Our faith and the facts. Religion's story

Front matter

'I

OUR

FACTS

Foreword

HE CATHOLIC CHURCH is the Almoner of the World, because she is the channel of God 's grace to man. In the Mass she applies the infinite merit of the Sacrifice of the Cross to redeem him; while by the same act giving to God the high and mighty worship that was prefigured as well as prophesied for forty centuries; and now, for twenty is offered "from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same" in every land beneath the firmament, and before all the peoples inhabiting this earth. In her Sacraments she endows him with spiritual strength according to the needs of his life, and of his station or office therein.

These Sacraments meet him at the cradle and leave him only with his last breath. In her Liturgy she finds her way into the deep recesses of his heart and soul, softens the hardness of his human pride, melts the coldness of his human vanity, draws upward to the plane of the spirit his earth-bound thoughts and actions. In her Doctrine she enlightens him on the most important and sublime truths, thus laying the sure and safe foundation upon which to build the structure of true science. In her history, as well as in the record of the ages of darkness but also of hope that preceded it, she gives to his artistic nature inspiration for the highest forms and creations of the work of his brain and of his hands, enabling him to produce works which outlive his own term of earthly existence, and send his message of faith and virtue into the lives of his children and his children's children. Nothing that man as a spiritual being needs is she unable or unwilling to supply. She is the Giver of Gifts by excellence, the Teacher of Teachers by right of her mission, the Judge of Judges by the authority of the justice that was been put in her by Divine Justice, the Guide through dangers. She is eyes for the blind, hearing for the deaf, voice for the voiceless, consolation for the poor and the sorrowful, and the one safe direction for the rich and the powerful. "Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths ; for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Is. n. 2-3.)

OUR FAITH AND THE FACTS.

FOREWORD (Continued)

Of all the tasks to which men may set their hands and hearts, there is none so profitable as that of leading others to the feet of this mighty Giver of Gifts, this Almoner of the World ; since there is no reward like the reward of those who instruct others unto justice. But to do that, knowledge and inspiration both are needed. Within the pages of this book is the knowledge, and out of that, warmed by a generous and zealous heart in which God's grace has found refuge, will flow the inspiration. Years of one man's life went into the gathering of its treasures, but behind him is the devotion and loving labor of many who worked to the same end; and we live in an age of intellectual plenty, for we have inherited the riches of the wise, who have gone before.

This book is not alone a man's tribute to Truth, but the gleanings of many saints and sages who have followed the Divine Harvester, bound into a sheaf by one man's hands. And in it he has done a blessed work, because the task that produced it was a labor of love. Herein he gives to others the things that were his own first inspiration to effort. He sends them out written and bound into a book, praying that they may go even farther than the print that contains them, for Truth gives of itself yet loses nothing in the giving.

FRANCIS CLEMENT KELLEY,

Protonotary Apostolic.

Preface

SAINT PAUL said long ago that Christians should be prepared to give a reason for the Faith that is in them. Catholics of today believe that there never was a time in the history of the Church of Christ when there was greater need for giving reasons — with explanation attached — for the Faith in which we believe and which we practise.

Ours is a duty to practise what we believe. There must be just as many answers to enquiries concerning the doctrines of the Church as there are consistent, practical Church members. We meet so many non-Catholics, sincere and well-disposed, that we must be ready to answer their enquiries with facts and information drawn from authentic and easily accessible sources.

All Catholics, men and Avomen, at different times meet this demand. Moreover, when employed in stores, offices or factories, there is a distribution of non-Catholic literature with which to contend. Anti-Catholic literature provides a hostile attitude toward our people sometimes. A ready intelligent answer will soften this and do much to remove doubts from the mind of a well-disposed enquirer, often preventing him from drifting into the ranks of the "antis" in their un-American propaganda. Even in the mind of an evident bigot the knowledge of our religion commands respect for our teaching and for ourselves. And it shows the Catholic that his is a Church which it does no man honor to hate and gives no man shame to respect and love. A judicious explanation of our Faith never fails to annihilate suspicion and ill-will.

