The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-03-04
CONTINUED from page IL
PASTORAL

fourteenth century cast pail of
gloom over the fair brow of the
Church, the eighteenth century insti-
gated an onslaught of perverted
philosophy and the nineteenth GEN.
fury ushered in a reign of religious
indifferentism.
Our Own Century.
In our own century, with it's Wanted
enlightenment and progress, though
teeming with luxury, sensuality, love
of money-making and graft, pleasure
seeking, free love, crimes, goddess
ness and lack of religion, the dura-
bility of the Church eXcites no less
the wonder of thinking minds. Ma
tions, in their impotent rage, secret
organizations, in their fruitless in
trigues, loving darkness rather than
light, leave nothing untried to place
and time-honored brow. An age, in
which the malicious tongue Of adver-
Using and INSCRIPTIONS ministers and
discarded and revengeful renegades
pour forth their wrath upon her holt
ness. Self-constituted preachers and
pretended reformers, heralding vile
sensations for the sake of livelihood,
without ordination and commission to
preach the gospel of Christ from the
legitimate successors of the apostles,
how shall they preach, unless they
be sent" attack the one true Catholic
Church to keep up their false and
deceiVing mission. Brandishing the
low epithets of ''Romish and Popish"
they vomit forth their malice, their
spite and their traditional prejudices,
often criminal public. Unborn hatred,
jealousy and fear at the tremendous
spiritual and material progress of the
Church constitute the causes of the
anti-Catholic crusades, which spring
up periodically. An age, in which
sensational periodicals present to the
public religious calumnies of the deep
est dye, ever refuted, still ever
renewed. An age, in which goddess
and sensational press, unfaithful to
the Church, it's foundress, and unmind-
full of it's only and high mission of
spreading the truth and nothing but
the truth, disgracefully lucre-stricken,
in it's craven spirit of catering to
depraved passion, dares attack, mis-
represent and belle, shamelessly and
barefacedly, the one, true, Catholic
Church. No lie too monstrous, no
calumny too base, no insult too
stupid for this corrupt press, to under
mine, degrade and caricature the
Church of Rome. Thousands of
books of the most vile, lying and
press which, directly or indirectly,
malign the sacredness of the Church
of Rome. Every nerve of wicked and
sensual men is strained to destroy
the influence of the Church and
wrench members from her bosom.
The Church can expect no better from
depraved and base individuals, whose
God is their belly and whose glory
is in their shame" who wallow in the
mire of sensual qualification.
Victory of the Church.
Still the Church of Rome, STEPPED
in her own blood, but firm and secure
by the spirit of God, steadily advanc-
ing alike in times of persecution and
in times of peace, outlives the bold
iniquity and vile schemes of all ages,
coming out of the battle stronger and
more glorious than ever, hated by
an unbelieving world even as her
divine founder was hated Armed
with the weapons of Gods word,
prayer and penance, persecution only
advancing her progress and extend
ing her empire, the Church stands the
test of time Drawing every conflict,
whilst human institutions, the crea-
ton of merely human wisdom and
power, crumble into dust Her ban
ner, one and uncomfortable, marks
victory, that of the enemy, defeat.
The venerable Church of ages, in
her wonderful stability in the face
of all-conquering time, lasts solitary
and alone as solid pillar of strength,
amidst universal change, revolutions
and ruins and standing monument,
not sustained by the smile and f1attery
of the world, witnessing the birth and
death of great individuals, of great
events, Of great nations. The ravishes
of time diminish not her splendour,
the Church, ever old but new, the
one institution that changes not,
1.-The God of heaven will set king
dom that shall never be destroyed
and itself shall stand for
ever" says Holy Writ Kingdoms
rise and fall in her majestic and
permanent presence, but amidst the
perishing works of mortals, faded
laurels, broken sceptres, tottering
thrones, shattered states and empires,
the Church continues her benefcent
glorious and triumphal march through.
out the centuries, preserving the
vigor of youth, redeeming in one land
her. losses in the other, transforming
barbarians into Christians, retaining
the Maynard and making the yirtuous