The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-04


Rcy,er. Btshop Of Nomsr. Of .ohich the
toiiop,ng "a a translation Of the original
Flemish tcyt. aroused almost as much
comment in Europe as the pastoral letter
OF Cardinal Mercter and ras promptly
stopped BY the Germdw military com
p,anders. uho arc temporarily IN COM
r,ard IN Beoivm:
"Thomas Louis Heyien. by the grace
OF God and Of the Apostolic Sec Bishop
OF Namur.
ITO the clergy and the faithful OF our
diocese,
Health and blessings In our lord.
Every year when Lent approaches
We recall TO our faithful the Christian
law Of penitence for the explanation or
an appropriate subject and Voc recon-.
mend them to observe In spirit OF
obedience and penitence the rules OF
modification imposed upon us by the
Church.
"This year our task il easy. Tho
events we have passed through afforded
a series Of sad trials which show us
clearly the necessity Of sacrifice. We
cannot do better than deal with such
examples as the subject Of our Lenten
orders. Far from us he the idea or
exciting YOU to rebellion or 10 dis
couragement. our only object Ia 10
open paternally our heart and to console
YOU with our words 81 coincidence. we
want also to warn you against the
ternpta tions which are liable to follow
from, YOUR trials and to show YOU how
necessary II is to support tribulations
In order TO utilize them for the health
Of your souls
However painful are our memories.
let us nrst Of ali look back on our
history. After several centuries Of
foreign domination, our country finally
obtained with It's Independence the
lasting enjoyment Of rest and peace.
Proud Of her glorious past. Belgium
actively worked toward fer religious
and intellectual. material and social de-
velopnient and trusted In the future.
among no other people In the world
is there a deeper aversion to the bloody
struggles among peoples created to love
one another and against the destruction
Of lives 30 precious for the family. trade.
industry and agriculture. II is therefore
necessary both on account OF these senti-
ments and on account OF the special
condition OF their country that the Bel
CLANS should remain strangers to the
horrors Of war.
su1erinGs Of Diocese.
And this 10 what We though, when
the storm suddenly burst over our heads
like A terrible hurricane bringing ruin
IN it's wake: once overwhelmed by this
storm we became the victims. Within a
few weeks our diocese. which formed our
pride and 10Y. became unrecoSnlzable.
Misfortunea unprecedented in history,
have fallen upon us. There Is not one
among you. my dearest brethren, who
has been spared suffering and misfor-
tune. and all together YOU have consoled
YOUR mutual misery. Entire volumes
would be insufficient TO describe these
sufYerines We intend to examine some
of these risfortunes which were more
sensibly felt.
"Our heavy heart turns to the twenty
Ave priests and lay brothers OF our
diocese whom ne have 80 sadly lost
I The clergy Of our diocese paid terrible
tribute with their death. We can never
forge, our emotion during the second
half Of the month Of August when from
every side Of our two provinces, which
seemed charged into furnace. news
reached US about the suferinge Of our
dear helpers OF the clergy. We then
feared that greater misfortunes were a.
follow. You all know the names OF
those missing They were virtuous
priests. meek and Jealous Some 'eIl on
I the battlefield. where they exercised
! ,hei- charitable functions AZ members OF
I the army ambulances. but the majority
died in sorrowful circumstances. as In
/ nocent victims, who ater sunerlnG
| hero.cally entered into a better life.
, I'VE shall never cease weeping and
| praying for them. although We have inc
I firm confidence that they have alreadH
! received the recompense OF their mar
| ;yrdom II it is true. accordii TO the
I evidence OF ST. Paul that there II NO
red. mpiion without the sscrihce o'
! blood We hope that their blood will
have the power to deliver us. We pray
| God to remember heir sacrifice and that
their death will propitiously Weld album
| dant fruits
| Let us then recall the memory OF our
fellow citizens who were killed In thou
| sards in our diocese. victims OF charges
| 10 which you also were exposed We dc
! not know whe her In any particular case
/ the proof that crime had been COM
/ n,tted could he established. But even
! so we feel certain THAT these casee were
I a rare exception and cannot he a'trib-
uted to the entire population. The sor.
row that makes YOU weep the death OF
A father. Of son OF friend. has
touched US deeplN We share above AL
the sorro. 81 hose parishes 50 hardly
: proven. where now one meets only "id
ows and orphans and where entire
families have disappeared.
Honor to Brave Army.
Finally We bend our heads with re-
spect in front NJ tho graves OF our
va'o5ous soldiers. Forced TO accept 4
most unequal fight, knowing from the
,ery beginning tina. they would he de
ieIteA. they did not retire. but sacri'
fced their lives for their threatened coun'
try. determined to save. II not the In
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