vv



CATHOLIC

EVIDENCE

WORK

IN THE

UNITED
V ,

. . ,
1

STATES

Our Sunday Visitor Press

Huntington, Indiana



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction HI

Analysis of Means For Catholic Evidence

Promotion in the United States 5

Survey of the State of Apologetics in the

United States 22

Diocesan Plan of Organization 57

Catholic Evidence Foundation 62

Teaching Apologetics in Ecclesiastical Semin-

aries and in Catholic Colleges for Men

and Women 66

Observations by Members of Committee on

“Popular Apologetics”

The Most Rev. John F. Noll, D. D. 75

The Most Rev. John J. Swint, D. D. 85

The Most Rev. R. 0. Gerow, D. D. 87

The Most Rev. John T. McNicholas, D. D. 90

Popular Apologetics 91

(id

Doackflfiod



INTRODUCTION

As a priest of the diocese of Portland,

Oregon, the Rev. Edwin V. O’Hara devoted

many years to the study of American Agri-

cultural life, its moral advantages over city

life for numerous Catholics and its disad-

vantages for the many others, who are out

of reach of religious instruction and un-

able to attend church regularly.

Father O’Hara inaugurated the many

local and the annual national Rural Life

Conferences, which have had such far-

reaching beneficial results for the cultiva-

tors of the soil.

It was quite natural that the National

Catholic Welfare Conference, solicitous

about the spiritual good of Catholics in

every part of our wide country, should

avail itself of Dr. O’Hara’s experience and

the information drawn therefrom. He

was invited to Washington to assume di-

rection of a Rural Life activity launched

by the Catholic Hierarchy. In this capaci-

ty he succeeded in promoting the
Religious

Vacation School movement to a most

marked degree.

His term of office was short, for he was

soon promoted to the Episcopate ; and what

on)



more fitting than his choice for a western

diocese, where he could continue the prac-

tical application of his genius to rural

life problems!

Within one year Bishop O’Hara had Re-

ligious Vacation schools in operation in

every district of his diocese in Eastern

Montana where ten or more children were

available for religious instruction.

During the summer of 1932 Vacation

Schools were conducted in 115 places, with

a total enrollment of 6000 children, or

practically 100 per cent.

While still in charge of the Washington

Bureau he was asked to undertake and

prepare for publication a survey, and, sug-

gest recommendations for Catholic Evi-

dence work throughout the United States

whether under cleric or lay auspices.

The result of his efforts is herewith sub-
«

mitted by the undersigned, who, together

with other members of his Committee on

Apologetics, adds some supplementary

observations.

+ JOHN FRANCIS NOLL,

Bishop of Fort Wayne.

(IV)



ANALYSIS OF MEANS FOR
CATHOLIC EVIDENCE PRO-

MOTION IN THE UNITED
STATES.

CHAPTER I

I. GENERAL DEFINITION

Catholic Evidence is the testimony of

the Catholic Church to Jesus Christ as

the Way, the Truth and the Life of man-

kind. To be Catholic it must present all

valid testimony that will lead souls to

Christ; namely (a) the intellectually con-

vincing testimony to the objective truth

of Christ’s teachings borne by the Church

whose earliest bishops were eye-witnesses

to His life, death and ascension; to
His

miracles and doctrine; (b) the beauty of

the holiness of Christ and the alluring

testimony of the goodness of the Saints

and of practical Christians who have fol-

lowed in His path; and (c) the soul-satis-

fying union with Christ in the interior life

of grace in prayer and the Sacraments.

The testimony of Catholic Evidence is

directed to (a) the historical authenticity

of the Gospel narrative and Christian tra-

dition concerning Christ; (b) to the
veri-

fication of the claims of the Catholic

( 5 )



6 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Church to be the Mystical Body of Christ,

and of the Pope to be the Vicar of Christ.

II. TO WHOM IS CATHOLIC EVIDENCE
DIRECTED ?

(A) To those within the Church

(1) Those who may be made in-

telligent Catholic leaders

(2) The great body of the faithful

(3) Catholic children and youth

(4) Catholics whose faith is espe-

cially threatened

(B) To those outside the Church

(1) Leaders forming public opin-

ion outside the Church

(a) Non-Catholic religious

leaders—laity or ministers
(a) Non-religious leaders of

thought — e. g., secular
educators, publicists, etc.

(2) Non-Catholic multitudes

(a) of good-will

(b) indifferent

(c) hostile

(3) Non-Catholic children and

youth

(4) Non-Catholic Christians whose

faith in the Gospel is especially

threatened



IN THE UNITED STATES * *

III. THE THREE-FOLD APOSTOLATE

In keeping with its triple purpose of

vindicating Christ as the Way, the Truth

and the Life, Catholic Evidence involves

a three-fold Apostolate: first, the Apos-

tolate of Prayer; second, the Apostolate

of Example; and third, the Apostolate of

the Word.

1. The Apostolate of Prayer

The unceasing call to private, family

and public prayer for the extension of the

Kingdom of Christ. The Life of Prayer

in its widest sense is union with God. The

most important feature of the Apostolate

of Prayer in the view of Catholic Evi-

dence is concerned with the Church as the

Mystical Body of Christ, and consequently

with the development of the liturgical

movement.

The indelible character imprinted on the

soul in baptism and confirmation, says St.

Thomas, is nothing else than a participa-

tion in the priesthood of Christ. The litur-

gical movement aims at an intelligent ex-

ercise by the laity of their sacred privilege

of a “holy priesthood, a chosen people”

(St. Peter. Pius XI). The liturgy is the

Church publicly at prayer : engaged, name-

ly, in its highest function. In view of the



8 . CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

injunction of Christ in regard to prayer

it is impossible not to be impressed with

the importance of a movement for a more

intelligent and more spiritual participa-

tion of the laity in the prayer life of the

Church.

2. The Apostolate of Example

The Apostolate of Example ranges from

personal conduct, including charity, hon-

esty, and temperance, and fidelity to re-

ligious observance ; wholesome Catholic

family life; and the organized works of

charity and mercy in hospitals, orphan-

ages, homes for the aged, and care of the

poor. A fairly safe test of the vitality of

religious life may be seen in the way in

which its followers care for the poor, the

ignorant, the erring, the ailing and the

aged. It is not to be over looked, of course,

that the institutions of charity, in addi-

tion to being an example of Christianity,

also offer a valuable opportunity for the

Apostolate of the Word. Advocacy of soc-

ial justice in every field of human relations

is as important in Catholic Evidence as

are works of charity. Failure in this mat-

ter can close the doors of vast groups, e.

g., Negroes, workingmen, non-citizens,

etc., in the message of the Church.



9
IN THE UNITED STATES

3. Apostolate of the Word

Generally Catholic Evidence is regard-

ed as the Apostolate of the Word. “Fides

ex auditu.” “How then shall they call on

him, in whom they have not believed? Or

how shall they believe him, of whom they

have not heard? And how shall they hear,

without a preacher?” (Rom. x, 14).

In the Apostolate of the Word we must

distinguish between agencies and con-

tacts. Just as in industry the problems
of

manufacturing and those of distribution

must be studied separately, so in the field

of apologetics we must distinguish between

the preparation of preachers and teachers

and leaders, books and pamphlets, etc.,

and the provisions which are made for

bringing the product of these apologetical

agencies to the public.

IV. CATHOLIC EVIDENCE AGENCIES

Agencies for the promotion of Catholic

Evidence may be divided into 1. Persons

;

2. Institutions; 3. Literature; 4.
Organi-

gations. Note: The distinction between

Institutions and Organizations does not

pretend to be exact. But for practical pur-

poses, an Institution is in the nature of a

Foundation with some trained workers in



10 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

the Evidence field, devoting whole time,

while the general character of an Organi-

zation in respect to Catholic Evidence is

that it utilizes part-time effort of a large

number of less-trained workers.

1. Persons

(A) The Bishops

(1) Individually

(2) In N. C. W. C.

(3) Home Mission Board

(4) Board of Indian and Negro

Missions

(5) Catholic Church Extension

Society

(B) Priests

(1) Diocesan

(2) Regular

(C) Brothers and Sisters of teaching

communities

(D) Educated laity

(1) Writers

(2) Speakers

(3) Organizers

(4) Teachers

2. Institutions

(A) The National Catholic Welfare

Conference— Departments and
Bureaus, e. g., Education, Social

Action, Immigration, Press, etc.

\



11
IN THE UNITED STATES

(B) Catholic University of America

(C) Other Catholic Universities and

' Colleges

(D) Seminaries

(1) Major

(2) Minor

(E) Novitiates and training schools

(F) Catholic high schools

(G) Lay Retreat houses

(H) Newman Clubs in secular colleges

and high schools, with full-time

chaplains

(I) Schools for elementary religious in-

structions

(1) Parish Schools

(2) Sunday Schools

(3) Religious Vacation
Schools

(4) Diocesan and Parish Confra-

ternities of Christian Doc-

trine

3. Literature (Authors and Publishers)

(A) Catholic Books

(1) Produced in United
States

(2) Foreign books in English

(3) Translations

(D) Pamphlets

Catholic Truth Society, Paulist

Press, Our Sunday Visitor, Ame-

rica Press, Ave Maria Press, Cen-



12 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

tral Verein, English Catholic

Truth Society, Irish Catholic

Truth Society, and other agencies

(C) Catholic Magazines and Reviews

(D) Catholic Papers

(E) Catholic articles in secular press

4. Organizations

(A) National Council of Catholic Men

(B) National Council of Catholic

Women

(C) Catholic Truth Societies, Laymen’s

League, Unity Leagues, Convert

Leagues, Open Forums, Closed

Forums, Study Clubs

(D) Various National Catholic So-

cieties : Knights of Columbus,

Catholic Daughters of America,

Daughters of Isabella, Catholic

Order of Foresters, Central Ver-

ein and affiliated societies, and

other nation-wide groups

V. FIELD OF CONTACTS

In regard to contacts with the public

for apologetical agencies, we must distin-

guish between Primary (direct) and Sec-

ondary (indirect) contacts. Direct or pri-

mary contacts are face-to-face meetings;

indirect contacts are made through the

written word or the spoken word over the



13
IN THE UNITED STATES

radio. Direct contacts, of course, are
or-

dinarily vastly more effective than in-

direct. The element of persuasion, of

meeting the mind of the listener, creates

an overwhelming advantage for the face-

to-face apologetics.

