The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-10-26
A RESUME OF THIS TOPIC WRIT
TEN BY THE LATE ARCHBISHOP
IRELAND IN THE FORM OF AN
INTRODUCTION - REVIEW OF
THE HISTORY AND NATURE OF
THE SUBJECT.

Mote: A request has been made
that The Catholic Bulletin reprint the
following. 1t is the introduction, writ
ten by the late Archbishop Ireland, to
the Communion of Saints, by Rev. C.
F. McGinnis.)
Few other tenets of Catholic belief
and practice have been combatted by
the religious revolutionists of the six
tenth century with such persistent
violence as that of THE Communion of
the Saints" yet few other tenets of
Catholic belief and. practice are SO
solidly grounded in Scripture and ira.
dition, or afford to the; Christian soul
so much sweetness of thought, SO
much hopefulness of life and action.
For ages the Apostles Greed re-
echoed through Christendom-'I be-
lieve in E.. the Communion of
Saints" and to this article of the
creed solemn significance was given
in universal ritualistic observance.
Suddenly all was changed. "Justifica-
ton by faith alone" the vital, though
most erroneous principle of the new
religion, was the argument for the ex-
clusion of all secondary or mediate in
tercession. The Saints, those on
earth or those in heaven, it was said,
must be silenced. Intervention on
their part is needless. 1t is injurious
to the Saviour of Calvary. 1t indi-
Gates either in the Saviour INSULT
cheney of power and merit or in the
believer insufficiency of personal ap-
preparation of the fullness of saliva
ton proffered by Him to mankind.
Henceforward, the article in the creed
Il believe 3. 49,. in the Commu-
MON of Saints"-was to be a mere
verbal expression, void of substantial
meaning or living reality.
Much more-that the Saints be once
forever rejected from prerogatives and
privileges heretofore accorded to
them, war was Waged against their
| names and memories. against things
| whatsoever that might recall them
to the Christian mind, or suggest rec
ognition of their deeds of holiness.
The doctrine of ''The Communion of
the Saints as interpreted and re,
duced to practice by the Catholic
Church, before and after the so-called
| Reformation" was distorted and
illuminated to the end that, seen only
under vile and blackened image, it be
abominated the more cordially, and
buried the more deeply: in abiding oh.
livion. The recognition of the Saints
as known in the Catholic Church, it
was said, is rank superstition, de-
| graded idolatry: to invoke their in
| tercession, to venerate their virtues
| to picture them on stone or on canvas
is the revival of olden paganism
Thus inaugurated, opposition to the
Saints travelled down the centuries
| though here and there somewhat shorr
of it's asperity as justice and common
sense were allowed hearing. The OPP
position lives today. Even today the
/ Saints need to be defended, Misrepre
sentation must be denied, and truth
set forth in it's full arnor of defense
| What is "The Communion of the
Saints?" 1t is the fellowship of mu
tual love and help among the sons Of
| Christ, members of His mystic body
the Church, whether still battling fol
salvation on earth, or reigning il
bliss in heaven, or enduring for time
the cleansing fires of purgatory.
There is no other name under
heaven given to man whereby he mus
be saved"-no other name than thai
of Jesus, Redeemer and Saviour
Jesus is sole Redeemer, sole Mediator
the sole One, capable of bringing Coo
to man, and man to God-this, Ger
tainly, the indubitable and uncontest
able teaching of the Christian dispen
sation None may doubt this teach
ing: none may set up, in doctrine Of
practice, aught to impair, in slightes
iota, it's over-mastering integrity. The
supremacy of Jesus, as Redeemer ant
Saviour, was at all times the solemn