The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-05-08
Church
CONDITIONS
ADDRESS TO BISHOP LAWLER
POINTS OUT CAUSE OF CATHo
Lie LEAKAGE IN CERTAIN To-
CALITiES-NEED OF RESIDENT
PRIESTS.

The following address was delv-
cred to Right Reverend Bishop Lawler
Of Lead on the occasion of his visit to
Belle Fourche, S. D., on Sunday, April
20, by Perry \. Bronson.
1t points out one of the causes of
Catholic leakage in outlying districts
to which visits by priest are made
only at rare intervals. The address
is Of interest because il is Indicative
of the willingness of Catholics to do
their duty in the matter of support
ing a priest and providing for the
needs of religion which is so typical
of conditions throughout the West
Many group of Catholics disappears
from places which would have grown
into prosperous parishes had pastors
been appointed in time.
Mr.. Bronson's Address.
Dear Bishop: We beg leave to
welcome you and to assure you of
our deepest gratitude for having
given us a resident pastor. We wish
to tell you how vital the appointment
of a pastor was to the Catholic life
of this settlement For a long number
of years, we were unable to under
stand why we were never considered
worthy of the services of perma-
nent priest of our own. AS we had
| received visits only occasionally from
the pastors of other places, we had
begun to think that we were the
victims of an oversight of some kind
| and we were becoming disheartened
You gave US courage on the occasion
of your first visit to us when you re-
marked that Belle FOurche should be a
| parish. Events have since proved that
your judgment was correct.
We are convinced that if resident
| pastor had been appointed here some
twenty years ago, we would today
have one of the finest church plants
in South Dakota.
After all those years why are we
| but a handful of Catholics? To say
| the faith, some of our people moved
| away because of the lack of religious
| services. 1t is a matter of common
| knowledge that if such a condition
| were permitted to obtain as long in
| the future as it did in the past, Cath
olcs would be very few and far be-
| tween in this community.
It was frequently. said by the in
different and by those who tried to
prevent the establishment of this
| parish that we would not support a
| priest. Such a remark is a thread
| bare assertion that is often made in
regard to pioneer places, but it is
generally put forward as an excuse for
inactivity. What we have accom-
| plished during the year of Father
| Donnelly's pastorate, is proof sufficient
of the falsity of such a slur with
reference to us.
| Not boastfully, but truthfully, do
we refer to the fact that in SO short
| A space of time, we have secured a
! beautiful rectory in the most desirable
part of our town, and we are delighted
to state that the small debt of a few
hundred dollars that is still on our
church property, will be paid within
the next three months.
May we not rightfully declare that
they who discouraged the establish
ment of this parish, have been proved
to be false prophets? We cannot ex-
press to you, dear Bishop, how thank
full we and our children should be to
you for having disregarded the advice
of those who stood in the way of our
church development in this neighbor'
hood.
1t will please Your Lordship to
learn that we have already begun to
plan for new church which will be
second to none in the diocese and
(which we hope to have completed for
! your next visit to us for confirmation.