Again we must distinguish between con-

tacts (with Catholic) within the
Church

and (with non-Catholics) without, and be-

tween contacts with leaders of thought,

whether within or without, and contacts

with the multitude. The definitely organ-

ized contacts where a religious message is

systematically presented to Catholics are

the four following:

1. Catholic

(A) Primary contacts

(1) Catholic parents
dealing

daily with their children, in

4,000,000 homes

(2) The pastors of approximate-

ly 18,000 parishes and mis-

sions presenting the truth

of the Gospel to approxi-

mately 12,000,000 Catholics

twenty minutes a week

(3) Catholic religious
teachers

in 8,000 schools presenting

the truth of the Gospel to ap-



14 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

proximately two and one-

half million children for an

average of 160 days each

year. Many thousands of

others are reached by the

Sunday Schools, Week-day

Religious Schools, and Relig-

ious Vacation Schools

(4) Local Catholic Societies in

their weekly, semi-monthly,

or monthly meetings provide

face-to-face contacts where

the Church is presented in a

more or less systematic fash-

ion

Besides, there are numerous casual

contacts—individual discussions of
religion

(B) Secondary contacts

The Secondary contacts for the

spread of Catholic Evidence are

through (1) the printed word,

and (2) the radio

(1) The printed word

(a) The main channels for the

printed word are the national

and local Catholic papers. One

hundred papers reach perhaps

2,000,000 families every week



15
IN THE UNITED STATES

(b) The pamphlet rack in the

church has great possibilities

but is insufficiently organized

(c) Weekly magazines with a dis-

tinctly apologetic message

(America, The Commonweal,

and others) reach Catholics

who are intelligently concerned

with religion, perhaps 50,000

families each issue. Our Sun-

day Visitor covers a large field

of popular apologetic litera-

ture. Monthly Catholic maga-

zines, including Catholic

World, Extension, Columbia,

etc., have a wide circulation

—

over 2,000,000

(d) Catholic books in the home, the

parish and the public library

(e) Catholic articles in the secular

press written by Catholics

(2) Radio

(a) The National Council of Catho-

lic Men on the N. B. C. net-

work of forty-nine Stations

(b) Local Catholic stations
\

2. Contacts with Non-Catholics

(A) Primary contacts with non-Catho-

lics.



16 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Organized opportunities for direct

contacts with non-Catholics are

very limited. There is, of course,

the casual meeting of Catholics

with their friends (non-Catholic)

which is of the greatest import-

ance, but we are speaking here of

(1) We may list open forums and lec-

tures to non-Catholics, of which

the total is very small

(2) A small number of non-Catholic

children attending the Catholic

schools

(3) A few non-Catholics attending the

Catholic Church services

(4) The largest present organized op-

portunity of apologetic contacts

with non-Catholics is connected

with an arrangement which pre-

sents great opportunity for apolo-

getics, but which because of the

danger to faith in it is not to be

encouraged, namely, mixed-mar-

riages

(5) A few contacts of a religious char-

acter with non-Catholic leaders

—

e. g., in secular colleges

(6) Casual contacts—religious discus-



17
IN THE UNITED STATES

sion among Catholics and their

non-Catholic friends

This brief list, unfortunately, sum-

marizes the present opportunities

of direct apologetic contacts with

non-Catholics

(B) Secondary contacts with non-

Catholics

(1) The printed word (at present
very

limited in extent)

(a) Direct subscription or remail-

ing of Catholic papers to non-

Catholics

(b) Catholic books and papers in

the public libraries

(c) Pamphlet distribution by

Catholic Truth Societies

1. To leaders (Ministers

and Educators)

2. To the multitude

(d) Catholic articles in secular

magazines and press

(2) The Radio—The Catholic Hour
and other Catholic Broadcasting

Inaugurated on March 2, 1930,

as a program presented by the Na-

tional Broadcasting Company, the

Catholic Hour, sponsored by the

National Council of Catholic Men,



18 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

is now a regular weekly (Sunday)

half-hour offering of 49 stations in

48 cities in 30 states. The Hour is

broadcast 6 to 6:30, New York

Time.

The list of stations through which the

half-hour broadcast now takes place is the

following

:

New York WEAF
Boston WEEI
Providence WJAR
Worcester WTAG
Portland, Me. WCSH
Hartford WTIC

Philadelphia WFI
Philadelphia WLIT

Baltimore WFBR
Washington WRC
Schenectady WGY
Buffalo - WBEN
Pittsburgh WCAE
Detroit WWJ
Cincinnati WSAI

St. Louis KSD

Chicago WENR
Madison WIBA
Davenport WOC
Des Moines WHO
Omaha WOW
Kansas City WDAF
Cleveland WTAM
Duluth-Superior WEBC
Richmond, Va. WRVA
Jacksonville WJAX

Miami WIOD
Clearwater, Fla. WFLA
St. Petersburg,

Florida WSUN
Atlanta WSB
Jackson, Miss. WJDX
Memphis WMC
Nashville WSM
Hot Springs,

Ark KTHS

New Orleans WSMB
Fort Worth WBAP
Houston KPRC

Oklahoma City WKY
Tulsa : KVOO
San Antonio WOAI
Phoenix, Ariz.._„KTAR

Denver KOA
Fargo, N. D. WDAY
Bismarck, N. D. KFYR
Milwaukee WTMJ
Portland, Ore KGW
San Francisco KPO
Oakland KGO

Seattle KOMO
Spokane KHQ



19
IN THE UNITED STATES

VI. RADIO STATIONS OWNED AND OPER-

ATED BY CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS

Seven radio stations owned and oper-

ated by Catholic institutions, are all to-

gether broadcasting an average of 21

hours a day—155 hours a week. Two of
these stations are situated on the Atlantic

and Gulf coasts; four in the region be-

tween the Allegheny Mountains and the

western boundaries of Missouri, Iowa

and Minnesota, and the seventh on the

northwest Pacific Coast.

NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF STATIONS

The seven stations, their call letters,

their power, their radius and the aus-

pices under which they function are:

WLWL, New York City; 5 kilowatts;

radius 500 miles. Operated by the Paulist

League.

WWL, New Orleans, La.; 5 kilowatts;

radius 500 miles. Operated by Loyola

University.

WEW, St. Louis, Mo.; 1 kilowatt;

radius 250 miles. Operated by St. Louis

University.

WHAD, Milwaukee, Wis.; 250 watts;

radius 50 miles. Operated by Marquette

University.

WHBY, West de Pere, Wis. ; 100 watts

;



20 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

radius 50 miles. Operated by St. Nor-

bert’s (Praemonstratensian) College.

WHBC, Canton, 0.; 10 watts; radius

20-30 miles. Operated by St. John’s

Church (Rev. E. P. Graham, pastor).

KGY, Lacey, Washington; 10 watts;

radius 50 miles. Operated by St. Mar-

tin’s (Benedictine) College.

Although these stations are under

Catholic auspices, only a fraction of their

time is devoted to religious broadcasting.

The purely religious broadcasting from

these stations is therefore hardly more

than 15 hours a week. This is not, how-

ever, a fair measure of their Catholic in-

fluence. Most of the cultural features

—

lectures, critique, commentary, music,

etc.—in their programs have a large
apologetical value and possess besides

the merit of a public service.

CATHOLIC BROADCASTS FROM COMMER-

CIAL STATIONS

In addition to the Catholic Hour and

regular programs presented by the sev-

eral Catholic stations, there were broad-

cast from commercial stations in various

regions during 1930-31 (November 1,

1930, to October 31, 1931) certain apolo-



21
IN THE UNITED STATES

getical lectures, answers to questions,

etc. Chief among these were the broad-

casts of the Catholic Truth Society of

Oregon, the Intermountain Catholic

Truth Society, the Propagation of the

Faith, of Harrisburg, Penn., the Catholic

Truth Period of Boston and the League of

the Little Flower, Detroit. On Sept. 13,

1931, there was inaugurated a so-called

“Church of the Air” presented on 55

stations of the Columbia Broadcasting

System. Half an hour was given every

other week to Catholic speakers. Pro-

grams of like purpose but limited in

number were broadcast also from com-

mercial stations in Baltimore, Washing-

ton, D. C., Oklahoma City, Richmond,

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Fort

Wayne, and other cities.



22 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

SURVEY OF THE STATE OF
APOLOGETICS IN THE

UNITED STATES

CHAPTER II

GENERAL STATEMENT

The people of the United States inherit,

with the English tongue, the British anti-

Catholic tradition. Guy Fawkes, the Gun-

powder Plot, the Spanish Armada, Bloody

Mary, Titus Oates and the Popish Plot, as

well as the story of the Inquisition, of

Galileo and the Jesuit bogey, constitute in

varying proportions an amalgam which

was accepted by Protestant America as a

sufficient account of Catholic teaching and

practice.

The Catholic Church emerged as an ac-

tuality into the national consciousness of

the American people through the coming

of the Irish who, having been persecuted

by England, had to be despised in the

English tradition ; and through the com-

ing of continental Catholics who were de-

spised because of their broken English.

And both were despised for their poverty.

At varying intervals in American his-

tory the smoldering embers of religious



23
IN THE UNITED STATES

hostility were fanned into flames by the

Know-Nothings, the A. P. A., the Guardi-

ans of Liberty and the Ku Klux Klan,

either with a political or personal gain

purpose, or far fear of losing their boasted

racial superiority.

The Methodists and Baptists were es-

pecially ardent promoters of the anti-

Catholic tradition. Their untrained clergy

always knew that an attack on the Pope

would galvanize their forces into life when

all other evangelistic extravagances failed.

An important element in the persistence

of the English anti-Catholic tradition is

found in the fact that the vast majority

of rural dwellers in the United States are

Protestants and only a small minority of

Catholics rural. The large families are

rural, so Protestantism has been propa-

gated by the very passage of time. Cath-

olicism, on the other hand, with so few

roots in the soil has been dependent for

its growth upon immigration, giving to the

Catholic Church the appearance of being

an alien group. With the recent cutting

of immigration the lack of a rural popula-

tion will be felt still more keenly by the

Church.

The largest factors outside of the direct



24 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

influence of the Catholic Church in modi-

fying the old tradition and in forming a

new public opinion in the United States

are (1) the secular press, (2) the secular

colleges, (3) the cinema, and (4) the radio.

1. The American daily and weekly

press is not in general anti-Catholic, be-

cause Catholics are numerous enough to be

regarded as an important source of sub-

scribers. Indeed, the press would probably

be described as rather more favorable to

the Catholic Church than to the Protestant

denominations, because the Catholic

clergy have kept out of politics and con-

sequently have not interfered with the po-

litical projects of the press, as Protestant

ministers have often done. Of course the

press is decidedly secular, though almost

universally professing a respect for Chris-

tianity.

2. Secular colleges and universities

(both public and private) have in general

had a Christian tone up to the immediate

past. Individual professors in increasing

numbers, but still a small minority of the

faculties, venture to shock the conserva-

tive tradition of a country that is still pro-

fessedly Christian. With the decline of

Protestantism in intellectual circles the



25IN THE UNITED STATES

situation is rapidly changing. The Catho-

lic Church in America has practically no .

influence on the intellectual life of the pub-

lic universities. Consequently with the de-

cline of Protestantism, unless the Catholic

Church takes active measures, the whole

influence of the public universities will be

anti-Christian.

