Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
The function of a field-secretary or organizer is a delicate one, we
fully understand. But we are firmly convinced that priests can be
found, who, with tact, intelligence and enthusiasm for the great Cause
of Missions, and backed with the authority and sympathy of the
Ordinary, are bound to make this work a success. There is a wave of
the missionary spirit passing over the Church of God. The clergy and
the people are eager to help missions at Home and Abroad. But they
desire a concrete, workable plan to pin their activities to; they are
waiting for something definite to act upon, and a responsible
representative of the cause to work with.
Until the development of the organization would call for a diocesan
organizer, _one priest_ could act for a _Province_ or _Region_ of the
Country. The ordinary objection which our proposal here would meet
with, would be the lack of personnel. There is, we know, a shortage of
priests everywhere. But would not the Church, as a whole, in Canada
and throughout the world, receive more benefit from the life of a
priest entirely dedicated to this work of Missions, than if it were
given to a specific parish or diocese. Even were a parish or small
country mission to be deprived for the time being of a resident pastor,
should not that sacrifice be made, generously and cheerfully, for the
sake of a greater cause. It is assuredly a short-sighted policy to
sacrifice hundreds of thousands of souls for the care of a few, to
prefer the welfare of a parish to that of the Church at large. This
reasoning and its disastrous consequences are surely not Catholic.
We emphasise the necessity for the organizer to _consecrate his life
solely to this proposed work_. At this price alone will he make it a
success. Without doubt, it is the work of a man, the work of a life.
God grant that we may see the day when all the latent Missionary forces
of the Church of Canada will be awakened and united in one great
gigantic effort of apostolate! These forces form an invisible army of
reserves on which the Church is to draw, to fill, as it were, the
depleted ranks of Her Missionary units throughout the world. The lack
of organization is the weakness of our strength. Let the leaders come
forward, and we ourselves shall be astonished at the latent powers of
Faith in the Church of Canada.
CHAPTER V.
PLOUGHING THE SANDS
_The Church-Union Movement: its Causes and Various Manifestations. The
Protestant and Catholic View-Point._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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