PASTORAL LETTER

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 31, 3 August 1905, Page 3

PASTORAL LETTER

ARCHDIOCESE OF WELLINGTON

The following Pastoral Letter has been issued by his Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Redwood, Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand, to the clergy and faithful of his> diocese :— Dearly Beloved Brethren and Dear Children in Jesus Christ,— There are several points to which we wish to call your earnest attention and of which we solicit j our faithful and zealous observance. 1. — By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, puUished on the 17th of June, 1904, the Holy Father granted a partial Indulgence of seven years and seven times forty days, applicable to the souls in Purgatory, to all the Priests and faithful who add to the prayers presciibed by Pope Leo XIII., for recitation after low Mass, the triple invocation 4 Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.' To gain the Indulgence it is sufficient foi the Priestalone to say, ' Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,' and the people to answer, ' Have Mercy on us.' This triple invocation is not of strict obligation, but it is earnestly recommended by his Holiness for the sake of uniformity. Hence we prescribe it for the Archdiocese. 2.— But the main purpose of this Pastoral is to set before you the admirable Encyclical of his Holiness Pope Pius X., dated the 15th of April, 1905, which we order to be read to the faithful in all the Churches of the Archdiocese, as early as possible after the reception and reading of this Pastoral which it accompanies. The Papal Encyclical needs no comment of ours'; it is supremely weighty, clear, and impressive in its inculcation of the paramount necessity of religious teaching in our day, and particularly of the serious, solid, and uniform teaching of the Catechism —the most useful of institutions (according to Pope Benedict XIV.) for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. ' Desirous, therefore,' says his Holiness, ' of fulfilling this most important duty, imposed upon us by the supreme Apostola.te, and of introducing uniformity everywhere in this most weighty matter, we do by Our Supreme Authority, enact and strictly ordain that in all dioceses the following precepts be observed :— I.— All parish priests, and, in general, all those who have the care of souls, on every Sunday 'and feast day throughout the year 4 without exception,

