The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-07-27
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
CONFIRMATION AT CAMP
Camp Dodge, Ia, July %, 1918.

To the Editor: Bishop. Bowling paid
an official visit to the camp Sunday
evening last and administered the Sac
rament of Confirmation to a large
class of candidates. The services
were held at the main K. of c.. building
and attracted an audience of some two
thousand. Prior to comforting the
Sacrament, Bishop Bowling delivered
an inspiring discourse filled with time
ly thoughts which impressed immense
ly his hearers. He contrasted the SOL
dlers life with that of the Christian
the one serving under the standard
OF his country, the other under that
OF the Cross. He summed up the re-
lationship between citizenship and
Christianity thus: THE STANDARDIZED
ton of citizenship is but the standard
ization of Christianity" He stated
that religion is necessary for the
maintenance of a nation and that we
love our country in the same proper
ton as we love God. For the soldier
the flag has special significance. 1t
is always before him acting as his
guide and inspiration. It's appeal is
constant and heartfelt. So, too,
should it be with the Cross of Christ,
ever guiding and inspiring the Chris
tian soldier and alluring him to grace
and God. He eXhorted strict adher-
ence to the practice of the faith, point
ing out how in the army and in the
Church observance of the minutest
detail is inculcated. He emphasized
the loyalty of the Catholic soldier prac-
tical in his faith of whom the Church
is justly proud. He portrayed the sig
MITIGATION of the Sacrament of Con-
firmation, marking it's effects and it's
peculiar grace and strength for the
soldier. Following the administra-
ton of the Sacrament Benediction
of the Blessed Sacrament was given
by the Right Reverend Bishop. AS
sisting in the ceremony were Fathers
Higgins, Noll, Mcleod, Donohoe and
the post chaplain.
The class was made up of soldiers
ranking from colonel to private and
Red Cross nurses. The sponsors were
Captain Neil Cronin and Miss Cecile
Dreaming. Half of the candidates in
itiated into the organization by the
Des Moines Council Sunday last were
soldier boys. The Catholic boys as a
whole are loud in their praise of the
work of the knights and deem it duty
to join the ranks. However, the I'M
certainty of camp life and its many
vicissitudes, demanding at times a
quick change of front, present unsur-
mountable difficulties. Their heart is
right, however, and burns with graft
tude for the knights and their work in
the cantonments and in France.
Another catholic chaplain arrived
Saturday last in the person of Father
Mcleod of the Diocese of st. Joseph,
Mo. He holds the commission of first
lieutenant and is assigned to the 163d
Depot Brigade. He is the only Catho-
lie chaplain in the brigade so far. The
163d will likely take the place of the
8Sth division when the latter proceeds
on it's way over there. Father Mcleod
is a man of very distinguished accom-
plishments. He has been on the Chau-
tauqua platform for years and has
given several missions in different
parts of the country. He is a valua-
bic acquisition in the work to which
we welcome him with all our hearts.
Sunday last large audiences attend
ed the eight Masses celebrated. at
which the number of Communions was
five hundred.
Fraternally yours in Christ,
y PATRICK N. McDERMOTT,
K. of G.. Chaplain.