The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1958-02-14

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vine, so neither can you unless
you abide in me. | am the vine,
you are the branches :. with
out me you can do nothing"
John Is, 49,. BY His suffer
ings and death on the cross, He
is our Savior who has provided
us with all the spiritual helps
we need to keep alive and to
nourish that supernatural life of
grace in our souls through the
means which He has left us.
He rules and governs us. He
is the way, pointing out the
paths of life that we must trod
to return to God from whom we
came: eff you love Me, Keep My
commandments" John IA, 15).
The whole existence of the
Church, in turn, may as well be
summed up in this triple mis-
sion of her Divine Founder: /
am the truth, the life and the
way-teacher, sanctifier, ruler.
Our Lord did not live on earth
merely for the people of His
day. He is the truth, grace and
law for all men Of all times and
all places. The mission of the
Church is Christ's mission: He
who hears you. hears Me
Even as Thou has sent Me I'M
to the world, so | also have sent
them into the world" John II,
49,. Our Lord works through
His Church "even to the con-
summation of the world" This
continuing work of the Church,
upon Peter, begun by
the Apostles, continued by their
successors down the ages. was
given the same stamp of au-
thority of Christ Himself: "All
power in heaven and on earth
has been given to Me. Go, there
fore, and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them ;.
them to abserve all
that / have commanded you.
"Christ is gone physically from
among us, and also Peter and
the Apostles.
But His mission remains and
His work remains, to be carried
on among all men by the Church
which He left for that purpose.
The Church has no other reason
on earth except that given to her
by Christ, her Founder. So it is
that the same three-fold mission
of teaching, sanctifying and gov
erning souls is the responsible
ity, in unbroken line from St.
Peter and the Apostle, upon ev-
cry Pope and, in communion
with Peters successor, upon ev-
cry Bishop in his portion of the
of God. :
Today it becomes our serious
responsibility to carry out faith
fully the three-fold mission of
Christ Our Lord of teaching.
sanctifying, and ruling in this
Diocese. It is a sacred trust to
among you the truth,
grace and law of Christ. It is as
though the Lord Himself were
saying: HE who hears you,
hears Me" -. We are indebted,
indeed, to our Holy Father for
this mark of confidence in being
sent to head this Church of Co.
lumbus.
Many and strong ties link us
to the Metropolitan Church of
Cincinnati. Ninety years ago,
this new Diocese was carved out
entirely of territory under its
spiritual jurisdiction. Three Of
our six bishops have been
priests of the Mother-diocese.
1t Is our duty to take up the
work of our apostolic predeces-
sors, whose vision, initiative
ness, labors and guidance have
given this diocese its high place
in the Church in our country.
The heritage of the Faith be-
queathed to us today Is like the
full-grown mustard tree of the
Gospel that has spread its
branches over these % central
and south-central counties of
Ohio from the tiny seed of the
first church in Ohio, near Som
erset, within the present limits
of this Diocese.
After the pioneers of the Di-
geese, Bishop Hartley's 40 years
make him the patriarch among
the Bishops of Columbus. Bish-
OPP Ready, of beloved memory,
gave an intensity of organiza-
ton and a variety of institutions
and a wealth of religious COM