The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-04-29

i
teaching our little schools, the change
for the better would be SO much more
marked. There are a number of Sis
tiers laboring devotedly and ably down
here, amongst the poor Mexicans, who
were born and raised up north and in
the East; and let me state to their
credit, that they find their work
labor of love, putting up with the
humble accommodations in little box.
houses, and evidently feeling quite
happy and contented in their little
"shacks." Would that there were more
women who would follow their ex-t
ample, and have enough of heroics
courage and devotion for souls to join.
these good women of God now labor:
ing in this part of our land; where we.
have mission conditions that compare,
well with conditions in far-off mission
lands These Mexicans need not be-
converted. They are already ours :.
but if we neglect them and leave them
an unprotected prey of the ubiquitous
and ever-active proselyters, we will
lose them. Protestants consider it,
worth while to spend great sums of
money and to send men and women
down here to draw the poor Mexicans
| away from the Church. If we had.
Catholic men and women as eager and.
| ready to keep these poor people in
| the Church. as the proselyters are to-.
| win them over to their denominations,
| our intense anxieties would be less
ened, if not entirely ended We who
| know the Mexicans learn to like them
The bandit and cut-throat Mexican is
only an exception-just as is the case
among our own people. There are
| splendid characters amongst them. Z!
The Sisters love to teach their chill
dren-for the reason that they are
| SO affectionate and obedient. Oh! if
| we could only let every Catholic man
and woman of this country realize the
conditions and the situation that is at
| the very threshold of our own land
Thousands and thousands are exposed :
| to the danger of losing their faith,
and other thousands becoming very
enemies of the Church that their fore
| bears loved and revered, and all SIM
i ply because we don't know--God for
| bid that it should be that we do know,
but do not care-that we have right
on our own soil hundreds of thou
sands of souls who are systematically =
being coaxed away from our Church,
while we are, in other parts of our
country, quite well content with graft.
flying our hearts longings for church
| and school facilities and conveniences.
| and fully satisfied with our immediate
surroundings, without giving thought.
to what conditions prevail amongst
our brethren-in-Christ in places that
cry for help and encouragement. Z
A Jealous Clergy.
| have been edited by what saw
and heard, as | travelled through my
diocese last fall. saw priests labor
ing cheerfully and devotedly in places
that certainly would try any mans e.
fidelity and devotion. The houses i'm
which some of those men live are
novels. / know that many would not
believe it, if told how some of these
priests live; and yet they accept such
privations and hardships without any.
oiSh VI 4AO OlAIy -
plant l heard, from either priests or
Sisters, was that they deplored the.
lack of means to afford the poor Next
can people and their children better
church and school facilities, which the
poverty of the priests, Sisters and the
people makes impossible. t.ss y ,aAl>
I have in my diocese around $4,000
Mexicans, and but 5000 Americans.
In less than three months, travelling
through ranches and jungles, I con-, .
firmed nearly 800 children from from /.
which one can readily judge the great
number of souls in this part Of the
great state of Texas alone. There
are souls galore here: and If we are
left unaided, thousands will fall
prey to the proselyters, sooner or lat :
er. If could get but one-half of what
some monuments of personal pride
cost, l could erect every little church.
school, priest and Sisters dwelling.
needed in this whole diocese, and
build up a wall of spiritual protection
that would defy the attempts of the,
proselyters for all time to come, and
we would not be basking in luxury and
enviable ease, either. We would still {.
be enduring number Of privations.
eTo he concluded In next issue.l
r. f i Il