catholics-from-belgium

"The ideal Dominican life was rich in the multiplicity and choice of its elements, and was thoroughly unified by its well-considered principles and enactments; but it was none the less complex, and its full realization was difficult."

"Separated from the faithful and having no longer to travel constantly from one church to another, the Apostle was able to embrace in one sweeping glance all the Christians scattered throughout the world. While he resided in the center of the immense Roman Empire which, in its unity, comprised the world, it was the one universal Church of Christ, the fulfilment of the mysterious decrees revealed to him, the Church in which it had been his privilege to bring together Jews and pagans, that presented itself to him for contemplation."

"On public occasions his manner was noble and stately, yet in his dealings with priests and people he was always amiable and unaffected, and had the secret of enlisting sacrifice and devotion. To kindness he joined prudence and discretion and was thus able to avoid conflicts with the State authorities. A talented writer, his style bore the impression of the masterpieces."

"In that great drama which we call Nature, each animal plays its especial part, and He who has adjusted and regulated everything in its due order and proportion, watches with as much care over the preservation of the most repulsive insect, as over the young brood of the most brilliant bird. Each, as it comes into the world, thoroughly knows its part, and plays it the better because it is more free to obey the dictates of its instinct. There presides over this great drama of life a law as harmonious as that which regulates the movements of the heavenly bodies; and if death carries off from the scene every hour myriads of living creatures, each hour life causes new legions to rise up in order to replace them. It is a whirlwind of being, a chain without end."

"How is it possible to teach and defend revealed doctrine if its affirmation or denial cannot be discerned in a book or a writing, whatever its form or its extent? In fact, from the beginning, councils and popes have approved and imposed as orthodox certain formulas and certain works, and from the beginning have proscribed others as being tainted with heresy or error."

"Vindictive justice — and for that matter all justice — requires a distinction between the subject of a right and that of a duty."

"Thou knowest, O Lord, how long I have suffered at hearing the unbeliever — deaf, blind, and headstrong — speak of Thy great work, of the true religion which never dies, as of a question purely of ancient history confined to the learned."

"The unification of all branches of study is advantageous in the way of contact and co-operation; and while each of the various branches preserves its autonomy, the work of the university as a whole is also very fruitful."

"I don't know whether it is the humblest in the world, but at least certain it is that none poorer is to be found in America."

"He lived in the saddle; every year of his apostolate was marked by the organization of a new congregation or the building of a church. Of all the missionaries who worked in that field none deserves so well the title of "Apostle of Kentucky". His direction of souls was so efficient and enlightened that to this very day the grandchildren of his penitents are still prominently known for the earnestness of their faith and the solidity of their virtue. His well-deserved fame reached Baltimore and Bishop Carroll induced the Holy See to appoint him Bishop of New Orleans, but Father Nerinckx refused the honour. The Catholic education of children was his most cherished work."

"With the developments attained by all branches of science in the course of the last century, the importance of archæological discoveries in that period, the progress of philology and palæography, the possibility of using means of rapid communication to obviate the difficulty of scattered material, hagiography could not but take a new orientation."

"He was later given charge of various districts on the island of Hawaii, and, animated with a burning zeal, his robust constitution allowed him to give full play to the impulses of his heart."

"The most successful work of the Belgian Church as been done in the field of education, in spite of most violent opposition."

"The former elements of the Catholic population, Irish, French and German, must for permanency rely on their own fecundity. There are a reasonable number of conversions annually, but a new immigration of Poles, Italians, Hungarians, Greeks, Maronites, and others, largely threatens to modify the Catholic body."

"The oldest Christian literature shows with great evidence that the first controversies among Christians were always decided by texts of the Old Testament, sayings of Our Lord, and the authority of the Apostles. This last ground was very important in the case of new questions on which there existed no explicit teaching of Christ. Therefore, it is easy to understand that the Apostolic Churches could not be lost sight of in such controversies."

"Nine years of hard labour, frequently interrupted by persecution and imprisonment, made him realize the necessity of native help."

"He was a careful and conservative prelate, forecasting the future in his selection of church sites, and devoting himself actively to the expansion of the facilities for the practice of the Faith in his diocese and the spread of sound Catholic education."

"The Church is called to walk on two legs."

"During all his long and active career in this northwest section, he was particularly successful in his dealings with the many Indians under his charge. They looked up to him as a father and protector, and his great popularity among the various tribes was not only of benefit to the Church, but was utilized on numerous occasions by the United States Government to further the political, material, and moral welfare of the Indians. His death was regarded as a great loss to the work of the evangelization and civilization of the Indians."

"He was revered as a kind father and sympathetic friend, having a wide acquaintance amongst people of all ranks and denominations. His private life was simple, humble, and democratic. During his regime, Catholicism made marked progress within the diocese."

"After meritorious apostolic labours in his new field of action, as no titular could be found for his old diocese of Victoria, he generously volunteered to return thither, with a view to following up his work in Alaska. This act of disinterestedness deeply touched Leo XIII, and on 2 April, 1885, Archbishop Seghers again took possession of his former see. Whites and Indians then received the benefit of his ministrations"

"When political discourse tends to deny the social dimension of religion and relegate it to the margins or the purely private sphere, I believe this contributes to the rise of extremes and forms of radicalization. So it's in our interest to ensure that different religious convictions and traditions coexist as peacefully as possible."

"The Church today needs to overcome all forms of embarrassment or shame in promoting the rights of every person. I really feel the importance of "educating" people in solidarity, or better, in brotherhood/sisterhood, based on the nearness of God himself though the incarnation of his own Son. He will accompany us in our work."

"Without denying the scandal of the abuses committed by some, the pastoral shortcomings of others, and the limits of human nature, I am happy to see how much priests and deacons, religious men and women, lay Christians, women and men, are committed to the service of the Church. I thank them for supporting each other in the mission."

