The Paulists: An American Community

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The Paulists:
An American Community
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New York
THE PAULIST LEAGUE
4J5 West 59th Street
J925
THE author of the following pages is a
F;~nch priest: \
,
who wrote them for a French periodical, L'A etion
Polmiai1'e (August 25, 1924). They have been adapted
and annotated by Dr. John Elliot Ross, the Paulist
Father, whose Ethics is so widely known and praised.
It is interesting and consoling to read what a traveler
from Europe reports to his own people about a religious
community so distinctively . American - as the Paulist
Fathers.
- The Abbe Alphonse Lugan, who writes this report, is ..."
distinguished as a preacher "ili ·Paris, which is hi s home,
and as a man of letters. B~ is a prolific contributor to
French, Belgian, Spanish, and English periodicals, and
the author of a long list of books. His L'Egotisme
H~!1nain has been awarded special honor~ by the French
Academy.
L' Abbe Lugan is traditionally sympathetic with . the
aims of th e Paulist Fathers. Formerly a professor of
philosophy, he has a special interest in the application
of Christian principles to social and political probleins".
He is an ardent Republican and looks to America for
demonstration of his faith in the ultimate wisdom and
righteousness of a sovereign free people.
]. M. H .
aeactdified
The Paulists: An American Community'
THERS -Hecker; Walworth, , Hewit,
,;Deshon, and B~ker; alL Americans and
converts to Catholicism, founded the Pall listsi!} 1858, ' They had previously been _
Redemptorists, But they sep'a rated, with ,
the approbation ,'pf Rome, _from the Gei-man . Redempt~r- ,
ists residi~g in the United States, because they had been
refus~d permission to found a house where English could
" j5:e spoken, where American-" novices could be attracted,
and whe'l:e, above -all, th~~ G,oll-ld conse.crate themselves to
" the conversion of Protestants.
This initial fact, whereof was born the Congregation
of the Paulists, places and explains them. They made
,
,
IThe Osservatore Romano, the official organ of the Vatican.
published on October 25, 1924, a summary of the Abbe Lugan's
article with the following comment:
"Force seems to be dominant in the United States at th e present day. Deeds of violence occur which do little credit to America's boast of being the classic Land of Liberty.
"On the other hand, there a're organizations quietly and tireless ly
laboring to check and control the anarchy menacing society. It is
a comfort to record the indefatigable activity of the Paulists , who
with characteristically American ene rgy strive at all costs to instill the grace of Christianity into the feverish soul of their
country,
"Very recently, in L'Action PoplIlaire, th e Abbe Lugan published an interesting and noteworthy article on the Paulists, a modern community of American priests, consecrated to the work of
explaining the teachings of the Catholic Church to their fellow
countrymen,"
3
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
and still are making an effort to adapt Catholic religious
work to the special and relatively new conditions of life
in the United States.
Freed by the Holy See from obedience to the Redemptorist superiors, Father Hecker wrote from Rome
to his companions in December, 1857: "Our new society
would .embody in its life what is good in the American
pe'ople in the natural order and adapt itself to answer
the great wants of our people in the spiritual order." A
little later, his ideas were yet more precisely formed.
After the Archbishop of New York, Most Reverend
John Hughes, had approved the Paulist rule (J t1ly 7,
1858), "without finding it necessary to omit or to add a
single word, or to change anything," F ather Hecker
stated clearly his ideas on the mission of the new society:
"So far as is compatible with faith and piety, I am
for accepting the American civilization, with its usages
and customs; leaving aside other reasons, it is the only
way by which Catholicity can become the religion of our
people. The character and spirit of our people, and their
institutions, must find themselves at home in our Church
in the way those of other nations have done; and it is on
this basis alone that the Catholic religion can make progress in our country. . . . The Catholic Church will,
therefore, flourish all the more in this republican country
in proportion as her representatives keep, in their civil
life, to the lines of her republicanism" (Quoted in
American Ecclesiastical Review, Sept., 1897).
The two poles of the Paulist character are personal
perfection and · zeal for souls. "Missionary works, parochial work, must be made subordinate to personal perfection, and must be done III View of personal perfection.
