Bøger af Brother Hermenegild Tosf

This work also includes an abridged account of the Religious Orders and One Hundred and Fifty Important Facts of Church History Explained. The object in compiling a Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia was to provide a work of ready reference and to give the necessary information in a condensed form. The large number of subjects included, naturally, required the economy of space. No attempt, therefore, has been made to dwell on questions that are obsolete or of little interest to the general reader. The demand for a Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia containing a brief explanation of the doctrines, discipline, rites, ceremonies and councils of the Church, as well as an abridged account of the Religious Orders and an explanation of important facts in Church History, has been so great that I hope all those seeking knowledge on the subjects treated herein will find it a useful book. Question: Is it true that Galfieo was persecuted and imprisoned by the Inquisition? Answer: It is alleged that Galileo was persecuted for having taught that the earth moves around the sun, and this is brought forth as a proof of the Church's ignorance, intolerance and fallibility, and of her opposition to the progress of science. Facts have been here misrepresented. It is true that by order of Pope Paul V, Galileo's doctrines were examined in Rome in 1610, and were condemned, first by censure of the Holy Office and then by a decree of the Congregation of the Index. Having promised in Rome that he would no longer defend or teach his opinions, Galileo returned peacefully to Florence. In 1692 he again published his theory, drawing upon himself a fresh condemnation of the Holy Office with the penalty of imprisonment. This penalty was afterwards commuted to that of seclusion in the gardens of Trinita-del Monte. Here Galileo was at liberty to receive visits, and he received permission to return to his country house, where he died. It may be stated that the horrors of chains, dungeons and tortures which he had to undergo at the hands of the Inquisition are but fables and calumny.

THE following tale is not intended as a work of controversy in behalf of the Catholic Religion; but as a description of what is understood by few, viz. The course of thought and state of mind, -or rather one such course and state, -which issues in conviction of its Divine origin. Nor is it founded on fact, to use the common phrase. It is not the history of any individual mind among the recent converts to the Catholic Church. The principal characters are imaginary; and the writer wishes to disclaim personal allusion in any. It is with this view that he has feigned ecclesiastical bodies and places, to avoid the chance, which might otherwise occur, of unintentionally suggesting to the reader real individuals, who were far from his thoughts. At the same time, free use has been made of sayings and doings which were characteristic of the time and place in which the scene is laid. And, moreover, wheni as in a tale, a general truth of fact is exhibited in individual specimens of it, it is impossible that the ideal representation should not more or less coincide, in spite of the author's endeavour, or even without his recognition, with its existing instances or champions. It must also be added, to prevent a further misconception, that no proper representative is intended in this tale, of the religious opinions which ha.d lately so much influence in the University of Oxford

This book sets forth a tentative effort toward the production of a scientitic treatise on mission theory from the Catholic point of view. No pretension, however, is made to offer an exhaustive work: the author would present merely a sketch of something to be looked forward to in fullest detail, presumably from other hands, at a later date. But the production of such a complete work as here is suggested would be impossible of accomplishment at the present stage of the progress of research toward establishing an adequate basis for mission theory Let it be understood, then, from the start, that this' volume purports to be only the beginning of a va.st work which certainly should and must be furthered and completed, in another connection, in the future. The text is in essence merely a somewhat amplified version of a course of lectures delivered at Muenster University, rearranged considerably and prepared for publication. The schematic endeavor is rather that of one making a first furrow in an uncultivated field, thus offering an incentive and encouragement for others to help break up the rough soil and proceed to intensive cultivation and practical and scientific utilization of the reclaimed territory. All this is merely to say that perhaps others, even now working here and there in patches of the same ground, may gradually come together in the realization of a thoroughly worked-over and prepared area, which may later be made of .avail by one, or all, or by some other, taking advantage of these advance labors to finally bring forth the ultimate work toward which all earlier experiments are always a necessary and inevitable contribution. As the reader will observe for himself, the author has endeavored, in so far as opportunities for present research and materials would allow, to present the problem in its main outlines by means of the building up of a tentative theoretical structure on empirical grounds. To this end he has taken the utmost advantage of such positive and practical regulations as have been formulated from time to time in the history of the Church by the ecclesiastical and missionary authorities, although he is forced, on this very count, to ask the indulgence of the reader, for the simple reason that it was found impossible to get together sufficient material of this kind to fill all the gaps and enable one to build up a complete fabric on this side of the whole question: many desired documents were not to be found, use of many others was positively denied on the ground that their publication would not be suitable in this connection; and again, it must be conceded to be utterly beyond the powers of anyone worker in this field at the present day to search out and bring to light all needed sources of this kind; or to exhaustively study all that come to hand, and so to be ultimately prepared to draw from them a thoroughgoing and satisfactory explication of mission law from this background.

This is a 3 volume set Volume 1 covers Advent to Quinquagesima just before Lent Volume 2 covers First Sunday in Lent to Whit Sunday Volume 3 covers Trinity Sunday to the 24th (Last) Sunday after Pentecost It was during his last years that Dom Wilfrid found some solace for his pains in arranging these sermons and preparing them for publication. He had two for every Sunday in the year, and a series on the Saints and Festivals. Owing to various circumstances their publication has been long delayed, but at last they are to see the light. The present writer thinks and believes that they will be found useful, devout and practical. They are full of Holy Scripture, and abound in suggestive thought. Unfortunately a few are missing, including the first two for Advent Sunday. These gaps have been filled by the present writer, in order to make the series complete, though he is fully aware of the poor figure his own compositions make when placed beside those of Dom Wilfrid. But as he has acted in this matter under obedience to his Superiors, he hopes that the reader will pardon his presumption. If these three volumes of Sermons for the Sundays find favor with the public, it is hoped to complete the series by publishing those for the Saints' days and festivals. In conclusion we would beg the prayers of those who read these Sermons for the repose of the Soul of the good Monk who wrote them, and for the blessing of God upon the Community which still mourns his loss.