shall with the text of the Catechism instruct fox the space of an hour the youtng of botb sexes in what everyone must believe and do to Ibe saved. ll.— They shall, at stated times during the year, prepare boys and girls by continued instruction, last* ing several days, to receive the sacrament* of Fenanc* and Confirmation. lll.— They shall likewise, and with special care, Mi all ferial days of Lent, and if necessary on othw days after the feast ol Easier, by suitable instruo* lions and reflections prepare boys and girls to make their firs.t Communion in a holy manner. IV.— ln, each and every parish the Confraternity of lhrlst!ia#i Doctrine is to He canonically erectedThrough this the parish priests, especially In places where there is a scarcity of priests, will rind vain* able helpers for the Catechetical instruction in pious lay persons who will lend their aid to this holy and salutary work, both through zeal for the glory of 004 and as a meajis of gaining the numerous indulgence* granted by the Sovereign Pontiff. V.— ln large towns, and especially in those which contain universities, colleges, and grammar schools, let religious classes be founded, to instruct in the truths of Faith anti in the practice of Christian life the young people who frequent those public school! (Rom which all religious teaching Is banned. VI. ~ Considering, too, that especially in these dayp adults not less than the young stand in need of religious instruction, all parish priests and others having care of souls, shall in addition to the usual homily on the Gospel delivered at the parochial Mass on all day» of obligation, explain the Catechism for the faithful in an easy style, suited to the intelligence of their heaters, at such fame of the day as they may deem moit convenient for the people, but not during the hour la which the children are taught. In this instruction they are to make use of the Catechism oi the Council qI Trent ; and they are to divide the matter in such a way as within the space of four or five years to treat of the Apostles' Creed, the Sacraments, the Decalogue., the Lord's Prayer, and the Precepts of the Church, This, Venerable Brethren, We do prescribe and com* mand by virtue of Apostolic Authority, It now retfta with you to put it into prompt and complete execution in yiour dioceses, and by all the force at your command, and to see to it that these prescrtj*tions of' Ours be not neglected, or what comes to the same thing, carried out superficially. And that this may be avoided, you must not cease to recommend and to require that your parish priests do not impart this instruction carelessly, 'but that they diligently prepare themselves for it ; let them not speak words of human wisdom, b*ut with simplicity of heart and in the sincerity of God (11. Clor, 1 i. 12), imitating the example of Jesus Christ, Who, though 'He revealed mysteries hidden from the beginning of the world ' (Matth. xiiL 35) yet spoke always ' to the multitudes in parables, and without parables did not speak to them ' (Ibid^i). The same thing was done also by the Apostles taught by oar Lord, of whom the Pontiff Gregory the Great said : ' They took supreme care to preach to the ignorant things easy and intelligible, not sublime and arduous ' (Moral. 11. xviii. chap. 26). In matters of religion the majority of men in our time mjust b# 60.8t sidered as ignorant. We would not, however, have it supposed that this studied simplicity of preaching does not require laboc and meditation v on the contrary, it requires it more than any other kind. It Is much easier to find a prea? cher capable of delivering an eloquent and elaborate discourse Wian a catechist able to impart instruction in a manner entirely worthy of praise. It must, therefore, We carefully borne in mind that whatever facility of ideas and language a man may have inherited from nature, he will never be able to teach the Catechism to the young and the adults without preparing himself thoughtfully for the task. It is a mistake for a man to suppose that, owing to the rudeness and ignorance of the people, he may perform this office in a careless mariner. On the contrary, the more uncultured the hearera, the greater is' the necessity for study and diligence to bring home to their minds those most sublime trnthe, so far beyond the natural understanding of the multitude, which must yet be known by all the learnefl anrf unlettered alike, in order that they may attain eternal salvation. And now, Venerable Brethren, be it permitted Us to close this letter by addressing to you these words of Moses': ' If any man be on the Lord's side r lethim join with me ' CISx. xxxii.. 26 : ). We pray <and conjure you to reflect on the ruin of souls which is wrought by this one cause, ignorance of divine things. Doubtless you have established many useful and praiseworthy undertakings in your respective dioceses for the benefit oC the flocll

entrusted to you, tout before all else, and with all the diligence, all the zeal, all the assiduity that is possible for you, see to it that the knowledge of Christian Doctrine thoroughly penetrate and pervade the minds of all : 1 Let every one,' these are the words of the Apostle St. Peter, ' as he has recei\ed grace, minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of iGod ' (1 Peter iv. 10). These words, Dearly Beloved Brethren, of command and full Apostolic authority aie weighty and urgent beyond what is in our power to express, and we leave them to your most serious and practical meditation. Do your utmost to carry them out to the letter, but when that is owing to circumstances impossible, see that you realise their spirit by making the leaching of Catechism, both to children and adults, the main staple of your simple and clear instructions, arid the principal concern of your parochial responsibility. Hisi Holiness requires in every parish, where it is possible, the establishment of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Accordingly, we hereby impart to all our Missionary Rectors the faculty to erect in their respecti\e parishes this Confraternity, in accordance with the regulations thereon which we forward with this Pastoral. If those rules arc, in some cases, deemed too complicated, we hereby authorise the Rectors to simplify them, so as to carry out, if not their letter, at least t«hejr spirit and efheacy. In conclusion, we most earnestly exhort our clergy not to be discouraged \iy difficulties ; let all do ih<?ir •very best to realise the' aims and intentions of his Holiness, under the salutary influence of his blessing, and with perfect trust in the help of the Good Shepherd and Divine Sa\iour of souls Who gave His precious life-Wood for the salvation of manHnd. Through the intercession of His most Blessed and Immaculate Mother, may His grace, strength, and comfort abide with you for ever. Amen. * FRANCIS, Archbishop of Wellington. Given at Wellington on the 20th day of July, 1905.