4
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
But zeal for souls, labor for the conversion of the coun- try to the Catholic faith by apostolic work, must never be
forgotten. Parish work is a part, an integral part, of
Paulist work, but not its principal or chief work-and
parish work should be done so as to form a part of the
. main aim- the conversion of the non-Catholic people of
.the country" (American Ecclesiastical Review" Sept.,
1897, p. 274).
vVe shall try to show how, in their external activities,
the Paulists have realized this adaptation to Americ().n
needs. It is good for us to know of the Paulist achievements, because sooner or later in Europe similar efforts
must be made to reestablish the contact of religion with
the educated classes and with the maSses of the people.
Who would dare assert that to-day this contact exists?
The example of what the Paulists have accomplished,
suggests to those who see the need of putting new wine
into new bottles, the way to get the -new wine and the
way to find the bottles.
5
, Mis~ionsJor
Catholi~s and Protestants '
'., "The missions of th~ " early Pau1ists,' i'nio'whitli went
Father' Heckeri~eritire' heart, aro~1sed the co\mtry: " TO~
day',' after thirtj or ' thirty~five years, they ' are felberriberel
as" e~ehts"'wherever tliey: were pteach~tl."" ,Thus~ 'w,i"ot~:
Archbisnbp' Irela:nd : of St',' Paul,' l'ih the 'iriftoductiQn to '
1'he' Life 'o f Fatlier Hecker;'by Father Waiter Eili6tf';C.S,p:f
It was , one of these tnissions, preached :'in :N ewOi~
kans"'by "th'e ltttuTe ' PauHsts' while ' they '
stili" Re- '
deh1pto'ri~ts'; ' whiCh 'decidecfthe -ftiture Cardin~t1 Gi5boni;'
then emriloyed 'in 'a "gro'tei-Y:, ' to 'e nlh ,Hie s enl {miry in
185'4: " Their influence has incr~ased with increased ' nun{~i
bers,' ' 'the 'Paulists have ' co'n:verted ;~c~res of thottsancis
of Protestants, and brottght bacl< 'multitudes of ' negligent ~ Cathollcs ' to ihepl'actice of ' religion arid good
living,
'
, "
wete-
The 'missions they conducted in the same spirit as
when they were Redemptorists, They followed,-as the
Pattlist Community still continues to follow,-substantially the same method, "But the Paulists did not fai l
to bring out the qualities and call for the peculiar virtues . demanded by Divine Providence in these times,
Their preaching was distinguished hy appeals to manliness and intelligence, as well as to the virtues distinctly
supernatural. The people were not only edified by their
z,eal and religious discipline, but the more observant were
attracted by the Paulists' freedom of spirit, and by their
constant insistence on the use of the reasoning faculties
to guide the emotions aroused by the sermons, The missionaries were men of active independence, and their religious influence was productive of the same quality. Great
attention was paid to doctrinal instructions. As to spe-
6
THE PAULISTS: AN AMER1CAN COMMUNITY
cial devotions, the Paulists never had any to propagate,
though competent and willing to assist the pastor in his
own choice of such subsidiary religious aids" CElliott,
Life of Father Hecker, p. 327).
The Paulists, however, did not confine themselves to
missions. They '~ombined parochial and ' missi~n<lry work,
a,;d each of these helped the other. For "Th~ 'missionary," says Father Elliott, ' imak~s an efficient parish priest.
Accustomed to severe labor as well as to very moderate
recreation. he pours the energy, of .apostolic zeal into parochial <:hannels. A high order of preaching is often the
result, combined with tireless application to visiting the
sick, hunting up sinners, and hearing confessions. On
the other, hand , the experience of regular parish duty is
, 6f assistance to the missi~nary when he returns , to his
'apostolic expeditions,' as Pius lX. called them" (Ibid.,
p. 326).
" ,
Since 1893: the 'Paulists hav~ exte~ded their influei.1~e by organizing bands of secular priest's fo'r ~issions
to non-Catholics. "I would help Catholics with ' my left
hand," Father Hecker 'h~d said, "but Protestants with my
right hand .''' Eight missions ,were preacheci th~t year in
Michigai1, for the most pat:t in public halls. They ~enred
to diminish greatly the prejudices ~gainst , Catholicism,
apd to in~rease conversions. ' Books and' pamphlets . ~ere
distriquted grat·uitously.
