The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-11-23
CARDINAL GIBBONS SENDS LET
TER IN BEHALF OF OUR CATH
oLiC UNIVERSITY IN WASHING
TON, D. C.
CARDINALS RESIDENCE,
40S North Charles Street,
Baltimore, Md.
November 5, 1918.


November 5, 1918.
1t is with great confidence that I
send forth my annual appeal to our
faithful Catholic people in every dio-
cese of the United States in favor of
the Catholic University of America.
The usual time, the First Sunday Of
Advent, has been set aside by our
Holy Father for this purpose, and it
is my ardent desire that every Cath
olic man and woman will contribute
generously on that day to the support
and growth of our highest educational
enterprise.
Every day of the Great War eXhib-
its the wisdom of those good men who
laid SO deeply at the National Capital
the foundations of this supreme work
of American Catholicism. 1t has be-
come the center of our broadcast activ-
tiles, the site from which have gone
forth the inspiration, the knowledge
and the energy indispensable for our
Catholic national action. Our Catho-
lie charity workers in every diocese
have found in its professors the most
helpful guides, and it's buildings have
been thrown open to them for all larg-
er needs of direction and cooperation.
We have been happy to place the
entire University at the disposal of
the National Government for the Pc
riod of the war, and it has taken us at
our word. Our buildings have housed
a body of nearly six hundred young
officers trained by the naval authori-
ties for the comfort and welfare of our
sailors on every transport that crosses
the ocean.
The Martin Maloney Chemical La
boratory, gift of generous and far
seeing benefactor, has been turned
over to the military authorities for
most important chemical researches,
and sixty government chemists are
daily using it's facilities with the most
wonderful results for he ti1ceass of
our soldier boys on the war-stained
fields of France.
About five hundred young men of
the Students Army Training Corps
are daily being formed at the Univer-
sity by the military authorities, for
the purpose of creating a large body
of intelligent and devoted army Of
ficers. If we had room we might have
taken in over one thousand young
men.
A large percentage of our lay pro-
fessors and some Of our ecclesiastical
professors have been called by the
National Government to set aside their
work as teachers and give all their
time and ability to the needs of the
nation. In other ways, also, the Cath
olic University has co-operated cor
daily and efficiently in the enormous
task of winning the war and thereby
placing our people and our institutions
beyond all fear of danger from foreign
foes. 1 am truly proud of the war
record of the Catholic University, and
l gladly commend it to the gratitude
of our Catholic people. Without this
great institution we should have had
in these crucial days, no national
Catholic center at Washington, visible
ana dcJlNe dS Iuo C0hCel VI Jul S"Uh
olic educational thought and power
our charitable activities for the sol
diers and sailors, and our Catholic de
votion to the glorious success of oul
millions of brave defenders by sea
and land.
After this war our American Cathol
fcism will need the highest type Of
leadership, in order to deal successful
ly with the great religious, social, ant
economic situations developed by the
new conditions in which our lives
shall be cast, Our Holy Father, the
American episcopate, our clergy, ant
our faithful laity look to the Catholic
University as a natural source of this