clergy-from-the-united-states

"When young persons are summoned from this world ere they have mingled in its sinful pursuits, they can be readily yielded into the hands of God, whose merciful providence is then rather a cause for joy and thanksgiving than an occasion of sorrowing and regret; because there is a well-founded hope of their having attained the great end of their existence — the enjoyment of eternal happiness."

"Language cannot describe the scene that followed; the shouts, oaths, frantic gestures, taunts, replies, and little fights; and therefore I shall not attempt it."

"All the knowing ones were consulted as to the issue, and they all agreed, to a man, in one of two opinions: either that Bob would flog Billy, or Billy would flog Bob."

"In the younger days of the Republic there lived in the county of —— two men, who were admitted on all hands to be the very best men in the county; which, in the Georgia vocabulary, means they could flog any other two men in the county."

"• Let the future historian, if he will, add beauty of expression and the charm of polished diction to this plain, unpretentious narrative. The beauty of truth satisfied the author's wish; he strove for nothing more."

"It is said that a hundred gamecocks will live in perfect harmony together it you do not put a hen with them; and so it would have been with Billy and Bob, had there been no women in the world. But there were women in the world, and from them each of our heroes had taken to himself a wife. The good ladies were no strangers to the prowess of their husbands. and, strange as it may seem, they presumed a little upon it."

"He was a horse of goodly countenance, rather expressive of vigilance than fire; though an unnatural appearance of fierceness was thrown into it by the loss of his ears, which had been cropped pretty close to his head."

"Arise, O Soul, and gird thee up anew, Though the black camel Death kneel at thy gate; No beggar thou that thou for alms shouldst sue; Be the proud captain still of thine own fate!"

"One can live there and feel quite at home because one can lose his heart to any country, and it is a commonplace that "home is where the heart is.""

"To understand a great movement in the world of thought or action, it is usually necessary to approach it on its historic side. It is difficult to grasp its inner spirit and purpose, or gauge aright its possibilities and power, except one. bring to the study of its present condition a thorough knowledge of its past. The larger and more complex the movement is, the more important the study of its past becomes. Only in its history are we able to discern, in clear perspective, the principles that gave it birth, presided over its development, and form the mainspring of its present activity."

"My work has been a pleasant one, and I have striven to keep but one thing in view, and that is to do as much good as possible."

"His personality won friends for the Church on all sides, whilst his vigorous defence of Catholic doctrine, as well as his clean-cut, outspoken advocacy of American rights and duties, gave to the Church in southern California a great onward movement."

"As with the individual, so with the nation dost Thou deal most mercifully. With the breath of Thy love Thou hast called it into existence. Thou didst bless it with wise and prudent founders. Thou hast implanted in the breasts of its citizens a sense of right, a love of justice. Thou hast watched over its beginnings. Thou hast brought it, in a brief space of time, to a height of unparalleled prosperity. Thou hast, when its existence was endangered, either by attacks from without or by dissensions within, filled the hearts of its faithful children with love and devotion, and Thou hast raised from among them valiant men to defend its interests. Thou hast led them to victory, and when Thou didst make them victorious, Thou didst, too, inspire them with mercy and compassion for the vanquished. For all this, Oh Heavenly Father, we return loving thanks."

"Under his careful and prudent administration the diocese has prospered and acquired order and solidity."

"A people who are to govern themselves need virtue and morality much more than intellectual knowledge to appreciate and preserve the form of self-government. Hence it is so truly said that a Republic needs moral and virtuous citizens."

"Each century saw its zealots striving for the preservation of ecclesiastical life in the monasteries and the canonicates, eager for the restoration and perfection of the schools, and endeavoring to provide for the moral and spiritual enlightenment of the people. Through the unselfish efforts of these leaders of society, whether the Pope, the emperor, a bishop or a prince, the modern world can see the educational ideal of the age, and obtain a fair view of the actual conditions which existed."

"The glorious achievements of the Society are blended with the archives of universal history, identified with the civilization, learning, conversion, and prosperity of innumerable countries. She has had her alternations of adversity and triumph, she has passed through the deep shades of night as well as the bright beams of day. She has had friends — devoted and true — in every class and grade of life; she has encountered, too, the fiercest and most formidable enemies, in the same."

"The way has been prepared: the Navajos are well-disposed toward the Catholic missionaries and give founded hopes for an abundant harvest of souls."

"We fear not science. We deplore ignorance. If the men of science will be true to their reason, we will meet them on every field and teach them the harmonies of nature and of faith. We will show them how the human mind turns from the creature in all its variety and beauty to the creature's God."

"After the insurrection of 1898, and the Spanish-American War that followed, the people suffered greatly, not only from the evils of war, but also from the loss of their cattle and horses by epidemics. Many of their churches were destroyed, not only by the insurrectos, but also by United States troops. The chief evil, however, was the lack of priests."