(3) The moving picture occupies a uni-

que position in the field of both child and

adult instruction as well as recreation. It

has had a profound influence in encourag-

ing popular attitudes hostile to the Chris-

tian ideals of domestic society. No sys-

tematic effort has been made to reverse

this tendency.

(4) The radio has not fulfilled its pro-

mise as an agency affecting public opinion.

It is important chiefly as an advertising

and recreation agency. That it has con-

siderable educational possibilities is read-

ily conceded.

POLICIES

There are two possible policies in this

connection open to the Church.

(1) To draw within itself, to edge off

into a corner, to withdraw from participa-

tion in the national life, to paddle into a



26 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

backwater and let the current of national

life sweep by unheeded and unheeding, or

(2) To confide in the Divine promises

and set up the missionary standard; to

embark boldly in the current of national

life and call on the high-minded to follow

Christian leadership.

Whatever might be said in favor of a

timid policy for a country with only a

handful of Catholics, and these without

material or educational resources, such a

policy in the United States today can only

prolong the Anglo-American tradition

—

long discarded in England—that the Cath-
olics are a gens lucifuga.

ATTITUDES

There is general agreement that we

must adopt a positive and constructive

program and not be content merely with

answering objections to the faith. As Dr.

Cooper observes, “We waste enormous

time and energy in cutting heads off the

‘hydra’ objections. Positive exposition

cuts off all at once.’’

Also it is well to insist that what is need-

ed is exposition of Catholic teaching and

not an attack upon others, much less any

questioning of their sincerity. Most con-



27IN THE UNITED STATES

verts have been made on their discovering

some positive values in Catholic life; not

by an attack on something they hold to be

truth.

Besides being positive and constructive,

the Catholic Evidence movement must

above all be charitable. “Constant public

courtesy” is needed in the opinion of Rev.

John Cavanaugh, C. S. C. This attitude

would be more readily cultivated if Cath-

olic apologists were to accept the sugges-

tion of Father Dunne, S. J., in a recent

article in the Ecclesiastical Review and re-

study the causes and sources of the Pro-

testant tradition. Lack of charity and

courtesy by Catholic apologists, however

human it may be in view of unfair at-

tacks, cannot but be regarded as entirely

reprehensible. We may dismiss the ques-

tion with a pointed quotation from a re-

cent convert:

“Without cherishing any more the vain

dream that Rome can change her meth-

ods or explain her teaching, I still be-

lieve that certain individual Catholics

may change their methods and explain

more courteously. I know by experience

that the truths of the faith may fall on

the non-Catholic either as a shower of



28 CATHOLIC SjVIDENCE WORK

stones or a shower of roses. Violent at-

tacks on Anglican Orders, as I said be-

fore, often do more harm than good.

Attacks on Anglican good faith and good

sense only serve to arouse irritation and

antagonism” (Shiela Kaye-Smith in Dub-

lin Review, January, 1930). What the

writer says about Anglicanism is applic-

able to every other form of religious con-

viction.

ECCLESIASTICAL SEMINARIES

Obviously the ecclesiastical seminaries

are the most important agencies for the

training of those engaged in broadcast-

ing Catholic Evidence. They are charged

with the training of the ambassadors of

Christ. Consequently every detail of

seminary training concerns our subject.

We shall here consider but two points:

First, the attitude of seminarians during

their course should be missionary—not
merely functionary; and secondly, the

training of young men for the priesthood

should have a laboratory element and not

be confined to training from books and

lectures.

(1) The missionary attitude of the

seminarians is a reflection of the spirit

of the institution. A smug, self-satisfied
I



29
IN THE UNITED STATES

attitude on the part of seminarians look-

ing forward to a comfortable living,
min-

istering as functionaries to a people
who

provide a generous support, in a
word,

the typical institutional outlook,
gives

promise of dry-rot in the exercise of
the

sacred ministry. It is the opposite
of the

apostolic spirit, and it is the greatest

danger to which ecclesiastical seminaries

are exposed. It is consistent with
every

outward appearance of decorum and ex-

cellence. It is inconsistent only with
the

purposes for which ecclesiastical semi-

naries exist. The seminary must create

a missionary spirit in its candidates
for

the priesthood. This will be done
not

merely by making its course in apolo-

getics alive, but by presenting the white

harvest as the field of labor for which it

is preparing. The Students’ Mission

Crusade presents the point of view. But

the seminary faculty will have to give
the

inspiration.

(2) The students in
ecclesiastical

seminaries in the United States are num-

bered by the thousands. Their vacation

is a problem to themselves as well as to

the seminaries. It offers a wonderful

opportunity for laboratory work in the



30 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

sacred ministry. There are ten thousand

Catholic churches m the United States
without parish schools. In most of these,

religious vacation scnools are possible if

teachers can be found. The seminarians

make excellent teachers, as the experience

of the seminarians has demonstrated dur-

ing the past several years. The work of

teaching religion to children—both Cath-
olic and non-Catholic—opens up a world
of missionary effort to the young levites.

The words of the Apostolic Delegate,

Most Reverend P. Fumasoni-Biondi, are

significant in this connection:

“To instruct children in a knowledge

of their holy faith is one of the works of

mercy and I trust all who possibly can

will assist in the work of the Religious

Vacation Schools. The work, however,

should have an especial appeal for stu-

dents for the priesthood. Last summer

many seminarians engaged in this work

with the consent of their bishops and

seminary superiors. Needless to say, the

experience which they acquired will be of

service to them in later life.”

CATHOLIC LAY LEADERSHIP

The field of work of the intelligent

Catholic layman or laywoman in the



31
IN THE united states

Church still needs clarifying. On the one

hand one hears from well-informed

sources the complaint that “the educated

Catholic laity feel that the clergy are not

supporting them, with the result that the

best of them, having been snubbed or

squelched, instead of being directed,

when they have made their well-meant

offer of service, have become somewhat

anti-clerical.” This sentence from the

letter of a well-known layman points to

a real problem, the solution of which is

imperative if the laity are to have any

hand in the Catholic Evidence movement.

In view of the call of the Holy Father

for a lay apostolate for Catholic Action

the question of the place of lay leader-

ship must be frankly discussed. To as-

sume that the laity are to act simply as

rubber stamps for the clergy is to deny

them leadership. Yet how shall they be

leaders in an organization of which the

clergy are the divinely constituted

guides? The answer is to be found in the

vast field of Catholic Action in a chang-

ing world where the application of the

deposit of Christian doctrine requires the

co-operation not of thousands but of mil-

lions of the faithful. It is the necessity



32 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

of developing this vast and fruitful field

that has led to the call for the lay apos-

tolate.

In general, it may suffice to say that

the intelligent layman must be allowed a

certain freedom of action. He must not

be held in constant check, under penalty

of losing his service altogether. Trained

and docile to authority, the Church gave

the historian Pastor a wide latitude of

investigation. He was of course an ex-

traordinarily well-trained layman, but

this same principle must be applied to all

lay leaders in proper proportion. The

Church in Germany has realized this

truth and has profited by the co-operation

of a great body of capable lay leaders.

CATHOLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

First of all mugt be stressed the im-

portance of generous, wholehearted and

united moral and financial support for

Catholic colleges and universities, recog-

nizing their pivotal position in the Cath-

olic educational system. This implies

both the obligation of establishing and of

adequately supporting Catholic colleges

in suitable centers; and of consolidating

petty competing institutions which are a

scandal to Catholic education by their



33
IN THE UNITED STATES

incompetence and wasteful duplication

of costly facilities.

The test of the Catholic college is the

Catholic life of the alumni. Much criti-

cism has been directed against Catholic

colleges on this score. Twenty thousand

graduates are turned out of American

Catholic colleges each year, whereas the

total public for Catholic publications of

an intellectual character hardly exceeds

fifty thousand. Why Catholic college

graduates do not read Catholic books and

periodicals is an important question

which has not been satisfactorily an-

swered. A good deal of trouble may be

traced to the inferior place which in the

recent past has been assigned, to the

library in ecclesiastical seminaries and

colleges. Recent years have witnessed a

marked improvement in this regard,

though there is still much to be desired.

Even after students leave their college

their Alma Mater may be able to in-

fluence their education. Brother Leo ob-

serves that the alumni association of

secular colleges are trying in various

ways to educate their graduates. It would

seem that Catholic alumni associations

could direct reading courses for' their



34 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

members and elevate the associations

above being merely devices for raising

funds (useful as that function is) or an

appendage to the athletic department.

Monthly bulletins directed to the mem-

bers should call attention to recent Cath-

olic books and magazine articles and

stimulate the purchase and reading of

Catholic literature among the group

whose intellectual advantages in Catholic

colleges should make them able to appre-

ciate the best.

CHILDREN

At once the largest and most hopeful

field for Catholic Evidence is provided by

the children of Catholic parents. Over

two million of them are being cared for

in Catholic schools. It is unnecessary to

say that the ideal is, “Every Catholic

child in a Catholic school.” Another two

million Catholic children, however, are in

the public schools. There are in the

United States about eighteen thousand

Catholic parish and mission churches,

and about eight thousand Catholic

schools. Thus ten thousand groups of

Catholic children have no opportunity to

attend parish schools. For these the



35
IN THE UNITED STATES

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine or-

ganized by parishes and dioceses (Canon

711 ), with a well-rounded program of re-

ligious vacation schools and year-round

religious instruction, is an immediate

necessity.

The Confraternity, too, has large pos-

sibilities in presenting Catholic Evidence

to children not yet of the Catholic faith.

Many thousands of parents will welcome

the religious education of their children

under Catholic auspices. Experience of

the religious vacation schools has demon-

strated that there are here vast possibili-

ties of missionary work hitherto un-

touched.

THE CATHOLIC PRESS

For our purposes here, we must distin-

guish between magazines and reviews on

the one hand and the weekly press, chief-

ly diocesan organs, on the other. In the

field of Catholic daily journalism in Eng-

lish, the Catholic Daily Tribune holds

the fort alone. Needless to say, ten such

daily papers are an immediate desidera-

tum in the United States.

The magazines and reviews are na-

tional in scope, the weekly press dio-

cesan. The former appeal chiefly to the



^6 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

intellectual leaders, the latter to the

average Catholic home.

Diocesan and parish organization is

necessary for the spread of the Catholic

press. This applies not only to increased

circulation for diocesan organs but also

for weekly and monthly reviews and

magazines. So great is the importance of

spreading the influence of Catholic jour-

nalism that no parish plan can be con-

sidered complete if it does not contain

an organization such as the Confraternity

of Christian Doctrine, one whose prin-

cipal purpose is the dissemination of

Catholic periodical literature.
I

With so many religious weeklies, there

would seem to be a field for the training

of Catholic journalists which could be

developed by the Catholic University of

America, paralleling its service in train-

ing diocesan Superintendents of Schools

and Directors of Charity.