'
.
This success suggested to the Paulists the ' plan of
choosing, with the consent of the Bishop, se~ular priests
who in their respective dioce~es' would continue the work
of the l1Jissions to non-Catholics. A first group ,of three
diocesan missionaries dedicated to this special 5ask , was
orga~ized in Cleveland in 1894. The follo~ing year the
7
THE PAULISTS: AN AMER1CAN COMMUNITY
Paulists opened another campaign in Pittsburgh, a camp
of sectarian Protestantism, and so consoling were the results, that the Bishop chose two of his priests to continue
the work. A Brief of the Pope warmly encouraged these
missions to non-Catholics. To-day, there are diocesan
missionaries devoted exclusively to the conversion of
Protestants in more than fifteen American dioceses, and
similar organizations have been estabiished in England
and Australia.
To centralize and consolidate the activity of these various bands, the Paulists created The Catholic Missionary
Union.2 The President of the Board of Directors is the
Cardinal Archbishop of New York. The headquarters
are at the Apostolic Mission House, Washington, where
new missionaries are trained under the exclusive guidance of the Paulists.
Since March, 1896, The Catholic Missionary Union has
had an organ of its own, The Missionary, a 32-page illustrated monthly, designed to arouse zeal for conversions
and to raise money for missionary expenses. The subscription price is $3.00 a year. It has been wonderfully
'successful, has stirred up widespread enthusiasm for the
conversion of America, and brings in sufficient funds to
support numerous missionaries in places where Catholics
are too few and too poor to bear the cost of missions to
their neighbors.
In addition to thus appealing to the diocesan clergy,
which is more numerous, more widely distributed, more
permanent in residence, the Paulists also desire the help
2The Cathol'ic Missionary Union is ready to subsidize missionaries in any part of the country who are engaged in giving
missions to non-Catholics.
8
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
of the laity. Catholic laymen are the relatives, friends,
and neighbors of the Protestant multitude. These laymen
by contributing money, by distributing literature, by advertising the missions among their acquaintances, and by
other means, can mightily promote the movement of conversIOn. The Paulists have even considered the advisability of employing some of these laymen as lecturers,
having reason to believe that, with proper safeguards,
some educated lay persons could serve religion in this way
with eminent success.
The Paulists have been in the forefront of the fight
against intemperance. "Their propaganda in favor of
sobriety has been carried on through sermons, through
tracts, through letters to the public press, through articles
in their own publications, through petitions to the legislature, through action at the polls, through persuasion
made to rum sellers to forsake the dangerous business,
throl1gh advice given in the confessional, through the
formation of total abstinence societies, and through the
establishment of the Temperance Publication Bureau with
its periodical called Temperance Truth. This persistent,
Briarean, powerful and enthusiastic opposition of theirs
to one of the most ravenous occasions of sin in our
country and our people, fostered esteem for the cardinal
virtue of temperance, edified our Puritanical neighbors,
strengthened the cause of total abstinence, and smoothed
the way for part of the legislation and of the pastoral
letter of the last Plenary Council of Baltimore. It was
also like a courier heralding the coming of the letter of
approval by the Holy See of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America" (American Ecclesiastical Review, Sept., 1897, p. 277).
9
A Mpdel
Parish
In ,New York the Paulists ' have established a mode!
parish. I saw them at. work there during three weeks
when they offered me a ·kind and generous hospitality; the
mel,TIoryof which is very dear to. 'me.
Their vast church, a little sombre, perhaps, is ' harmonious in proportions and has unobtrusive 'and tasteful
decorations. The main altar is imposing. When the edi2 '.
fice is filled with worshippers, as on Sunday during the
eleven o'c1o,ck Solemn Mass, it is a beautiful ' sight . . 1
was struck by the exactitude, the regularity, the 'gravity
of the religious ceremonies conducted ' by the Paulists.
