The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-29

appeals to consider their state of life, |
and they were afterwards closeted
with the director of the retreat for a
long time, and she wondered what it
was that he had said that had made
an impression upon them.
Several of the addresses were on
modernism and temptations against
the faith. These simply had no in
terest of any sort for Miss Johnson.
She believed in, all the dogmas of the
Catholic Church. She could not re-
member the time when she had not
done so. She could not imagine any
argument that could shake her faith in
| them.
To her all this was very simple. If
the modernists said anything contrary
| to the teaching of the Church, then
the modernists were wrong, for the
| Catholic Church was infallible, and
| there was an end of the matter so far
as she was concerned. And she en-
ployed the remainder of the time the
address lasted in wondering whether
that brilliantly pretty girl with the
auburn hair in front of her would ever
be Carmelite nun, or the handsome,
merry-loohing dark-eyed one on the
opposite side of the chapel Sister of
Charity of st. Vincent de Paul
| On Thursday evening after dinner,
the retreatants took their seats in the
lecture room for what is technically
called points," that is, for the priest
to give them the points" of the
meditation to be made the following
| morning. This evening the director
prefaced his remarks by saying that
he had heard that his instructions had
been considered too retrospective, and
as he thought the criticism was per-
haps just, he was that evening going
first of all to read them letter from
a priest, friend of his working in the
Leper Settlement in one of the
Hawaiian islands, which would GER
tainly give them something to think
about besides themselves. And he
then proceeded to read the letter.
1t gave narrowing account of the
work in the leper colony, but at the
same time, spoke of the consoling eff
fects of the sacrifice the priest had
made when he had decided to devote
his life to the care of these terribly
afflicted people. 1t touched upon the
depression caused by the almost Ger.
tain knowledge that sooner or later
he must himself succumb, and like
almest all who had given themselves
to this heroic labor, fall victim to
the most awful of diseases.
i "And now" continued the writer
I'VE have just received crushing
blow. The second of the two Irish
nuns who came out here three or four
!. years ago has fallen prey to this in
!, fected spot, which is apparently a sec
ond Eden, perfect paradise OF
| natural beauty and actually charne
, house of loathsome degree. Sister
/ Mary Raymund died last year, and
/ now this noble-hearted woman, Sister
Mary Clare, in the prime of life, has
caught the infection. The mother
! house in Ireland has decided not te
, sacrifice any more lives, and no more
Sisters will be sent out, and when. Sis
| ter Mary Clare is too ill to fulfil hel
CHASTITY duties, there will be no one tt
take her place, and what is more, M
, European woman to nurse her.
What would | not give il an edu
t Gated woman could be found to rul
, the risk of almost certainly never re
; turning to her country; who woult
r come out and nurse our good Sister
) t would gladly pay all the expenses
: of the voyage out and back; but where
shall the valiant woman be found
) Her price would indeed be abov,
} rubies. 1t is perhaps not right ever
} to wish for it, for it is practically
: foregone conclusion that if anyon,
mad the grace to come, she would her
Z self be attacked before5 poor Siste
t Mary Clare had gone to her eterna
, reward
:, Here Father Paul stopped ant
| folded up the letter, and remarked il
) a somewhat ironical tone: 1T i:
| scarcely likely that anyone here will
wish to avail herself of this oppor
} tunity of martyrdom and accept m!
f friends invitation, but if anyone ha:
| such desire, / shall be happy to pu
t her in communication with the writer
of the letter I have just read to you
t And now / will give you the points
!, for tomorrow's meditation, which is OF
, DEATH
Il That evening, after points" Miss
, Johnson, who usually went straight up
stairs to bed, walked into the chape
: and sat down, and remained sitting
Iperfectly motionless while the others
d were coming in and out to say theil
J Inight-prayers, till the ringing of bel
!, to summon the nuns to Mathis reused
her from her reverie, and slowly anG
, mechanically, almost as if in a dream
!, she rose and went upstairs to hel
[ room.
! The next morning very pale Miss
, Johnson went UP to the nun who ar
, ranged the interviews with the con
ductor of the retreat, and said: =
!, wish to see Father Paul this morning
], please"
The nun now demurred.
u II am not sure that he will be able
to see anyone in the parlor today;
| there are SO many confessions tc
hear"