The apologetic value of the Catholic

press will largely depend upon the tone

it adopts editorially. A number of the

most responsible members of our com-

mittee commented on the lack of charity

towards those outside the Church in-

dulged by some Catholic editors of maga-



IN THE UNITED STATES il

zines and reviews as well as of diocesan

publications. One writes: “The unchari-

table attitude of some prominent Catholic

papers has done as much to stiffen the

backbone of Protestants as the attacks of

the Fellowship Forum do for ours.”

Criticism of the editorial policy of indi-

vidual papers, however just, should not

detract from the proper appraisal of the

enormous value of the Catholic press as

an apologetic agency. It is important

also to realize the handicaps under which

the editors of religious journals labor in

competition with secular papers and

magazines many of which make no

scruple at appealing to every prejudice

and passion in their quest for popularity.

While we have many capable and some

outstanding figures in contemporary

Catholic jourialism there is some ground

for the complaint that the limitations im-

posed upon the editors of many diocesan

organs discourage competent journalists

from entering upon that career. These

limitations of course are chiefly due to

inadequate financing and will be reme-

died only with a more widespread realiza-

tion of the importance of the Catholic

press.



3 8 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

ANALYSIS OF THE CIRCULATION OF CATH-

OLIC PERIODICALS
%

(This analysis is only roughly correct, as it was

difficult to classify certain periodicals)

1 Weekly local papers, English 900,770

Our Sunday Visitor 506,000

The Catholic Register 120,000

2 Foreign Language Papers 592,502

3 Monthly Magazines, English 2,281,707

4 Special Apologetic 265,107

5 Children’s, English and foreign lan-

guages 149,421

6 Fraternal, English and foreign lan-

guages 430,200

(Excepting Columbia, which is classi-

fied with monthly magazines, above)

7 Daily, English and foreign languages 107,284

8 Education (Circulation not indicated)

9 Mission Magazines — 448,026
(Excepting Extension, classified with

monthly magazines, above)

Total circulation, Catholic press 6,767,066

PAMPHLET LITERATURE

Pamphlet literature is particularly

well suited to reach the millions—brief

in compass, cheap in price. Two things

are obvious concerning the production of

apologetic pamphlets in English: (1) The

American production, supplemented by

that of the English and Irish Truth So-

cieties, furnishes a great variety of ex-

cellent pamphlets at reasonable prices

(2) An enormous increase of the already

excellent supply of pamphlet literature



39
IN THE UNITED STATES

could be secured from the pens of com-

petent Catholic writers in English if only

there were a marked demand for the pro-

duct.

' Consequently the only serious problem

in the field is to organize and stimulate

distribution. And this is a comparatively

simple matter. The English Truth So-

ciety has shown the way. It is first of all

a question of diocesan organization of

pamphlet-rack tenders in every church

and school, and in public places like rail-

way stations, etc. Secondly, it is a ques-

tion of systematic mailing of pamphlets,

chiefly through diocesan and parish or-

ganizations, to lists of Catholics and non-

Catholics.

There should be co-ordination of the

national agencies supplying these pamph-

lets. At present the Paulist Press, Ame-

rica Press, Sunday Visitor Press, Ave

Maria Press, International Catholic

Truth Society, Central Verein, to name

only the principal sources, together

with the Catholic Truth Societies at home

and abroad, present a bewildering

situation to the pastor who wishes

to supply the book-rack. A single

national sales agency co-ordinating all



40 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

these and scores of others not named,

would provide for the “orderly market-

ing” of Catholic pamphlet literature.

Concerning such a national agency

Father McSorley, C. S. P., writes:

“Now especially about pamphlets. It’s

all haphazard at present—a number of
unrelated and competing organizations

—

no professional standard—no commer-
cial science—at least as a whole, or even
in large scale. I think we have the re-

sources in the U. S. A., but scattered, un-

organized. We could learn something

from Haldeman-Julius. Have you read

his ‘First Hundred Million?’ * This work

of pamphlets should be in our eyes as

important as the work undertaken by

Calvert Associates. Aren’t there many

Catholic business men who would gladly

co-operate if it was an enterprise con-

ducted on business lines?

“You are right—we have a good supply
of pamphlets in some fields and are lack-

ing in others. You are right, too, in say-

ing our distribution is woefully inade-

quate. In general I’d say we need cheap

*Our Sunday Visitor has begun to imitate
the

Haldeman- Julius policy of publishing 5c pamphlets
of

vest-pocket size. It is also the publisher of all
Catho-

lic Hour radio addresses.

)



41IN THE UNITED STATES

leaflets for free distribution and 5-cent

pamphlets for sale—and we need the
machinery to produce and distribute both

by millions. Here is my notion of what

is called for—and practicable in this re-
gard :

“A. A competent editorial staff to select

topics and secure writers and dic-

tate format, etc.

“B. Business Manager and Advertising

Manager.

“C. Circulation Manager whose ideas

should be adequate to the oppor-

tunity. If he were as enterprising

as any one of fifty men in the same

field now, he could make it go, I

think, despite the special obstacles

that confront a religious activity

and an official Catholic work.”

In regard to diocesan agencies for dis-

tributing pamphlet literature, see our

section on Diocesan Organization.

CONTACTS WITH NON-CATHOLIC LEADERS

The presentation of Catholic Evidence

to non-Catholic leaders is of the utmost

importance because thousands will be in-

directly influenced thereby. Two distinct

problems are raised here. First, that of

bringing Catholic doctrine to the knowl-



42 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

edge of non-Catholic religious leaders

—

chiefly ministers and Jewish rabbis; and

secondly, the quite different problem of

bringing it to the attention of secular

leaders of thought, namely, publicists,

secular college professors, and profes-

sional men generally.

The experience of Father Joseph

Schmidt, Director of Mission Work in the

diocese of Harrisburg, shows that a large

percentage of Protestant ministers are

willing to receive Catholic literature reg-

ularly. This means of checking prejudice

and misrepresentation at its source is be-

yond commendation.

In regard to secular leaders, we else-

where call attention to the plan of invit-

ing professional men to attend forums of

religious discussion. There is one phase

of this subject which especially merits

frank treatment, namely, the question of

bringing a knowledge of Catholic truth to

secular college professors. It is at once

obvious that these professors are at the

very fountain source of the public opinion

of the educated classes of America.

To neglect them is both a grave detri-

ment to religion and an indefensible

policy. To meet this situation the best



43
IN THE UNITED STATES

method is the presence on the Cctmpus
of

one or several well-trained priests
of in-

tellectual interests who will meet these

professors in their homes or at their own.

This work is not to be confused with that

of being chaplain to the
Catholic stu-

dents, although exceptional men may be

able to perform both functions.

The thousands of Catholic students at

secular colleges also create a Catholic in-

terest in those institutions. The religious

welfare of these students needs to
be

safe-guarded. To refuse to care for them

on the ground' that they ought to be in

Catholic colleges is to ignore important

facts; for example, that there are
forty-

eight state agricultural colleges and not

one Catholic college in America which

makes any attempt whatever to prepare

professional students for the greatest in-

dustry in America. What is true univer-

sally of the scores of professions con-

cerned with agriculture is true with

varying limitations of other technical

professions. The Newman Club with one

chaplain to care for several hundred stu-

dents is obviously insufficient. The very

difficulties of reaching students at secular

colleges indicate the necessity of a much



44 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

larger staff of specially trained clergy.

A religious order of men to reach the

boys and one of women to work among

the girls would seem the smallest set-up

advisable in even a moderate-sized uni-

versity.

Such a group would be in a position

also to deal with the other problem of

the secular college already mentioned,

namely, providing scholarly representa-

tives of religion who would influence the

professional staff and stop at their source

misrepresentations of the Catholic

Church which can never be checked once

they are started on their way.

Another measure of importance is that

of training Catholic laity for chairs in

secular colleges. That Catholic profes-

sors occupy these chairs in such small

numbers today is due both to prejudice

against Catholic teachers on the part of

the colleges and to the lack of Catholics

with post-graduate training seeking these

positions. The prejudice can be broken

down by persistent effort.

Nor should it be overlooked that there

are many sincere non-Catholics who

would welcome Catholic representation

on the faculties in order to help with-



IN THE tfNITED STATES 45

stand the flood of radicalism which

threatens.

The real problem, however, is the ade-

quate training of Catholic scholars for

these positions. For this purpose is need-

ed at once a great Catholic post-graduate

school and in due time several others.

The Catholic University of America is

advantageously situated for this work

and could be of inestimable benefit to the

cause of Catholic Evidence if adequate

support were available. A DeWulf or a

Gilson would be produced rarely, but

hundreds of scholarly Catholic men and

women prepared for chairs in the secular

universities would be a distinguished

achievement.

OPEN FORUMS

Recent years have witnessed an exten-

sion of open and closed forums in which

Catholic teaching and practice have been

explained. The open forum under non-

Catholic auspices offers a favorable op-

portunity for the exposition of Catholic

doctrine by competent speakers. It is

difficult to see why any opportunity of

this sort should be neglected, even in the

matter of speaking in non-Catholic

churches, when the speaker is not re-



46 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

quired to take' part in the religious ser-

vices. The apostles spoke in synagogues.

Open forums, such as the religious

Round Table discussions, under joint

Catholic and non-Catholic control, offer

excellent platforms for the discussion of

the principles of civil and religious lib-

erty and for the promotion of mutual

understanding and good will. Naturally

great care will have to be taken in this

type of meeting not to compromise Cath-

olic teaching by a seeming acceptance of

the popular doctrine that one religion is

as good as another.

Forums maintained under Catholic

auspices for the instruction of both Cath-

olics and non-Catholics in matters of re-

ligion deserve the widest extension.

Every meeting of a Catholic society

should include some such feature. Study

clubs, adult classes, and convert instruc-

tion groups should be features of every

parish and Catholic society. Father Am-

brose Reger appropriately recommends

especial attention to public-school teach-

ers, Protestant Sunday School leaders,

and the editors of local papers, inviting

their participation in these discussion

groups.



IN THE UNITED STATES 47

STUDY CLUBS

The study club is essentially a local

project—one of the very best means of
direct contact for apologetic purposes

with both Catholics and non-Catholics.

Ranging from such groups as Father Le-

Buffe’s group of lawyers in New York

City, through parish and other Catholic

society study clubs clear down to the

family study clubs established for the

conduct of Religious Correspondence

Courses by the Catholic Rural Life Con-

ference, the study club has a vast oppor-

tunity to relieve what Mr. John McCor-

mick of the Commonweal correctly char-

acterizes as the “unbelievable ignorance

of Catholics about things Catholic.”

