The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-12-04

Why is il a sin for Catholic to at
tend a Protestant church and it is all
riuht to invite a Protestant to attend
our church?
There is a vast difference between
the conscientious belief of Catholic
in bis Church and Protestant in his.
We know that the Catholic Church is
the only true Church of Christ. Be-
lieving that, one cannot attend the
services of another religion without
offending God. Who has expressed the
manner in which He would be wor-
shipped A Protestant does no Vio-
lence TO his conscience when he at
tends a Catholic service. While he
nav think that his church is right, ii
he is a consistent Protestant he must
admit that MS church may be wrong.
He is in the position of a searcher
after truth rather than one who pos
sesses it. Ii would be consistent and
logical for him to attend Catholic
Church TO find out what that Church
believes and teaches since it is posi-
hle that the Catholic Church may be
the right Church.
What answer should give Prot.
estant who does not believe in Con-
fession, and who asks, "Why do you
confess your sins TO one individual, a
man? Why rot confess them straight
90 Cod"
You might tell him to read the New
st, Matthew. There he will find that
on several occasions our Divine Lord
indicated that the confession OF our
sins was to be made TO certain lndl-
yiduals. Speaking to His Apostles
our Lord said whatsoever you shall
bind upon earth, shall be bound also
in heaven; and whatsoever you snail
loose upon earth, shall be looSed also
in heaven" After His resurrection
our Lord confirmed this mission TO the
Apostles. telling them, Whose sins
YOU shall forgive, they are forgiven
them: and whose sins you shall retain,
thew are retained" These two pas
sages alone point evidently to spe-
cial mower conferred by Christ upon
His Apostles, and also upon their sue
cessors. If these men were given
power to forgive or to retain sin, 1t
seems quite logical to conclude that
sins must be manifested to them, else
thew could not exercise their judgment
as TO whether they should forgive or
retain this or that sin.
Which is the best saint to pray to
for a happy death?
1t is very difficult, not to say i'm
possible, for a mere mortal to decide
which is or is not ''the best saint
The Saints of God are very powerful
with Him, and they all are interested in
our welfare. Without doubt the
Blessed Virgin is the greatest OF all
Saints, because she is their Queen
and the Mother of God. st. Joseph Is
considered by the Church the special
patron of happy death. Christians
of early and medieval times also
prayed for this purpose to the holy
martyr ST. Barbara. One is free tc
choose particular saint to evoke
for the grace of happy death, bus il
would seem that among all the saints
the Blessed Virgin and st. Joseph held
pre-eminence in this regard.
Under what circumstances will the
Church recognize civil divorce?
The Church recognizes the civil eff
feets of a legal divorce; it does not
admit the right to re-marry after tht
divorce provided the first marriage
was valid. 1t sometimes happens thai
Catholics attempt marriage Whlci
is legal before the courts, but not vallC
in the Judgment of the Church. The
Darties to such an attempted marriage
may obtain a civil divorce, and Later
marry in the Church. The reason i!
very evident: the first attempted mar
riage was not valid, was no marriage
before the Church, in other words, ant
hence is no impeachment to the recep
ton of the sacrament of matrimony.
Is it a sin or a disgrace for a nu,
TO leave the convent?
mare Is, Ol COURSE, HO Accounting
for the vagaries, and disordered nc
tons of ignorant and uncharitabl
Catholics, and these may look upon i
as a disgrace for a nun to do what thu
Church authorizes her to do. 1t i
quite possible to be deceived as t.
vour vocation. That is the reason
why applicants for the religious lif
are obliged to undergo period o
novitiate Even after that period ha
expired, the vows are usually take,
for the period of one year, and at tn
end of that year, the young woman
free 10 leave the convent and no si
nor disgrace attaches to her actor
She is merely doing what she has
right to do and what her conscienc
tells her to do. 1t is only after bein
in the order for many years that tn
nun is allowed to take perpetual vow:
AS a matter of fact very few nuns eve
leave the convent, for their choice c
the religious life is not due to a SUE
den emotion; they are called by Go
by true vocation.
have been told that the Poor Soul
can grant our requests; but if the
can NOT help themselves, how can the
grant our requests?