"A question many of us ask ourselves is the following: where is the key for the renewal of the Church and of society in Europe? Starting from the experience of a group of bishop friends, as well as the life of the local Church that I am allowed to serve, I am fully convinced that the key lies in communion. This is the vision of the Bible, this is also today's experience of so many faithful in Europe. To live Christian communion is a new discovery to them, an experience full of hope."

"Be very careful and send more people to be formed as formators. It's not enough to have a degree in theology. There's more to it."

"The Catholic Church is directly involved with the situation of the street children. Like the street children around the world, the street children of Maroua are also exposed to different hazards. Several years ago, we created a center in Maroua named "Belle Etoile," which takes in children seeking a refuge from the streets, for a longer or shorter period of time, respecting their full freedom. Our first concern is primarily that they find their families and to every possible extent, we prepare the children to return to live with their family."

"The challenge is not just to accept immigrants, but to help them integrate. And this is something which the world of politics is afraid to say, whereas the economic world admits it. For the west it is not only a matter of generosity, it is a question of survival."

"We cannot privatise all that is religious. When we have a religious conviction, we are at the same time citizens. We cannot separate the two. It is true for Catholics and for other religions and convictions. Of course, there is a separation of Church and State, but we are still part of civil society. There is no separation between religious conviction and citizenship."

"In my capacities as bishop it is not my job to tell the government and other public bodies which option they should favour. But I would go so far as to do so. A sound democracy has many different political parties. But pluralism is not confined to the diversity of the Parties. Pluralism is also conveyed through various religious and philosophical beliefs that accompany the development of the mentality of peoples, nations and cultures."

"Like my predecessors, I want to confirm this recognition: the apparitions and the message of the Virgin of the Poor are worthy of faith. I am particularly struck by the evangelical melody of the sign and the words. The Mother of Jesus always refers to her Son. He is the source of real life, of life in fullness. He came to bring the Good News, the gospel to the poor."

"Recognizing the grace that has been given to us in this place is also to work for its actualization for ourselves and for the men and women of today, in particular for the rising generations. Our Lady of the Poor trusted us. She associates us with her work. We therefore commit ourselves to it with generosity and fidelity, by responding to her invitation."

"When the current king recruits new employees, he does so mainly through recommendations and references from acquaintances."

"What more could I ask on earth than to be your friend, to be your only friend? All my happiness I owe to you all that is lacking from my happiness is my fault, alone, and I blame only myself for all that troubles me. If I am no longer young, if I have none of the gifts or graces that might have made your home a happy one, if I have been unable to bring any pleasure to your life, I must attribute it to my ill fortune. And so, if I cannot but regret, I only regret what I cannot do for you. It has been the thorn in my happiness that I could not help you; but alas, the feeling of all that is lacking in me, of all that has been wanting, and will always be wanting only increases my adoration and gratitude."

"I well knew your present King’s father and pious mother. I was often admitted to the friendly intimacy of the royal family, and I have held the little Leopold, Duke of Brabant, in my arms. I remember that good Christian, Queen Marie Louise, asking me to give my benediction to her eldest son, then eight or nine years old, so that he might become a good king."

"She had failed to judge her public. Louise had won the gratitude and affection of Belgium by her quiet nobility her gentle charity; and her personal misfortunes had only increased the people's devotion."

"I'm sick and tired of people disrespecting me and talking about me that isn't true. In the long run, after fifty years, that's enough."

"When I meet an African head of state, I always apologize for the behavior of the Europeans during the colonies"

"I've experienced things I didn't want to know and I'm not happy at all with what's happening now. Those bad people will one day have to answer for their actions. I tell you again: in Libya there are people who have been murdered, because of the money that has been released here. And exactly no one has done it."

"He has done many good things for our country. He had parks built in Brussels and many other things, Leopold II himself has never been to Congo. But the people who worked for the king. And they really abused it. But I don't see how the monarch would make the people there suffer. It is important that this is also said."

"Wherever this regime has been applied in one form or another, it has led to economic stagnation and decline and political revolt."

"Everything seems to indicate that a decisive hour has sounded in the history of the world, the hour when an almost virgin continent and ignored races will cooperate in the work of humanity."

"The King isolates himself and becomes less and less accessible to our advice."

"The doctrine of state ownership of land established since 1890 is the exact opposite of free trade, the new doctrine is reprehensible, going against both the natural rights of the indigenous people who will be deprived, and the rights of the Imperial powers as determined in the act of Berlin."

"A people needs air, broad horizons, an ideal which charms its imagination and makes its heart beat; reduce it to household calculations, to the politics of party interests, it will disintegrate and corrupt itself."

"The desert reveals its secrets; the great mystery of interior Africa is revealed day by day."

"You may want to, Sire, but then you will find someone other than me to carry out such a will."

"From a moral point of view, there is a way to whitewash negroes, and to this view Africa undoubtedly presents the largest field that can be cultivated."

"وقال رئيس أساقفة طهران للاتين الكاردينال دومينيك ماتيو عبر "آسي مينا": "لتتوقف الأسلحة، ولتَعِش القلوب بسلامٍ وعدالةٍ وطمأنينة، وفق ما يريد اللهلأبنائه". (Let the weapons stop, and let hearts live in peace, justice and tranquility, as God wants for his children.)"

"My dear Mr. Banning, I am returning the 2nd sheet to you. I find this of extreme interest. You would have to read many volumes to acquire the geographical notions that you have so condensed into a few pages. I read this with great charm. You're giving the matter a nice boost. I have no comments to make. I made a small cross at the top of page 28, because I thought it was better to put "revise" instead of "revis" or "undertook" instead of "undertakes." A thousand friendships. (s) Jules Van Praet."