All of the nationally organized Catho-

lic societies could find in the provision of

study clubs for their local groups a suffi-

cient reason for existing—a thing which
at present frequently seems lacking. The

widest and best equipped agency for the

organization and spread of study clubs is

established in the N. C. W. C. headquar-

ters and operates through the National

and Diocesan Councils of Catholic Wo-

men.



48 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

CONVERSIONS

The purpose of Catholic Evidence is

not merely to conciliate opinion outside

of the Church but to bring souls into the

Church. The Church is a missionary so-

ciety founded by Christ. It cannot be

content with less than the conversion of

the world. Every priest and every lay-

man and laywoman has a sacred duty to

spread the faith.

There has been a tendency to erect

barriers against general participation in

the work of conversion by insisting that

there is a specific technique to be mas-

tered before undertaking the task. Zeal

and knowledge, guided by sympathy and

practical judgment and aided by prayer,

constitute an admirable equipment for

the great majority of cases.

Every parish, however, should be or-

ganized systematically to forward the

work of conversion. Stated hours when

the pastor will receive inquirers brought

to him by the parishioners, whether for

individual or class instruction, will be

necessary. (The White Harvest, edited

by Dr. John O’Brien, discusses this sub-

ject competently and fully). The em-

ployment of the Parish Confraternity of



49IN THE UNITED STATES

Christian Doctrine in this connection will

be discussed in another section.

NON-CATHOLICS AT CATHOLIC SERVICES

Certainly non-Catholics ought to be

welcome at our religious services. But

they require to be invited, the service

must be explained to them, either by the

printed or spoken word, the sermon must

be instructive and they must not be re-

quired to pay admission at the door.

Fathers Callan and McHugh point out

that non-Catholics will be attracted by

liturgical services which worthily illus-

trate the beauty of Catholic worship.

The custom of long announcements

which take the time properly needed for

the sermon is a direct deterrent to non-

Catholic attendance at Mass. As Father

Coakley has quite definitely demonstrat-

ed, the use of multigraphed or printed

announcements, distributed to the con-

gregation, is not only a liberator of time

but is distinctly more advantageous from

the standpoint of financial returns. If

this fact could be generally appreciated,

one obstacle to non-Catholic attendance
9

at Mass would quickly disappear.



50 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

CIVIL EXAMPLE

A point stressed by twenty correspon-

dents was the importance of the partici-

pation of Catholic laity and clergy in

non-political civic movements. One points

out the negligible influence of Catholics

in large city organizations of intellectual

leaders. Another calls for voluntary

Catholic representation on public library

boards, public relief, Travelers’ Aid,

family welfare agencies, Red Cross, Boy

Scouts, and similar organizations. The

Catholic Evidence value of such non-

political activity for the public welfare

may be summed up in the following para-

graph by Mr. A. J. Beck, Editor of the

Michigan Catholic:

“Msgr. Gavisk of Indianapolis has

set a fine example in the National Con-

ference of Charities and Corrections, of

which he was president for a year or two.

One man like Msgr. Gavisk will do

more to impress non-Catholics with our

patriotism and to refute charges of dis-

loyalty than one hundred of the most

eloquent orators protesting against at-

tacks on our citizenship and waving the

flag.”

More needful than anything at the pre-



51
IN THE UNITED STATES

sent time is the trained
Catholic social

worker for our large cities
where great

leakage from Catholic ranks
takes place

because the dispenser of charity,
the play-

ground overseer, the family
investigator

are nearly all Protestants,
who form con-

tacts which create a friendly
feeling be-

tween the assisted and their
world-be

friend.

MIXED MARRIAGES

As has been pointed out in the analysis

of primary contacts in another
section,

mixed marriages offer an opportunity
for

the religious instruction of
non-Catholics,

advantage of which is rarely taken.
While

insisting on the evils which result from

such unions, Christian charity
dictates

that every effort should be
made to

secure the religious instruction of
the

non-Catholic party both before and after

the marriage when such weddings occur.

Much would be accomplished by uni-

form regulations concerning the religious

instruction before marriage, not merely

as to the number of such instructions, but

as to the matter and method. In view of

the hope that a Christian family is being

founded when the priest officiates at a



CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK52

marriage, there are those who even favor

that these marriages be performed in the

church.

After the marriage the non-Catholic

party should be received socially in the

parish and public sermons of instruction

—not denunciation—to which the Catho-
lic party is asked to invite the non-Catho-

lic spouse, should be given at regular

intervals.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

The greatest charity is to work for jus-

tice. Catholic apostles of social justice

render a vast service to Catholic Evi-

dence. No one can estimate the import-

ance to the Catholic Church in America

of the campaign of enlightenment direct-

ed and stimulated by Dr. John A. Ryan

in the field of industrial relations. To

assert the rights of the oppressed, the

underprivileged and the ignorant has

been the boast of the Catholic Church in

all centuries. In America next to the

labor problem in importance, and indeed

largely overlapping that problem, is that

of asserting Catholic principles concern-

ing the race issue—in particular, con-
cerning the Negro. Courageous exposi-



53
IN THE UNITED STATES

tion of Catholic social principles
and in

particular the living application of
these

principles by Catholic industrialists and

parishes will open the door of the
faith

to multitudes—at least it will stop
the

mouth of prejudice. Every diocese should

have clergy especially trained in the
field

of industrial problems and the
general

support of the clergy and laity should
be

given to organizations engaged in
dis-

seminating Catholic principles of
social

justice.

THE SECULAR PRESS

Mr. Richard Reid of the Georgia Lay-

men^ League, together with many other

competent authorities, insists on the im-

portance of using the columns of the

secular press both for the correction of

misrepresentations of the Church and for

original presentations of Catholic teach-

ing. The Pittsburgh or Oregon program

of syndicated articles in the daily
papers,

the courteous refutation of erroneous

statements by qualified men authorized

by ecclesiastical authority in each com-

munity, the publication of prepared ab-

stracts of Sunday sermons,—all these are
practical means of bringing Catholic



54 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

truth to the attention of hundreds of

thousands of readers. For its systematic

and continued practice there will be re-

quired in each diocese some organization

of the character of the Catholic Truth

Society of Oregon or the Georgia Lay-

men’s League, unless this work is made a

function of the Confraternity of Chris-

tian Doctrine.

CATHOLIC BOOKS

We accept for this section the follow-

ing summarizing statement by Mr. Geo.

N. Shuster:

“The outlook for Catholic literature is

in some respects good enough. It seems

to me that there is available a quantity

of fairly good apologetic literature and

exposition. Such treatises as Karl

Adam’s Spirit of Catholicism, and Fath-

er Martindale's Mind of the Missal, have

such very good qualities that they im-

press and arouse sympathetic interest.

The trouble is that we have not learned

how to distinguish between good books of

this character and poor ones.

“The sale of Karl Adam, for instance,

was most unbelievably small, while such

books as Abbe Bremond’s Religious



55
IN THE UNITED STATES

Humanism were not purchased at
all.

jyjay I say incidentally that
it seems to

me the N. C. W. C. or somebody
else

could make a notable contribution
if they

dispatched regularly to
Seminaries a

speaker whose purpose it was to
comment

upon new books and to show clearly
the

difference between literary virtue
and

claptrap.

“It is in the realms of indirect
Apolo-

getics that we are poverty-stricken.
There

is no really first-rate scholarly
writing

by Catholics in any field outside
religion,

and (it seems to me) not enough
even in

the field of religion. The only
way this

situation could be remedied would
be to

follow the lead of Harvard or
Chicago

and establish a foundation having
for its

purpose the publication and financing
of

Catholic scholarly publications.
It would

be even better if the
publication were

handled through some such agency as
the

Oxford University Press. The ultimate

effect of such work would be incalculable.

I know of no place else where a
million

dollars would be spent as advantageously

as an endowment for the advancement
of

the Catholic cause.

“More popular literature—fiction, bio-



56 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

graphy, etc.—is just as necessary but
more difficult to supply. It seems to me
we shall never get it until we have built

up a literary journalism capable of fos-

tering and developing and supporting

writers who can ultimately take up such

work in the novel, and the biography.

This question of course leads directly to

the Catholic magazine, about which much
might be said. The situation is pretty

hopeless, however, until these magazines

are willing and able to absorb the talents

and energies of the best young people

now graduating from our colleges/’

,)



IN THE UNITED STATES 57

DIOCESAN PLAN OF ORGAN-
IZATION

CHAPTER III

Both the vastness of America and the

essential constitution of the Catholic

Church necessitate diocesan organization

as basic in any systematic plan for pro-

moting Catholic Evidence.

Two types of specifically apologetic dio-

cesan agencies are being advocated gen-

erally today—namely, the Catholic Truth
Society and the Evidence Guild.

1. CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY

The former, the Catholic Truth Society,

following the type of the Georgia Lay-

men’s League, or the Catholic Truth So-

ciety of Oregon, involves the employment

under diocesan authorization of a trained

layman or priest, whose office will make a

courteous reply to any attack on the

Church which appears in the public press,

and will promote the distribution of Cath-

olic pamphlets and other apologetic litera-

ture, as well as answer the letters of indi-

vidual inquirers. The pamphlet rack in

churches and public places would be in

charge of such an organization.



58 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

2. CATHOLIC EVIDENCE GUILD

The second suggestion, the Catholic Evi-

dence Guild, organized on a diocesan basis,

in distinction to a merely local set-up, will

provide for the training at appropriate

centers of competent public speakers and

teachers among laymen and laywomen,

and the assignment of them to definite

posts for teaching or lecturing. The Cath-

olic Evidence Guild of England furnishes a

model for such a diocesan organization. Its

literature also is easily applicable to Ame-

rican needs.

In a strong diocese with highly differ-

entiated activities both of those types of

organization would find an important

sphere of work, each under its own trained

executive. In most dioceses for the pre-

sent, and in many for considerable time

in the future, such differentiation of func-

tion may not be deemed practical.

3. CONFRATERNITY OF CHRISTIAN

DOCTRINE

Meanwhile both types of work can be

carried on in connection with the work of

the Diocesan Confraternity of Christian

Doctrine.

The official organization named by



59

IN THE UNITED STATES

Canon Law for the promotion of
Catholic

teaching to those not well
instructed in

its tenets is the Confraternity
of Christian

Doctrine, which according to Canoji
711 'is

to be established by episcopal
authority in

every diocese and parish. The
Confrater-

nity is enriched with many
spiritual

favors. Moreover it is particularly
suited

to the task of transforming
each parish

into a missionary agency,
addressing the

Gospel message to every soul
within its

borders, instead of being a
functionary in-

stitution serving only those
who present

themselves for its ministrations.

Full details of the organization
and pro-

gram of a Diocesan Confraternity
of

Christian Doctrine may be found in the

publications available through the
Nation-

al Catholic Welfare Conference.

The general features of such a
Diocesan

Confraternity are given here.

Organization

:

1. A Diocesan Director, with office staff

employing competent lay executive

secretary on full time.