IF it be true that a book well recommended by competent critics is sure of a hearty welcome from thoughtful readers, the present volume will find favor with the Catholic public. During the fifteen years of its existence the French original has passed through twelve editions. It has been praised by the Catholic press and has received a flattering recognition on the part of cardinals and prelates. Thus Cardinal Mazzella wrote to the author: "You unite with soundness of doctrine the clearness of exposition which the intelligence of the pupil requires, and you treat your subjects with the reserve necessary to permit the professor to add his own developments. I hope that your work will become a classic text-book to the great advantage of students. People of the world will also read it with profit and pleasure." Cardinal Deprez, Archbishop of Toulouse, writes: "You have given us in a very clear and concise form an excellent summary of fundamental theology. Not only the pupils for whom your work is more specially intended, but all educated men, desirous to complete their religious studies, will read it with profit. They will learn from its substantial pages to recognize the basis upon which all Christian dogma rests; they will see that if faith is frequently represented as hlindfolded, yet she is not wholly blind, and that before giving her full assent to revealed truth, she makes sure that she is not the victim of a pious illusion. I commend you for having added to your dogmatic proofs a few of the objections against religion and the Church by which, unfortunately, many unthinking minds are influenced. Your very clear and always accurate explanations will destroy fatal misunderstandings in men of good faith." Cardinal Mermillod, Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva, writes: "It is a compendium, so to speak, in which the proofs of the divinity of the Christian religion and the Catholic Church are compactly grouped and forcibly presented. But if, like the Jews rebuilding Jerusalem, you keep the trowel in one hand, the sword is in the other; you refute victoriously in the name of science the objections against the books of Moses, and in the name of history the accusations frequently launched against the Catholic Church. In defence of the books of Moses and to show the harmony which exists between the Pentateuch and geology or profane history, you have summed up long works, among others the learned folios of the Abbe Vigouroux. Your manner of stating questions enables you to refute in advance objections not yet stated, but which may arise later. You have facilitated the task of apologist for yourself in your authoritative work by ever bearing in mind St. Augustine's .principle: In necessaris unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. Your book is characterized by method, lucidity, accurateness, and conciseness; and one recognizes in its pages the work of an eloquent professor." Mgr. Vigne, Archbishop of Avignon, writes: "I shall recommend it the more willingly that, in my opinion, it meets the needs of our time, and that, in addition to its being incontestably opportune, it has the essential merit of clearness, solidity of doctrine, and brevity. Ignorance of the truths of religion is the great evil of our day, and undoubtedly one of the chief causes of the weakening of the faith among us. Therefore, Rev. Father, I should like to see your book in the hands of all young people."

MORALS pertain to right living, to the things we do, in relation to God and His la was opposed to right thinking, to what we believe, to dogma. Dogma directs our faith or belief, morals shape our lives. By faith we know God, by moral living we serve Him; and this double homage, of our mind and our works, is the worship we owe our Creator and Master and the necessary condition of our salvation. Faith alone will save no man. It may be convenient for the easy-going to deny this, and take an opposite view of the matter; but convenience is not always a safe counsellor. It may be that the just man liveth by faith; but he lives not by faith alone. Or, if he does, it is faith of a different sort from what we define here as faith, viz., a firm assent of the mind to truths revealed. We have the testimony of Holy Writ, again and again reiterated, that faith, even were it capable of moving mountains, without good works is of no avail. The Catholic Church is convinced that this doctrine is genuine and reliable enough to make it her own; and sensible enough, too. For faith does not make a man impeccable; he may believe rightly, and live badly. His knowledge of what God expects of him will not prevent him from doing just the contrary; sin is as easy to a believer as to an unbeliever. And he who pretends to have found religion, holiness, the Holy Ghost, or whatever else he may call it, and can therefore no longer prevaricate against the 1aw, is, to common-sense people, nothing but a sanctified humbug or a pious idiot. Nor are good works alone sufficient. Men of emancipated intelligence and becoming breadth of mind, are often heard to proclaim with a greater flourish of verbosity than of reason and argument, that the golden rule is religion enough for them, without the trappings of creeds and dogmas; they respect themselves and respect their neighbors, at least they say they do, and this, according to them, is the fulfilment of the law. We submit that this sort of worship was in vogue a good many centuries before the God-Man came clown upon earth; and if it fills the bill now, as it did in those days, it is difficult to see the utility of Christ's coming, of His giving of a law of belief and of His founding of a Church. It is beyond human comprehension that He should have come for naught, labored for naught and died for naught. And such must be the case, if the observance of the natural law is a sufficient worship of the Creator. What reasons Christ may have had for imposing this or that truth upon our belief, is beside the question; it is enough that He did reveal truths, the acceptance of which glorifies Him in the mind of the believer, in order that the mere keeping of the commandments appear forthwith an insufficient mode of worship. Besides, morals are based on dogma, or they have no basis at all; knowledge of the manner of serving God can only proceed from knowledge of who and what He is; right living is the fruit of right thinking.

The preface states: "THE Syllabus of Pius IX. has been the subject of so many misconceptions, that a plain and simple setting forth of its meaning cannot be useless. This is what I have tried to do in the following pages. A vindication or defence of the Syllabus was, of course, out of the question in so small a compass; but I think more than half the work of defence is done by a simple explanation. During the ten years just completed since its promulgation, much has occurred to shew the wisdom that dictated it. The translation I have given is the one authorized, by His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin." And this is more true today. Benedict XVI called the Second Ecuminical Council of the Vatican, often called Vatican II, a 'counter-syllabus'. What he means by this is that Vatican II reversed the comdemnations of Pope Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors. Let us return to the book: "THE Syllabus of Pius IX. is a series or catalogue of propositions, taken mostly from works of writers in our own century, and condemned by the See of Rome during the Pontificate of his present Holiness. The Syllabus itself was published on the 8th of December, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, in the year J 864; but all the propositions contained in it had been branded with Papal censure in some previous Bull, Brief, or Apostolic Letter, either in the reign of Pius IX. himself, or in that of his immediate predecessor, Gregory XVI. This will be seen from the references at the foot of each condemned thesis in the subjoined translation of the Syllabus, which give the date and title of the official document in which the said proposition had been previously censured. By glancing down the headings of the several classes in which the condemned errors are arranged, the reader will see that while some of them involve abstract doctrines, by far the greater part deal with those principles of Christian morals, which are developed and applied as the individual comes into contact with society and with the State. The Syllabus was accompanied by an Encyclical, or circular letter of His Holiness, addressed to "all Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops and Bishops in communion with the Apostolic See." The tenor of the Encyclical, wherein the Holy Father commands all the children of the Catholic Church to hold every doctrine condemned by the Holy See as unlawful to be upheld or defended, coupled with subsequent declarations, leave Catholics no room to doubt that, in passing censure on each and everyone of these propositions, the Pope claims intellectual obedience on the ground of his infallibility." This book should prove useful who wishes to study the Syllabus of Errors and Vatican II.

