ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 924, 17 September 1910, Page 9

ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN ENGLAND.

FIRST NATIONAL CONGRESS. The first National 'Catholic Congress at Leeds is one of iihree events' which ivill send down the 1 year 1910 as - a memorable one in tlie history of; tho Catholic-Church in .IFlngiand (says the "Tablet" on' August ; 6). It should demonstrate to ourselses as well as : to . others that wo have come- out of tho catacombs intto the broad light of day. The suggestion to hold such a .congress was mac'le at Manchester only a year ago by; tho Archbishop of Westminster. It iras a bold venture, but' it lias been moao than justified by ite success. The ;B.rchbishop ■ declared his conviction that i we- could not show in a better way our' appreciation of the position attained: bj .the.-Catholic Truth Society's Conferencjes than "by resolving- to realise now the complete hope of those who first conceived the idea of an annual conference,rand by determining to hold in future a Catholic Congress, in the full sense :of tho word, whqrein all our Catholic- societies, without exception, shall have-.'their place, in order that once, a year all . least' there may be, as it -were/ a revio'w; of all our'forces, and a complete survey of. tho work •which lie's before;Jfiem." The warnith with which, goneisilly speaking,' the .suggestion was. tafcen up gave prompt assurance that it,;was not ill-timed or had fallen- upon .junwilling ears., / The success of tho /gathering. was instant,' . continuous, ; uneq nivocal, - pronounced; Happy in tho awMdent of benignant 'weather in the midst, of. an-uncertain; season', the : cbrigre/ss .can point to an attendance by. any ; similar previoiis gathering,- except, of conrSo, the InternationalSuchanstic;Congress; societies ,' in ;its .deliberations, -'and • though three "of these- held -no; sptaiial meeting; of .their': own, .it is .clear that so, abundant a representation of have helped; to;'.sij/ell the' numbers of thoso'. who'attendi'id. Nor was this largo attendance' confined to the mass meetings. Th'e numerous; sectional, gather-' iugs were well attended. : The Catholic Women's .League;':, never. had anything .short of- a.crowded, room, ami several of the. sectional g f.therings of the various --association's ; ,wero marked l ,by- dis,'cussions of quilte exceptional;:, and. spirited; character•; '. Judged, then, by .the note of atten ilance alone, and that.' i after. allris; perha ps 'the surest sign of, .awakened and ; susrtained ■ interest, - ,, the congress- cannotbe .described ;as anything short' of a , huge success,-The mark, then,- of tbus congress was earnestness and .enthusiasm: These -were the secret of ; its '.Success."