2. Centers in each parish of
the diocese,

with lay committee under the
pastor’s

direction.



60 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Functions

:

1. To organize the teaching of religion to

a) Catholic children in public ele-

mentary and high schools

b) Non-Catholic children

c) Fallen-away and careless Catho-

lics

d) Non-Cathol'ic adult group,.

For this purpose there will be employ-

ed, according to circumstances, Reli-

gious teachers, Seminarians and

trained lay teachers.

2. To train laymen and women as
a) Teachers of religion

b) Public speakers on religious sub-

jects

c) Writers on religious topics

d) Organizers of Study Clubs, etc.

e) Pamphlet-rack tenders

and to assign them to specific posts of
duty.

3. To reply to misrepresentations of the
Catholic Religion in the public press

—and to promote the publication of
Catholic articles of news and doctrine

in the public press and secular maga-
zines.

4. To remail Catholic papers and to en-



61
IN THE UNITED STATES

large circulation of Catholic
papers

and magazines.

5. To distribute Catholic pamphlet
liter-

ature in book-racks in church vesti-

bules and in public places such as rail-

way stations and hotels.

6. To encourage the public, Catholic
and

non-Catholic, to “listen in” on the

Catholic Radio Hour, both national

and local.



62 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WOPwK
4

CATHOLIC EVIDENCE FOUNDA-
TION

CHAPTER IV

The analysis and survey of Catholic

Evidence promotion in the United States

has been made with a view to suggesting

a practicable field of activity for a Catholic

Evidence Institute or Foundation in con-

nection with the Catholic University of

America. Such an Institute must be con-

ceived and be conducted on University and

University Extension levels.

It is to be observed by way of preamble

that in a very important sense the entire

Catholic University constitutes a Catholic

Evidence Foundation of the first magni-

tude. As such it functions chiefly in the

following lines

:

1) The higher education of the clergy

—especially of clergy engaged in
Catholic colleges.

2) Training of laymen as Catholic

leaders, especially in professional

and college fields.

3) Production of literature by faculty

and graduate students.

4) Training of Diocesan Superintend-



63
IN THE UNITED STATES

ents of Schools and Diocesan Chari-

ties Directors.

5) Training of Sisters
for Catholic

schools.

All this is on the production side.
From

the analysis given 'in our report it is
clear

that our weakness is chiefly on the
side of

distribution. Consequently a specific Cath-

olic Evidence Institute, while
stimulating

production of apologetic agencies,
must

find its chief occupation in extending
the

range of distribution of contacts or
influ-

ences. This in turn will stimulate
further

•
1

production.

Following are the suggestions for
such

a Catholic Evidence Institute
which have

arisen from our study:

1) Director and staff. The
Director,

while possessing the qualifications

of thorough Catholic scholarship,

should be distinctly of a missionary

type of mind.

2) The resources of the University
in

personnel and equipment should be

used as far as is consistent with

their main purposes.

3) The Ecclesiastical Review
should

carry a regular department of

notes from the Institute.



64 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

4) The general field will be national,

and diocesan. (The Institute will

not undertake local activities except

by way of demonstration.)

a) National:

1) Through national organiza-

tions—N. C. W. C., Knights
of Columbus, etc.

2) Literature production is gen-

erally national in scope

—

whether of books—pamph-
lets—or magazines and re-
views.

b) Diocesan : The Church ’is organ-

ized by Dioceses. The Institute

will chiefly work through dio-

cesan organizations by

1) Promoting such organiza-

tions.

2) Training directors for dio-

cesan agencies.

3) Assisting diocesan agencies.

4) Co-operating with seminar-

ies and colleges.

5) Get some periodical to develop into

a Review of Catholic Literature.

6) Provide lecture bureaus for col

leges, seminaries, open forums, etc.

7) Provide information in regard to



65
IN THE UNITED STATES

organization of Catholic Truth So-

ciety, Catholic Evidence Guild, Con-

fraternity of Christian Doctrine,

showing how the last named can

carry the work of the other two, ex-

cept in highly organized dioceses.

8) Train Diocesan Directors
of Con-

fraternity to fill post outlined in

section on Confraternity of Chris-

tian Doctrine.

9) Train editors of Catholic
journals.

10) Promote education of Catholic
lay-

men for chairs in public universi-

ties.

11) Promote understanding of
liturgi-

cal movement.

12) Work with N. C. C. M. on radio to

promote Catholic Evidence work.

13) Work with N. C. C. W. in study-

club promotion.

t



66 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

TEACHING APOLOGETICS IN
ECCLESIASTICAL SEMIN-
ARIES AND IN CATHOLIC
COLLEGES FOR MEN

AND WOMEN

CHAPTER V

The following self-explanatory para-

graphs are from a letter addressed (Sept-

ember, 1930) to the Right Reverend and

Reverend Rectors of the Major Ecclesias-

tical Seminaries of the United States and

to the Presidents of the standard Catho-

lic Colleges for Men and Women:

“In view of a survey of apologetic

agencies which I am preparing, I am

anxious to secure accurate information

concerning certain points in connection

with the teachings of apologetics in the

Catholic colleges and universities of the

United States.

“Much of this information can be

gleaned from the course of study in re-

ligion in the published catalog which I

am asking you kindly to send me.

“The point in question is the specific

matter, time and method devoted to pre-

paring the students for the task of in-



67
IN THE UNITED STATES

terpreting the Catholic Church to the

non-Catholic—whether Protestant or

secular—American mind.
“I should be glad to receive a short

supplementary statement concerning the

practice in your institution covering

the above-mentioned point, prepared

either by yourself or by some member

of the faculty whom you ask to prepare

it.”

The third paragraph indicated the spe-

cial point of the inquiry concerning the

teaching of Apologetics. Apologetics is

nothing if not contemporary and it is here

understood as being primarily a matter of

instructing non-Catholics, not of entering

into controversy with them; though of

course controversy has its place. Conse-

quently Apologetics is only partially

taught when the theoretical defense of the

Catholic religion is mastered. A second

and quite essential part is an understand-

ing of the attitudes, convictions, preju-

dices, and point of view of the chief groups

of non-Catholics in the particular time

and country. It was to ascertain the mat-

ter, time and method devoted to both

phases of the instruction that the 'inquiry

was directed.



68 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

I. ECCLESIASTICAL SEMINARIES

Seventeen Major Ecclesiastical semin-

aries responded, the number comprising

practically all the more important institu-

tions for the training of secular priests in

the United States.

The theoretical course in Aopolgetics

was fairly uniform in all seminaries re-

porting. While a great variety of text

books was reported, the matter in general

was substantially that covered by Tan-

querey’s volume on Fundamental Theology

(seemingly the most popular text). De

Vera Rqligione and De Ecclesia Christi

were the uniformly recurring topics in

every case.

In addition, one seminary reported a

course in Apologetical Science; i. e., a

study of Astronomy, Geology and Biology,

with a view to defending Christianity

against the loose generalization of anti-

religious Evolutionary theory.

Another reported a course on the differ-

ent religious denominations in the United

States, and still another, a course in Cath-

olic Morals from an apologetic point of

view
;

i. e., considering Catholic moral

teaching as an evidence for the Church.

The amount of time given to the study



69
IN THE UNITED STATES

of Apologetics was also practically uni-

form* in all seminaries—being in general
five or six hours a week for one year. In

two cases nine hours a week were reported

as devoted to Apologetics.

The greatest diversity existed in the

view of the purpose and method of the

course in Apologetics. In a small number

of cases it was evident thatApologetics was

not regarded in any other sense than as a

theoretical discipline. But in most in-

stances there was evidence of a serious ef-

fort to reduce the teaching to practice.

Eight seminaries reported that the

Apologetics class was correlated definitely

with Homiletics—the student being re-
quired to prepare and preach sermons on

the matter of this course. One seminary

reported that the point of view in Apolo-

getics was that the student, the future

priest, was not merely to preserve the

faith, but to propagate it. Five reported

that special attention was given to the

views and prejudices of non-Catholics.

Four observed that the Apologetics course

was correlated with Pastoral Theology in

the preparation of students to instruct

converts, special attention being given to



70 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

the method of presenting Catholic doctrine

,
to non-Catholics.

One professor of Apologetics writes:

“Our purpose is to meet the Protestant

Modernist : the battle is no longer primar-

ily with Luther ancj Calvin.” Another

says the aim of the Apologetics class is

“to present the matter to a pagan of good

will.” Another: “In presenting Catholic

truth we must use whatever fragments of

truth Protestants may possess.” Two of

the Right Reverend Rectors say that the

Apologetics class aims to impress on the

students that pastors have a responsibility

for the non-Catholics living in their par-

ishes.

Six of the seminary Rectors speak of

using the seminary library facilities in

connection with the Apologetics class to

acquaint the students with the latest Cath-

olic works on Apologetics. Four semin-

aries have “Apologetic Societies” which

meet weekly to discuss actual religious

questions of the day and to become famil-

iar with pamphlet literature for distribu-

tion among non-Catholics. One seminary

emphasizes the importance of preparing

its students to defend Catholic moral prin-



71IN THE UNITED STATES

ciples. Two lay stress on the apologetic

value of the Catholic liturgy.

It will be seen from this survey that the

theoretical aspects of Apologetics are be-

ing presented with a thoroughness which

equals that employed in other subjects;

but that while much excellent work is done

on the practical side in many seminaries,

the subject has only in a few institutions

received the careful planning which will

be necessary if the young priests are to

be equipped to be apostles to their non-

Catholic contemporaries.

II. APOLOGETICS IN MEN’S COLLEGES

Forty-three Catholic men’s colleges re-

presenting every section of the United

States reported on their teaching of Apolo-

getics. While the general programs for

the teaching of religion in these colleges

exhibits many differences in detail, there

is general uniformity both in general con-

tent and in time devoted to religious study.

Two hours a week throughout the four

years represent the average time; a few

require more and a very few require less.

The general substance of the course is a

year each of Dogma, Moral, Church His-

tory, and Scripture, with many minor var-

iations.



72 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

The apologetic purpose of this religious

teaching varies with different institutions.

In six colleges, while the courses are

named “Apologetics”, the reports frank-

ly state that training to interpret the

Church to the non-Catholic mind is not

contemplated at all. In all the other col-

leges, whether the religious course was

labelled “Apologetics” or not, there is

clearly present a definite apologetic pur-

pose and method, in different degree. One

college reports that its course in Apolo-

getics is definitely designed to refute ob-

jections urged by Protestant and other

non-Catholic writers. With another the

purpose is “to forearm the student against

the modern attack”. Another: “We have

tried to impress on our teachers of religion

the need of strengthening young men

against current objections to religion, es-

pecially those drawn from science and his-

tory.” Several colleges report special Evi-

dence Guild study clubs with regular week-

ly meetings; in several others the weekly

sermon at certain seasons is directly apolo-

getic.