' ' Catholics and non-Catholics live and work together in this country, associated in business and united by every tie that binds, except that of religion. Why should not Catholics and Protestants live in peace and harmony in a land for which they have fought, whose liberties they enjoy, and whose development is their joint endeavor?" If a better understanding of our Faith, if a timely application of "facts," obtained in this work can assist this union of heart and mind, even in only one remote case, then many of the reasons for the existence of "Our Faith and the Facts" shall have been justified.

To supply a ready reference library for the average man and woman is the purpose of this compilation. To furnish the same for busy people, with just

OUR FAITH AND THE FACTS.

PREFACE (Continued)

enough on each of the great variety of subjects treated to supply facts and to encourage more extensive reading of authors better qualified to discuss matters which call for the study of a lifetime, is included in this purpose. Recognized authors supply the information given here in all cases where the definition of the Church is not plainly evident. Other men's minds contribute the facts, and every effort is made to give them all due credit. The compiler claims credit for nothing more than the arrangement of matter, which suffers, of course, in the necessary reduction process. But where every opportunity is given, and every encouragement offered readers to consult authorities on individual subjects, it is felt that this deficiency will be overlooked, especially if any advantage be found in the present arrangement, intended, as it is, for the every-day man and woman, with perhaps no more time at disposal than sufficient to satisfy the demand of the occasion.

It would be presumption to say that all obscurities have been swept away ; to think that all subjects have been treated. The average American's problems have been kept in mind. Effort has been directed to let in light to dispel the clouds of doubt which often surround us. For such instances the compiler gives credit where it is due, to the authors quoted; for instances of incomplete explanation or of downright failure he can only crave forbearance.

THE COMPILER.

Chicago, 1922.

Plan of Contents In Chapters

2. The Church in America. 3. Religious Orders in America.

6. How the Church Cares for Her Children. Social Work of the Church.

7. Church Care of Workers. 8. Socialism and Other Near-Religions.

Societies of Catholic Men and Women.

12. Heresies Against Catholic Doctrines. The Reformation.

13. Present Day Attitude Towards the Church.

14. Charges Made Against the Church. Church Teachings Misunderstood.

16. The Bible.

The So- Called Bible Myths.

19. Sacramentals and Pious Practices.

20. Popular Devotions Among the Faithful.

23. An Arrangement of Practical Questions and Answers.

24. Dictionary of Catholic Terms. Bibliography.

Topical Index of Contents.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin . (Frontispiece)

Our Holy Father Pope Pius XI Facing Page 16

Sistine Chapel Interior, Vatican 32

His Eminence Cardinal O'Connell 64

Public Consistory, Vatican 80

His Eminence Cardinal Dougherty 112

Most Reverend Archbishop Mundelein 128

Archbishops of the United States 160

" " " " 176

" " " " 208

Catholic University of America, and National Shrine. .. .224

Grand Old Men of the Church 256

Administrative Committee, Nat. Catholic Welfare Council. 272 Knights of Columbus, Monument to Columbus and

Supreme Directors 304

Passion Play Scene at Ober-Ammergau 320

St. Mary of the Lake Seminary 352

Holy Name Society Tribute to Our Holy Father —

Father Ripple 368

Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre 400

Shrines of Our Blessed Lady 416

The Chapel Car for Home Missions 448

St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York 464

St. Louis Cathedral, St. Louis 496

Holy Night, 512

Easter Dawn 544

Jesus and Little Children 560

Chapter I

Early Narrative — The Coming of Christ — His Public Life — The Apostles — Miracles of Jesus — The Last Supper — His Passion — Crucifixion — Later Events — The Early Church — Careers of the Apostles — Their Last Resting Places — Early Church Organization — Persecutions — Work of the Cross — Missionary Labors — Crusades — The Middle Ages— The Great Desertion — More Recent Events.

