THE WORK OF THE LAITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1940, 24 December 1913, Page 11

THE WORK OF THE LAITY.

Tho Bishop of Salford opened the twenty-second session of tlw Manchester branch of the Catholic Trust- Society in the Holy Name Hall with im. uddress. Looking hack ever the ten. years which have passed siuco the accession of Pope Pins X to the Pontificate, reports tho "Manchester Guardian," tho Bishop said that-iin the Jong list of Roman pontiffs there vcroi'ow names that would stand out more illustrious, more venerated in history than his. In the same period, tho Bishop pointed out, tho Cardinal Archbishop (Dr. Bourne) had s-ucceed«'l Cardinal Vaughan, am) he had himself been called upon to fill the vacancy in the Seo of Salford. At that time he had prophesied that the present century would be one of the laity. , Tho present Pope, he reminded them, had in every way encouraged the active and constant co-operation of tho lait.v with tho clergy in all the religious and social work of the _Church. Apart from'the great societies which were pre-existing, th'n Bishop cited tho many Catholic organisations which had arisen within the decade in this country—some originating in Salford. Ho mentioned, among others,_ the Catholic Federation and' theCatholic Confederation, the National Conference of Catholic. Trade- Unionists, the Catholic Women's League, the Catholic Heading Guild, the Catholic Social Guild, tho Catholic Record Society, tho Catholic Boys' Brigade and tho Catholic Scouts, the Catholic Medical Guild, and tho Catholic Stage Guild. There had been in ten years an enormous development in tho organisation of tho Catholic laity, men and women, in all that affected tho interests of tlm Catholic Church. It was a happy omeft that they should be about to celebrate the linttpv feyent of tho selection of their first Catholic Lord Mayor of Manchester. If they wanted a bright example of all that could be accomplished in citizen life, without sacrifice of priucinle, hut rather the intensification of religious principles and religious life, it would be found in tho career of tho new Lord Mayor, Mr. Alderman M'Cnbc.