USA > New Jersey > The Catholic Church in New Jersey > Part 27
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Of this Christian domestic life and peace the basis must be the sanctity of Christian marriage, and there can be no doubt that one of the chief causes of the evils we deplore is that so many in our days enter upon this holy state without that prudence and careful preparation which so important an act demands. Not- withstanding the evident danger and impropriety of such mar-
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riages and the reclamations of the Church, the evil of mixed mar- riages is greatly increasing, and we have been surprised and pained at the frequency with which our people are married outside of the Church, seemingly without any sense of the dreadful sin they commit or the terrible consequences they incur. We renew our exhortations to you, reverend brethren, to speak frequently to them upon these most important matters, recalling to their minds the doctrine of the Church upon the subject of marriage, and the severe laws by which she strives to protect its sanctity. We wish particularly that renewed efforts should be made, by public exhortation and private advice, to dissuade them from mixed marriages, which are productive of so much unhappiness and evil, and to cause them to prepare for this sacrament with greater fore- thought and exactness.
We take advantage of the opportunity to express to you our satisfaction at the zeal you have manifested in the cause of Chris- tian education. It is indeed a very heavy burden upon us, with our limited resources, to say nothing of its injustice, to pay taxes to the state for the support of schools to which we cannot con- scientiously send our children, and then to be obliged to provide instruction for them ourselves; but as things are at present we have no alternative. We must therefore maintain our parochial schools at any sacrifice, trusting that, one of these days, our fel- low-citizens may be led to adopt the more just, and for their chil- dren and society the more beneficial, system which prevails in England and France and in every other country which has estab- lished a system of popular education. That naturalism, against which the warnings of the Encyclical are principally directed, which limits man's knowledge and interests to the things of time and sense, and which if it be not arrested will undermine the very fabric of Christian civilization, has no more powerful ally than a system of popular education which, by excluding positive religious truths, leaves the youthful mind to conclude that they are of little or no importance. It is contrary to every principle of Cath- olic doctrine and Catholic feeling to separate daily religious in- struction from the training of the young. If we ever had any doubts on the subject, they must have disappeared before the exhortations of the Holy Father upon this important point. The world and the world's interests get too great a share of every- thing as it is, and if we consent that religion and religious instruc. tion is to be made a matter of one day in seven, the effect will be the same as if we had given it up altogether. All our hopes for the future well-being of our children depend upon our attention to this matter, and we exhort you to keep the subject constantly before the minds of your people, and to spare no labors and sacri- fices until the means of a good Christian education are provided for every child in your parishes, and particularly to see that no children are taken away from school and apprenticed or put to work until they have properly made their first communion and received the sacrament of confirmation.
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The assassination of President Lincoln, " that terrible crime of mingled atrocity and folly, which has come so suddenly to over- cloud the bright prospects of peace and restored union which were dawning upon us," moves Bishop Bayley "to deplore the act as a patriot and to abhor it as a Christian. Before it all spirit of party and every animosity must be hushed into silence. To tremble at it, to abhor it, and to denounce it must be the instinc- tive impulse of every heart that loves justice and hates iniquity. It is an outrage that concerns every one of us, as human beings, as citizens of the country wishing to live in peace and security, and, above all, as Christians taught from our childhood to subdue and eradicate from our hearts hatred and revenge and all bad pas- sions. The assassin's hand in this case has struck not merely at the life of an individual, but of a nation; and the stain is upon us all, upon our national honor, upon our fair name, upon our love of what is manly and honorable; and it will penetrate through and darken every page of our history, unless we wash it out by our tears and regrets and by our universal repudiation of any sympathy with it, even in the inmost and most secret corners of our hearts. We will all of us, therefore, join with our fellow-citizens in mourn- ing over this great crime, and endeavor by our prayers and the sincerity of our conversion to God to turn away his anger from us."
In twelve years the Association of the Propagation of the Faith gave to the Diocese of Newark $23,600, and the evidence of the good which this generosity enabled Bishop Bayley to accomplish must be gathered from his letters. Nor should this be forgotten by the Catholics of to-day, whose prosperity enables them to carry on the work of religion with such little effort, but whose horizon of almsgiving is apt to be narrowed by selfishness, which makes them oblivious of the fact that other regions are struggling as did their fathers some generations ago. Gratitude should prompt us to come to the assistance of that noble associa- tion to whom in the cause of propagating the faith no appeal has ever been made in vain. Since its foundation in 1822 $65,690,017 have been raised from the slender means of the poor and distrib- uted in different parts of the world, to build churches and schools, to educate and support missionaries, priests, brothers, and sisters; and of this vast stream of charity $5,807,393.40 have come to the United States. An occasional line to the director makes known, in February, 1866, the destruction by fire of Seton Hall: "I regret to inform you that the main building of my college and
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diocesan seminary was destroyed by fire the evening of January 25th, involving a loss of $30,000, but which is diminished by $ 16,000 insurance, and we are hard at work rebuilding it." And again in 1867: "The emigration, especially from Germany, still continues. The price of everything is exorbitant, on account of the immense circulation of paper money. The taxes, resulting from the war, are most heavy. Many workers are out of employ- ment and in want. We have not had such times since 1857."
