DR. MORAN'S PISTORAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 210, 8 February 1872, Page 6

DR. MORAN'S PISTORAL.

We reprint those pctions of Dr. Moran's pastoral lefctc, which beac upon matters not exclmvely connected with his own Church:— "It is necessary to emind you that the. Society, of Freemsons- is condemned by the' Oli n roll, n ivl .that all its members are' ipsofacto excimrounicated. Should any Catholics, th\n, unfortunatley belong to this Sdciet;. on which has fallen so heavily the aiathema of the Church, we earnestly ex fort them, as they value their salvation to abandon it at once anil for ever • £<x should they continue members of it, she will refuse them her aid while, livng, and deprive them of Christian Imrhl vhen dead. "Your generous and zealous ocoeratioii iii the effort? we are. now miking to establish Catholic schools in this diocese is most edifying and consding, and calls for, our thanks, avA thr thnks of all good Catholics. But it woud bo a grievous error to suppose th-it trough has been done. In truth the worl has only commenced and we must prpare ourselves for long continued, ardious, and self sacrificing efforts in the duse of Christian and Catholic educaion. Never was a genuine Christian eacation more necessary than at the preent time. Science and literature have to a great extent, fallen into the Innd of the enemies of religion and Chrisian civilisation, who are endeavoring to monopolise education, in order to turn it into an instrument for the lestruction of that church, in which a sue men can find salvation. The eftrt, indeed, is in vain, for the Churci is "the pillar and ground of truth" (1 Tim', c. iii. v. 15), and " the gates of Pell shall not prevail against ifc " — (Matt c. xvi v. 18). But there is no securty for \is or for our country, if we neglct our duty, for the promise has been made to the Church — not to any pr. ticnlar people. The highest and bolrsl interests, then, of yourselves and ciildren are bound up in the questiorof education. For you the battle of the Faith >nd of morality is to be fought in the Sctoolroom'. After the Church — wbereii is offered up the adorable sacrifice of Christ's Body and Blood, the s«traments administei-ed, and the Won of GodexpoundeJ — the holiest and mosimportant place on eavfch is the Catdlic Schoolroom, where the mind of ymth is trained and knowledge irupartet, in accordance with the Religion implied by our Divine Redeemer. Scienceand literature and art, in a word, all deiartments of learning— must be macb so many hand-maids of true religion or, in the age in which we live, they will be turned, in the hands of wickec'and unbelieving men, into instrument, for its destruction. There is — there can be-— no real opposition between r-ason and religion, fur both have a onmon origin — both came from God ; bit as, in the words of the Apostle Pe;er. T.he unlearned and unwary wrest evei sacred Scripture to their own destruction, so the ignorant and uneducated easily become a prey to the fallacies of false science and the sophisms of unprincipled • men of genius and learning. The only remedy and safeguard, after grace, "for individuals is to be found in a solid Oatbolic ' education, which is itself a great internal grace. Be convinced then, "that for you the- baDtle of the Church, or social order aid of materiaf progress such as will be no obstacle to your salvation, -is to be fought in the School-room. It is absolutely nocossay for you to be on your guard against'the Government Schools -in this Diovesc. They are anti-Catholic, reprobattrl by the Church, and many of the tfass books used in them contain atrociouScalumnies on our Holy Religion and itsministers. On these accounts, Catholic in most places fincl themselves unfn-tunatsly and distressingly circumstanced — as, generally speaking, there are no other schools to which they can scad 'there children, and the probability o^ having Catholic schools within .their [-each is remote. For the Governmonj of the Province not only perseveres ii maintaining at the public expense thjs most objectionable and anti-Catholic lystera, but refuses \is all aid towards tt erection and support; of Catholic shools. This ia unjust and impolitic. must protest and struggle against itii every legitimate way within our reach. Meantime let us bear in mind these v>rds of qux Divine Redeemer—" What will it

avail a man to gain the whole world |f ho lose his own soul 1 ?" And again, these words of the Apostle Paul (Heb c. . xi.v. 6) " Without faith it is impossible to please G-od." Whatever you do, you cannot, without makingshipwrcck of your salvation, endanger the faith of your children — faith, their most precious and most important inheritance. On no account and urider no circumstances whatever, can you allow them to be -instructed in prayers or any other matters pertaining to religion, by non-Catholic teachers : nor can you permit them to use the books to which we have just now directed your attention. And wherever Catholic schools are within your reach, your are strictly bound to withdraw your children from the Government schools ancl send them co the Catholic. Efforts are now being made to substitute a purely secular system for the Presbyterian system of education at present existing throughout this diocese; and the Catholics are invited to aid these efforts. You must be on your guard against secularism in education. Both systems are antagonistic to Catholicity, for while the Presbyterian system would weaken and ultimately destroy your Catholic faith, the secular system is calculated, and intended by its chief patrons to uproot all Christian and divine faith, and erect on its ruins stark infidelity. Of tho two, therefore, the latter is the more objectionable, and should, therefore, meet from us the most severe condemnation, - and the most determined opposition. .

" We also exhort "those to meet on Sunday for the purpose of public prayer, and under all circumstances to be careful to have at; least family prayers, and to avoid the scandal and injury to G-od, involved in going to Protestant places of worship. Christ established bat one Church, and outside that Church, there is no salvation. To join therefore, in any form of worship reprobated by his Church is to commit a most grievous sin, and to do an act derogatory at once to the sanctity and veracity of God."