The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-03-20
|NTERCESS|ON IN
BEHALF1OF PEACE
TOMORROW
Special Services I'm All Catholic
Churches in County
APPEAL FROM POPE AND BISHOP
Bishop Rice, Sends Letter and Spec
ial Prayer TO All the Churches
Of the Diocese.


Throughout all countries excep
those Of Europe, tomorrow, March
q, will be observed in all Catholic
churches as a day of intercession fol-
peace. Right Reverend John j. Rice
Bishop of the diocese Of Vermont has
had sent to every parish priest in the
state the following letters to be read
az the services tomorrow.
~. March Is, 1915
To the Reverend Clergy and Beloved
Laity of the Diocese of Burling
ton:
At the bidding OF Our Holy Father
Pope Benedict XIV. we summon the
faithful of our diocese to draw near
TO the altar of God on Passion Sun
day, and on bended knees, and with
suppliant hearts, to unite in humble
prayer with their brethren OF every
nation and tongue throughout the uri-
verse, that the peace of God may
reign once more In the souls of men;
for cruel war, bringing desolation
and misery, goes on with unabated
fury; civilized men are pursuing one
another on the battlefields OF Europe
as formerly their barbarian ancestors
hunted the Wild beasts. t'i
The Twentieth Century was indeec
heralded as the beginning of the gol-
den age Of peace Purse-proud mil
lionaires assured the world, that,
thanks to their efforts, war must
henceforth be counted among the in-
possibilities; perhaps they did not
take themselves so seriously as their
press-a gent Mould iiavs the reaa.rs
public to believe; at any rate, we
are unfortunately face to face with
the stern realitysof war; We need not
journey to Europe's blood.soaked bat
tlefields to realize it; it has already
hampered human endeavor in its
every sphere of action; yea, more.
unborn millions shall stagger UNDER
the weight of its burden for genera
tions to come. acAfr
Strange as ii may seem, the very
nations THAT arrogated to themselves
the proud distinction of being at the
forefront of civilization, suddenly
leaped back centuries to re-enact the
scenes of butchery/ that followed the
crumbling of the Roman Empire,
when she fell p prey to her own
vices; SO ignopinious is the situation,
that each OF the belligerent nations
would have the world at large be-
lieve, that her opponents are alone
responsible for the appalling carnage.
1t is~not our purpose or desire, to
attempt to fasten the responsibility
of The actual opening of hostilities
on this nation, or that, but rather to
draw your attention to the fact, that
the present war was an inevitable con
sequence of the rejection of God. and
of Gods rights over mankind. For
years a materialism which banished
God, and everything capable of lead
ing the soul heavenward, counted by
millions its adherents in the countries
now engaged in this gigantic death
struggle; their writings, their say
ings,, their doings, all breathed-forth
u hatred of God; the Holy Bible,
Gods inspired word to man, was de-
nounced in university chairs and even
in pulpits as a tissue of falsehoods;
servants of God, striving to do the
Divine Masters bidding, we're held-up
to derision, or banished like lepers.
The Catholic church, the pillar AMI
ground of truth, the only support on
which civil society can rest securely
was prescribed. plundered and desc
Grated,
Is it surprising then, that a selfish
greed, which knew not God and spurn
cd His commandments, could not long
succeed in feigning brotherly love?
Is it surprising, that the seeds of a
materialism, which blinded it's dupes
into believing that earthly goods and
sensual pleasures were the sole OBJ
ject of mans ambitions, should fail
to reap a whirlwind of misery? IL
would have required a miraculous in
tervention of Gods Providence to
avert the catastrophe which we now
bewail, and bewail especially be-
cause the innocentin all these war
ring nations must suffer with the
guilty.
Let us then implore the God Of
Mercy and Goodness to hearken TO
the entreaties of His faithful chill
dren, that this scourge of war may
cease, and that its dreadful but
salutary lessons may teach mankind
that the first and foremost of com
anandments--for nations as for indiyi