Meanwhile, the work of organization continued; diocesan synods were held, churches and schools built, hospitals, homes for the aged, and orphanages erected; in a word, religion kept pace with the rapidly increasing demands of the Catholic popula- tion. The voice of the pastor was always heard as he perceived some new danger threatening the welfare of his flock. "Let us," Bishop Bayley writes, February 2d, 1868, "my dear brethren, as dutiful children of God's Holy Church, renew our allegiance to her as our teacher and guide in all matters of faith and sound morality ; and let us carefully prepare our souls to share in those spiritual blessings which are offered to us at this time, that so we may the more exactly fulfil our obligations as faithful Christians and good citizens of the country in which we live. There never was a time when we stood in greater need of them, to strengthen us against evil and to enable us to do good. All over the world- and our own country affords no exception-the powers of evil seem to gain strength, and the moral influences which should restrain and correct them to grow weaker; social disorganization, the weakening of family ties, an eager wish to be rich at any cost, vulgar ostentation of wealth and alongside of it increasing pov- erty, dishonesty in trade, frauds in the administration of public and private trusts, criminal outrages, and a lax and indifferent public opinion. All these things have a moral origin, and it is the duty of each individual in the community, as a Christian and a good citizen, to do all that he can to correct them, at least by the protest of his own carefully regulated and upright life, by culti- vating a spirit of truthfulness and simplicity and honesty and sobriety; in a word, by living according to the principles and teachings of his holy religion.
"The only thing we should be anxious about is to be always found on the right side, on the side of truth, of justice, of God's Church, of the Apostolic See, ever ready to give our sympathies, our means, and our lives also if they be called for."
The consecration of the Rt. Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid, D.D.,
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as first Bishop of Rochester in St. Patrick's old cathedral, New York, July 12th, 1868, deprived the diocese of an efficient laborer and its bishop of a wise counsellor, whose advice he often sought, and whose views on the education of the clergy and the children of the flock shaped the policy of Bishop Bayley, and have been pur- sued by his successors unwaveringly and consistently to the pres- ent day. The director of the seminary, the Rev. Michael A. Cor- rigan, D.D., was entrusted with the presidency of Seton Hall and with the graver responsibility of vicar-general. Although young in years, the innate talent of administration, the gift of knowing men, and the charming blend of gentleness and strength quickly set at naught the misgivings of many, silenced adverse criticism, and justified the wisdom of his superior. Inexperienced, indeed, he was; but he had long learned to seek light and strength from above, and in the quiet obscurity of the seminary he laid deep the foundations of that humility and sanctity which would serve him so well in the lofty and responsible offices which awaited him. It was not so much from his lips as from his life that the young Levites of the diocesan seminary learned the grandeur, the holiness of the priesthood. As priest and as bishop he first of all appeared in the chapel for the spiritual exercises, and none who ever saw him celebrate Mass will ever forget the unction and piety which stamped his every movement.
In 1869 Bishop Bayley was summoned to attend the Vatican Council, and in the month of August Dr. Corrigan was obliged to assume the government of the diocese. How little he cared for power, how irksome the responsibility his office thrust upon him, will appear from an entry in his diary, August 23d, 1870: "The bishop arrived this morning. Thanks be to God !"
Bishop Bayley for a long time had the thought of building a cathedral and an episcopal residence. For this purpose various properties had been bought and abandoned, one of which was on the corner of High and Kinney streets. Finally a site was se- lected on the south side of Lincoln Park. This created great enthusiasm among Catholics, and the cathedral fund already estab- lished received considerable increase. Elaborate plans were drawn by the great architect Pugin, but it was found that to execute these magnificent and stately designs would require millions of dollars. August 21st, 1869, the corner-stone of the cathedral chapel of Our Lady and St. Patrick was laid by the Very Rev. Dr. Corrigan, administrator of the diocese.
This, however, was a beginning whose ultimate end was not
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to be consummated in that section of the city. The reasons therefor are given in a letter of Bishop Bayley, dated December, probably of 1870-71 :
BISHOP'S HOUSE, NEWARK, December.
REV. AND DEAR SIR: As the clergy and people of the diocese have to a certain extent assisted me in securing lots for the con- templated cathedral, and are all interested in the matter, it seems to me proper that I should inform them of the reasons why I have sold the lots on South Park and purchased others.
