The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-04-14

| ly protestant principle. The Catholic
church clearly distinguishes between
ownership and administration. But
even so Catholic parishes own their
property not absolutely but under the
supreme authority of the church. Hence
the First Council of Baltimore declar-
ed that all things and money and
property, real or personal, given for
the purpose of divine service, or for
the education and maintenance Of the
clergy, belong to the church. The DON
or or donors of such gifts can eXer-
else no right of ownership over them,
and with these temporal things the
church cannot allow any interference
that is not subordinate to her own
authority. Hence even the state can
not give the incorporated parishes any
absolute right of ownership or of ad
ministration Of its property that would
be independent Of the church. The
church has prior right and we legal
ly incorporate our parishes under the
state law only for the purpose of OBJ
tanning the legal protection against
unjust Interference with the rights
Of the church.
2. In full harmony with the Catho-
lie principle and the laws of the church
our American councils of the heir
archy have repeatedly proclaimed the
rule that whatever right or power in
temporal matters is given to lay men
of a parish, all comes from and de-
ponds on the authority of the bishop.
They have clearly defined the position
Of lay trustees or committee men in
Catholic parishes. The Second PIE
nary Council of Baltimore says that
by the general law of the church clay
men cannot lawfully do anything in
the administration Of church proper
ty except by the consent Of the Holy
See or the bishop, and that in such
administration they are entirely sub
ject to the authority and jurisdiction
of the bishop" The Third Plenary
Council solemnly declares :"Let all lay
men who are, with the bishops con-
sent, chosen either by the pastor or
the congregation in order to assist the
Il mist RS of the church by word and
deed in the administration of her temp
oral affairs, and above all let lay trus-
tees to whom the civil law grants
powers in administering church prop
erty, gravely and seriously consider
that they are absolutely bound by the
laws of the church; that whatever
they do against the rule of Canon law
or the ordinances of the bishop is null
and void before God and the church
no matter how firmly it may hold and
stand before the civil law" Long be-
fore this Pope Gregory XVI had de-
clared Of these law trustees: GAS re-
CARDS their office, no one should forget
that it depends entirely on the au-
thority of the bishop, and that such
church trustees can never do anything
except what the bishop. deputies them
to do"
Priests Position in Congregation.
In view o&all this our diocesan hand
book says on page SO, at is evident
how ignorant of Catholic faith and
discipline and how thoroughly filled
with protestant ideas are those lay
trustees or consultors or committee
men, who, because elected by the peo-
pie of the parish consider themselves
to be the deputies or delegates or rep
reservations of the people as against
pastor and bishop in order to carry out
the will and wish of the people, al
though it be in opposition to the rules
of the diocese or the orders of the bis
hop; and what other foolish ideas like
these may possess their brains.
8. What is the position of the priest
or pastor in a Catholic congregation
l shall answer this very briefly.
a-The rector or pastor of parish
is the delegate, representative, and
coadjutor of the bishop. He is given
charge of the whole congregation and
all it's affairs, temporal and and spirit
ual, in the name and authority of the
bishop. His orders and regulations
must be observed by all and obeyed by
all, even by the trustees, committee
men, and church societies, as long as
they are in accordance with the spirit
of the, church, the rules of the diocese,
and the wishes Of the bishop. In case
of any doubt as to what should be
done, he will explain and interpret the
laws of the church. Hence the pastor
is not the servant or hired man or
employee of the congregation, but he
is its boss and master, or let me rather
say, its father who rules the parish as
the father rules his family.
Duty of Trustees.
; b-Should it happen that pastor
does not do his duty or makes rules
and regulations which are detrimental
to the good of the parish, the lay
trustees have not only the right, but
also the duty of calling his attention
to the matter, and if he does not mind
them, to bring the matter and their
complaints before the bishop, for his
decision. But neither the trustees OF
committee men nor any other parties
or so-called committees have any right
to call meetings Of the parish, or to
command the pastor what he must do
or much less to ask him for his resig-
nation. As the pastor is appointed by
no one but the bishop, so no one can
remove him except the bishop, people
who act in the way just described show
their ignorance of Catholic law; they
act entirely in accordance with pro