The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-02-24
THE ANNUAL COLLECTION FOR
HOME AND FOREIGN MISSIONS.
To the Clergy and the Laity of the
Diocese of st. Paul.

To the Clergy and the Laity of the
Diocese of st. Paul:
Beloved Brethren:
The annual collection in aid OF
Home and Foreign Missions will be
taken up in all the Churches of the
Diocese of st. Paul on the second
Sunday of Lent. The announcement
of the collection will be made at the
several Masses on the preceding
Sunday, the First Sunday of Lent, by
the public reading of this, our present
letter, to be followed on the part OF
the pastor by cordial explanation of
the holiness of the work to which the
proceeds of the collection are to be
devoted, and a fervent eXhortation to
his faithful people that they allow
themselves a liberal sharing in the
blessings awaiting those who con-
tribute to its furtherance.
1t is with very special qualification
that we publish the proceeds of the
collection in aid of Home and Foreign
Missions for the year 1916. The total
sum received by the Diocesan
Chancery was $S,O79.S9, this being an
increase of $1,756.S6 over the sum re-
ceived for the year 1915.
From the proceeds of the collection
for the year 1916, the sum of $5,0000O
was remitted to the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith in Foreign
Lands, the remainder being divided
between Missions among the Negro
and Indian populations in the United
States and poor Missions in the Dio-
cese of st. Paul.
In addition to the sum going from
the Diocesan Chancery to Missions in
foreign lands, we should put to the
credit of our faithful people the sums
remitted directly to the Society of
the Propagation of the Faith and to
the Society of Holy Childhood by the
Local Diocesan Director of those so
cieties, Rev. James A. Byrnes, of the
st. Paul Seminary, st. Paul. Those
sums for the year 1915, the first year
of the activities of the office, amounted
to S1,751.56 for the Society of the
Propagation of the Faith and $70f.93
for the Society of the Holy Childhood.
The work done through the flee
of the Local Direcs924 - tlG4 "A so
cieties, let it be said at once, receives
from us most cordial approval and en-
couragement We hope earnestly to
see it established and prospering in
every parish of the Diocese. 1t by no
means takes the place of the general
annual collection, of which we today
give announcement, or of similar col
lections to be henceforward an
nounced. Those collections look to a
wider scope-covering besides the
Propagation of the Faith in foreign
lands, missions in our own United
States and in our own Diocese OF St
Paul: and, besides, they represent
the more official contribution made
each year, by the Diocese to the holy
cause of missionary work. To this
official contribution the work of the
Local Diocesan Director is welcomed
supplement, and as such commends
itself most significantly to the zeal
and the piety of our Catholic people
Generosity, Beloved Brethren, in aio
of the missions of the Church, is
generosity to the cause nearest to the
heart of Christ, to the cause that i'm
pelled the Eternal Word to the mystic
rious acts of the Incarnation and the
Redemption. Il am come to cast lire
on the EARTH" said the Lord, "anC
what will |, but that it be kindled.'
The fire brought to earth by the Eter
nal Word, is His Gospel of salvation
That this Gospel be heard to utter
most confines is the passion OF His
heart To this end He instituted the
Church, under the mandate to preacf
the Gospel to every creature, to teacf
all nations "even unto the con
summation of the world" To this
end apostles of His truths are needed
who, in burning love for those truths
and for Him Who first spoke them
will bear them to farthest corne
where humanity lives in the vale o
darkness, and open to souls the pain
way to the Kingdom of God il
Heaven. Such apostles there hav
been in every age of the Church
story: such apostles there are today
proving by their zeal and the sacrifice
to which it submits them that Chris
did not come in vain, that the Churc
is, as hidden to be, Catholic, universe
taking the earth as the field OF 1t
regal beneficence, distilling acros
every sea and through every continer
the saving dews of divine love, tn
Frightening rays of divine trutl
The missionary work of the Church
1t is the most precious jewel in ii
casket of holy deeds: it is the man
fest attestation of it's origin in tn
love of Christ for the souls OF mel
The apostles who do this work! w
repeat of them the words of Scril
ture: How beautiful are the fee
of them that preach the Gospel
peace, that bring glad tidings of goo
things!"
brethren, it is not the privilege
all Christians to be the missionarie
of Christ's Gospel. 1t is, however, tn
privilege of all to be the helpers, tt
co-Iaborers of those missionarle
e. -aondod that niccjona ripS he i