The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-04-24

Though the name of the Blessed
Virgin is not mentioned specifically,
there is no reason to doubt that she,
ceived the Holy Eucharist. st. Luke
tells us in Acts CLAP, A, 46) that all
who believed were persevering in the
doctrine of the Apostles, in the com
munication of the breaking of the
bread and in prayer. Our Lord gave
the Blessed Virgin to the personal
care of His beloved Apostle and evil
IDENTIFY st. John, when offering the
Holy Sacrifice, would give the Holy
Eucharist to her. Again, in Acts
Q-4) we are told that the Christians
were all together, that is, the Apos-
ties, disciples and holy women, num-
: bering in all one hundred and twenty,
when the Holy Ghost came upon them
on the day of Pentecost Evidently,
the Blessed Virgin was with them
and, consequently, she received the
Holy Ghost in the Sacrament of Con-
firmation as did the others. AS she
was sinless, there was no need for
her to receive the Sacramento of
Baptism, Penance or Extreme Unc-
ton.
Has priest the right to refuse to
baptize child If the parents are not
members of the Church; or if one is a
non-Catholic and the other is trying
to bring the child up as a Catholic?
A child who is baptized a Catholic
is held responsible for obeying the
laws of the Church as well as the
Ten Commandments. If there is no
probability that the child will be
brought up a Catholic, a priest, in
charity for the child, must refuse to
place it under the obligations that
Baptism entails. When neither of the
parents is member of the Church,
the probability that the child will
receive the necessary instructions
does not seem to exist. If one of
the parents is Catholic and the
other is not, the Catholic is obliged
to bring the child up in the Catholic
faith. If the evidence that this will
be done is satisfactory to the priest,
ne VIII bapt1Ze the child.
Has priest the right to refuse the
Holy Sacrament to any one in any
way, especially If they are a little
behind with the pew rent, or for any
little personal grievance?
We presume the sacrament the en-
quirer refers to Is the Holy Eucharist.
In certain cases a priest is obliged
to refuse Holy Communion to a per-
son who comes to receive 1t. For
instance, if a person is public sin
ner, known to be living in mortal sin,
the priest would be right in refusing
him Holy Communion until he made
reparation for the scandal given by
his conduct. BY the law of justice,
all who contribute to the support of
their pastor have right to his serv-
ices; but, by the law of charity, the
pastor will be only too glad to adj
minister the sacraments to all, I'M
less he is deferred from doing so by
reasons much more grave than those
stated in the question.
I. What is the Catholic population
OF st. Paul and Minneapolis? 2. Where
can one find statistics giving the Cath
Ollie population of the principal cities
of this country at the present time?
|. The Catholic population of the
city of St Paul is at least so per cent
of the entire population. The Catholic
population of Minneapolis is estimated
at between 30 and 35 per cent. 2. The
census taken up every ten years by
the United States Government gives
the population of this country accord
ing to religions and the information
desired can be found in the official re-
ports of the census.
What occurred at Zumbrota, Mimi,
some time ago concerning an ex-priest
who spoke there and who, it is said by
non-CathoIics, offered $4,000 to any
Catholic In the town to prove that the
Knights of Columbus oath was not
true? 1t is said that no Catholic
accepted the offer.
The facts of the case are as follows:
This anti-Catholic lecturer visited
Zumbrota and delivered lecture there
one evening last fall. In the audience
was Mr.. Schaefer, the only Catholic
business man in the town. He is not
a Knight of Columbus. When Mr..
Schaefer heard the lecturer in the
course of his talk challenge any one
to show that the so-called K. of C.
oath was not true, he took him up and
said that he had $4,000 to back his
assertions that it was not genuine.
He told the lecturer, if he wished to
take up the challenge, to meet him at
the bank the next morning and sign
the necessary papers in presence of
witnesses. Mr.. Schaefer's questions
became so embarrassing to the lee
turer that he asked to have Mr..
Schaefer removed from the audience,
which was done. The next morning
Mr.. Schaefer. accompanied by his at
torney, who is a n-Catholic, went to
the bank to meet the lecturer who,
when asked to put up his money and
sign the papers, refused to do so on
the plea that his attorney was in New
York and could not get to Minnesota
for thirty days. OF course, this was
only subterfuge to escape the net
into which his own rash statements
had led him. He made the challenge
as bluff and when it was taken up,