The life of Sister Theresa of Lisieux, better known now perhaps as the" Little Flower of Jesus," has a special interest of its own. These are days of a general disbelief in, or disregard of the supernatural, and we, who have to move about the world, can hardly fail if we do not take care, to be more or less infected by the poisonous atmosphere which we have to breathe. Against this peril we have to guard our souls and hearts by every means in our power. To be reminded, as we are so vividly in this life that Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, with the Angels and Saints are ever at hand and that a simple soul devoted to God, can be in constant and easy communication with them, is a great and useful grace. The main difference between the prosaic days in which we live and the "Ages of Faith," before the spirit of scientific scepticism had seized upon the world, lies, I think, principally in the fact, that to the people of those days-even to those indeed. who did not live up to their own ideals-heaven and the supernatural world was not even, so to speak, next door; it was an ever present reality to the Christian mind and was as certain and as true, as was the natural world of the senses. There was nothing strained in this mental attitude in days when God reigned in the hearts of men generally and when the notion that man could do without religion was rare if not wholly unknown. Of course there were men and women then as always, who led lives inconsistent with their professions; but they, living as they were in the supernatural atmosphere of those times-an atmosphere which, if I may so express it, gave a singular beauty to faith, as the sun's rays give the bloom to the peach or the plum-were out of joint with their surroundings. There can be no doubt that the vast majority of Christians in those arcadian days brought God into their lives. He was an ever present reality to them and they lived with the Angels and the Saints and looked to our Blessed Mother for help and protection, and turned to her as naturally as they would to their earthly fathers and mothers. What may astonish many readers of this life of "The Little Flower of Jesus" is that she existed at all in this materialistic; age, even though she grew up and shed the perfume of her virtues in the sheltered cloister of a strict and observant religious Community. Still a little reflection will show us that after all there was again but manifested in her a return to the Church's traditional type of sanctity, albeit the type was adapted somewhat to our modern conditions. God is always " wonderful in His Saints," and the marvels of His grace are displayed in their lives. Most certainly as we read the pages of the short life of Sister Theresa we shall be far from the atmosphere befitting a Catholic, if we are not drawn to realise that even to-day God is not far from our own world and that it is a sober truth and no poetic expression to say and believe that" in Him we live and move and have our being." There is another consideration, which the perusal of this life of " The Little Flower" suggests. In the modern world of to-day besides the evident yearning after the supernatural which exists so widely, there is a certain wistful desire for some form of perpetual youth. The cult of " Peter Pan," the boy that never grew up, shows here in England the extraordinary prevalence of the desire. To most people it may appear ridiculous to say that this is realised more in the stricter forms of religious life than elsewhere in the world. But it has again and again been noticed that the most cheerful dispositions and overflowing good spirits are to be found among those nuns who have been called to lead the strictest and most mortified lives.

This higher life . . . is called the interior life by mystical writers. In it there are two factors, the grace of God and the action of the soul: an action which is subject to great varieties of form and manner, according to character, disposition, habit of mind or impulse of heart, in each individual. The direction of the soul, in this union of its own activity with the graces it receives from God, is therefore a science, and an art. That is why so many books have been written on this subject: the safest and readiest means of procuring for the soul the inexpressible happiness of living inwardly with God, and of beginning the life of heaven by the inner life. Simplicity of procedure, such is the aim of the unknown, but surely thoroughly competent, author of this work, presented to us by the Reverend Father Superior of the Missionaries of St. Francis of Sales, and for which he solicits our approbation: The Interior Life simplified and reduced to its Fundamental Principle. The desire to make the interior life more accessible, by curtailing the often very complicated apparatus wherewith it is surrounded by so many masters of the spiritual life, is certainly an excellent thing: how many souls are kept at a distance by the number of acts which they are asked to perform to live in union with God, by the multiplicity of distinctions and minutiae of detail! This idea, which was good in itself, has been happily set forth and carried out. We advise and recommend the attentive and repeated reading of this book to priests and people. Priests will find in it much profit to their own progress in the interior life, and clear light for the guidance of souls whose direction is entrusted to them.

