THE DUTY OF THE LAITY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 172, 14 July 1876, Page 15

THE DUTY OF THE LAITY.

AITHOtrGH the duty of preaching and propagating our holy religion belongs in a special manner to the clergy, to co-operato with them and give them every assistance in carrying on this holy work has been ever deemed the glory of the Irish race. As long as they were a free people, that freedom was always manifested in dispensing among the neighboring nations the blessing of their religion, which they never neglected but when they ceased to be free. There is now no overt persecution to create an alarm ; but there is an incessant study to introduce educational contrivances through] school boards, whose history or example affords no inducement for their adoption. It is to be regretted that several well-meaning men eren among the clergy, unsuspicious of the crafty designs of those untiring intermeddlers, suffer themselves to be so easily acquiescent in projects which they hive reason to deplore. Besides, all those educational schemes add considerably to the pecuniary burdens of the people. All the school projects now afloat are not unlike those which, some years ago, urged several of the gentry to co-operate with an adverse government in planting over the land very expensive model schools and infidel colleges. What has been the consequence P That the zeal of the clergy and their faithful flocks took the alarm, and those hostile buildings remain to the present day striking monuments of the folly of their projectors, as well as of the zeal and piety of the people. It would be well if a portion of those funds originally belonging to the Catholic Church, of which it has been despoiled, were restored to it, for assisting the education of so many young Levites, bereft of adequate ,fae»ns to complete the varied course of classics, philosophy and theology, required by candidates for the priesthood. In the absence of any such assistance, we are obliged to appeal to the pious generosity of our flocka to come to the seasonable aid of our Church, and to enable our young candidates to realize their aspirations to the priesthood in preference to any secular vocation. It is said, that through the generous contributions of the people, the ecclesiastical students of several other dioceses are enabled to go through their regular course of studies at Maynooth enjoying free places ; so creditable a state of things will we trust, have a beneficial influence in persuading our clergy and people to exert themselves in imitating their example.-— Archbishop McHale.