Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
Experience and reason prove that an organization destined to affect the
masses and hold its grip on them, will not live and thrive only on an
occasional appeal or a printed message. These are indeed of great
value, particularly the insistently repeated message in print. We are
great believers in the force of a persistent, regular and frequent
circularization. But, in our humble estimation, there is something
more essential in the matter under consideration, and that is the human
contact and continued influence of a "field-organizer." An extensive
organization without this factor will not be efficient, will not last.
As Floyd Keeler wrote in "America" (July 10, 1920): "It is the personal
equation between the organizer and the various units of the Society
that counts. . . . The masses are accustomed to think in concrete
terms. . . . Long distance appeals and those made to total strangers
do not produce permanent results." This influence of the
field-organizer is so great that we may safely state that the life of a
society fluctuates with the various impulses it receives from him. He
is the very heart which gives health and vigor to its organism.
Here lies the secret of the mission-organizations in the Protestant
Churches, to which, of late, we have referred so frequently in our
Catholic papers, under the heading of: "_Fas est ab hoste
doceri_." . . . Every denomination has its field-organizers entirely
consecrated to mission activities among its people. Financial results
tell to what extent they are effective in their work.
We have also among our own missionary societies, examples that
illustrate the point we wish to emphasize. Since when has the Society
of the Propagation of the Faith, in the dioceses of New York and
Boston, leaped into prominence, and headed by generous contributions
the list of the whole world? How did that change come about? Where is
the secret of this success? The establishment of permanent diocesan
organizers is the answer. What they have done, why could we not do?
"_Quod isti--cur non et nos_?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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