A Donatist is a member of a rigoristic, schismatic Christian sect, strongly opposed by Saint Augustine, that arose in North Africa in the fourth century a.d. and believed in sanctity as requisite for church membership and administration of all sacraments. What they taught is that sanctity is necessary to validly administer the Sacraments. ST. OPTATUS, Bishop of Milevis in Africa, is perhaps the least known of all the Fathers of the Church. His treatise against the Donatists-the one work that he left to posterity, was translated into French in 1564.1 It is extremely improbable that, but for this exception, it has, until now, ever appeared in any language save Latin. It is quite certain that it has never yet been clothed in an English dress. There is indeed an advertisement still to be seen in The Oxford Library of the Fathers, in which it was announced (in 1848) that a translation of St. Optatus into English would 'soon' appear. Sixty-eight years have elapsed; but this intention has not yet been carried into execution. Until recently st. Optatus could hardly be found, even in the original Latin, anywhere but in the edition published by Du Pin at Antwerp in 1702, and subsequently incorporated by Migne. His work was until 1870 out of the reach of all persons who had not access to the largest libraries. In 1870-it is true Fr. Hurter, S.J., published Du Pin's text in convenient form with short notes, and in 1893 a new critical edition was brought out (edited by the late Professor Ziwsa) in the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticomm, which has now for many years been in course of publication at Vienna. Comparatively few people, however, have heard of this excellent edition of the Latin Fathers; still fewer are aware that its volumes may be purchased separately, and that for the sum of a few shillings they may possess themselves of 'the Seven Books of St. Optatus concerning the Schism of the Donatists, against Parmenian.' Indeed it is not too much to say that the very name of Optatus is barely known even to many students of theology and ecclesiastical history. Yet his is no mean name, and he cannot be ignored with safety, for he has bequeathed to the Church material of no small value, both to the theologian and the ecclesiastical historian. Optatus was held in high repute by the great Augustine, upon whom his influence was undoubtedly considerable. To this Harnack bears witness 'Even when he entered into the Donatist controversy, Augustine did so as a man of the second or indeed the third generation. He therefore enjoyed the great advantage of having at his disposal a fund of conceptions and ideas already collected. In this sphere Optatus especially had worked before him.' The work of St. Optatus is, therefore, of consequence not only from the point of view of history-he is the historian of Donatism in its origins-but also from that of doctrine-of 'conceptions and ideas.' It derives special importance from the fact that here we find the first sustained argument from the Catholic side not merely against heresy (false doctrine) but also against schism (separation from the Church). Heresies come and go. They are essentially ephemeral, according to some transitory fashion of mental speculation. And in fact history proves that the limit of their duration is hardly known to last four centuries. Often indeed they pass into all but complete oblivion. Thus it comes about that a long and sometimes weary discussion concerning a heresy which has perhaps long since vanished from the midst of men is apt to lose much of its actuality. But the Church dies not, and in every age excuses are found by the rebellious for their rebellion against her supreme authority. The argument against heresy is necessarily specialised and multiform; the argument against schism is very simple and admits of no substantial variation in its presentment.

In response to many requests for a book descriptive and explanatory of the Gregorian Mass chants, the monks of St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minn., undertook the translation from the German of Dom Johner's work under the above title. In the foreword the author indicates the scope of his work. He writes: "The present work is intended chiefly to serve as an aid to the prayerful rendition of the variable chanted parts of the Mass. At the same time it aims to be a guide for the worthy and artistic rendition of those chants which have been handed down to us from an age of strong faith and noble taste." Chant is essentially a form of worship offered by the faithful and as such is an integral part of the liturgy. It is intimately connected with the very source of all Liturgy, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and attempts to interpret and express in music the sentiments which the text expresses in words. Individual consideration is given to the texts of the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia-verse, Tract, Sequence, Offertory, and Communion. These texts are given in Latin and in English, and are arranged in parallel columns. They are studied in their historical and liturgical setting, and their sentiments of joy and sorrow, hope and fear, gratitude and penance, are pointed out and developed. In this sense also the intimate relationship existing between these various texts is indicated; all are integrated into a unified whole and referred to the life of Christ and His Church. Following this short meditation, the author analyses the musical score accompanying the text, and attempts to show how Gregorian Chant interprets these various sentiments and gives adequate expression to them in short, how Gregorian Chant is the prefect yet simple medium of translating religious emotion into the language of music. An indispensable condition for the intelligent use of this book as a guide Jor interpretation is the simultaneous use of the Vatican Gradual, since musical notation has not been included in the present work. However, only a minimum and very elementary knowledge of Gregorian Chant is necessary for the fruitful use and understanding of the book. Further knowledge is given in a very significant Introduction, which describes the structure and expressiveness of the variable Mass Chants. The original German, as also the English manuscript, have been made the basis for a very successful summer school course in the study of Gregorian Chant. The book might adequately be described as "a study in the appreciation of Gregorian Chant."

IN CONNECTION with the extension of the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the universal Church, our Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, pointed out that beyond serving as a memorial and reminder of his solemn consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart in the Basilica of St. Peter, December 8, 1942, the feast might, with the assistance of her in whose honor we celebrate it, be instrumental also in preserving peace among all nations and liberty for the Church of Christ; and further, with the repentance of sinners, it might be a strengthening of the faithful in the love of purity and the practice of virtue.1 Without question the observance of the Feast of the Immaculate Heart is today a highly significant celebration in the liturgical year. In view of the dogmatic implications of the feast, the various statements of the Holy See, and the response everywhere on the part of the faithful to the devotion to Mary's Heart, the significance of both the feast and consecration of the world, and the importance of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart itself are readily recognized. It was the devotion to the Sacred Heart which in previous decades guided a cold and erring world back toward the love of Christ and the acknowledgment of the Kingdom that is rightfully His. It would seem that again the grace of God is poured forth abundantly on a war-torn and pagan world, and men, through a devotion to the Mother of God, the "Hope of the World," are once more offered an opportunity for eternal salvation in the love and service of Mary and her divine Son. In the devotion to the Immaculate Heart which prompts men to imitate the virtues of the Blessed Mother we see a true blending of love and sacrifice, the very core and spirit of the Christian life. Through a devotion to her Immaculate Heart Mary will certainly form in us the likeness and virtues of her Son, and seeing more perfectly His image in us, she will love Him anew in us; and we, resembling our blessed Lord the more, will profit greatly from this closer union with Him. Our nearness to Mary is a measure of our union with Christ and an indication of the supernatural value of our lives. In uniting ourselves to Mary we necessarily draw near to our blessed Lord.

This also includes meditations for every day in the week and a novena for All Souls Day. Also a devout method for hearing Mass from Saint Leonard of Port Maurice. Faith teaches, and we are obliged to believe, that Jesus Christ is really present in the consecrated Host, under the appearances of bread; but we should also know that he remains on our altars, as on a throne of love and of mercy, there to dispense his graces, and there to show his love for us, by remaining with us night and day in this hidden manner. We know that the holy Church has instituted the festival of the most holy sacrament, which is celebrated for eight days, with so many solemn processions and expositions of the adorable sacrament, that Christians may, by their devotions, their thanksgivings, and affections, gratefully acknowledge and honor the loving presence and dwelling of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the altar. O God! How many injuries and insults must this amiable Redeemer have suffered, how many must he suffer eyery day, from the. very men for the love of whom he remains on our altars! Of this he bitterly complained to his dear servant, Sister Margaret Alacoque, as is related by the author of the book" On the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus."