The mere sight of, the priests and their assistants inspired
devotion. They behaved not as persons going through a -'
certain routine, btlt as actors' conscious ' of ' participating
in ·a ,great drama. There were no theatrical ' lights, ' no
tawdry ornaments, no' operatic . music or singing. All
was sober, majestic, recollected, Everything aroused love
and respect. The Paulists, years before the ' recommen- .
dation ·of Pius X., had 'already introduced· Gregorian
music into their church, They, have the · most beautiful
and the best organized ;choiF ' in ' America, but they ,were
compelled to give up. the choir school connected with it
beqmse it proved, tob expensive. Thehtmdred boys and:
men who on Sundays and great feasts ·-tfltoned the processionals .and executed -the liturgical chants , :made a profound
impression, {In· the 'worshipers,3
SThe Paulist Oloristers, directed by Fath er William J. Fi1l11;
es,p., are known internationally, and some years ago sang before Pius X. During the war they toured th e country raising
money for French war orphans, and were everywhere acclaimed
as the highest achievement in boy choirs,
10
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
The Paulists introduced, in 1861, the practice of five
minute sermons at all low Masses. They have published
several volumes of these short sermons. At high Mass '
on Sunday they preach about a half hour" ind for these
Jermons choose' their best orators. 0t?- special occasions
they distribute leaflets giving the subjects to be treated
and the names of the preachers. Here are the titles for
the Solemn Masses of the Simdays of October and November, 1923: 4 "Do Catholics Respect Science?" "What
Catholics Think of ,Miracles"; "The Recent Revival of
Paganism"; ' ''Wise in Their Own Conceits"; "What
Catholics Think of the , Public Schools"; "Is Faith Reasonable?" "What Catholics Think of the Pope"; "The
H erea fter ."
At the Sunday evening service, when Solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given, there were
other sermons. The subjects for the month of October,
1923, were: "Why Catholics Honot: the Blessed Virgin"; "What Catholics Think of Evolution"; "The
Teachings of George Bernard Shaw"; "Back to Christ
or to Chaos."
4This series of discourses was called a "Fair Play ~ampaign,"
The following clipping illustrates the publicity they received in
the secular press: "Realizing that the Catholic points of view on
ma:1Y subjects have been sorely misunderstood and misrepresented, '
both inside and outside the Catholic Church, the Paulist Fathers
have announced what 'they call a campaign in the interests of
'fair play.' It is to be conducted by means of special lectures,
sermons, and pulpit dialogues to take place in ,the' :Paulist Church,
'Nest F ifty-ninth Street, New York, every Sunday morning and
evening during the next three months and by means of pamphlets and leaflets dealing with the matters in question, which
will be distributed." Then follows a list of the questions.
11
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
Quite frequently pulpit dialogues are ~onducted at these
evening services. Opposite the permanent pulpit, which is
on the side of the church at the middle column, a temporary pulpit is erected. One priest explains the position of
the Church and the other proposes current objections.
During the month of November, 1923, they threshed out
in this way the following questions: May the Church
Interfere in Politics? What Catholics Think of Secret
Societies; What Catholics Think of Mixed Marriages;
What Catholics Think of Divorce.
From time to time during the year, as in Lent and
Advent, the Paulists give lectures upon subjects of living
interest, bearing upon religion. In 1923, from the
twenty-first to the twenty-eighth of October, Father
Gillis, Editor of The Catholic World, spoke every evening at eight, and on Sunday morning at eleven, on the
following subjects: "The Recent Revival of Paganism";
"George Bernard Shaw: The Devil's Disciple"; "H. G.
Wells: The Omniscient"; "Sigmund Freud: Dreams
and Suppressed Desires"; "Conan Doyle: Ghosts,
Fairies, Ectoplasms"; '~Friedrich Nietzsche: The Blond
Beast-the Superman"; "Ernest Haeckel: Beyond Darwin"; "Wise in Their Own Conceits"; "Back to Christ
or to Chaos."5
I heard these lectures. The church was packed almost to the remotest corners. The sympathetic and
close attention of the numerous audience-over 3,000
persons-astonished me. A good proportion, I was assured, were non-Catholics. In the back of the church, in
5Most of these lectures are being published in book form by
the Macmillan Company under the title, "False Prophets." The
book is on their sprin~ list.-(Translator's Note.)
