The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-02-23
Continued from page IL
Over Here with a
K. Of c. Chaplain

accessible. On one of these rounds
last month, | was fortunate enough
to be able to receive one of the men
into the Church on his death-bed,
after I had instructed him for several
weeks previously in an effort to be
lust friend" to help him pass the
hours. Gods grace did the rest.
In addition to this, other phases Of
religious work are presented in the
Catholic instruction class held two
evenings a week, Monday and We'd
nesday, in the writing room, which is
used also for instruction in profane
subjects. This is well attended, the
number varying from 25 to 30 up to so
or more. Often duty prevents the I'M
interrupted attendance of a soldier,
so where he desires it, arrangements
are afforded him to keep up the
| course. Up to date nearly 400 cate
chisms have been distributed to the
men at instructions or at Mass.
Other Duties.
Besides, the chaplain has to act as
intermediary, often between men
themselves or between officers and
men. While opportunity for receiv-
ing the Sacraments is afforded men
who may be in the guard house, the
military prison on the reservation,
a great deal of the mail sent to pris-
oners there from home, for example,
passes through his hands, as in Janu-
airy, | answered and wrote about ten
dozen letters relative either to pa
tents in the hospital, prisoners, or
men on duty. Colonel Parmeter, the
commanding officer of the Post, kind
| ly wrote for me on the first day of
| the year a permanent pass to the
guard house The military discipline,
| however, Of the prison~is necessarily
uniform everywhere in the country
and is rigid. So that while a great
deal cannot be done by the way of
| intercession, often the chaplain gets
line" on a man who may be helped
| later, as the terms given of course
are mostly from a summary court
martial and of short duration.
The religious work Of K. G..
| chaplain therefore, is broad but it is
| interesting, especially as it is often
the usufruct Of the general social
work he may do for the men and
with them in conjunction with other
| non-Catholic factors. Many men
have in mind who might in civil life,
put aside the idea of priest and
| Church, but who in this army at
least, cannot do so with IMMUNITY
Everything from notices and the eX.
ample Of. fellow soldiers to the chap
lain's presence, serves to remind the
Catholic soldier that now is the ''ac
ccptable time"
OF course there are many difficult
ties necessarily accompanying the
work. l will mention only two
namely, temperament and apathy
The heralded operate star has nc
advantage over the average Fort
| Smelling Sammy when it comes tc
a question of temperament. You find
them all-"gay, sincere, sad, hilari
Gus, morose, glad" All must be
made to serve the Cross as they are
unified to serve the flag.
Speaking generally, you never find
| at least l have not out here, any di
rect opposition to religion or any Of
its especial professions. You rather
have to fight daily that miasmic in
difference, which comes from those
having no religion at all, or imprac
tical in it, which is of course always
likely to strike the other fellow
whether he is a practical Catholic OIL
not. If perchance this Indifference
for reasons do not possess, were
fostered by the traditions of the
'old" army as the attitude of some
"hard-shelled" veterans might Leaf
one to believe, the new" nationa
army of democracy, thanks to the
Church and it's agencies like the K
of c., promises to give as little room
for this species of. slackerism as fol
any other.
| REV. FRANCIS T. BURNS,
4 ho 1oi1