We paid originally for the lots on South Park $ 52,000, and owing to assessments and taxes they have cost us up to the pres- ent $72,000. The collections in the diocese and annual picnic in Newark for this purpose have amounted to $ * * * altogether, so that we still owed, after years upon the land, the sum of $43,000. Owing to the paving of the broad streets in the vicinity of the property, the assessments of the coming year will not fall short of $20,000. Owing to these circumstances, and the fact that the Catholic portion of the inhabitants are not very numerous in that vicinity, nor likely to be, it seemed to me that it would be very difficult to retain the property and build a proper cathedral upon it. I therefore determined to sell it and purchase elsewhere. I obtained for the property $153,500, nearly three times the original purchase money, twice as much as it cost us altogether, and I have purchased on the hill in the Eighth Ward, near a large Cath- olic population, a lot 200 feet by 800, having a front on both Fifth and Sixth avenues, for $60,000. I have thus been enabled to pur- chase a lot for the chapel, pay the debt, obtain a large, commo- dious situation, and leaving, after paying charges and assessments, a small surplus. What I have done was with the approval of sev- eral priests of the diocese and intelligent laymen, and I think it will meet with the approval of all. It relieves the diocese from a great burden in paying for the land, and enables us to have a clear ground and a fair start to erect a cathedral and episcopal resi- dence.
The verdict of the people was against the bishop's action, and the chagrin of many still exists. No one certainly could have foreseen the changes which have been wrought in Newark, and the move, if a mistake, was made in good faith and for the best interests of the diocese. Branch Brook Park has absorbed the large Catholic population, and thousands of Catholics are living around South Park. The purchasers of the cathedral property were unable to make good their promises, and during the adminis- tration of two bishops it was a source of anxiety and expense.
January 29th, 1872, Bishop Bayley published the last Pastoral he was to address to the Catholics of the Newark diocese:
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. The topics I intend to dwell upon have nothing new about them; they are as old as our religion, but experience teaches us that they need to be constantly recalled to mind. There is noth- ing that shows more clearly the weakness and fickleness of our poor fallen nature than the slight hold that the most sacred and important truths have upon us, unless they be constantly repeated.
And in the first place let me urge upon you the obligation of adhering with all your mind and soul to the principles and teach- ings of your holy religion. Remember that God in all his om- nipotence cannot confer upon any one a more precious gift than that of faith. "It has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." When it dwells in our souls and regu- lates our lives, it makes all the rough places smooth and gives us peace in life and at the hour of our death. Reject with horror the words so common in the mouths of men in our days, that it makes no matter what a man believes, "so long as his life is right "; such assertions as these involve a denial that God has made any revelation of his will to men. A man's life can be right before God only when he believes all that God has revealed and "observes all that he has commanded him." It may sound very fine and liberal to say that "a man's creed cannot be wrong whose life is in the right," and that "all that is necessary is to be just "; but these sentences are but the expression of an ill-con- cealed infidelity. There must be a standard of right and justice to fix the exact weight and meaning of these expressions, and if they do not come up to that standard which God has given us, then they are worth nothing. "Unless your justice," says our blessed Lord, "exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you can- not enter the kingdom of heaven"! But remember also that a right faith can profit you nothing, unless it brings forth in you the fruit of a good life. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." It cannot be denied that the great obstacle to the progress of our religion in this country is not the prejudices and misrepresentations of those who oppose it, but the wicked lives of so many who profess to believe in it. And when we reflect how pure and holy that religion is, and how good and virtuous our lives would be if we ordered them by its pre- cepts, we must be convinced that the greatest enemy of God and his revealed truth is a bad and scandalous Catholic. We cannot too often call to mind and meditate upon that simple but most important truth so often repeated to us, that in order to be in favor with God and lay up treasure in heaven we must live in a state of grace, by avoiding sin and the occasions of sin, and by making a good use of the most holy sacraments of the Church, by which, in the words of the Council of Trent, "all true justice be- gins, or being begun is increased, or being lost is restored."
The first particular subject to which I wish to call your at- tention is that of Christian marriage. I would urge upon the clergy that they often recall to your minds the teachings of your religion and the enactments of the Church upon this most impor-
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tant matter, and I would remind you that you are bound to lay to heart these teachings, so wise in themselves, so full of advantage to you and to human society, and yet which are so often neglected. There is no institution of our religion about which the Church has been so solicitous from the beginning; none in regard to which she has made more exact laws, or for which she has suffered greater injuries and losses, in order to preserve its sacredness and integrity. As instituted by God and regulated by his Church, Christian marriage is the basis of almost everything that is good and happy in this world. If all Christians recognized its true character and the solemn responsibilities which it imposes as they ought to do, if in choosing a helpmate for life, in preparing for and entering upon this holy state, they acted prudently and intelli- gently, if after marriage they took care that their households should be Christian households, how different would be the state of things amongst us !
