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Show Progress of Christian Unity. : X ! BY THE PAULIST FATHERS. New York, April 2. Although the missionary spirit i3 spreading day by day among our people and has already in many quarters gathered sufficient strength to turn the tide of indifferent-ism, indifferent-ism, some of us fail to realize the opportunities op-portunities open to our efforts (and crying needs that only our energetic zeal can alleviate. Among the lettere that pour in upon the management of the Catholic Missionary Union, many an urgent call for the dissemination of the truth can be ae yet only partially answered. A zealous Western priest in whom the burning desire to spread the truth has not been diminished by the routine duties of his parish writes earnestly of the millions of "fallen-aivay" "fallen-aivay" Catholics that he meets on every eide, and makes a stirring claim upon our active determination to recover re-cover them. Our Catholic people can no longer remain indifferent to thi3 glorious duty. The Catholic Missionary Mission-ary Union is accomplishing a daily increasing in-creasing amount of good as it wins the enthusiastic support of the awakened laiety, and the clearer disclosing of our responsibilities ana opportunities etirs a new energy' to meet mc . The priest we have mentioned draws ; particular attention, to the need for j quick action to reclaim the Italians and their children whom the Protestant Episcopal Church ii everywhere seducing se-ducing from the Faith That body is alive to the possibilities presented in the future of our Italian, immigrants , and isa lavishing money upon them j while we remain idle. Listen to this j news "As an instance, a short time ago there were no Italians heard of in thus j town. Now there are a great number and many are now Protestants and go j to their Protestant Episcopal Church, j For the. Italians here the Protestant ; Missionary Society educated an Italian j in Rome, ordained him there and sent j him out to us to look after the Italians who might come from Italy. He j dresses and appears ai3 much as possi- j ble like a Catholic priest, and the j Italians are pleased that he speaks j their language and takes such an In- j teret in their welfore. They should have Italian priests. There are plenty of them in Italy; why are not Catholics as earnest as Protestants' in looking after these future Americans? I hope something will be done." It rests with the friends of the Catholic Missionary Union to say what shall be done. The following item from the New York Sun of March 28, brings a. signlri- cant message t us Catholics: j ' "The steamship Dona Maria, from J Lisbon and the Azores, landed at the j Barge Office yesterday SC6 Portuguessa immigrants, the largest number ever j brought here in one ship. They are a healthy looking picturesque lot, and i most of them are bound for Massachu-! Massachu-! eettjs, to become fishermen, mill hands and farmers. Nearly all the voun.j women and girls were beribboned and ! many of the men carried mandolins and guitars. Plenty of Portuguese have preceded them to New England. In the South the negro race is yielding yield-ing an unusually bountiful harvest for the efforts made in their behalf. Traditional Tra-ditional sectarian animosity ia almost . , non-existent among them, and a priest with a kind face and. a kind word finda their he-arts always open. Colored peo- ; pie affiliated with the non-Catholio i churches are usually most friendly to- ' ward the least effort made by the 1 Church in their behalf, and the work ! of their conversion is difficult only ' from financial consideration. The in- stance has been recently brought to j our notice where a good priest, the ' j Iiev. Fathe-rKeller, in Galveston. Tex.. " ' after opening a little Catholic school j for colored children finds it so popular j with the non-Catholic colored people that he has appealed for means to pro- j vide for the accommodations demanded ' for their children. The whole negro population has been won over by h'.3 kind heart, for the spirit of true Christian Chris-tian charity is as irresistible amonsr the colored people as among children. In a local paper published entirely by coiored r.on-Cathoiicw he and his work are enthusiastically praised with a warmth of affection that should stir in our hearts a reciprocal impulse of charity and zeal. The Catholic Missionary Union wouli call the attention of its friends- to the? band of Sisters known as the Mission Helpers established in Baltimore in, 1SSS. They offer all thtir prayers, la- bor?s and sufferings for the Increased) ! devotetines'i and perfection of our cler- gy and the success of the missionary effcrta of tha Church. Their contem-l contem-l plaive life includes perpetual -adora-i tion of the Blessed Sacrament and their J active labors embrace a wide range of j the works of mercy, spiritual and cor-i cor-i poral. No undertaking, can succeed! without prayer and the grand, oppor-I oppor-I tunity for conversions among our fellow fel-low citizens should move us to grati-' grati-' tude for the constant and devoted as- sistance of those good Sisters. I |