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Show 4. THE NEW ENGLAND OUTLOOK. The editor of the Missionary looks j hopefully towards New England. He I believes that the Catholic Church must ' do something for those who have given j up the Protestant religion, and he hails with de.'ight the rapid advance of the missionary movement. "The diocese of Providence is the next to start in an organized way the work of giving missions to non-Catholics. On the 4th of February, Dr. Stang and his assistants, the Rev. Father Fa-ther McCabe and Dr. Blessing, will open a mis-sion in the church of the vicar general, Father Doran. Right Rev. Bishop Harkins has been an earnest advocate of this work from its very inception. Both by public ! commendation and in private conver- I sation, as well as by generous contri- ' butions, has he assisted the work, and when the opportunity presented itself of starting it in the diocese of Providence, Provi-dence, he gladly embraced. Dr. Stang, who personally begins the work, is favorably known to our readers. read-ers. He has spent the last few 'years as VICP rector ,,f fV, An-.PnVnn CoHncra at Louvain. Besides, this, he is a writer of no little merit. He has a well-estab!ished reputation for zeal, prudence and ability. He now holies the place of chancellor of the diocese, and was for many years rector of the cathedral. Under such wise leadership we may well hope that the best results will be attained. We make the record of this advance with no little pleasure, because the interests' in-terests' of the work in New England are very close to our hearts, and we J consider the inauguration of the work I l in the Providence diocese not only as a atrong support to the Connecticut Apostolate, but as a good augury for the other New England dioceses. The Catholic Union of Boston extended an invitation to Father Elliott, which he quickly accepted, to deliver an address on the "Non-Catholic Mission Movement" Move-ment" before that body; and at the invitation in-vitation of Monsignor Griffin a similar lecture was delivered before a large body of the laity in Mechanics' Hall, Worcester. These are signs which indicate in-dicate that the laity are awakened to the importance of this work, and it will not be long before this- aroused sentiment senti-ment will compel positive action. The statements of Governor Rollinsi of New Hampshire, concerning the decadence de-cadence of religion in his state, and tho equally loud wailsi over a line state of affairs in Maine and Vermont, create an opportunity for the best kind of missionary work in these states. If old Puritanism is dying, what will take its place? Already in many parts of New England the common people are spelling spell-ing out new names for the old religious sentiments that are in them. They cannot can-not be content with the cold and shift- j ing formulas of , Proteftactism. Th j mundane dogmas' ? mere -naturalism j bring no solace to' their hearts. They want a religion in which there is some I infusion of the supernatural a religion J in which 'there is something from be-j be-j yond the stars, and they are turning I away from Naturalism to Faith-healing and Christian Science. The reason is because tho truths of thhe Catholic religion, which alone can satisfy their hearts, havo not been presented to I them in a way that they may embrace them. Oh, for an apostle like St. Vincent Vin-cent Ferrer to go through the towns and villages of northern New England and profoundly stir the hearts of the people and turn them to the old Church! |