Today we hear of Liberal Catholics and Conservative Catholics. We hear of Anglican Catholics and Roman Catholics. We hear of Traditionalist Catholics and Conciliarist Catholics. We hear of Old Catholics and New Catholics. One can find all manner of churches today claiming to be the Catholic Church. Jesus Christ founded one Church, which we know as the Catholic Church. And so just where is this Church? We know that Jesus Christ founded His Church to last until the end of time somewhere on earth. True, it will have its ups and downs. Consider the Arian heresy, when the world groaned and found itself Arian rather than Catholic. And yet the Catholic Church survived and restored herself. The Church has suffered through two schisms. The Eastern Schism produced the Orthodox Church, which remains until this day. The Western Schisms saw a time of two men claiming to be Pope and then three. After forty years of confusion, the Council of Constance was able to obtain the resignation of two of the claimants and the deposition of the third. Then it produced a single Pope to restore order to the Church. And today with all kinds of people claiming to be Catholic, just who are and who are not the Catholics? In order to answer that question this work simply presents the teaching of the Catholic Church on her constitution from two separate sources. The first is taken from 'Exposition of Christian Doctrine' by a seminary professor. This was originally published in 1894 for the use of catechists. In the appropriate places quotes from more recent Encyclicals and the Code of Canon Law have been added. After this, the article on this article of the Creed has been taken from the Roman Catechism, also known as the Catechism of the Council of Trent. No conclusions have been drawn. This work is merely presented to enable people to find the Catholic Church.

At a time when materialism is prevalent in both the spiritual and secular world we find ourselves continually seeking a remedy for the evil. It is precisely with this in mind that readers will welcome this translation of one of the outstanding, but not so well-known works of the mystical doctor, St. John of the Cross. Although the work was originally written some four centuries ago the spiritual counsels are just as applicable to present-day situations as they were then. Essentially the same problems and temptations face those desirous of obtaining perfection, regardless of time or circumstance, and so with remarkable vision, St. John has given the solution to many of man's problems. Primarily these counsels were given in conference form to a group of nuns in Beas, Andalucia. Later they were written into spiritual treatises known as the Caute1as or "Counsels to Religious." This was done by the saint himself embellishing many of the basic ideas given in conference. Few copies of the original have survived so it is not surprising to find that at least some of the original text and meaning has been lost through translation and revision. The present edition is a revised translation of the work entitled La Santidad en el Claustro or Holiness in the Cloister. It is not sufficient for the reader to make a perfunctory or casual reading of these counsels to obtain their greatest benefit; rather he must make a profound and meditative study of the work in order to discover himself as he truly stands in the eyes of God. None of these counsels are to be considered merely in the abstract; to do so would be to create a rigid formality never intended by the author. Rather they should be considered as the practical choice between the love and will of God in relation to the love and gratification of self. The knowledge thus obtained should, with the grace of God, supply the necessary impetus for obtaining greater perfection in this life which will lead to a more perfect and closer union with God for all eternity.

SUPPOSED revelations-often of prejudice and credulity all compact-concerning the inner working of Catholic institutions sometimes find a wide circulation amongst non-Catholics. Should any reader of such exposures" light upon this book, he would find in it not only a striking contrast, but a wholesome corrective. Here a private correspondence, never meant for publication, unexpectedly lifts a corner of the veil which ordinarily shruuds the confidential communications between director and penitent. Thus are discovered a few of the gems which lie so deeply hid in the unfathomable ocean of Catholic spiritual life. The English translator submitted to the Church over ten years ago, and was by temperament, like Mgr. d'Hulst's correspondent, a doubter. When matters reached a climax, he was so tortured for a time by mental and other dilemmas, that he despaired of retaining enough sanity to be accepted as a convert, enough stability to react against any recurring wave of Agnosticism; but, from the day of his reception, unlike the correspondent, he has never once been troubled, amidst many and heavy troubles, with the shadow of a doubt. How variously provided for is individuality in the Church! No two crosses are alike. Though everyone has to bear some kind of cross, and to each is assigned just the type best calculated to put to death what most requires crucifying if he is to ascend to the higher life, yet none need be deterred from entering the fold through fear of being called upon to shoulder a burden too heavy to be borne. Mgr. A. Baudrillart, by whose kind permission the translation has been made, has said by way of Introduction all that can be usefully said to Catholics. Therefore it is enough to add that the translation follows the French all through, except for the omission of a few passages of topical or transitory interest, not easily intelligible to English people, and of one or two repetitions of what had been better put elsewhere. The Index at the end will, it is hoped, facilitate the use of the book for the seasons of the Church's year, and for pursuing particular subjects in which the reader may be specially interested. II WHEN a priest can do any good to a soul," Mgr. d'Hulst used to say: II he must make that his first business." This maxim was his own rule of conduct. "To him," writes M. Octave Larcher, the most shrewd and subtle of his first biographers, "the saving of a soul seemed to possess far more importance than the making of a speech, however eloquent and grand." The direction of souls was, in his eyes, the work par excellence: he himself regarded it as the indispensable ransom of his external and beneficent, but manifold and overwhelming, occupations: it was the really priestly part, the corner held in reserve, of a life devoted to the rush of business. Moreover, he was ready to sacrifice all the rest to it, whenever all the rest came into conflict with a soul's need. Often and often did he say this, as this correspondence shows; and he acted as he spoke. If anyone was dying or dangerously ill, he left everything to go to him, even if it meant travelling three hundred miles. He spent whole days and nights waiting for the providential moment when his priestly action might be brought to bear upon one hitherto hostile, and now about to appear before the Supreme Judge. But to stir his zeal, there was no need of imminent physical danger; moral distress was enough. One day I showed him a letter from a girl of keen intelligence who was losing her faith, and who, through me, was sending him an appeal almost in despair. I hardly dared to hand him the letter, knowing how overwhelmed he was; still I got him to read it.

