The Catholic bulletin., 1918-02-16
THE CHURCH in PORTO RICO.

Ii has been my effort to continue
the Church in Porto Rico on the lines
marked out by nay Venerated predo-
cessor, writes Bishop Jones. We have
labCred successfully to rc-cstablish
the Church. to readiust it to the new
order of things. Our people have not
wholly abandoned us in this effort.
Our people were unaccustomed to con-
tribute to the support OF the clergy III
to the support Of worship They we're
not as poor: as the Filipinos-the aV
erage wages of our peasants being
the sum of fifty cents 4 day. Now,
the average Porto Rican is not un-
willing out of that small allowance
to 10 his bounden duty toward the
Church. s-'--
We have some one hundred and
thirty priests, both secular and
priests of. theavariads religious orders,
engaged in the care of souls in this
little dioceset+iittle in the sense that
it has scarcely thirty-fve hundred
square miles, and possesses more
than one million souls | believe that
one hundred and thirty-fve repre-
sents the number OF priests in form
er times during the, Spanish Govern
.ment who were actually engaged in
the care of souls. We have increased
but few of the number of parishes, be-
cause the churches are, found III ali
these old and ancient towns, and the
country So early discovered was
densely populated, leaving no place.
for. the creating of. new parishes.
Native Clergy Prominent.
Now, our people have been endeav-
oring to do their humble part in as
sisting, not entirely supporting, those
priests who are engaged in the care
of souls. We have a goodly number
of native clergy, venerable, and holy
priests, who have been identified with
the work of the Church in this Island
for long years, men who have grown
old in the service, worn out in the
Island, and who are noble type Of
the great sacrifices of learned priests.
They are now assisted as they were
in former times by number Of
clergy who came in from the old
country of Spain-a number of whom
have remained with us and are at
work with us caring for souls. In
many places the various Religious
Orders are doing a noble duty in COW
ering the field The United States
are represented by the good Redemp-
torist Fathers who were brought to
Porto Rico by my predecessors.
The Protestant denominations,
which are numerous, have made it a
sort of center to train their forces,
not only to keep control of Porto
Ricans, but also to make it the enter
ing wedge for the Protestant denom-
ination in Latin America; yet in spite
of their efforts and money our people
are good, loyal people to the Church
of their forefathers. The various
churches of the Protestant denomina-
tions have met with little or no sue
cess. Our people have. loved their
traditions, language and customs, and
-tl6y .dE6M Z LOI IHuilLSR VII " sllSii
Church, and the four centuries of
labor on the part of those who have
gone before. have shown fruit in a
large part; but the Protestant denom-
nations are striving to win over
Porto Ricans by making the indiffer-
ent Catholic. more Indifferent through
creating an atmosphere OF Protes.
tantism. |
Harm From Schools.
At the same !. time our public
schools, which we claim in all sin
cerity are non-sectarian, are doing no
small amount of harm in an indirect
way by creating a spirit OF indiffer-
ence, killing out that supernatural
idea which lives in the hearts Of our
people, creating; an atmosphere OF
naturalism among them. We feel. it
necessary to have Catholic schools in
the chief centres, the cities and
towns, and ] am prepared to say that,
if the people of Porto Rico receive
assistance from without, sufficient to
build -lp schools and converts for
Sisters, and receive Sisters from the
United Statesand there are good
Sisters willing to Join; we, have al5
ready. the ,D9.o Dominican I'M Sisters Of
Brooklyn and the Sisters Of St. JOS
eph from Buffalo-if they are once
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