The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-04-14
FATHER PERARDI
STAYS BY PARISH
Declares That He Must
Face His Work Like
a Soldier.
OFFERS NO OFFENSE
Letter of Archbishop Is Made
Public Today and People
Are Asked to Judge.

we are under obligations to maintain
his orders just as much as a soldier"
This was the response of the Rev.
Peter Perardi today to the suggestion
that he might leave Kenosha as re-
suit of the riot of Sunday night. 81
shall stay in Kenosha and in charge
Of my parish until | am ordered to
leave by the archbishop" continued
Father Perardi. 81 have offered no
personal offense to the people of my
parish. / read to them in English the
letter from the archbishop and this
letter was sent in response to state
ments made to the archbishop by the
members Of this committee of the
membership. | made absolutely no
comment on the matter. The offense
has been taken at the letter, as l see
it and not at anything which | may
have done. There is nothing further
for me to say. The letter came to me
on Saturday and | read it to the con-
gregation just as soon as it YVES pos
sible. am not fearing for myself;
have taken the obligation of the
priesthood and / am going to obey that
obligation until | am ordered by my
superior officer to do something else"
Ask Peace Bonds for Rioters.
The Rev. Father Malone of St. Thorn
as church, who had offered asylum to
Father Perardi, this morning declared
that he believed that the leaders of
the faction seeking to GUST the priest
should be held in peace bonds to pre-
n I
went together to the church this morn
ing to read the masses of the church
but we were prevented from holding
services by the police"
The full letter of the archbishop
which is held to have brought the
trouble, is as follows:
April 8, 1921.
To the Members of the Holy Rosary
Congregation, Kenosha, Wis.
Beloved Brethren:
The disgraceful disturbances caused
last winter by some parties in your
congregation make it necessary that /
should address directly the whole con-
gregation. After hearing both sides,
come to the conclusion that the trouble
was mostly caused by ignorance of the
laws of the church and by foolish COS
sip. Hence l wish to explain to you
shortly the laws of the Catholic church
regarding parish administration in
America and to rectify some false
statements which have been circulated
in the Italian colony regarding your
Reverend Pastor
First: 1. The general law and prin-
ciple of the Catholic church is clearly
stated in the handbook of the diocese
page 23: american Catholics should
understand clearly the teaching of their
faith, namely, that the Church is not
q republic or democracy, but mon
archy; that all her authority is from
above and rests in her hierarchy; that
while the faithful Of the laity have
dvinely given rights to receive all the
blessed ministrations Of the Church
they have absolutely no right whatever
to rule and govern. SUCH is the essen
tial constitution of the Church given
her by Jesus Christ, Who placed all
the powers and rights of government
in His visible kingdom on earth, both
in things temporal and things spiritual
exclusively into the hands of her Wis
ible Head, the Pope, and of her visible
rulers, the bishops"
Bishops Right by Canon Law.
AS the Pope is the supreme Head and
"Ruer of all the bishops, priests and
faithful of the whole Catholic Church
so each bishop is the supreme head and
ruler over the priests and faithful of
his diocese, himself being subject to
no one except the Pope. Hence the
new CODE OF CANON LAW states
in Canon 335; "The bishop has the
right and duty to govern the diocese
in spiritual and temporal matters with
legislative, judiciary, and coercive
power according to the rules of the
Sacred Canons." Notice, dearly below
ed, that the church clearly says: 1.-THE
bishop rules not only in spiritual things
but also in all temporal affairs of the
diocese. Canon 1919 ordains that "the
bishop of the diocese must carefully
watch over the administration of all
ecclesiastical things or goods in his
territory, as it is also in his power to
regulate by SPECIAL diocesan laws OF
eral law of the church the whole bust
ness of the administration of the temp
oral goods in all parishes"
Ownership VS.. Administration.
From all this it follows clearly that
according to the Catholic religion the
lay people have of themselves no right
or,power whatever of assuming or in.
terfering in the administration OF
church affairs, and that such rights
and powers can be given to them by
no one else but the Pope or the bishop
of their diocese. This is true even in
the case where Catholic parishes, like
your own, have become legal cor
poration. Hence the Third Plenary
Council of Baltimore declares that
the temperatures of the church may
not be administered in any other man.
ner but that established by the Sacred
Canons and the Pontitical Constitu.
tons" Hence we declare as abso-
lutely false the opinion holding that
church bodies or congregations to whom
civil authority has granted the power
of acquiring, administering and alien
ating temporalities, may exercise these
powers independently of the ecclesi-
asticaI authority" Nor can the lay