The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-04-22
WHEN Al skSAEsTAnr sblEs.

tHS ,ltoHuOn catholic 1TutH society
has published a pamphlet by Rev.
James F. Splaine, S. j., with the I'm
primFaatur" Of the Archbishop of Edin-
burgh.
It may interest our readers to learn
just. what they may do to help dying
Protestant. 1T may console convert
to learn that he or she need not
stand idly by, while Protestant rela-
tive or friend is leaving this world.
We assume that no priest will be ad.
mitted to the dying Protestant. All
depends on the Catholic layman or
the Catholic woman How shall these
act to help a Protestant to die we'll?
Attention to the following principles
may save many souls. @-,s
These are the principles: God is
merciful God is just. Invincible fg-
norance is not a crime. Goodwill
towards God will attract divine grace.
Human prejudice, long line of big
oted ancestors, social surroundings,
may have prevented your Protestant
relative or friend from seeing the
truth, OF Catholicity. But he or she
has followed his or her conscience.
"A wall of traditional prejudice sepa-
rates them from the One True Church
of God. Must these Professionals be
lost? Not so! The highest authority
in the Church has told us otherwise.
Plus TX, in his Encyclical to the Ita1-
ian Episcopate, August 10, 1863, wrote
these consoling words: ut is known
to US and to you that those who are
In 1nvincible ignorance of our holy
religion, and who, carefully fulfilling
the natural law and the precepts
thereof inscribed by God in the heart
OF all, besides being in the disposition
to- obey God, live good and upright
life, can, by the aid of Divine light
and grace, attain to life eternal"
e These words of a. great Pope should
encourage us to help the dying Prot
estant. The manner of our help will
depend upon circumstances. If the
dying protestant has been properly
baptized there is one way of helping
him or her. If the Protestant has
not been properly baptized there is
another way to help H.
+ The dying Protestant has been prop
erly baptized. You are sure of this.
There is not the slightest suspicion
in your mind about any carelessness
in the baptism of your dying relative
or friend. Now, once baptized, al
ways baptized. Having made certain
Of the dying persons baptism; bend
all your efforts to- arouse sorrow for
sin. Read the 102d Psalm. This, by
the grace of God, gwill arouse in the
soul of the dying persons the state
of attrition. From attrition to per-
feet contrition is an easier step than
MANY people imagine Talk about
the Good Shepherd and His love for
the lost sheep. Get the dying person
to pray to the Lover of the souls of
men, This prayer will engender a
conviction that Jesus is a friend
I Now love ,begets love. And when a
dying persons turns to, God as to a
good friend;l and .etells God that he
(the dying pers9Al is sorry for his
I sins because God is good and friend
of nman; then you have changed at
triton into: contrition. An, the soul
| Of the dying Protestant is in the state
| oftgrace. So much for helping a dy-
ing Protestant who has been properly
| baptized. 4.
Now, if the dying Protestant has
never been baptized or has been i'm
properly baptized, the Catholics chief
concern is to see that such a person
is properly baptized before he or she
leaves this world for baptism is alb
solutely necessary to salvation.
| Wherefore, whenever there is any
doubt about a persons baptism such
| person may be rebaptized condi-
tionally. The condition may be made
in the mind of the Catholic. There
is no need of expressing the condi-
| ton in words. Verbal expression of
the condition belongs to public or SOL
| emp baptism. a.,
Your dying Protestant relative or
friend has never been properly bap-
tized. Now, religious controversy is
| out'Hof place at the death-bed. It
may do much harm. 1t may change
a good will into a bad will. There
fore let the Catholic steer clear of
religious arguments at such a time.
Pay strict attention to the essential
or: necessary truths of salvation.
Your dying Protestant must believe
in God land Jesus Christ, whom He
has sent. Try to get the dying per-
sonsto do this. Read the 1920 Psalm.
Talk of the Good Shepherd as above.
Arouse sorrow for sin because of the
punishment they have descended. If
| the Catholic gets this far with the
dying Protestant, the state of attri-
ton is reached and the dying person
is ready for baptism. II the dying
person is willing to be baptized, let
the Catholic administer Baptism in
the manner prescribed by the cate
chiSm. III
lialf ingrained prejudice on the inter-
| ference of Protestant friends prevents
the Catholic from speaking of Bap-
tism, then let the Catholic get the
dying Protestant to say sincerely that
he or she is willing to do whatever
ltis, necessary for salvation. This Is an
Iimplicit desire of Baptism. Upon the
expression of this implicit desire, the
Catholic party is. warranted in tbaptiz-
ing the dying Protestant. As Father
,Splaine says, sick man desires
| health, but may object to a certain