"Even under our liberal form of government the State cannot afford to allow unbridled religious liberty. The utmost that is consistent with the very existence of the civil government is a limited religious liberty. Nor can we agree with those who seem to hold that a multiplicity of warring religious beliefs is the ideal of social perfection. The conditions that necessitate even a limited toleration of all beliefs will ever prove more or less dangerous to the welfare of the people according as religious convictions are more or less strong, or according as they are maintained by men more or less ignorant and narrow. When it is needlessly proclaimed it is an invitation to sectarianism, with its inevitable disunions and discussions; it is perilous to the peace of a community. The closer the union between the civil and religious authority, as long as each aids the other, and neither encroaches upon the domain of the other, the better will it be for both and the more secure will be the peace of the people."

"I have indeed striven to live among you, rather as an elder brother, not perhaps in years, but in thought and feeling, and far more pleasant to me is this fraternal relation than the assumption of a dignity rather inspiring awe than love, and repulsing and repelling instead of attracting. I thank God that we live under different conditions from those that prevail in many other countries. Abroad there often exist conditions that raise barriers between the bishop and his clergy, and between the priest and his people. I thank God that it is different here, and that the relationship is nearer that of father and brother. Yet I am satisfied that the body of the priesthood of the old world show no greater reverence for their bishops or their flocks to the priests than is shown in the new world."

"I never thought I was ever to be taken away from Brooklyn except by death; otherwise I might have gone slower."

"There was everything in his character of a good, laborious, and devoted bishop. And look upon him in his ordinary life, in the ordinary intercourse with the world! He was gentleness, his heart was full of love. It warmed with love unto every one. But there was nothing in him of the guile of earth. His heart was pure; he felt the duty of the application of Christian charity to all mankind."

"Scores of Catholics lived in this territory over thirty years and reared families without sacraments, Mass or priest. The losses to the Faith in Wyoming, as in neighbouring states, have been appalling. Vicars Apostolic, afterwards bishops, had no funds for educating or supporting missionary priests. It would seem that in 1887, as indeed for nearly a decade after, Wyoming's need was not so much diocesan organization as travelling missionaries."

"The fact remains that the Catholic home is the great nursery of faith. Religion is engaged in the work of character forming and childhood is the period of character formation. The stronghold of childhood must then be the citadel of the Church's hope."

"We have abundant cause for thankfulness to God on account of the many blessings which he has conferred on us ; but we will show ourselves unworthy of these blessings if we do not do all that is in our power to promote every good work by which they may be increased and confirmed to those who shall come after us."

"A man's worth is within him. It is in his mind and heart. It is in his sympathies, his loves, his motives, his aims and ambitions. It is in the truth of his words, in the nobility of his thoughts, in the rectitude of his conduct. It lies in his courageous obedience to conscience, doing always that which he knows to be right."

"God knows, I am very unequal to the task, destitute of all spiritual talents, void of all acquired knowledge, and unprovided with any Brother Laborers to carry on the work I wish to begin. But, as with the grace of God all things are possible."

"The legislation of Moses! Let me ask, what other legislation of ancient times is still exerting any influence upon the world? What philosopher, what statesman of ancient times can boast a single disciple now? What other voice comes down to us, over the stormy waves of time? But this man is at this day — at this hour — exerting a mighty influence over millions; the whole Hebrew nation do homage to his illustrious name. Though the daily sacrifice has ceased, and the distinction of the tribes is lost, though the temple has not left one stone upon another, and the altar-fires have been extinguished long ago, still, wherever a Jew is found, — and they are found wherever the foot of an adventurer travels, — he is a living monument of the power which this great Hebrew statesman still has over the minds and hearts of his countrymen. And now let us take one glance at this prophet, at the close of a life so laborious and honored. Up to his one-hundred-and-twentieth year, his eye was not dim, nor had his strength abated. But now, when he stands almost on the edge of the promised land, his last hour of mortal life has come. To conduct his people to that land had been his daily effort, and his nightly dream, and yet he is not permitted to enter it, though it would never have been the home of Israel, but for him. He ascends a mountain to die, and there the land of promise spreads out its romantic landscape at his feet. There is Grilead, with its deep valleys and forest-covered hills; there are the rich plains and pastures of Dan; there is Judah, with its rocky heights, and Jericho, with its palm-trees and rose-gardens; there is Jordan seen from Lebanon downward, winding over its yellow sands; the long blue line of the Mediterranean can be seen over the mountain battlements of the west. On this magnificent deathbed the Statesman of Israel breathed his last. Lest the gratitude which so often follows the dead, though denied to the living, should pay him Divine honors, they buried him in darkness and silence; and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day."

"The Archbishop was himself as a rock, gentle, yielding, mossy on the surface; but beneath all that gentleness strength and power and immovability of principle were found."

"Much of the early history of Manchester is bound up in the records of the Diocese of Portland, of which it formed a part for twenty-nine years. Mass was first celebrated in New Hampshire as early as 1694, but the real history of Catholicity can hardly be said to begin until a century and a quarter later. So few were Catholics at first, that up to 1822 there were not enough families in the entire state to warrant the appointment of even one resident priest."

