The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-10-04
THE NEED OF ORGANIZATION

The trite adage, I'm union there
IS strength, " was never put to bet
ter use than it is today. 1t always
has been recognized as a factor
Of cooperative success in any i'm
portant undertaking that the COM
bination Of many forces will effect
better and greater and more last
ing results than the unaided effort
Of an individual. What is true in
time of war is equally true in time
OF peace. For this reason the
modern world has set out to or
ganlze along those lines where
far-reaching effects are desired.
Social reimbursement is the word
Of the hour Every person, with
an idea Of what he thinks should
be done, is putting forth his ener-
gies in order to win over the null
titude to his particular mode or
method.
The Catholic Church is a per-
feet organization. In her doc
trine, her discipline, her admins
tration there is a well balanced
order She stands forth as the
model society Of the ages, Of the
world. At the same time it is
necessary that she be organized
locally in her activities, that her
efforts for the social and moral
betterment Of men be directed
through the channels that will
lead to the most fruitful spiritual
life.
The Catholic Bishops of Amer
lea, nearly one hundred strong,
met last week in the national cap
ital precisely to this end that they
might form an organized body to
rightly direct the efforts and en-
deavors of the millions Of their
people in this country.
Every parish, every diocese in
this country has it's problems that
may be grouped under one or an
other Of several divisions. The
Church at large is interested not
only III those questions that affect
each individual spiritual unit, but
III those also that concern the
whole body Of Catholicity. Here
and there Jealous Bishops and
priests have taken up local issues
with energy and ability; frequent
ly have they achieved magnificent
results. But their work was for
the Church, and the Church her
self is able to extend special aid
to each locality when the forces
of the whole Catholic American
body are united under the direct
ing power of the Bishops them
selves, the authorized leaders Of
the Church in all her work.
| Sporadic efforts often are put
forth to solve certain social prob
lens, to encourage the great but
unapprcciated work Of the Cath
Ollie press, to further the cause Of
missions at home and abroad, and
for other reasons. Up to the pres
ent day, however, there has not
been that united strength that is
required for distinct success in
any line. Each parish or diocese
has lived for itself, has labored
for it's own interests, has sought
to promote it's own welfare. The
result has been that success usu-
ally depended on individual initia-
tive, on favoring local conditions,
or on some other eXtrinsic cOndi-
ton. Thus, while the cause Of the
missions has fourishcd in a few
dioceses. local needs have alb
sorbed the energies of the clergy
along local lines. While the Cath
Ollie press here and there at rare
intervals has been given encour-
aging impulse, the total and net
result has been deplorable. In
the United States today there are
perhaps not more than one or two
Catholic papers that receive any
thing like the support that each
and every one Of them is entitled
to. And so with other matters.
The meeting Of the Bishops,
therefore, promises to mark an
epoch, new era for all the activ-
tiles of the Church in this country.
The Bishops Of America are a
wideawake, energetic, active and
able body of men. Individually
they have accomplished wonders:
collectively their force and ability
will place the Church here on a
footing of prosperity that never
thus far has been attained. With
the united strength Of one hun
dred and more Jealous prelates
back of the Catholic press, for
example, or Of education, or of
lay societies, we scarcely can
measure the tremendous power
that the Church will WELD for God
and country in this great repub
lie. The time is pc for organiza-
ton, the Bishops have realized
this, and now we may confidently
look forward to new and bright
er age in the history Of the Cath
i i