There is one point fortunately upon which the law of God and the Church is so strong that you cannot break it. You cannot obtain a divorce and get married again. One of the most fruitful sources of evil to the community in our days is the facility of divorce, and you ought to thank God that you can have nothing to do with it. "What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." No matter what free-lovers and strong-minded women in their folly may say about it, its permanent character is essential to every object of Christian marriage and the foundation of all that is really good in it.
Whilst human nature remains what it is, the marriage state, like everything else in this world, will have its trials and difficul- ties; but a person is unworthy of the name of a Christian who, instead of bearing with them and turning them to good, endeavors like a coward to run away from them. We cannot and we ought not to try to escape from the trials of life. We have to bear with the peculiarities of all that we have anything to do with, and they with ours. It is in this way that we grow in Christian virtue. And in no condition of life should you bear more cheerfully any sacrifice that may be required of you than in the marriage state, because its permanent and enduring character is not only essential to your own good, but to the good of the family and of the com- munity of which you form a part.
In connection with this subject I have to express my regret and sorrow at the increased frequency of mixed marriages among us. There is nothing that shows more clearly how much the true idea of Christian marriage has become weakened in the minds of our people. It is religion that gives its character and sanctity to marriage. It doubles its happiness and takes away half of its sorrows; and to marry a person who has no religion or who differs from you on this all-important point can be regarded only as a sort of practical heathenism. It is to ignore the very end of the marriage union, which is to bring up children in the fear and love of God. What sort of a marriage is that in which God may be
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said to have no part, when parents do not even kneel down to pray together, when all instruction to their children of a religious character is either neglected or, if attempted, by its conflicting character produces doubt and indifference ?
I was so much struck by some words of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland in a decision which he gave last summer, in a case for the guardianship of the children of a mixed marriage of this sort, that I made a copy of them and will repeat them to you here. The dispute was between relatives of the two deceased parents, one side wishing to bring the children up as Catholics, and the other as Protestants. In such cases the chancellor is obliged to examine the children personally, as the decision is made to turn upon their own choice when they are old enough to make one. In giving an account of his interview with them he says: "The spectacle was a very sad one. The simple cloudless confidence of childhood, adhering joyously to religion, as expounded and made dear to them by loving parents, had been broken up by struggling influence and transmuted into premature and desolat- ing doubt." Alas for such parents ! and I may say still more, alas for such children! the innocent victims of the folly and want of Christian principle of those who ought to have trained them up from their infancy in faith and virtue and all good conduct. In immediate connection with this matter, I must say a few words to you upon a subject which I have so often dwelt upon in my pas- toral letters and at the time of my visitation of parishes-the Christian education of the young. This includes two things, Christian education at home and Christian education in the school. Of these Christian education at home is the most impor- tant. There is no responsibility before God so heavy as that of Christian parents in this matter. Upon them depends for the most part the destiny of their children for time and for eternity. The peculiar character and conduct of every one depend chiefly upon the influences which surround them in early life. "As the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." The education of a child, in the full and proper sense of the word, may be said to commence from the moment it opens its eyes and ears to the sights and sounds of the world about it, and of these sights and sounds the words and example of parents are the most impressive and the most enduring. Of all lessons those learned at the knees of a good mother sink the deepest into the mind and heart and last the longest. Many of the noblest and best men that ever lived and adorned and benefited the world have declared that, under God, they owed everything that was good and useful in their lives to the love of virtue and truthfulness and piety and the fear of God instilled into their hearts by the lips of a pious mother. If every one of our households, no matter how poor and humble, were what they ought to be, religious Christian households, what a different state of things would we see about us !
But though the duties and responsibilities of parents in this matter are the heaviest and most important for themselves and
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for society of all others, yet there are none which are more neglected. In our busy, exacting days parents have no time and apparently little disposition to attend to their children. The poor have to work too hard during the day and are too fond of drink- ing houses in the evening; and the better classes, as they are called, gad about too much and are too fond of amusements to attend to these matters. The consequences are that the old-fash- ioned Christian family may be said to have almost ceased to exist among us.
It is on this account, among others, that it has become of such paramount importance to have in every parish good Christian schools. The best of schools, it is true, can never adequately make up for the want of good religious homes, but it is to them we must look for the only remedy to the evil, so far as it can be supplied. I would earnestly exhort the pastors of souls to spare no exertions to establish these schools and watch over them them- selves with the greatest solicitude, and I would exhort all Cath- olics to shrink from no sacrifice in order to have them in their midst. A parish without such schools does not deserve the name, and can bring little consolation to the hearts of either priest or people.
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