12
'IHE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
a place well exposed to view, was a box, known as the
"Question Box," in which people were invited to deposit
questions. One priest is especially detailed to answer the
questions in this interesting letter box of souls. Before
the lecture, he gives briefly the information desired.
13
The ,A.postolate of the Press
Father Hecker understood very keenly the need of
the apostolate of the press. At one time he had the idea
of founding a congregation of women to help the Paulists in their multitudinous works, and especially in their
work of the press.
In April, 1865, appeared the first issue of The Catholic World.6 Since that date it has been a magazine ' of
weight and influence , putting before the American public
the claims and the doctrines of Catholics. It has published on all sorts of subjects important articles distingui shed by a profound religious sense and by a moderate
tone. The Catholic World has always disdained the commercial blurb. Noted for its devotion to the Church, it
has, also, within the limits of a rigorous orthodoxy and
without the fanfaronade of a false patriotism, unhesitatingly shown its attachment to the free institutions of
America.
In 1866, the Paulists organized the Catholic Publication Society, a missionary -enterprise to publish at cost
books and pamphlets written for the instruction of Catholics and the enlightenment of non-Catholics. They induced the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore to adopt
the Society and to pass a decree directing the Bishops to
establi sh branches of it and to take up a collection for it
annually, or make other suitable provision for its devel6The Catholic World, a monthly magazine, at present unde r
th e brilliant edito rship of Father James M. Gillis, es.p., and
published at 120 West 60th Street, New York, is without doubt
th e leading Catholic monthly of the English-speaking world. It
is solid, yet thoroughly readable. Sample copies are sent on request. Subscription, $4.00 a year.-(Translator's Note.)
14
" I
THE PAULIST'S : AN'AMERICAN COM~UNI'iy "
cipment. It did produce tracts, pamphlets, and books of
great service .to the cause of religio~ . Millions of cORies"
were distributed, but not receiving the support that had
been anticipated, it ~as turned over entirely fo lay man- '
agement and a few years ago finally collapsed.
, In 1917, the work of distributiiIg 'literature was organized by The Catholic Unity League, dtle to the initiative of
Father Bertrand Conway, C.S.P. In July of that year he
arranged at New York a meeting of three Knights of Columbus who, since 1915, had shown themselves especially
zealous for the conversion of non-Catholics by the promotion of leCtures anef the distribution of books. He suggested to them the idea of an organization which would as~ ,
sure four or five series of lectures every yea'r and procure
for inquirers the books and pamphlets they desired. The
League now counts not less than 7,000 members,of
whom six are archbishops, thirty a,re: bishops, and three
hundred ai'e priests. Any Catholic can become a member by paying $1 , a year. To meet the demand for '
Catholic books in the United States and Canada, it 'has
established a lending library of books on all questions of
Catholic interest. It has more than 3,000 books and
10,000 pamphlets. This is essentially a lending library.
The borrowers have only to pay the postage. ' A book
may be kept two weeks, or longer if requested. The
pamphlets distributed are not returned. They are given
to non-Catholics who wish to read ,them. In the six
years of existence; the League has held 22 public meetings in the Hotel Astor. At the first meeting in 1917,
about a hundred members welcomed the speakers. At
the meeting in 1923 the large ballroom of the Astor Hotel was filled to overflowing, while over 1,000 were un-
15
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
able to obtain admittance. Since 1917, the League has
spent over $28,000 for the spread of the Faith. Most
of this money was spent fqr the 80,000 books and 265,000 pamphlets distributed gratis. 7
In 1870, the Paulists started The Young Catholic, an
illustrated biweekly, which was intended to do for the
children what The . Catholic World did for their elders.
It was the first Catholic magazine 'of this kind in the
United States and it kept its place until recently, even in
the face of the half-dozen competitors which have appeared in the same field. s
At one time the Paulists had the idea of founding a
daily newspaper. Father Hecker made the attempt in
1871 to acquire a well-known New York paper, which
at that time could have been bought for $300,000. He
had raised part of this sum when his health began to
fail, and the project was abandoned.