The Catholic Hierarchy — How the Church Is Governed — College of Cardinals — The Conclave — Election of a Pope — Various Forms — Announcing a Choice — List of the Popes — The Vatican and Its Buildings — St. Peter's Basilica — The Vatican Prisoner — The Bishops at Rome — Visit ad Limina— The Sistine Choir — Its History — Temporal Power of the Pope — Its Acquisition — Its Loss — The Popes and Arbitration — Concordats.

Early Narrative.

The greatest event in the history of God's dealings with men is the Redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The coming of the Redeemer was promised by God to our first parents after the fall, and this promise was renewed from time to time to the patriarchs and prophets, whom God raised up to keep alive in the hearts of His people His traditions and His revelations.

The nations who had fallen away into idolatry retained only an obscure and distorted idea of the future incarnation of God and the Redemption. Their belief, that their gods had appeared in human form among men was a distorted tradition of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Greeks, for instance, preserved in their legend of Prometheus (their name for Adam) an old prophecy, that the son of their highest god would become man and be born of a virgin-mother in order to redeem our fallen race. "We read that in the year 64 after Christ, Mingdi, the emperor of China, sent ambassadors westwards to search for the divine teacher foretold in ancient Chinese books. Having come to India, they found there the religion of Buddha, which they embraced, mistaking it for the true. The coming of the Wise men from the East proves most clearly that the traditions of a Savior to come lived among the Gentiles. Suetonius and Tacitus, writers of ancient pagan Rome, have recorded that at the time of the birth of Christ, the world was full of rumors about a mysterious power, which, according to old traditions, was to rise in Palestine and rule the whole world.

The people of Israel alone preserved the true traditions about the Redeem-

OUR FAITH AND THE FACTS.

er, and it is quite evident that it was their mission to prepare for and to foreshadow the future kingdom of God on earth. Israel was brought by God to Palestine into the middle of the great historical nations of antiquity. The Babylonian, Assyrian and Persian kingdoms east and north, Egypt south, the Macedonian and Roman empires west, all made Israel share in the world moving history. Hence Ezechiel, the prophet, called Jerusalem "gate of the nations."

Palestine lay on the great thoroughfare leading from Africa into Asia, while the Red and the Mediterranean seas gave it a water-way to India and to the great nations of the west. Thus Israel's children, bearing the hope of the Messiah to come, spread into all lands, thereby preparing the way for the apostles, who set forth from Jerusalem to evangelize the world.

God sustained Israel in this mission of keeping alive the hope of the Messiah by frequent prophecies and by His miraculous protection and guidance. And He fulfilled His promise and His prophecies, when He sent His only begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary.

The Coming of Christ.

At the time of our Savior's birth the whole world was at peace. Augustus was emperor of Rome, and Herod, king of Judea. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in a stable at Bethlehem. His coming into the world was announced by Angels to the shepherds, who were watching their flocks at night. Three kings, led by a star, came from the East to worship Him. Herod, the king, was angry when it was announced to him that the ' ' King of the Jews, ' ' long foretold, was born, and he endeavored to put Jesus to death, slaying, in the attempt to do so, several thousands of infants. He hoped by this means to include the child of Mary, but, warned in a dream, Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, removed the Divine Child and His mother to a place of safety in Egypt. After some years they returned, to live at Nazareth, in Galilee. Here Jesus remained subject to His parents until His maturity, there being practically only one incident mentioned to illumine what writers call the "hidden life" of Jesus, and that was The Finding in the Temple. At the age of twelve, He, with His parents, went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Pasch, or Passover, a story told in the Gospel.

His Public Life.

"When thirty years old, the intervening years having been spent in the privacy of His home, where He lived with His mother, we find the first incident of His public life in His Baptism by St. John the Baptist. Then our Lord was led away by the Spirit into the desert for fasting and prayer for forty days. Coming forth in the strength of His victory, He began the work of Redemption by gathering together disciples, later to found a Church by which His teachings should be spread over the whole world. He went about the country preaching and teaching the people,, and the first members of His Church came from every walk in life. He proved the truth of His teaching by so many miracles, that from the first, He attracted nation-wide attention. Many believed Him to be the Messiah. All held Him in the greatest respect, traveling great distances to hear Him, even to see Him.