"It seems strange to us now, but it is a fact that the disciples never seemed to have realized the mission of their Master. To the last they hoped He would redeem Israel, not from its iniquities, but from the rule of a foreign power. When He died their faith in Him died too. It looked as if His cause was lost forever. Is it not strange that the enemies of Jesus remembered better than His followers the words He said? Yet, is it not the way of the world? The hatred of an enemy outlasts the love of a friend."

"You will certainly allow that there exists a God, and this God cannot be indifferent to the conduct and actions of his creatures."

"A greater gain to the world...than all the growth of scientific knowledge is the growth of the scientific spirit, with its courage and serenity, its disciplined conscience, its intellectual morality, its habitual response to any disclosure of the truth."

"The records of this first three quarters of a century of the labors and achievements of our progenitors are worthy indeed in retrospect and we do right to chronicle them. Moreover, we are but following a Catholic ideal when we mark the memory of those years and honor the names of the valiant leaders and the loyal followers who have made our cause respected."

"We must remind our country that our Church has not only the unfailing deposit of revealed truth, but also a practical wisdom, made up from her experience in all the ages and all the nations of modern times; that her experience demonstrates that Godless education trains unprincipled citizens, who are their country's scourge, and, finally, her ruin, — that the only way to make a prosperous and happy state is to mould the individual and the family in the mould of Christian principles and virtue, for such as are the individual and the family, such also must be the nation."

"The translator, while in Rome in 1899, picked up a copy of the work in a book-store. He was attracted by the title, and still more by the table of contents. No book he had read on the subject seemed quite satisfactory. He began to read this, and was fairly carried away by its order, its precision, its luminous teaching, its deep spirituality and its common sense. When he had read it through, he put it aside for some months and then took it up again. It was even more instructive, edifying and delightful than when first read, thus fulfilling in a measure the conditions of a classic."

"God, save us from ourselves! We carry within us the elements of hell if we but choose to make them such. Ahaz, Judas, Nero, Borgia, Herod, all were once prattling infants in happy mother's arms."

"We lay it down as an elemental principle of religion, that no large growth in holiness was ever gained by one who did not take time to be often and long alone with God. No otherwise can the great central idea of God enter into a man's life, and dwell there supreme."

"The first reason for reprinting this work is a moral one — namely, that the readers may see, from so illustrious an example, that loss of faith comes from loss of morals. The second reason is that non-Catholics, those "other sheep which are not of this fold," may return to the rich, green pastures which they left four hundred years ago, and which are still as rich, as green, because still watered by the perennial streams of the seven sacraments, just as in the days of Henry."

"Have you never observed how free the Lord's Prayer is of any material that can tempt to subtle self-inspection in the art of devotion? It is full of an outflowing of thought and of emotion toward great objects of desire, great necessities, and great perils."

"The practice of devotion to the dead is also consoling to humanity and eminently worthy of a religion which seconds all the purest feelings of the human heart."

"The fame of Sarbiewski is as wide as the world of letters."

"The most intelligent hearers are those who enjoy most heartily the simplest preaching. It is not they who clamor for superlatively intellectual or aesthetic sermons. Daniel Webster used to complain of some of the preaching to which he listened. "In the house of God" he wanted to meditate "upon the simple varieties, and the undoubted facts of religion;" not upon mysteries and abstractions."

"Although he was a self-educated — in contradistinction to a college-bred — man, yet he early attained to real scholarship in ecclesiastical learning. His knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, which he read in their original Hebrew and Greek, and of the Fathers of the Church, also read in their Greek and Latin texts, was deep and accurate. From these pure sources of Christian truth he drew rich material for his unique preaching, his sermons portraying an originality of thought, a precision of language and an earnestness of delivery peculiarly his own. Moreover, his character of sterling honesty, his hatred of sham, his practices of mortification, sense of duty and many other virtues are even stronger."

"Mexico is a land of contrasts. Tropical heat and perpetual snow; inordinate riches and abject poverty; aboriginal Indians and twentieth century millionaires; a constitution and a state of continual anarchy; superstitiously religious, and yet pagan and savage."

"To me it is an honor as well as a duty to defend him when so unjustly attacked, for in common with my fellow-Catholics all over the world I recognize in him the Vicar on earth of the Eternal Prince of Peace. I do not expect that my many non-Catholic friends will accept our belief, which is, however, so well grounded on the inspired words of Holy Scripture, regarding the Primacy of the Pope; but I would ask if it is too much to expect that they will do justice to his untiring efforts to secure peace and relieve some of the very distressing features of the war."

"The secular system of education is based largely on the theory that man is born for the State and that he derives his rights from the State. The socialist would have the State absorb all authority in the domain of learning and of industry, and there are many secular educators who would fain see the monopoly of education lodged in the power of the State. The Catholic system is based on the right of the parent, the right of the child, and a reasonable individualism."

"No heresy has ever been so wholly and hopelessly false that it did not reflect at least some broken lights of truth. This we may rightly say of Socialism where truth and error, fact and fiction are forever blended in an indistinguishable confusion. What is good we must keep and perfect, what is wrong and evil we must relentlessly reject."