THIS book forms a continuation, or second part, of The Orthodox Eastern Church by the same author. Its object is to describe the lesser separated Eastern Churches in the same way as that described the greatest. .. Greatest and lesser, by the way, are only meant to qualify their size. No opinion is thereby expressed as to their relative merit (see p. 446). There is a difference in the subject of this volume, which affects its treatment. These smaller Churches are much less known. There is a vast literature on the Orthodox Church, so that the only difficulty in writing the former book was that of selection and arrangement. Moreover, Orthodox official documents and service-books (at least in their original form) are in Greek, which it is no great merit to know. Much of the matter treated here is rather of the nature of a land, if not unknown, at least difficult of access. There is far less information to he had about the other Eastern Churches. And their native literature is contained in many difficult tongues. So to write this book was a much more arduous task, and the result may be less satisfactory. On the other hand, it has tIle advantage of greater originality. Concerning the Orthodox I said nothing which could not be found fairly casily in European books already. Here I think I have been able, in certain points, to bring what will be new to anyone who has not made some study of Eastern matters and languages. Part of this is gathered from notes made by myself in their lands, interviews with prelates and c1ergy of these rites, observations of their services, and information supplied by friends in those parts.

Adapted substantially from the work of P. Emil Seiter, C.S.Sp., with the author's permission, this book aims primarily to be of service to pastors and confessors, by outlining for them precisely and clearly the faculties for absolution and dispensation which they may have, chiefly as granted by the Code itself. References to Canon Law as existing previous to the coming into force of the Code, have been omitted for the sake of clarity, so that present actual legislation might be more forcibly presented. In countries like America, where ecclesiastical organization is yet rounding to perfection, there is need of increased knowledge and application of the Code of Canon Law, that stupendous and most magnificent work of modern legislation. This book, by itscontinual references to the Code, may promote better acquaintance with the latter's provisions. Ordinaries, likewise, may find these pages useful in composing the diocesan pagella of faculties. To seminarians this summary will be of assistance in the study of some intricate phases of Canon Law and Moral Theology. May the following brief review of some of its organic regulations serve for the better functioning of all members of Christ's great mystical Body, which is the Church!

THE Christian mother has been charged by God with a two-fold mission with respect to her children; namely. the securing to them the nourishment of both soul and body. For if she has been fitted by Nature to give to her children the milk which sustains the life of their bodies, so likewise has she been peculiarly designed by the God of Nature to dispense to them for the nourishment of their souls the rational milk of which the apostle* speaks, and which will make them grow unto salvation. Nor is this latter responsibility less imperative than the former. If she would consider herself derelict of duty to leave her offspring without the nourIshment which sustains their natural and temporal life, still more guilty would she be were she to deprive them of the nourishment which will insure their supernatural and eternal life. And how admirably is she not fitted for this latter mission, of the two the more important and more noble! She is by excellence the teacher of her children. Now we all know that much of the progress of a pupil depends not only on his natural gifts and talents, but also on the degree of confidence inspired by his teacher. But who shares the affection and confidence of the child like the mother? Does he not believe every word she says? And how firmly, therefore, and how deeply may not the Christian mother instil into his young mind those religious truths which will ever remain a pure and wholesome nourishment for his soul, giving it strength to reject the poison of unbelief so temptingly offered to it at some later day. And if the mother be a true Christian-if she show forth in her own life the habit of the virtues which she desires to instil into the hearts of her children-how nobly and how successfully will she fulfil her mission! The child is by nature an imitator. If the model set before him is good, there is reason to hope that the copy will be so likewise. Do mothers realize this? And when later in life they fail to see in their children the Christian virtues of humility, patience, charity, and forgiveness. do they not also fail to trace the absence of these virtues to its true and legitimate cause? Oh! that all mothers would bear in mind that if they desire their children to become true Christians they must present in Their own lives the models of which the children will be the living copies. The object of this little book is to procure this result. May God bless the Christian mothers who read it and profit by it!

This work contains The Best Foot Forward The King of the College Looking for Santa Clause One Step and Then Another; or The Rise of Jimmie Gleason The Boy Who Knew It All This is an excellent book for home schooling.

THE name of the glorious virgin and martyr, Saint Philomena, is not as well known to the youth of our country as it should be. From the beginning of the present century, this saint has been singularly honored in Italy as the patroness of youth, and the fruits of' this devotion have been truly miraculous. The present reprint- is from an authorized Dublin edition; we had hoped to have the holy privilege of translating the life of this youthful saint, but we found others had anticipated us in the pious undertaking . The extraordinary devotion of one of the most celebrated personages of modern timesthe Cure d' Ars-to this saint, lends a new and holy charm to her name, while its amazing fruits show how powerful she is with God. His biographer tells us that the cure's devotion to this holy virgin and martyr, whom he was accustomed to call his "dear little Saint," was almost chivalrous. There was the most touching sympathy between them. "She granted every thing to his prayers; he refused nothing to her love. He set down to her account all the graces and wonders which contributed to the celebrity of the pilgrimage of Ars. It was all her work; he had nothing whatever to do with it." Speaking of this devotion of the cure, Henry Edward Cardinal Manning, Archbishop of Westminster, says: " Mysterious and wonderful is the sympathy which thrills through the communion of saints, unbroken by distance, undimmed by time, unchilled by death! 'The youthful saint' went forth from her mother's arms to die for Christ; the lictor's ax cropped the budding lily, and pious hands gathered up and laid it in the tomb; and so fifteen centuries went by, and none on earth thought upon the virgin martyr who was following the Lamb whithersoever He went, till the tune came when the Lord would have her glory to appear; and then He chose a champion for her in the lonely, toilworn priest, to whom He had given a heart as child like, and a love as heroic as her own; and He gave her to be the helpmate of his labors, and bade her stand by him to shelter his humility behind the brightness of her glory, lest he should be affrighted at the knowledge of his own power with God." We trust this little volume will serve to enkindle a tender devotion to the saint in many a young heart. At the early age of thirteen years, this true heroine trampled all the vanities of the world under her feet, and chose to endure multiplied torments rather than renounce her vow to her crucified Saviour. What a model of constancy and of every virtue does she present to us! Let the youthful heart go to her when tried, and with unbounded confidence implore her intercession!

