The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-06-23

Do the Apostles Greed ard tho
three Hail Mays belorg 20 the
rosary? Is il necessary 20 say them
WHEN you say the five decades?
The rosary consists Of the fifteen
decades recIted while the person
raedftates on the fifteen mysteries OF
The faith attached to the rosary five
foyfuI. communicating the incarna-
ton. birth and life CT Our Lord; five
sOrrowful, the sufferings and death
Ct Christ five glorious, His risen life
The five decades are, consequently
only third OF the rosary. Properly
the Apostles Greed and the three Hail
WaTys do not constitute the part OF
the rosary; but have been added By
the Church that those who cannot
mediate may share in the iHdul-
gences attached TO the rosary on the
condition OF saying these additional
PRAYERS. Because one cannot keep
ones mind on the mystery Of faith
continuously during the whole decade,
he need not conclude that he can
not mediate and therefore must say
the extra prayers. r. he thinks even
cor ONLY a few moments on the mys-
terry or some truth following from it,
he has meditated sufficiently to share
in the indulgcnceS attached TO the
rosary. If he cannot do even this
much and wishes to gain the in
dulgences, then nc must say the
Apostles Creed and the Our Father
and the three Hail Marys.
Can a member of the Masonic order
become a Catholic if he abandons the
order to which he belongs?
The Church forbids any of her
members to belong to the Masonic
Order, she even accommodates any
of her children who join this lodge.
She has many reasons for making
this law. One is sufficient to men
ton. The Masonic order is re-
ligious organization. 1t has its own
creed, it's own moral standard, its
own ritual, burial service, etc. 1t
follows necessarily il the Church IS
divine in her faith, in her means OF
aanctity, in her authority, any relig-
ious society that differs from her can
not be true, cannot have the sanction
of God. TO belong to one necessarily
cuts one off from the other. But
every sin, no matter how grieyous it
may be, God will forgive, if tho guilty
repent and turn from his evil way.
The same principle will apply to the
proposed question. In this case the
sin of apostasy may not have existed,
for the Mason may never have known
the truth of the Catholic Church;
and his state, consequently, would be
much less criminal than if he had
once been a Catholic. 1t is possible
then and most advisable for him to
abandon the Masonic society, that is
human in all it's clements, and attach
himself to the Catholic Church, which
has been established by Jesus Christ
the Son of God, as the one means
given to men whereby we may be
saved.
Can a Catholic woman marry a
Mason If he remains member of
this society?
If the Mason had never been a
Catholic, and if no other impeachment
exists, the Church may grant the
woman for sufficient reasons a dis
pcnsation from the law forbidding
Catholics to marry those who are
not Catholics. Such a woman, how
ever, would be entering upon her new
state of life III very hazardous cir
Cumstanccs.
Is il ever advisable to make a
Protestant become Catholic when
the Protestant cannot see into things
very clearly?
Before a Protestant may be re-
ceived into the Church he must make
a profession of faith in the teachings
OF the Catholic Church, and this pro
fcsson of faith is made under oath
1t follows then that Protestant
cannot be forced into the Catholic
Church. If the Protestant is sincere
in his investigation, if his mind is
open to conviction, the instructions
in the faith that a priest will give
him will go far towards helping him
to believe. This with the grace of God
will bring him into the Church. To
believe the mysteries that God has
revealed is, of course, a gift of God;
pu;, TINS grace will be given to him
who will ask. Prayer, earnest, child
like, persevering prayer will obtain
the grace to believe and then the
Protestant will wish to become a
Catholic. He will be most ready to
submit himself wholly to the teach
ings of the Church, because he will
see in it the truth of God.
How many more books are there in
the Catholic Bible than in the Protes
tant2
The following books are not found
in the Protestant Bible, though we
have the same authority for accepting
these as inspired that we have fol
any other parts of the Bible: Tobias