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


Churches?
The more accepted order is to begin
at the Gospel side of the church and
continue around the church ending at
the Epistle side The Church has
commanded nothing on this matter,
though the congregation to whom the
question was referred, considers the
order just mentioned the more desir-
able. Sometimes the paintings used
in the Stations so represent Christ
that the Stations must be hung in the
opposite order if we wish to follow
Christ and not meet Him as we move
from one Station to the other. 1t is
the spirit of repentance for sin and
love of Christ that we should observe
more faithfully in practicing this or
other devotions.
Suppose that Protestant minister
comes to believe in Transubstantiation
and that he institutes this teaching in
his church as part of its belief and
practice; and, that his followers have
as strong faith in this Catholic doc
trine as he, might he not give Com
munion with the same force and effect
as a Catholic priest?
The question suppoSes either that
the bread and wine are changed into
the Body and Blood of Christ by the
faith of the officiating minister or his
flock or their combined faith; or, that
h., of ic4e w IN
the mind of the recipient through the
faith that he has when receiving.
Neither of these alternatives expresses
the Catholic doctrine of transubstan-
tiation. The change of the bread and
wine into the Body and Blood of Christ
is not wrought by the faith either of
the minister or the people of their
combined faith; nor does the Catholic
Church teach that Christ becomes
present through the Holy Eucharist
only in spiritual manner, existing as
it were in the mind of him who be-
lieves. The Catholic doctrine of
transubstantiation teaches that there
is real, true and substantial presence
of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist
under the appearances of bread and
wine, and that the bread and wine are
really changed into the Body and
Blood of Christ thus present. Only
God has OF Himself the power to make
such a change; but, He has conferred
upon some this same power that He
Himself exercised first on the night of
His last supper. Evidently only those
to whom Christ has given this power
can exercise it; only these can change
the bread and wine into the Body and
Blood of Christ. The priests of the
Catholic Church are the only ones in
this class.
That one comes to believe in the
doctrine of transubstantiation will not
of itself increase his power over the
material elements of bread and wine
nor will the faith of many add any.
thing to this power. The truth of the
doctrine is one thing, the power OF
Order is something else altogether diff
ferent. All the faithful believed
Christ's doctrine, and so His real pres
ence in the Holy Eucharist; but only
power to change bread and wine into
His Body and Blood. Only from the
apostles, then, can this power be re
Ceived; it is the power of the priest
hood, the power of Holy Order; the
order that Christ gave to His apostles
when He said to them, after changing
the bread and wine into His anC
Blood: do this i'll commemoration O
me-"
From the simple statement it fol
lows that Protestant minister coulC
not give communion, even though boil
he and his flock might believe in the
Catholic doctrine of transubstantia
tion. Communion means a union will
Christ. ii Christ is not present there
can be no such union. Christ i!
brought present under the appearances
Of bread and wine, as we have said
only by that power received from
Christ by His apostles and handed
down by them TO their successors il
the Catholic priesthood.
What territory is included in the
Archdiocese of ST. Paul?
The Archdiocese of st. Paul com
prises the following twenty-sevel
counties of the State of Minnesota
Ramsey, Hennepin, Washington, Chi
sage, Anoka, Dakota, Scott, Wright
Rice, LIE Sueur, Carver, Nicollet, Sib
ley, Mcleod, Meeker, Redwood, Rem
vile, Kandiyohi, Lyon, Lincoln, yellow
Medicine; Lac-qui-Parle, Chippewa
Swift Goodhue, Big Stone and Brown
Who is the Vicar.General of thu
Archdiocese and what are his duties
The Vicar-General of the Archdio
cese of st. Paul is the Very Rev. Jas
c. Byrne, ST Summit Avenue, ST
Paul. The duties of the Vicar Genera
are in general to represent the Arch
bishop and to exercise the jurisdiction
Of the Ordinary in the latters absence
lie is by virtue of his office lega
member of all the ecclesiastical cor
porations of the Archdiocese.
Please explain what is meant by tn,
"Purgatorial Society" and how on
may become member of this society
A Purgatorial Society is union o
many individuals who agree to sa,
certain prayers, perform certain goo,
works, celebrate a certain number 0
Masses, or have these said, at tn,