There is a considerable problem in the

selection of suitable text-books: the two

most popular series being Dr. Cooper’s and



73
IN THE UNITED STATES

the “Truths of Christianity”
series. Sev-

eral colleges complain of the
lack of satis-

factory texts, but one Catholic
college rec-

tor went to the heart of the situation
when

he wrote: “We are flooded with text-books.

What we need are teachers who can make

religion interesting.” And the apologetic

viewpoint was excellently voiced by an-

other professor who wrote : “I have al-

ways demanded an answer that would
be

intelligible to the ‘man in the smoking

car/
”

III. CATHOLIC WOMEN’S COLLEGES

Thirty-nine Catholic women’s colleges

reported on the teaching of Apologetics.

While there is substantial uniformity
be-

tween the religion course in men’s and wo-

men’s colleges, there are also
notable

points of difference. The same texts are

in general use in both, with a more gen-

eral use of texts on the plan of Archbishop

Sheehan’s Apologetics, in the women’s col-

leges. The same range of religious teach-

ing—Dogma, Moral, Scripture and Church
History—form the staple of instruction.
The first notable difference is in the

amount of time devoted to religion. Wo-

men’s colleges average three hours a week

throughout the year as against two hours



74 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

for the men. This may be accounted for

partly by the fact that while the Sisters

carry on the regular course, they usually

provide for at least a lecture a week by a

priest in each class. In most women’s col-

leges some of the formal courses are given

entirely by priests.

A second point of difference is found in
the greater emphasis on Moral Problems

in women’s colleges, and a third in greater

insistence on the Lay Apostolate in wo-

men’s colleges. While all of these three

differences would indicate a more balanced

view of Apologetics in the women’s col-

leges than in those for men, it must not

be overlooked that six women’s colleges

specifically reported that they did not con-

sider it their business to prepare their

graduates to interpret the Catholic religion

to their non-Catholic neighbors.

No attempt is made here to outline a

course of Apologetics either for seminary

or college use. Our entire analysis and

survey of Apologetics in the United States

is intended to suggest the elements involved

in the training of leaders for the work of

Apologetics. And the aim of both semin-

aries and colleges should be to train Cath-

olic leaders.



IN THE UNITED STATES 75

OBSERVATIONS BY MEMBERS
OF COMMITTEE ON “POPU-

LAR APOLOGETICS”

THE MOST REV. JOHN F. NOLL, D. D.

The Most Reverend Edwin V. O’Hara,

D. D., Bishop of Great Falls, Montana,

has prepared a very exhaustive survey of

the present status of Catholic Apologetics

in our country, under the title “CATHO-

LIC EVIDENCE WORK IN THE

UNITED STATES.” Accompanying this

survey are offered excellent suggestions

for its improvement especially through

more perfect organization, through the

wider distribution of literature, and

through an increase of lay apostles and

catechists.

But since the Bishop does not proffer

suggestions relating to the manner in

which Catholic evidence should be pre-

sented to Catholic students in our high

schools, colleges and seminaries, or to

those generally who will lend themselves

to the task of instructing either
Catholics

or non-Catholics, this supplementary ex-

hibit is submitted by Most Reverend John

F. Noll and his associate Bishop members



76 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

of a “Popular Apologetic Committee” ap-

pointed by the Administration of the N.

C. W. C.

THE PROTESTANT STATE OF MIND.

The greatest religious confusion exists

among those who are affiliated with Pro-

testant religious bodies, and, of course,

even more among the nearly 90,000,000

Americans who have no connection what-

soever with organized religion. The most

serious need of all these is a correct con-

cept of the Church of Christ as a very de-

finite, divinely founded institution, com-

missioned to represent God Almighty as

both Teacher and Sanctifier.

Most Americans, in their present state

of mind, are little interested in an argu-

ment calculated to prove the truth of the

Catholic religion as against the truth of

any other religion. If we except the Luth-

erans and some Anglicans, it is safe to as-

sert that Protestant leaders insist that

everyone is safe for salvation “whose heart

is right with God,” be he Jew or Gentlie,

Catholic or Protestant. Unable to prove

that their respective organizations have

any commission to teach, much less that

they are empowered to dispense supernat-



77
IN THE UNITED STATES

ural things, they disdain the very idea of

dogma, and ignore the existence of super-

natural means of personal sanctification

to be dispensed by a visible Christian so-

ciety.

To the Protestant groups, therefore, as

well as to the vast number who hold no

membership in Christian organizations, it

is necessary to make clear the fact that the

prescribed way to salvation is very defi-

nite, that it is an institutional way, the

better to insure unity and harmony of con-

viction and of religious practice that it is

also a supernatural way, because the beati-

tude to be reached is supernatural.

It is of prime importance that students

at our seminaries should have a thorough

grasp of the Protestant attitude or state of

mind if they would hope to change it ; it is

of equal importance that lay people en-

gaged in the promotion of Catholic evi-

dence should be similarly informed.

The American attitude might be expres-

sed in the frequently uttered platitude
of

Protestant clergymen, of writers in de-

nominational periodicals: “It is religion

and not theology, Christianity and not

churchianity that counts.” Millions of

Americans would subscribe to a recent



CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK18

pointed statement of Dr. Luther A. Weigle,

of the Yale Divinity School : “The distinc-

tion between sectarianism and religion is

clear to all sensible men, and has been

maintained in a multitude of decisions

made by our courts.” (February 26, 1931).

Millions more would agree with the Rev.

Raymond C. Knox, Chaplain of Columbia

University, who says: “The old dogmatic

way of taking things on faith no longer

appeals to the great majority of students.

They are frank to express their dissatis-

faction with a creed that suppresses in-

quiry.” (August 2, 1931).

Only four days previously (July 29,

1931) Dr. Clarence Cook Little, former

President of the University of Michigan,

addressing a body of teachers in New

York, declared: “The majority of girls and

boys, rightly or wrongly as the case may

be, present the philosophy that they do not

feel content with swallowing the whole

system of ready-made theology. They are

asking the Christian Church to liberalize

in order to meet that situation.”

“It is religion which keeps the Church

going, and not the Church which keeps

religion going,” says Dr. Harry Emerson

Fosdick, on August 2, 1931.



79
IN THE UNITED STATES

“The world is not interested in theology,

but in sociology ; not in our controversies,

but in facts.”—Rev. J. B. Palmer,
of the

New York Y. M. C. A.

Having no concept of the supernatural

thousands of Protestant clergymen are be-

ing influenced by, and therefore will soon

be advocating, the religion of
Humanism

and Behaviorism.

THE MOST MODERN RELIGION.

Paganism of old felt the need of associa-

ting religion with a God to be wor-

shipped, even if it admitted that the God

was unknown; but it is quite common in

America for people to profess personal re-

ligion of some sort without any relation to

God. Men create a God according to their

own image and likeness.

The newest American religion aims at

serving humanity, not divinity. Millions

of dollars are sent to pagan lands to con-

vert the people not to any definite form of

Christianity, but to that vague Christian-

ity which stands for a higher civilization,

for improved secular education, better

sanitation, quality rather than quantity of

population. Both in this country and

abroad the Eugenic movement, the Birth



80 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Control movement, the Sterilization move-

ment, various forms of Social Service work

are financed in the name of this modern

religion, which would place within the

reach of the poor and suffering as much of

Heaven as it is possible for them to have

in this world. Such religionists are not

interested in the Heaven to come. These

movements, like Prohibition and other ef-

forts for Social Reform, demand State leg-

islation for their propagation and support.

Are not Socialism and Communism pro-

moted by their more ardent zealots in the

name of religion ? To them religion may be

anti-religion, but it is their religion none

the less. *

i

DISCOVER THE INDIVIDUAL’S RELIGIOUS

BACKGROUND.

Even in instructing the individual non-

Catholic the priest or catechist should seek

to learn just what has been his religious

background, for it will help the instructor

to set a better starting point. Removing

false impressions should be the first step

towards conveying correct impressions.

Very few people who apply for instruction

are prepared for the Catechism answer to

a query contained in the first lesson

:



81
IN THE UNITED STATES

“Where shall I learn the things which
I

must believe?” The answer to that
ques-

tion may not be assumed, but must be de-

monstrated. Hence the instructor s first

step is to “prove the Church” as a
definite

divine institution competent to speak
with

authority. Any man of fair intellect

should find it as easy to accept the
incom-

prehensible dogmas of faith as the incom-

prehensible dogmas of science or of na-

ture, if the competency of the
teaching

authority be recognized.

In dealing with our own people we do

not sufficiently emphasize the
infinitely

greater benefits we possess in the Catholic

religion over all others, because of
divine

help-dispensing sacraments, because of the

Mass, because of our Eucharistic treasure,

etc. The average Catholic interrogated

about the difference between his religion

and that professed by his questioner

will lay emphasis on the fact that the

Catholic Church is the oldest Church,

the first Church, the Church established

by Crist Himself. These points clarified

carry a convincing argument, but great-

er difference consists in the
divinity

of the Church itself through the

indwelling of the Holy Ghost, through



82 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Christ’s personal abiding presence,

through Apostolic succession, not to speak

of the infinite Sacrifice by which the Al-

mighty is worshipped and appeased and

thanked officially and adequately.

THE EFFECT OF SEEMING CATHOLIC

INDIFFERENCE.

The wrong impressions of non-Catholics

are not all related to Catholic teaching, or

to the Catholic Church as a religious or-

ganization. They are to a great extent in-

herited impressions, as Bishop O’Hara re-

marks, traceable to the days of state per-

secution of the Church in England and

Germany of long ago. But the influence of

persecution in past ages would not be so

effective if it were not aggravated by the

unpopularity of the Church to-day, even in

the countries to which Protestants love to

refer as Catholic countries. How can we
blame the non-Catholic for not showing an

interest in the Catholic religion when he

reads of its present-day persecution in

such countries with little protest from the

Catholic body itself? Yesterday it was

France
;
today it is Spain, Italy, Lithuania,

Mexico. Yet the whole Catholic world, as

far as the non-Catholic observes, is indif-

ferent.



IN THE UNITED STATUS. 83

The need of the hour is leadership under

which Catholic organizations in any

given country can be instantly aroused to

protest against unjust measures directed

towards 'the Church as such, or towards

her Hierarchy locally, or in another coun-

try. The Church international depends

for its defense solely on its Supreme Spir-

itual Head; the members internationally

have no bond of union but they certainly

could have, and for the general welfare of

the Church and morality should have.

Too often official persecutors of the

Church are applauded in messages re-

ceived from all over the world, from which

they naturally gather the impression that

they have the sympathy of practically all

who are not Catholic. When the Bishops

or Catholic organizations assert themsel-

ves on such occasions it is usually not in a

message to the persecutors, but rather in

a sympathetic message to the persecuted,

which hostile forces rather expect, and

by which they are not much disturbed.

