The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-11-25


men have voluntarily enlisted during
the period in question. The Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland has given some
official figures of the enlistments from
Ireland since the beginning of the war.
Some $4,000 Irishmen enlisted, 3d.
900 of them Catholics, $4,000 Protes-
tants. Of the total Ulster furnished
$4,000, the rest of Ireland, 100000.
This evidence of Irish "loyalty'' ought
to be very satisfactory to the English.
AnuIicans and st. Benedict.-The re-
vival of the Anglican effort to estab-
lish a community of "Benedictine
nuns at Mailing Abbey, England, will
excite considerable interest amongst
Catholics. A correspondent of the
Church Tines tells in it's last issue
the story of the previous attempt. In
1892, the abbey which had been ac-
quired by Miss Boyd, the founder OF
the English Abbeys Restoration Trust,
of which the trustees are the CoWley
Fathers, was made over to a sister
hood of Benedictine nuns which had
been recognized by Archbishop
Temple. The community, in the course
of some time, removed to st. Brides
Bay in Pembrokeshire, and in 1917,
following the example of the Anglican
monks of Galley, sought admission
and were duly received into the
Catholic Church. The correspondent
of the Church Times" says: ut is
easy to see how Benedictine COM
munity in an ancient monastery may
gravitate to Rome simply through a
lack of Anglican sympathy" and that
"Real sympathy on the part of those
in authority will do much to lessen this
peril" We can only wait and see.
Mailing Abbey is redolent of associa-
lions which are constant protest
against the break with the Holy See
at the Reformation" This the new
community must feel as did that which
preceded it. Moreover, how can the
members resist the conviction that
Benedictines who refuse to accept the
Pope's authority are acting contrary
to the letter and the spirit of ST..
Benedict's rule?
The Church of England and Re-
union.-The Church of England is
ever looking around for support. Her
prelates and ministers are conscious OF
their inability to proclaim that she is
an apostolic, missionary church
whose doctrine must be accepted by
all who are in quest of religious truth.
She turns towards Rome. Her clergy,
| who formerly called themselves Prot
estants, now strive to persuade them
selves that they are Catholics. They
initiate Catholic practices. We read
in their journals of Mass being cele-
brated in their churches, and of their
| adoption of our ritual in full. But
| they stop short when the question
| of acknowledging the spiritual author
ity of the Holy See arises. They are
unwilling to obey even the Vicar OF
| Christ. Bishop Gore told meeting
of the members of the Anglican and
Eastern Association at the Church
House, Westminster, the other day
that there is no hope of reunion with
Rome unless they are ready to &C
knowledge Papal supremacy, or, as he
called it, "Papal autocracy." They
are unwilling to obey that authority
so he babe them turn to Russia and
the Eastern Churches, and he sug
gested that they should send English
students to Russia after the war tc
study the doctrines and institutions
Of the Orthodox Church. Would il
not pc better for the Church of Eng
land to endeavor to heal the divisions
amongst her own people before nurs
ing the lofty aspiration of re-unitins
Christendom? A Church which is sc
widely separated from the great
Church of the West and the Eastern
Churches, and is only a conglomera
ton of Earring sects, shows in adopt
ing that attitude that she has lost
touch of realities and is indulging il
wild dreams.