The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-03

considered as holy water?
If one wishes to increase the guam
tity of holy water on hand without
going to the church for more, water
that has not been blessed may be
added to the holy water and the whole
quantity will be liturgical holy water,
provided the amount added be less
than the quantity already blessed.
The smaller acquires as it were the
identity of the greater quantity. In
the case proposed, however, this con-
dition does not exist. In fact, the
order is reversed; the result being
that the holy water is lost in the
greater quantity of unblessed water
that is added. There should be no
occasion, however, even for using the
legitimate expedient that is offered if
one lives within travelling distance OF
a Catholic Church. Every church is
provided with holy water that is
blessed by the priest from week to
week and any one may secure what
ever quantity he may desire without
money and without price.
Is it wrong for a woman to break
the engagement she has made to
marry a non-Catholic?
An engagement to marry is a
mutual contract that is binding in
conscience under pain of sin. If,
however, this obligation is used as
means of infringing on the rights of
either, such injustice would of itself
cancel the obligation. y very grave
reason, then, is necessary to Justify
one in breaking a marriage engage
ment. If the reason exist, it is better
that the promise to marry be broken
than that two lives be fatally blighted
in their days of promise.
1t was wrong for the woman to
have entered into such a contract;
for, she agreed to do what she knew
the Church forbade her to do; name
ly, TO marry non-Catholic. 1t was
so wrong, indeed, that, in the case
given, the contract, or engagement to
marry, was from its inception invalid,
and consequently at no time really
binding. Should the Church grant the
necessary dispensation that the two
might be free to contract marriage
and the promise to marry then be
made, it would be grave sin not to
abide by the promise unless a suffi-
cient reason arose to justify breaking
the engagement. The reason of this
is evident. If the promise were given
and then broken without cause, a
grave injustice would be done the
other person. A consciousness of
this injustice is seen in the sums Of
money demanded by the woman who
sues for breach Of promise.
May bride wear a wreath and veil
at = mixed marriage?
The form OF dress is of very minor
importance in preparing to receive the
sacrament of matrimony by which
one enters into new state of life.
There is, however, no prohibition
against wearing at a mixed marriage
the form of dress specified in the
question.
Can one who Is a cripple join a re-
Iigious order? What conditions are
required?
1t is possible that other acquire
ments may compensate for the defect
in physical well-being mentioned in
the question. AS a rule, however, the
work and general life of a religious
presuppose good physical health and
strength. Full information on this
matter may be obtained by consulting
the SuperioreSs of any Of the relig-
ious orders; the ST. Joseph's for in
stance, or the Visitation Order in st.
Paul.
Why did the Pope about ten years
ago refuse to grant an audience to
Theodore Roosevelt, ex-president of
the United States?
The general circumstances in which
the Pope is situated make it necessary
for him to require of all whom he pro-
poses to receive the observance of
certain general rules of etiquette. If
some choose to despise this code of
good breeding, they may be free to do
so; but the same freedom may be just
ly claimed by the Pope in refusing to
admit such to his presence The pope
is the spiritual sovereign of the
Church. AS such public homage is
due him, and is readily granted by all
fair-minded men. At the time of Mr..
Roosevelt's visit in Rome a body of
American Methodists had been prose
lytizing Italian Catholics from the
faith and advertising their work very
favorably in the United States, ex.
posing at the same time, as they al
legged, the sad state of faith and morals
in all of Italy and even in Rome. To
give personal approval to their work
would implicitly confirm their cal.
umnies. These good people were clev-
er enough to present to Mr. Roose-
welt some other plea, patriotism, of
course, as the occasion of the recep-
ton that they wished to give him. Had
they frankly exposed the spirit of their
institution and the purpose of their
work they knew that Mr.. Roosevelt
would have ignored them. So thor.
oughly did they deceive him, that in
cpitn of tho WARNINGS given him he