical consequence, in the wake of
a revival of Catholic doctrine. The
Italian masters are displayed in the
shop windows. Reprints of almost
any Catholic masterpiece may be
easily obtained. A native art
chastened and more in accord with
the severe taste of the North, is
springing up on all sides, and as you
walk through the modern English
churches, although you are apt to miss
much of the warmth of feeling and
color. characteristic of the churches
of France and Italy, still there are
compensations in what, by comparison,
you will discover to be more severe
standards of beauty. Painting, sculp-
ture, and architecture are thus enjoy
ing second spring in a land so long
made desolate by a cold and barren
Professionalism.