The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-10-09

as the Catholic Movement in the
sChurch of England and in the Epis'
copal Church of America. This is
really an outgrowth of the famous
Oxford movement, beginning in 1910,
with which the name Of John Henry
Newman is more prominently identi-
fed than any other. The Oxford
agitation, which sought to counter
act the free-thinking tendencies in
the English Church, led, as is well
known, Newman and host of others
into the Catholic Church. But it led
another and far larger body to form,
while remaining Anglicans, So
called Catholic or High Church party,
a party entirely opposed to most of
the ideals of the Reformation, which
rejects for itself the very name of
Protestant, and which has carefully
worked out a system of philosophy
and history under which it claims
the Anglican as part or branch of
the universal Catholic Church. i
High-church Party.
The growth Of the English High
Church party has been remarkable.
A negligible quantity in 1910, it num-
hers now certainly third and quite
likely a larger proportion of the Els
tablished Church membership in the
British Isles. Moreover, as disin-
tegration goes on among the Low
01n fc IiCrI1
men who are loyal and Jealous for
the Christian fundamentals, seem
likely to continue to gain. This is
an important point for Catholics to
observe. The fact that not only are
converts getting constantly more
numerous in England, but that the
Catholic spirit within the Anglican
>Church itself is on the increase,
shows what the present tendency OF
things is, and it shows why prayers
for the conversion of English Protes.
tants are peculiarly appropriate now
Decay of Religion.
Unhappily, of far more conse
quence than the High-Church move
ment is the other side of the Protes
tant detection, namely, the turning
away of vast numbers from thei1
original creeds and their adoption .oi
a critical, free-thinking attitude
toward religious questions. All Prot
estant denominations alike have beer
hit by these assertions. 1t is aston
ishing how common it is nowadays
to meet people who say they were
brought up Baptists or Methodists
or Presbyterians, but who declare
they no longer have any definite be
lief. The prevailing sentiment among
this class is that going to church is
quite unnecessary. Religion being &
purely personal matter which each in
dividual is competent to decide fol
| himself, it can be practised just as wei
| by staying home. Even with the
church-going element there has been {
great change in the point of view. At
tendance being voluntary, the motivt
too often is one of self-edification. Oh
their own say-so, many go simply tt
/ near d SOOu oGIluOu VI W llSLGA W SOON
music. The sense of a positive obliga
ton to God, the recognition of a dut.
to worship is very faint by comparison
with the days Of the Covenanter ant
the Puritan. In the modern Presby
| terianl CHURCH of sQ5ealled liberal prip
ciples, John Calvin would scarcel.
feel at home. Nor would Wesley know
among the seventeen varieties o
American Methodists, just which t.
select as his own.
1t is because of these facts, which
seem plainly to point to the breaking
up of Professionalism, that there is
special purpose in the intention which
the Holy Father proposed for our pray
ers last month In these prayers W,
must think first of the High-C hurcl
| Anglicans, who have come SO far alon;
the road to truth, and beg God tina
the remaining obstacles may be brok
en- down. They need information OF
the realities of history; they need ;
clearer picture of the true Catholicism
to take the place of the caricatur,
which centuries of prejudice have Sc
| up.