Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
With the vision of the Truth and the conscientious impulse to spread it,
the Society is bound to grow in a genuine Catholic soil. We say it
frankly, there is something wanting in a parish where the Catholic Truth
Society meets with no response, creates no interest. The sense of real
Catholicism and the consciousness of the duties it implies are
conspicuous by their absence. There, Christianity does not run deep
enough. This also stands true where the Catholic Church Extension or
other organization of its kind, has no hold. The same principle is at
stake; in both cases deficiency reveals a negative, rather than a
militant Christianity.
_Policy._
The world nowadays, like Pilate, asks the Church: "What is Truth?" But
like Pilate also, proud of its power, its wealth, and success, it will
not wait for the answer. Yet the Church's mission is to give to the
world that truth after which humanity thirsts. Her mode of dispensation
will vary from age to age. New times, new duties. Her policy is often
suggested by the change of front in the line of the enemy.
As the "printed word" is now the great vehicle of propaganda, the great
message of Catholic Truth will be given more by print than by speech.
This new apostleship has opened the doors to Catholic lay activity. The
Catholic Truth Society is one of its many forms and should, to be
faithful to its origin, remain a specifically Catholic laymen's movement.
The policy of the Catholic Truth Society is very broad and embraces a
great variety of activities which all tend to the propagation and defense
of Catholic Truth.
_Pamphlets_.--The printing and diffusion of pamphlets are characteristic
features of the Society. These winged booklets have come to be most
fruitful transmitters of Catholic Truth. Silent Messengers of truth,
they steal their way into homes and circles where the priest, and even at
times the catholic layman cannot penetrate. Eloquent Preachers, their
voice is heard to the extremities of the earth. Perpetual Missionaries,
they continue the work when the apostle has passed to another field.
They keep the light of faith burning bright in many a lonely
homesteader's cabin on the Prairies of our Great West. How often have we
not seen farmers coming into the Regina Cathedral to fill their pockets
with pamphlets from the book-rack before they returned to their farms
often situated at thirty or forty miles from a Church! Silent
Controversionalists, they give Catholic information and drive the
argument home without offence to the pride of the reader, for, the
personal element of the controversy is eliminated. Their unobtrusiveness
is what the inquirer appreciates in matters of religious research
particularly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account