In 1892, the Fathers installed a printing plant of
7J'he Paulist League founded in 1925 is an organization of lay
people affiliated to the Paulist Community and under the official
control of the Superior General and his Consultors. Its aim is to
cooperate with' the Paulist Fathers in the effort to teach the truth
about the Catholic Church to the non-Catholic population of the
United States and Canada. This it does mainly by the distribution of literature, the organizing of lectures and missions for nonCatholics, and such other activities as facilitate the spread of the
true faith among those outside the fold.
Literature pertaining to the aim and activities of the Paulist
League, and membership cards may be obtained upon request
directed to the League at 415 West 59th Street, New York City.
sThe Young Catholic was succeeded by The Leader. This latter
was discontinued recently, but plans are being pushed to revive it
as a Paulist medium of popular apologetics and missionary endeavor.
16
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
their own in a building adjoining their residence in New
York. I t comprises editorial offices, composing and
printing rooms, bindery, store rooms, etc., and the press
work is particularly carefu1. 9
9In January, 1924, a considerable sum was spent by the Paulist
Community to improve and reorganize their printing department
and .bring it to a high point of efficiency. Few printing plants in
New York City afford more cheerful, cleaner or more wholesome
surroundings, than those enjoyed by the more than 35 employees
of the Paulist Press.
Millions of pamphlets and mission booklets have been turned
out by the Press and are being shipped to all parts of the world,
orders being received frequently from such remote sections as the
African Gold Coast, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America. Every effort is being made to increase
the scope of pamphlet distribution, and toward that end thousands
of book racks have been sent out by the Press at little more than
cost, to help pastors display pamphlets in their churches.
The Paulis~ Press has the distinction of publishing the
most widely circulated Catholic book in English-barring the
Bible and possibly "The Following of Christ." This is Father
Conway's Question Box, of which over 2,000,000 copies have
been sold. This book consists of questions received on missions
to non-Catholics and the answers. Father Conway, who has given
hundreds of missions all over the United States and Canada, has
received more than 5,000 converts. A catalogue of books and
pamphlets published by the Paulist Press will be sent on request.
The address is 401 West 59th Street, N ew York.
As the Paulist Fathers were pioneers in the use of the press, so
they are pioneers in using the radio. They have already broad- .
casted sermons and lectures over existing stations, and now, with
the hearty approval of Cardinal Hayes, they are making arrangements to erect a station of their own. This will be as powerful
as any in existence, and will enable the Paulist Fathers to address
an audience of several million persons. The station will probably
be named WPL, and is to be in operation some time during 1925.
17
Newman Clubs at Non-Sectarian Universities
Many Catholic students in the United States attend
the secular universities, sometimes because they believe
this to be the best way of assuring their ' position in life.
Until recently, these students were overlooked, and many
of them lost both faith and ' morality; To help to prevent these grave consequences, several Bishops have invited the Paulist Fathers to establish at the universities
"N ewman Clubs" wherein the young people have the advantage of association with companions of the same
faith, and the ' use of recreation rooms and libraries:
The ' Paulist Father in charge of the club supervise$ its
actlvities. 10
lOThe Paulist Fathers have nO' colleges af their awn. N evertheless, they are an impartant factar in the higher educatian af
Cathalics. Far they are chaplains to' the Cathalic students at the
Universities af Calumbia, TarantO', Minnesata, Califarnia, Texas,
. and the Callege af ·the City afNew Yark. The number afCath-"aIics in these institutians is probably mare than a faurth af the
. tatal number af Cathalic students in all the Cathalic calleges ·and
universities in the ·cauntry.
Of-caurse, the ideal is that we shauld have the very best universities ii1 the country, and that they shauld be heartily sup,parted by ·Cathalics. But· as a . matter af fact, mor'e than halfprabably. 'cans.iderably mare than . half-a·£' · the Cathalics in calleges ar universities are im nan-Catholic ·institutians.
