Year: 1875

MoyrREAL, Canada, Sept r. 1875


This holy day of rest has in the city of Montreal
been gravely and seriously disturbed, for upon the
Guibord affair has descended awful darkness which
All liberal minded men, whether Catholics or not,
prayed never The Bishop Of Montreal last
week sent out the assurance that in case Guibords


friends insisted upon his burial the earth that covered
him would be accursed but no one for
moment Imagined that this threat would
be fulfilled until 6uibord actually
under ground. But from the Bishops pulpit to-day,
in the Church rEyechee, which is immediately con-
nectod with his palace forth that awful mandate
which every inch Of ground in the Cote-des-
Neiges that Gubord body may be buried in and leaves
the curse lying upon the spot though the remains
should subsequently be exhumed The Bishops letter
was by Vicar General Moreau, and couched in
the peculiar dialect Of the French Canadians silence
like that death rested upon the congregation during
the reading OF the document, which is given in the
sequel


THE BIsHoP's LETTER.


PASTORAL LETTER oS MoNsEIGNEuE rHE BISHOP OF MON


TREAL CONCERNING RELIGIOUS ASKED


UNFORTUNATE CATHOLIC WHO DIED DISGRACE





Ignace Bourget Bishop Of Montreal &c. &C. to the
clergy, lay and religious bodies, and to al the faithful
in our diocese 1t Is for you duty TO raise your voice
To day concerning certain agitation which is troubling
minds and which is fermentlng day after day, and
which will doubtless terrible catastrophe II is
useless to recall to you the lamentable fact which has
caused you bitter grief for IL is known to all OF
and it so strongly engraved upon your memories with
ali its unfortupate circumstances that IT will doubtless
be handed down to posterty. What going to
eh you requires only a simple explanation, which,
hope, will suffice to appease your fears and dlsspa
certain preudces by means OF which bad passions
sndeavored by some TO be excited


II Is 10 the benefit of all TO faithfully fulfil their duty
10 their country. and their Church, 10 maintain the
public peace and live quietly in the bosom Of their
families. Now the subject which troubles
many of you is the fear that your cemetery,
which you justly venerate as a holy spot,
Is to be profaned by tho burial of man
who died in disgrace and under the anathema Of the
Church. This news has alarmed with reason, the
hgiouS feelings of the Catholic population aud It is
this account that people have been drawn into
public but peacebe demonstration TO prevent the prof
anaton OF sacred spot where religious ancestors
repose IN peace. waiting the great day o resurrection
BY this demonstration, spontaneous and inspired by
your deepest emotions, your feeling for the holy
ground blessed by the Church for the repose your
dead where your bodies will be ultimately deposited
await peaceably the sound of the terrible trumpet which
will awake YOU from your last sleep in death and raise
AL from the dust, ought place the feet of
Dur sovereign the religious convictions with which
cemetery is connected holy place, consecrated
ground and field apart where placed after
death the faithful children OF the Church to await
lhe arrival Of the Sovereign Judge while their
bodies mingle with those of the saints who
like themselves, have departed and died in the ace OF
the Church. We must, at the time, admire and
moderate the feeling shown by you at time when all
expected blood would be shed, which would have been
considered by every "A great misfortune. For
part would have exceedingly regretted such
Tor many reasons That is easy for You to under
stand and appreciate Let suffice you say that this
shedding of blood would have been a new profanity
Of the holy place, and that we took every
step to prevent such a misfortune But II, however,
we have managed TO prevent breach Of the public
peace, yet at the time have taken every
to uphold the honor of holy Church and prevent
the proclamation of consecrated ground, the
being declare that by the Divine power
had in the OF the Lord OF Lords the place
where the body of this rebeliOus child Church
should be buried should be entirely cut OH from the
consecrated cemetery and should be for the
cursed There necessity TO inform you that,
under the solemn act Of conservation to God, fun
hagh anFf al.fpI
and to curse to consecae persons places and churches
and nterdct them separate from the body OF the
Church the limbs which disturb and outrage it; to de-
liver to Satan those who, by their acts, sever
themselves from the Church. that they shall be
considered from hencelorth heathens and publi-
cans. 50 that they shall not return to God without
sincere repentance. 1t is by virtue OF this Divine
authority &C. and to prevent future troubles that
declare by these presents even though any one shall
pretend ignorance OF il, that the spot the
cemetery where the body OF the late Guibord shall be
buried though in the future 1t be exhumed any
manner whatever will be in fact ana In (ipso
Jdcfol nterdcted and separated from the Of the
cemetery such is the declaration we have 10 make TO
you. Therefore you need have that the pres
en case your cemetery lose its sacredness that
the holy rites 1t has upon It's sancthed and blessed
places can be sacrificed or trodden under foot


The letter then goes on to quote authorities for the
Bishops action &c, &C The effect of this letter upon
The city well be described 1t has fallen on the
Institut Canaden like thunderbolt. They threaten
everything, but everything in such chaotic of
confusion that no one can tell what will be done.


The Bishop indicates this action in relation to Guibord
by the sentiments expressed in the following
lntervew:-


WITH VICAR GENERAL


Vicar General Moreau, who the highest dignitary
At present in the city, in the absence Of Coadjutor
Bishop Fabre and the difficulty Of gaining interview
with Bishop Bourget, received me with the greatest
kindness and gave history of the case which shows
the objections Of the Church to bury Guibord are
md dacfr tnal nrfu TTa ~ Trgtf
Canadsn when started not objected to by the
Church, but number Of Freemasons and members
OF secret societies having Joined the society, the
Church withdrew its support The library
Of the Institut shortly after supplied
with the works Of Mohere yoltaire and other in
hde and Objectionable Volumes upon which the Church
Informed the members that long as they were con.
nected with the society, they would be refused admis-
sion to the sacramens Of the Church would be re-
fused ecclesiastical burial Several members left the
society, and Guibord, who did not shortly after fell
sick and sent for priest who refused him the last
sacraments till he renounced his membership Guibord
promised received JUNCTION and recovered but
dd not leave the society, and, a year or so
aferward, died suddenly that there was no
time to fetch priest The Church refused burial ON
the above grounds and law case instituted. The
clergy received the decree Of the Privy Council and
claim to have obeyed the letter being ordered to
bury, permit to be buried the body, &c They have
offered no opposition and affirm that it is obligatory
the part Of the Institute the cemetery
Information they might have done so the arst
tempt, SO far the real opposition offered
cerned The above is the Catholic version Of the case
and 1t is only fair say that the public should know it,


PEOPLE.


Over 900 people visited the two cemeteries to-day
10 the vault in the Protestant cemetery in which are
Guibords bones and his intended grave in the Catholic
burying ground This evening characters
we're seen climbing the mountain steps. This move
ment il considered suspicious. Double pckets now
out on the avenue leading to the vault


YOUTHFUL RUFFIANS.


At half past eight O'Clock last night Augustus wlq