The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-01-04
Continued from last week.
A WatchfuI Shepherd.

1t is not merely the pontifical act.
| relative to the war which prove tn,
present pontiff to be a great states
man and most watchful supreme
Pastor. AS nations even while con
| Quoting the war, have been studying
the problems and difficulties and OPP
| portunities of reconstruction, so the
Sovereign Pontiff, alert and ever think
| ing of the Kingdom of God on earth
| has during the dark days of war beer
preparing to reconstruct. Looking into
| the future, His Holiness knows that
permanent results will come through
| the best religious formation of the
| children of our day who will be the
men and women of the next genera.
ton. Thus the Holy Father has been
planning Universal Catechism for
the Church which will provide for a
complete course of instruction. While
the war has made the interests of the
Church suffer in one locality, it has,
let us hope in God, opened up unprec-
edented opportunities in others. His
Holiness, realizing the great possibil-
tiles in the Orient in the near future,
has. founded new congregation for
the Eastern Church, reserving for
himself the Presidency of the Congre-
cation. One of the great means of re-
newing the face of the earth is the
preaching of the word of God in a
fitting manner, and with that prepare
ton and zeal best calculated to in
struct souls and to move them to live
lives comfortable to the teachings of
Christ. Benedict XIV has laid down
the norms to govern preachers of the
word.
Considering the Holy Fathers
achievements and gentleness and pa
thence under all the most trying cir
cumstances in which his pontifcate
has fallen we must thank the Holy
Ghost for the choice that raised Ben
edict XIV to the See of Peter.
AS loving children, let us daily turn
to God and pray for the Vicar of His
Divine Son on earth. We ask our
priests not to be satisfied with the
mention of the name of the Sovereign
Pontiff in the august Sacrifice, but
further to remember the intentions of
the Holy Father in every Mass they
celebrate. We hereby prescribe the
prayer s'pro papa" as an "oratio i'm
perata' in our Diocese "servatis ru-
bricis.' This prescription is to con-
tinue indefinitely. We also earnestly
ask the members of the religious COM
munities and the faithful of our Do
cese to be mindful of the Holy Father
in their prayers and Holy Commun-
ions. The present month emphasizes
our obligation to the Supreme Pastor
of souls. On the 21st of December of
this year, Pope Benedict XIV will OBJ
serve the fortieth anniversary of his
ordination to the priesthood and
Christmas day will be the same ami
versary of his first Holy Mass. We
suggest that our priests show their
filial love for His Holiness and their
attachment to the Holy See by Offering
up one of their three Masses on Christ
mas day for the intentions of the Sow
ereign Pontiff.
We urge likewise the religious and
faithful committed to our care to re-
ceive Holy Communion on Christmas
for the intentions of His Holiness
Prayers for the Holy Father and at
tachment to the See of Peter are char
acteristic of the true Catholic Let us
ever make the Holy Father feel that
he has our filial love and support. Let
us, his spiritual children of the
Church of America, be source of in
creasing consolation and comfort to
His Holiness 1t is also fitting that we
should give some expression of our
affection in material way We there
fore appeal to the clergy, religious and
faithful of our Diocese to enable us
to present to the Holy Father in their
name an offering worthy of the Did,
cese of Duluth, which will express
their filial love on the occasion of his
fortieth anniversary in the priesthood,
and which will also be their Christmas
present to His Holiness.
There is custom nationwide in the
United States by which presents and