Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
This is the situation. What can be done? Naturally, to quote Lord
Morley: "A settlement of foolscap sheet, independent of facts, of local
circumstances and feeling, and passion, and finance, and other
appurtenances of human nature" . . . will lead nowhere. To do
effective work along the lines suggested in this chapter we must take
facts and circumstances as they are, and work into them the idea, and
then work the idea into the people. The LANGUAGE, the SCHOOL, the
COMMUNITY LIFE are the THREE GREAT FACTORS that the enemies of the
Ruthenian's faith unscrupulously exploit in their nefarious work. We
must meet the enemy on this common ground and beat him with his own
weapons.
_Language_.--The right of a man to his language is an incontestable
right; the free use of it is a primary human liberty. The Church has
always respected this right as one of the most elementary laws of
nature. In the evangelization of nations She has always accommodated
Herself to the ways and language of the people. In this, She is
faithful to the illuminating lesson the Master gave to Her on Her
birthday, Pentecost Sunday, when the Apostles were heard each speaking
his own language. "They began to speak with divers tongues according
as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak . . . _Every man heard them speak
in his own tongue_." Since that day the true Apostle of Christ has
respected the language of the people he evangelized.
The theory of compelling a nation to learn a certain language as if it
were the only vehicle of the "Great Message of Christ" or of waiting
until the people know the missionary's own language . . . is not
Catholic. The Church of Christ is not a nationalistic Church. No one
has to deny his race nor to give up his language to become or to remain
Her faithful child.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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