The Apostles.

He chose from those who had come to be known as His followers, twelve men, whom He knew to be fit for the work of spreading the Gospel. They were known as His apostles, or messengers. They were to receive especial preparation during the three years of His public life, to be witnesses of His teaching and miracles, that, after His death, they might preach to the world what they had heard and seen. The names of the Apostles were : Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James, the elder, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother; Philip and Bartholemew; Thomas and Matthew; James the less, the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus his brother, sometime called Jude ; Simon the Chananite and Judas Iscariot, who afterwards betrayed Him. He chose also seventy-two disciples, who preached His Gospel during His own ministry.

Miracles of Jesus.

Our Savior gave to the people such proofs of His Divine mission on earth as never had been given to a people before. He made the blind to see, the lame to walk ; He restored the sick to health, and raised the dead to life. He fed the multitude of five thousand on a few loaves of bread and a few fishes. He fearlessly rebuked the wickedness of men in high places, and drew therefore upon Himself their implacable hatred. They set out to destroy Him, to ruin His work, and the result of their calumnious efforts may be judged from the contrast between the early enthusiastic receptions accorded Him and the inhuman attitude of the mob on the last day of His life on earth.

The Last Supper.

The Gospel tells of the scene in the Upper Room where Jesus and His apostles gathered to celebrate the Pasch. It was to be their last tribute to the Old Law. Next day meant the death of the Old Dispensation. Our Savior's resurrection opened a New Law and a new Sacrifice. Yet this night all celebrated the feast of the Old Law as prescribed. As they were eating, Jesus took bread in His Holy and venerable hands, blessed it and said: "Take ye and eat, for this is My Body which shall be delivered for you." Then He took a cup of wine and gave it to them, saying: "Drink ye all of this, for this is my blood, which shall be shed for you and for many, unto the remission of sins. Do this for a commemoration of Me." That is to say, "Offer the sacrifice as you have seen Me do it. By so doing you make a real and true sacrifice of My Body and Blood, the same sacrifice that to-morrow I shall offer on the altar of the Cross. And this you shall

OUR FAITH AND THE FACTS.

do, you and your successors, until I come again to judge the world."

His Passion.

After this He led them out of the city into the Garden of Gethsemane. There, in the night, alone, His apostles asleep, He underwent a great agony of suffering for the sins of the world. His sweat became as great drops of blood trickling down to the ground. "My Father," He prayed, "if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me. Nevertheless not My will but Thine be done !" (St. Matthew, XXVI., 39.) Then came Judas, one of the twelve, with a troop of soldiers, having arranged with the Chief Priests for thirty pieces of silver to betray Him. Jesus was saluted with the kiss of the traitor. He was bound and led away to the Hall of the High Priest, who afterwards sent Him before Pilate, the Roman governor. Fearing the fury of the mob, now excited by the propaganda of the priests, and demanding His death, Pilate, after the cruel scourging, the agonizing Crowning of Thorns and all the other indignities heaped upon Jesus, condemned Him to be crucified between two thieves as a malefactor of the worst order.

On that sorrowful Way of the Cross, as it is called by the Church, Jesus, tottering under the great weight of the Cross, fell three times. Then He met His mother. Like a criminal, she saw the One, to whom she had given birth, going to Calvary to be crucified for the sins of the world. And she offered Him up to the same God who had found her worthy to be the mother of the Redeemer of the world.

The Crucifixion.