This work begins: "In 1621, when the Polish ambassadors presented to Paul the Fifth the banners taken from the infidels, and piously besought him for relics, the venerable Pontiff replied: "Why ask ye me for relics'?-you have but to pick up a little of your Polish earth every particle of which is the relic of a martyr." In what words then, might Christendom now address that longsuffering, and most heroic nation? In the beginning of the seventeenth century, Catholic Poland generously shed her blood at Chocim, and subsequently under the walls of Vienna, braving and repelling on those two memorable occasions, the attack of seven hundred thousand Turks. She fought for the common good of Europe, but encircled by a halo of glory, and cheered on by plaudits the loudest and most enthusiastic. Poor Poland! she was then formidable by her power, and illustrious by her achievements."

The saints tell us that meditating on the Passion is the sovereign remedy for sin. If we keep the thought of what our sin caused before our minds, we will not be inclined to continue in a life of sin. Let us therefore take up good books, such as this one, and become the saints God wants us to be. This is the true road to happiness. IT is difficult to say which is the first act of the Passion. I may take the first moment of our Lord's life, and there are many references to the Passion throughout His life; but the first physical act is this journey to the Garden where He was to accept His Passion, and begin the sufferings which were to end in death. He went, therefore, from the town into a country place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray." And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to grow sorrowful and to be sad.

The child is father to the man; hence it is most important for the child to have clear ideas about religion. If the child is well taught and learns definite and correct ideas, the man will have nothing to unlearn; he will have a clear light to guide him, and will be forearmed against dangers to faith which he may meet with in his daily life. And, further, he will be able to help others; a non-Catholic will not ask him in vain for an explanation of some Catholic practice or doctrine. And one of the most important matters for a man to understand thoroughly is the nature of the Church, its origin, its powers, its work, and our duty towards it. Now that is what this little book seems to me to make quite clear, and in a way easily understood by the ordinary boy or girl. The happy comparison of the Church with other societies which they know well must bring home to them in a vivid manner the chief things which they ought to know about it, and will help to lay a good foundation for their future life.

SOME years ago, finding my ideas to be inadequate and, at least to that extent, erroneous with regard to certain details of the Religious Life, I resolved to read from beginning to end the great work of Suarez - De Statu Religionis I found it to be a mine of learning on the subject; and I had not spent many days in exploring it before the thought came to me that many persons might be glad to have some of its treasures placed within their reach in a more readily accessible and portable form. Hence the following Digest. I have aimed simply, to change the metaphor, at giving the marrow of the doctrine of my author, separated from the dry bones of controversy; and I hope the work may prove to be of service not only to religious but to seculars, and not only to Catholics but to others who although not Catholics desire to have information with regard to an essential constituent, and salient feature of the Catholic Church. No words are needed in commendation of the doctrine of so renowned a theologian, so perfect a religious, and so saintly a man as Father Suarez. of the Society of Jesus.

From time to time we have heard it regretfully asserted that books of devotion were not sufficiently numerous among us. These regrets are spoken not only by religious, but by the laity also. Now, if this statement be true, it applies particularly to books of devotion which have for their object the increase of knowledge and love for our blessed Mother. The fault is perhaps not wholly ours. For the last three hundred years our language has not been spoken by Catholics only, while the French, for example, has been the language spoken by Catholics always. It is little wonder, therefore, that Catholic literature in French is most abundant. By accident a little" Month of May" written in French has fallen into my hands. After reading the instructions I resolved to give them an English dress. I utterly disclaim all authorship of the work, as I have almost slavishly adhered to a literal translation. I have found these instructions glowing with a spirit of piety, eminently practical, and especially free from all sentimentalism-a characteristic which is frequently found in writings of this kind. They are written in that orderly and methodical manner so peculiar to the French mind. I think the doctrine is exact. I know they have been helpful to me when preparing to speak before sodalities and confraternities of the Blessed Virgin. My earnest wish is that this may be the experience of some other priests who are act. ively engaged in the work of the sacred ministry. Then, just as they are, "without one plea," I submit these instructions to the kind consideration of the Reverend Clergy and the devout clients of: Mary. 1Iay they prove helpful and useful to increase devotion to her whom we love to call Mother of God and our Mother! T. F. W.

THE object of the following pages is to give in a brief space an outline of the grounds of the Catholic religion. The argument presupposes three things: (I) Belief in the existence of God, the Creator of the universe and of man; (2) the spirituality of the human soul; and (3) the validity of the processes of human reason. The first two can be proved (see Bibliography at the end), although considerations of space forbid their treatment here; the third is not capable of proof, for any proof must assume and involve the conclusion. A word now as to the line followed in our treatment of the subject. The reader will not find in this book any consideration or proof of Catholic doctrines as such: the whole argument is, on the contrary, limited to the establishment, step by step, of the Church's claim to be the Religious Teacher of Mankind. Obviously, if once we prove that she is worthy of our confidence, we shall naturally be prepared to accept the doctrines she teaches. Inquirers very often begin by demanding some sort of demonstrative or intrinsic proof of a particular doctrine which they find difficult to believe; but in many cases it is impossible to give any such proof, and foolish to expect it. These doctrines do not admit of demonstration, because of their subject-matter. They are truths which are clearly seen and understood only by Almighty God and the Blessed in heaven. There these doctrines have their own intrinsic evidence; but here it is not so, for "we see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face." So far as the actual proposition goes, such an article of belief is just as obscure to us, and its intrinsic truth just as invisible after our act of faith as before. The difference is this: whereas before we saw no reason for affirming or denying the truth of the proposition in question, now we have the strongest possible grounds for believing it, namely, the fact that God, to whom all truth is evident, affirms that this particular doctrine is true. We assent to it because we know that, in the words of the Catechism, God can neither deceive nor be deceived. Let us make this clear by considering one or two particular doctrines. For instance, the doctrine of priestly absolution tells us that when a priest pronounces the sacramental form, the sins of a penitent properly disposed are immediately washed away. Obviously, since no one can have direct experimental knowledge of another's soul, still less of the presence or absence of sin therein, we can have no intrinsic evidence of the truth or falsity of the doctrine in question. We assent to it as true because God says it is so, not because we see it. The same applies to the doctrine of Transubstantiation. Since substance is altogether beyond the ken of our senses, we have no positive grounds for affirming or denying the change; but when we make our act of faith, we assent to the doctrine because it comes to us on the authority of God. We cannot therefore always furnish intrinsic evidence of a Catholic dogma: what we can do is to show that it has been revealed by Almighty God, or, in other words, that the Catholic Church, our immediate teacher in these matters, is the authorized exponent of God's Revelation. Nor can it be said that assent in such a way is unreasonable. In everyday life we are continually assenting to truths of which we do not see the intrinsic evidence, but which we accept on the word of another. Everybody has heard, on the authority of science, that light travels at the rate of 186,000 miles a second, while comparatively few know the proof of this fact. But this is not necessary for a rational assent: it suffices if one takes reasonable measures to assure oneself of the trustworthiness and authority of the one who makes the statement.