Realizing' that ..Cathalics wiIl gO' to ·nan-Cathalic cO' lieges in
large numbers, variaus bishaps have made arrangements to' ' laak
after the .religiaus interests af such students. The PauIisls' have
.. received requests fram a number af them to' ·undertake this wark,
and· have accepted the chaplaincies at the six institutians enumerated. With. their fresh autlaak, expert acquaintance with Cathalic
apalagetics, tharaugh sympathy with the American spirit; and :tact
in . ·dealing 'w ith nan-Cathalics, the Paulists are recagnized as
peculiarly fitted far this impartant and difficult wark.
At each ' university, the Cathalics are arganized iuta what · is
c;alIed a Newman Club. This has far its abj ect the creatian af· a
18
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
Paulists were among the principal initiators of the
Catholic Summer Schools, which ' correspond somewhat
to our French Semaines sociales) bl,1t have a -greater importance 'a na i much :larger field of action.
.
spii-it of ' solidarity amo~lg Catholics, the affordi~g of re~so l1abl e
social ;<ecreation : under ,Catholic 'auspices" and the £'ostering1: Q£<
religion,
"
.
Thet:e. is no cut , and drie!l method tbaL can be .applied indiscfiminatelyto alf universities, Eadi · one . his ' :its . 'own special
prol~lem s, ' and so the situation demands considerable flex ibility of '
a irang:~lneilf In T exas:' for instanceithe ' Ulli~e rs'ity' grants credit
towards Its degrees '· for ,courses . inieligion given by the Paulists.
Special classes are' '9rganized il) religion and apologetiSs, sermOllS
suitable for univers ity students are preached, retreats made,. frequent Communion is encouraged, and Catholic books and magazines
are provi,d ed.
In every instance the chaplain gains tiJe confi,dence of the students, and encourages them to come to him with their difficulties.
I f' they report misstatements on the part of professors, he sug- '
gests th e proper way of handling the situation. But he also
gains the res pect and confidence of the professors by being absolutely fair ,himself ,and zealous for the university's reputa,tion.
The ve,ry ' effectiveness of the P aulists' work is shown by the fa ct
th at they have no lurid stories of bigotry to tell. '
T here are few ' Catholic groups, in fact, that are better pro-'
tccted re.lig iously than those thoroughly organi zed in a Newman
Club. Every youth is being constantly besieged by innumerable
non-Catholic and even anti-Catholic influences- the billboards,
news papers, magaz ines, association with companions, radio-and
the best protection is a preparation to meet th ese influences,
rather than an attempt to avoid them altogether. In a dominantly
non-Catholic country such, as ours, our object must be to develop
immunity, and th e Newman Clubs do that. Some of our, most
effective priests, in fact, have come to us from non-Catholic univers ities. T he Newman Clubs have been a rec ruiting g round,
and three of th e men now in charge of them-Fathers Malone,
O'Brien, and Latchford-were active members in their college
days.-(Translatar's Nate.}
19
A Mobilization of Catholic Forces
It is to a Paulist, the Reverend John J. Burke, that
was due, in large part, the organization which bears the
name of The National Catholic Welfare Conference.
Here are the conditions under which it came into
being:
"When America mobilized, the necessity immediately
became apparent of combining the .diverse organizations
of the country. Two days after the declaration of war,
the Archbishops in their annual meeting in Washington
had adopted the formal resolutions which were transmitted to President Wilson, pledging their subjects to
the service of the nation as 'one man.'
"The promise had to be fulfilled to the letter. That
the Catholic body was eager to fulfill it was not in question. Nevertheless, the problem of uniting the diverse
works, of coordinating the forces so as to insure cooperation with the government as 'one man,' demanded a
solution. The Knights of Columbus and other Catholic
organizations immediately formed plans to undertake
work from a national viewpoint among Catholic soldiers
and sailors. Their example was an inspiratIon, but the
question of uniting all Catholic organizations remained.
The problem became the more complex in proportion to
the desire of the individual societies to help, and wellmeant efforts often became embarrassing to the Knights
of Columbus, who had been immediately recognized by
the government as the official organization .of American
Catholic interests.
20
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
"Father John J. Burke, of the Paulists, had a large
share in the solution of the problem. As founder of The
Chaplains' Aid Association, he had quickly learned the
value of organization, and he suggested to Cardinals
Gibbons, O'Connell, and Farley, a general meeting of
Catholic associations and societies in order to unify and
render more efficacious the contribution of Catholics to
the needs of the country.