When the sorrowful procession had reached Calvary (the place of a skull), so called because there was a tradition that the skull of Adam was buried there, the cross was thrown on the ground, Jesus was violently stripped of His garments and His hands and feet nailed to the instrument of torture. The Cross was then raised and planted in the ground. For three long weary hours Jesus hung between earth and sky, while His executioners tortured Him in the various ways which their fiendish minds suggested. A little group of his followers, in which were His mother and St. John, watched the agonizing scene from a little distance. Jesus committed Mary, His Mother, to the care of St. John. He pardoned the thief by His side, sometimes called Dismas, the Good Thief. At the end of three hours He bowed His head and yielded up His soul to His Father.

Then there was darkness over the earth. The veil of the Temple was rent in two. The bodies of the Saints arose and appeared to many. There was much confusion among the Jews, who said, "Surely, This was the Son of God."

Later Events.

And now came the friends of Jesus, with Joseph and Nicodemus at their head, to take down the body of Jesus and to prepare it for burial. They washed it, and anointed it, according to their customs, and then, wrapping

HIS HOLINESS, POPE PIUS XI.

it up in a long white linen cloth, placed it in a sepulchre which belonged to Joseph, who was from Arimathea. The Jews, remembering that He had said He would rise from the dead the third day, set a guard, lest, as they said, "the disciples might come and steal the body and then say that He was risen." Yet Christ rose from the dead very early on the morning of Sunday. For forty days after this He remained on the earth instructing and teaching His apostles. He gave them the power to forgive sins, and commanded them to remain together and to await the coming of His Holy Spirit. He again appointed Peter as head of His Church, constituting him His Vicar, and finally, having given the apostles orders to preach the Gospel to the whole world, He left them and went up into Heaven, with the assurance that He would so come in like manner as they had seen Him go away.

The Early Church.

On Pentecost day came the miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost, after which St. Peter and the other apostles began to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem. They converted 3,000 Jews. The number of believers grew daily, and the Church spread rapidly over Judea and into Samaria, Galilee and the surrounding countries. At Antioch, the capital of Syria, the faithful were first called Christians.

The Apostles did not confine their labors to the Jews, for Christ had told them to go into the whole world and teach all nations ; and the Holy Ghost bestowed on them the gift of preaching in divers tongues. At the Council of the Apostles held in Jerusalem about the year 51, it was decreed that converted Gentiles should be dispensed from observing the Mosaic rites. Thus the Church showed from the very beginning the mark of Catholicity.

Careers of the Apostles.

St. Peter labored in Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor. As head of the Church, he presided over the election of Matthias to the place left vacant by Judas, and over the first Council held in Jerusalem. He established his See at Antioch, but removed it about the year 42 to Eome, the capital of the world, which became the seat of the Papacy and the center of Christendom. There, St. Peter died the death of a martyr, June 19, A. D. 67.

St. Paul, formerly called Saul, and a persecutor of the infant Church, was converted near Damascus. Having been a zealous Apostle, he made four great voyages and brought the Gospel to Cyprus, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy and Spain. After a life of trials he obtained the crown of martyrdom, on the same day as St. Peter.

St. John, the beloved of our Lord, took under his care, the Blessed Virgin entrusted to him by Jesus while dying on the cross. He became Bishop of Ephesus, and died at a very advanced age.

St. James, the brother of St. John, labored in Judea, and as tradition states, also in Spain. He was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa, A. D. 43.

St. James the Less became Bishop

1.8

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of Jerusalem and was called the "Just," on account of his holiness. He was martyred by being thrown from the wall of the temple in the year 63.

St. Andrew preached in southern Russia and on the coast of the Black Sea. He was crucified at Patras, Greece.

St. Philip died at Hieropolis in Phrygia, Asia. St. Bartholomew went to Armenia, where he was martyred, being flayed alive. St. Thomas is said to have gone to India; St. Jude Thaddeus to Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia; St. Simon to Egypt, Northern Africa and Babylon. St. Matthias is said to have gone into the countries south of the Caucasus mountains, and St. Matthew to the countries south of the Caspian Sea.

Everywhere the preaching of the Apostles was confirmed by numerous miracles, by the sublime holiness of their lives, their heroic sacrifice of earthly things, and by the shedding of their blood in testimony of the Faith.

