The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-03-27

L
many other places. Every Jealous
priest, working in this new diocese,
has found many Catholics, simple and
well-meaning, who were in danger of
being lost to the Church forever, and
who would have been lost had not
these priests or other kind friends
tried to lead them back to the fold.
And there are others-Catholic men
and women-who are well meaning,
but starving spiritually because they
have not the commonest conveniences
of religion 1t seems to me that our
newer civilization acts like mildew
upon the Faith of many; even in our
well-organized parishes there are not
few whose Faith is whitening under
the blighting influence of religious in
differentism. How much more is not
this the case in a district where
Catholics are few and far between and
continually mingling with members of
false religion, and with no religious
facilities of their own to offset these
pernicious influences.
1t is sad to say that many people
who try to build up home in this
new country become lost to their best
Mother-the Catholic Church.
Needs of the Diocese.
Now let me state the most impor-
tant needs of our missions. There
are perhaps eight places within the
diocese where the building of mission
churches is almost imperative. And
these chapels should be erected in the
very near future.
Other needs are more pressing. For
instance, number of small congrega-
Etions built churches without any out
side help. Bad crops and other re
verses have reduced them to extreme
poverty. They have debts which,
under ordinary circumstances, would
be light, but which they find very
burdensome. These debts range from
$500 to $1,000. Any help given for
such missions will be applied to the
places where the needs are most
pressing.
A number of our missionaries re-
ceive hardly any salary. Some of them
get about $500 year, stipends and
stole fees included. 1t is certainly a
pity! There are at least eight such
priests within my diocese, worthy,
self-sacrificing men, bearing their
burden without complaint, hoping for
better times and expecting their re-
ward not in this world. Mass stipends
would be Godsend to them. Are
there not some priests in the large
parishes in the Eastern States who
could easily help them?
And then another want. No mission,
even when provided with church or
a chapel, will prosper unless they have
Mass on a Sunday. at least once dur
ing the month. This is all the more
true on this vast prairie, and even in
this extreme climate of severest cold
and storms, where people consider ten
miles to church not much of dis
lance. 1t is true that faithful Catho-
lies will go to Mass on weekdays
when they have no opportunity to go
on Sunday, but we also have some in
different Catholics, who will hardly
ever go to Mass unless they have the
privilege of going on Sunday. In this
diocese we have priests who drive
thirty and more miles to reach some
of their missions. Many of our small
Congregations fact, nearly all of
them-are unable to raise fair com
L n mr. nf he
livery. l hope the time has come
when well-to-do Catholics and well.
established congregations will con.
slider it an honor to contribute toward
part of the missionary priests salary
and thus enable the people in poor
missions to hear Mass on Sundays at
least once a month.
Catholic children growing up in the
out-of-the-way missions, which are sci
dom visited by the pastor, do not re
ceive the necessary religious instruc.
ton. They need religious instruction
more than any other children. We
have succeeded in building a few
| parish schools in different parts of the
diocese. There, children from other
places can get board and lodging
Many parents make great sacrifices
to send their children to these schools;
but no provision is made for the chill
dren whose parents can not afford tt
pay for their board-not even for 9
few months in the year. What bless
| ing it wiuld be if some generous Cath
olics would provide me with funds tt
make it possible to give even the poor
est Catholic children a few months Of
Catholic training and instruction!
That / could be able to say thai
Christ's commission was accomplished
as far as | am concerned, and thai
my poor people have the Gospe
preached to them!
Ia naAr n RVA MMNMR T mn P