"The proposal was approved. Each Bishop was invited to send one clerical and one lay delegate to the
meeting, and each recognized society of the Church was
asked to select two representatives. At this congress,
held at the University in Washington, August 11th and
12th, 1917, the whole situation was completely discussed,
individual ambitions were subordinated to the common aim, and the National Catholic War Council was born."
This Council, adapted to the needs of peace under
circumstances which I do not have to explain here, still
has Father John J. Burke, es.p., as General Secretary,
but has changed its title to The National Catholic Welfare Conference.
*
*
*
*
The principal works created and sustained by the zeal
of the Paulists have a marked American character.
Interference in strictly political matters is excluded. They
love in their people the qualities of independence, fair
play, earnestness in business, and they tell them so.
They never associate themselves with the passions of a'
party under pretext of defending dogma or morals. All
noble causes, all devotedness to justice, right, liberty,
21
THE ,PAULISTS: AN .AMERICAN , C0MMUNrIY .
ftMeinity, toieniilce, are assured Df their ' applause , and
approbation. ll
,.' llThe.-Paulists ' have. one very-large, parish in the heart of New ""~~_
York,., at 59th Street a.~d Columbvs 'Avenue, where a congrega- ~
tion6f .14,006 p'eople 'is served by ~ight priests, ' In adciitioil;'
sev~h ' ~issiona:ries' and the general' ,officers 'of the ' Gnmi1Ul1ily: \
niaking, altogether; twehty~one priests, live att1i1s .Mother House.
Be'sides this, there is another Paulist :.parish at ,.207th Stt;eet and ,
B.l'oadway which ,promises some day to eclips'e the original ,foundation. :, Ther~ , are . parishes , and mission bands', . i;1 , Chlcago,
Toront.~, S~n fr<l~cisco, Portland ,(Oregon), and' Wil~ch~ster (Tel;~
nessee) ; with : the university parishes ii1 MInneapolis and Austin"
(Texas),; and ' Newman Clubs for Coltlmbia 'University, the College of the City of New York, ' C;lifbrnia (Berkeley), and '
Toronto, His Holiness, Benedict XV., very apprbpriately placed
the Paulists in 'charge of ' Santa Snsanna, the church for Americans
in Rome. The ,Apostolic Mission House at the Catholic University
completes the list of Paulist foundqtions.
At present, the Paulists n~mber 80 priests a~d '44 candidates , .
The Paulists have grown slowly because their ideal is ' high and
they need a special type of man. Their opportunities for work
are far in excess of their numbers and they can employ innumerable recruits,
When a candidate is rec,eived, if he hilS . completed his high
school work he goes for a yearof spiritual training, to the Novitiate. This is a splendid site in the mounta'ins of Ne~ Jersey, about
forty mil es from New York. If the candidate has not finished
high school, arrangements are made for him either 'to attend
a , good preparatory seminary near his home, or to study under
the ilTJmediate .directionof the Paulists. After the Novitiate of
a year, the student goes to the J uniol'ate in Washington and
takes-or completes-his college work ' at the Catholic University.
At the end of his college 'course he enters the Paulist Studentate
in Washington for philosophy and theology.
Ambitious students are assigned to do additional work, and to
secure advanced degrees at the Catholic University, in subjects
that will be useful in the'i r apostolic life. Usually, at least olle
22
THE PAULISTS: AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
student from each class is sent to Rome after ordination for fur" ther study.
. _
_
The Paulist Community makes a special appeal to American
men thinking of the priesthood. Archb ishop Ireland called Fathet
Hecker "the typical American priest," and this same stamp is on
the whole C::ommunity, The Paulists "are t;pical American priests,
and the"ii il'iQ~ou'gnly Americ~n s-pirlt ' give s them ~ 'fio'id on the
sympathies of the American people that can be obtained in no
other way. Those interested may obt,ain further information by
writing to the ' Superior" GeneraJ,-at 415 West 59th Streef, New
York City.
.,
.'
23
..
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