Their Last Resting Places.

Of the body of St. John the Evangelist there are no tidings. No trace has ever been found that might indicate his burial-place.

St. James, the Greater, is at St. J ago de Compostello in Spain. This is a place of far-famed pilgrimage because of the fact of his burial.

In Rome, there are seven of the Apostles, namely, Saints Peter and Paul, Philip, James the Lesser, Jude, Bartholomew and Matthias. St. Peter is, of course, in the Church named for him, because of his tomb being there. In St. Peter's are also the bodies of Saints Simon and Jude. St. Jude is sometimes called St. Thaddeus, for instance, in the Church of the Lateran, where are statues of all the Apostles with the name of each carved beneath. In the Church of the Holy Apostles are St. James the Lesser and St. Philip.

In the ancient kingdom of Naples there are St. Matthew, at Salermo ; St. Andrew, at Amalfi ; and St. Thomas, at Ortona.

In the island of St. Bartholomew in the river Tiber is the body of the saint of that name, in the church dedicated to his memory.

St. Matthias is at the church of St. Mary Major, under the altar of that great Basilica.

Two Evangelists who were not Apostles are also in Italy, St. Mark at Venice and St. Luke at Padua.

Although many Jews were converted, the majority and the leaders cf the nation remained obstinate and even persecuted the Christians. In the year 70, Jerusalem was destroyed by a Roman army under Titus. A million Jews perished, many were sold as slaves and the rest were scattered throughout the world. With the destruction of the Temple, the worship of the Old Law ceased forever, to make room for the New Law of which it had been the type.

Early Church Organization.

The Apostles converted many thousands of people in foreign lands, who were organized into congregations, and their disciples were placed in charge. From these, the religion spread in ever widening circles. For instance, St. Paul appointed his disciple Titus, bishop of the island of Crete. St. Peter sent St. Mark to Alexandria, whence Christianity spread all over Egypt.

St. Justin wrote about the year 150, "There is no people, neither among the barbarians, nor the Greeks, nor any known tribe, where prayers and thanksgiving are not offered to God in the name of Christ Crucified."

From Scripture and from Tradition we learn the Holy Mass, with Holy Communion and instruction, was regularly celebrated. (Acts 2, 2.) After Baptism, the Sacrament of Confirmation was conferred, as St. Peter and St. John did, in Ephesus (Acts 8, 17 and 19, 6). The Sacrament of Penance and confession of sins is noted in Acts 19, 18. Holy Orders was conferred on Saul and Barnabas, Acts 13, 3. St. Paul called Matrimony a great sacrament in Christ and His Church (Eph. 5 32. 1. Cor. 7. 39). St. James describes the sacrament of Extreme Unction (St. James 5. 14). St. Ignatius (A. D. 107) wrote of fasting in Lent, and of the hierarchy of the apostolic age, "Let all be obedient to the bishop, as Jesus to the Father, to the priests as to the Apostles."

St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. Matthew, St. James, St. Jude, and two disciples of the Apostles, St. Luke and St. Mark wrote on various occasions, and their writings are formed into the Mew Testament by the Church as inspired. (See Chapter on the Bible.) Several other disciples of the Apostles left important writings, for instance, St. Clement of Eome wrote a letter to the Corinthians; St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Polycarp of Smyrna. St. Barnabas, an early companion of St. Paul, left a letter in which he gives the reasons why the Christians discarded the Sabbath and substituted Sunday as the Lord's Day. All the writers of this period refer directly to Church practices, as we know them to exist today.

Persecutions.

The history of the Church in the early ages is a history written in blood. There were ten great persecutions of the Christian Church by the Roman emperors. The first was under Nero, and the last, under Diocletian, came to an end in the year 317 A. D. During these years, in spite of persecution, the Church gained countless converts everywhere, and the numbers of martyrs who shed their blood for the Faith will never be known on this side of the grave.