The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-07-17
NEEDS OF RURAL CATHOLICS

probably correct estimate that in a
century rural families leave a more
numerous progeny than hundred city
families. 1t is, therefore, a fact that
the future will be with the Church
that ministers to the rural population.
AN even more direct loss to re-
ligion arises from the lack of numbers
of rural Catholic population. We
are losing vocations to the priesthood
and religious life. In most Catholic
countries a very high percentage Of
vocations come from the country Con-
tact with nature is wholesome. Rural
life has few distractions and the alb
sence of cOmmercialiZed amusements
presents more favorable field for the
development of religious vocations. 1t
1t at our peril that we shall fail to
develop a rural Catholic population
The City Drains the Country.
DR.. O'Hara said that not only is
there need of a new status FOR me
! rural pastor, but there is need too
for the influence of rural religious
| communities both of men and women.
The experience in Australia of a re-
| l1gious community of women who de-
vote themselves to the religious in
structiCn OF children in the remotest
country district is full of significance
| for Catholic in America" he said land
the beginnings which have already
| been made on similar work in our
| own country should be encouraged and
multiplied" DR.. O'Hara continued:
In our present organizations not
| only have we neglected to bring re-
! ligiOus instruction to the rural COM
| munities, but our strong city schools
have been a magnet attracting rural
| families to the city. All of us who
| have city parishes have had the eX-
perience of receiving into our parish
| families from the country, the sole
cause of whose migration into the
city was to give their children a Cath
| Ollie education. We have uprooted
from the soil fOurishing vine, de-
nuding the countryside, and in most
cases, adding little to the city. While
the children find their place in the
school, the father and older boy drift
| into the ranks of unskilled labor and
the girls into occupations where the
average income presses close upon
| the minimum of decent subsistence
| 1t is undoubtedly true that we can
not hope to bring to remote country
districts the luXuries of religious edu-
| cation and service which are placed
at the disposal of families in large
city parishes, but it would be immeas-
urably better that the average sue
cessful Catholic farmers should re-
main on the soil if he could be as
sured of the modern opportunities for
the religious instruction of his chill
dren, than that the whole family
should be uprOoted from the land and
devOured whole in the vortex of in
dustrial life
Sunday School Problems.
| DR.. O'Hara said that the country
Sunday school is usually conceded to
be failure. Replies from rural pas
tors in every diocese in the United
States to a questionable which he
sent out on rural religious education
voiced with practical unanimity the
complaint that the rural Sunday school
was utterly inadequate for the relig-
iOus training of children.
Dr. O'Hara advised the establish
ment of summer schools in the rural
districts for Catholic children and the
training of lay catechists
For the secular education of the
Catholic children he was of the opin-
ion that the correspondence school
could be benefcially employed. The
children of Catholic parents living re-
mote from their neighbors could be
taught the Catholic religion through
the service of the rural mail delivery
This would require national organiza-
ton working through converts nj ev-
every diocese which would set aside
capable teachers to supervise the pa
pers of the rural pupils.