This is taken mainly from the work of the Bollandists, who have compiled much on the lives of the Saints. Like St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, and St. Charles Borromeo, St. Cajetan was raised up by God to oppose the evils brought on Christendom by the heresy of Luther. Born in 1480-three years before the apostate monk-St. Cajetan, by his holiness of life and apostolic preaching, prevented the spread of heresy and healed the corruption of morals. The only end our saint had in view was the greater glory of God, his zeal to promote which is shown in the adornment of the house of God and the exact observance of the ceremonial of the Church, by which means he raised the minds of the people to a due respect for God's majesty, excited by the splendour of His worship. The good done by St. Cajetan was nurtured by prayer, and owes its success to the fervent devotion of the saint. Ours is an age in which even good people are led away by what catches the eye, attach all importance to external work, and undervalue or make no account of a life hidden with God in prayer, when holy souls, away from the distractions of a busy world, devote their lives not only to their own sanctification but also to that of others. When the world forgets God, they are mindful of Him: when sinners provoke God's anger, they ask for pardon. When God's ministers are engaged in the external labours of the ministry, they, by their prayers prepare the way for them by obtaining the grace of conversion and perseverance for sinners.

The great merit of the Catechism of Perseverance as a text-book for the more advanced instruction of young persons in the history, doctrines and practices of the Christian religion, has been universally admitted. The plan followed by the author is such as to facilitate very much the acquisition of this necessary knowledge, by presenting a connected idea of religion from the creation of man to the end of time. For a more particular explanation of his method, we refer the reader to his introductory remarks. The first edition of the abridged work in English appeared in this city a few years ago, and was received with the warmest commendations of the press. In presenting it again to the public, we beg leave to state that it has undergone a careful revision, and many inaccuracies of expression have been corrected. A table of contents has also been added, which will be found very convenient in a book containing so many details. We offer it therefore with confidence to the Catholic community, hoping that it will meet their approbation and answer the important ends for which it was designed.

IT ought not to be hard to read the character of S. Thomas of Canterbury, nor to understand for what cause he shed his blood. Ranke, with simply honest endeavour, has comprehended both. Speaking of Henry, he says: "He did not choose to allow the Church freedom of election to high ecclesiastical dignities; he would not permit her excommunications to proceed without the supervision of the State. Not only did he insist on the right of the civil tribunals to judge ecclesiastics for great crimes, which would otherwise have been left unpunished, but in the sphere of spiritual jurisdiction he claimed for the State the right of being the highest court of appeal, instead of the Pope." Of S. Thomas himself the same historian says: "Becket was not actuated by the same unbending obstinacy which characterizes most of the champions of the hierarchy." All this is quite clear and silnple, and ought to be seen by anyone who takes the trouble to study the question. S. Thomas died for the liberty of the Church. It was only after great struggles with himself, with early prejudices and affections, that the saint saw nothing was left for him but to lay down his life for the cause of Christ and His Church. History alone ought to enable even a Protestant to understand at least the momentousness of the issue. Henry wished practically to sever England from the Holy See, and to cripple the spiritual power of the Church-the only power on earth, besides material force, which the king and his wicked barons respected. Now, wherever the Church of a country is enslaved by the State, and separated from Rome, one of two things follows. In a country like ours at this day, which believes in no Church, the State allows the wildest and most ridiculous licence of opinion. In a believing nation, on the contrary, as England was then, the State wields the authority of the Church for her own purposes, and enslaves the intellect and the soul of its subjects, as Russia does now. It was to avert the latter degradation from England that S. Thomas died. Now, really it is not too much to ask of men who write on the subject to see that this was something worth dying for, even though they may prefer the present supremacy of the Queen, and its consequences. Above all, men who profess to write history ought at least to state that for which he did die, and not something totally different, or ludicrously short of it. What he shed his blood for was to prevent England, Ireland, and half France from becoming in the twelfth century what Moscow is now: this was a cause worth dying for. Most writers, on the contrary, and even some Catholics, represent him as contending only for clerical immunity from secular tribunals; which was only the occasion, and a very small, though not unimportant, part of the contest. The worst offender, however-who is most offensive, precisely because, from his qualities of head and heart, he ought to know better-is Dean Stanley. Any one reading his lecture on the murder of Becket in his "Memorials of Canterbury" might suppose that the saint died because of a squabble between the sees of Canterbury and York, and because he excommunicated the Brocs for poaching on his manors and docking the tails of his horses and mules. The Dean's conception of S. Thomas of Canterbury is worthy of being placed side by side with the Becket of the Ingoldsby Legend of the "Prior of Birchington." It might seem invidious to notice what, after all, is only a lecture ad populum, if it were not a type of a whole class of compositions which tend perhaps more than any other to falsify the truth of history. The fact is worth dwelling upon.