We know how members of our Congress

are intimidated and influenced by mes-

sages of protest, of demands made by or-

ganized minorities. So also could the heads

of foreign States be induced to treat the



84 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Catholic Church more fairly if messages

betraying shock and resentment poured in

from other lands.

If our Church be truly Catholic or inter-

national, why should there not be closer

contacts between members of the Hierar-

chy in different countries, and between the

heads of leading Catholic lay organiza-

tions? How can we expect the average
non-Catholic, before he knows anything

about the Church, to be enthusiastic about

her? Should we not rather expect him to

be disposed to remain aloof from an un-

popular religious organization?

Therefore, our first approach to non-

Catholics, whether they be listeners to a

public address, or whether they be individ-

ual inquirers, should be by way of clarify-

ing the situation through the removal of

false impressions.

Prejudice will be a barrier to conver-

sions not only from the ranks of those

whose minds have been poisoned against

the Catholic Church, but from the ranks of

other groups as well. There are, for in-

stance, 4,000,000 Freemasons and 2,000,-

000 Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows,

under the Church’s ban, who, together

with their families, will remain unsym-



85IN THE UNITED STATES

pathetic. There are the 4,000,000 Jews,

who will remain aloof from Christianity.

Finally we have among us several

millions who could not become Catholics if

they would, owing to irregular marriages.

Another obstacle to conversions, as it is

a cause of perversions from the Catholic

faith, is the moral code which the Catholic

Church, representing her divine Master,

must enforce, be the consequences what

they may. Of course, our exalted moral

standards should be an attraction and in-

ducement to the many Protestants of clean

hearts and lofty ideals. But we cannot be

blind to the fact that the so-called new

morality appeals to the great mass of Ame-

rican youth and is condoned by their elders

generally speaking, is openly defended by

the press, and not opposed by Protestant

churchmen. We must be prepared to ex-

pect that with the collapse of faith, there

will be a collapse of morals.

MOST REV. JOHN J. SWINT, D. D.

Most Rev. John J. Swint, D. D., Bishop

of Wheeling, West Virginia, upon request,

outlined his views on the subject of “Popu-

lar Apologetics” as follows, in a letter to

Bishop Noll

:



86 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

“I have attended nearly all the recent

meetings in connection with this movement

and I find that this is about the consensus

of opinion:

“A school of ‘Popular Apologetics’ ought

to be established somewhere, preferably

in connection with the Catholic University

of America, in Washington. This should

be a post graduate school (for priests al-

ready ordained) and should aim:

“1. To train a body of writers who

would rewrite a whole new apologetic liter-

ature, scientific and up to date.

“2. To train priests who, free from

parish work, might, at least in the larger

cities, establish an office in a central and

public place, where it would be known that

information concerning things Catholic

might be obtained at all times, where con-

verts could be instructed, questions ans-

wered, incorrect statements in the news-

papers corrected and literature distributed.

“3. To continue the present work of

the Apostolic Mission House, i. e. train

missionaries for the non-Catholic mission

work.

“It was thought that the Mission House

might be made that School of Apologetics.

“I am strong on the matter of missions



87IN THE UNITED STATES

to non-Catholics. Our own Catholic people

neeed them very badly, and there is pro-

bably no better way of reaching the non-

Catholics than through the living voice.

These missions also become the occasion,

probably the best possible occasion, for

the distribution of literature.

“If this work is ever to be done effectual-

ly, I am convinced it must be taken up in

earnest by the Religious Orders. Diocesan

Apostolates can do it only on a limited

scale. I do not know how we are ever go-

ing to get the missionaries of the Religious

Orders trained for the work. Perhaps we

could through such a school of Apologetics

at the University. Few non-Catholic mis-

sions given by the Religious Orders have

been a success—this owing to lack of pro-
per training. Many of them have been a

most dismal failure, giving the entire

movement a bad repute. Most Diocesan

Apostolates have been quite successful.”

MOST REV. R. O. GEROW, D. D.

Most Rev. R. 0. Gerow, D.D., the Bishop

of Natchez, Mississippi, member of Bishop

Noll’s Committee, reported his recommen-

dations on that particular phase of Popular

Apologetics which relates to the spread of



88 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

Catholic truth among noii-Catholics. The

Bishop declares that he has in mind prin-

cipally the southern field of our country,
S'

and more particularly his own state, where

the people are not only strongly Protes-

tant, but densely ignorant of the Catholic

religion. The Bishop, observing the inter-

est which non-Catholics of the south have

taken in the Catholic Hour, the Golden

Hour, and other radio Broadcasts, believes

that the spoken word carried directly to

the homes of the people by radio is a very

important medium of Apologetics. In the

south, the Bishop contends, it is not diffi-

cult to induce non-Catholics to attend ser-

vices in a Catholic church on the occasion

of Missions. On the other hand, they rath-

er fear to attend the Catholic church un-

accompanied by Catholic friends. He says

:

“We have in this Diocese recently avail-

ed ourselves of the N. C. C. W. organiza-

tion to form committees of ladies in each

parish to serve to develop the habit on the

part of the Catholic ladies to invite non-

Catholics to our churches and to accom-

pany them. Unfortunately we have not yet

organized the men along these lines.”

The Bishop does not favor the non-Cath-

olic missions unless conducted in the most



89IN THE UNITED STATES

prudent manner, because Protestants, who

are in such large majority, are placed on

the defensive and often stir up trouble

after the Catholic missioner will have de-

parted. He believes the same results can

be obtained by the use of the Question

Box for the benefit of Protestants who at-

tend the Catholic Mission.

Referring to the “printed word,” the

Bishop says

:

“In this diocese we are at present in

process of inaugurating a movement to

disseminate Catholic papers and pamph-

lets not only among our Catholic families,

but among non-Catholics.” The medium

selected for the instruction of non-Catho-

lics is the month-end edition of OUR SUN-

DAY VISITOR. This edition is intended

primarily for non-Catholics, and strives,

without being offensive, to treat some

point of Catholic teaching or practice thor-

oughly. While it answers not only the stock

objections which Protestants have against

the Catholic Church, it seeks to interpret

current events as they relate to the Catho-

lic Church in some way or other.

The women’s organization in Mississippi

has as its slogan: “Every Catholic lady

working for the Church.” They have



90 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

charge of the pamphlet rack in the church

vestibule, and seek to keep it filled with at-

tractive and live literature. The same or-

ganization remails Catholic papers and

pamphlets to a select list of non-Catholics.

While this is being done the Bishop in-

sists that it is important that the Catholic

laity be stimulated to inform themselves

sufficiently to be missioners in behalf of

their religion among the mass of Protes-

tants with whom they have close contacts.

MOST REV. JOHN T. McNICHOLAS

The Most Rev. John T. McNicholas, D.

D., Archbishop of Cincinnati, who has been

probably more interested than any other

in an Institute of Apologetics, and, there-

fore, also in a Popular Apologetic move-

ment, presented his observations in a let-

ter to Bishop Noll, who, in turn, takes

pleasure in submitting them to the reader

of this brochure.



IN THE UNITED STATES 91

POPULAR APOLOGETICS

I. DEFINITION AND AIM OF POP-

ULAR APOLOGETICS

Popular Apologetics is the art of turn-

ing into suitable form and simple expres-

sion the truths of Catholic Faith, in order

that the average man may easily under-

stand these truths and be able to defend

Catholic principles against prejudice and

misunderstanding, 'doubt and attack.

Popular apologetics differs considera-

bly from the science of apologetics taught

in our seminaries and which may be de-

fined as the scientific defense of the foun-

dations and sources of faith by appeal to

reason and history. (1) Its main headings

are: Religion, Revelation and Christianity.

The science of apologetics demonstrates

(1) Bellwald defines apologetics as
“the sys-

tematized presentation of the credentials of his-

torical Christianity, which establish its divine

origin, its absolute rule and authority, and its

historic embodiment in the true Church, which it

must demonstrate to have been established by

Christ as the one final, visible, obligatory, and

divinely appointed authorities. Apologetics rests

on natural theology as its basis, leads up to faith

as its objective, and supports dogmatic and moral

theology as its superstructure.” (U. K. vol. i, col.

1047 supra).



92 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

the existence and truthfulness (veracity)

of God, religion, the fact of divine revela-

tion and its conservation in the Church.

At times this science is regarded as syn-

onymous with fundamental theology which

adds to the above study of the constitution

of the Church and of the sources of reve-

lation. Because of its great scope, the

treatise on God is usually accorded special

treatment as a distinct division of special

dogmatic Theology. (2) Popular apologetics

presupposes scientific apologetics and aims

to take the truths expounded and defended

in the latter science, and by divesting

them of their technical formulation, to re-

state them in language at once accurate

and easily understood. But it does not

rest here. Popular apologetics includes

not only the preambles of apologetics, but

also “apologies” or defenses of dogmatic

truths taken severally, especially of those

doctrines which are either questioned more

frequently or lie more open to attack and

misunderstanding. Although popular

apologetics devotes particular attention to

the foundations of faith, it also furnishes

the layman with simple explanations and

(2) See, e. g., The New Catholic Dictionary,
art. Fundamental Theology, pp. 386-387.



93IN THE UNITED STATES

proofs of dogmatic truths taken singly.

Every Catholic is more thoroughly con-

vinced after his enlightened intellect has

examined and seen how reasonable and

strong are the motives for the faith that is

in him, and how necessary are the funda-

mental principles upon which that faith

rests. Nor is popular apologetics satisfied

with this one excellent result of conserving

the faith, but it equips Catholics to defend

the truths of divine revelation when at-

tacked from without, and to explain the

dogmas of faith to the man not of the fold,

who comes in quest of truth and honestly

asks whether and where it may be found.

Popular apologetics is defense, too, against

every attack, but not merely defense, since

it aims to convince others of the truth of

Catholic Christianity, and therefore pur-

poses the spread of the faith.

2. WHAT IS REQUIRED OF POPU-

LAR APOLOGISTS AND APOLOGIES?

a) If popular apologetics is to accomplish

its aims, and not defeat its own pur-

pose it must be correct in its every

statement. Inaccuracy and misstate-

ment would spread uncertainty and

error instead of truth. Especially in



94 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

controversy and polemic is the danger

of overstatement or understatement

ever present. Therefore the man who

popularizes doctrines of faith must be

thoroughly grounded in all theology,

but especially in dogma and moral. At

the very least, fitness for his task pre-

supposes that he has made a very thor-

ough (seminary) course of dogmatic

and moral theology. He would do well

by way of review to reread English

translations of approved theological

works, (1) and have frequent recourse

to the English translation of Saint

Thomas.

b) Due to the nature of many modern er-

rors and the widespread and popular

diffusion of false philosophical systems

and notions, the popular apologist must

be well grounded in Catholic philoso-

phy.

c) Without robbing truth of its accurate

statement, the writer of popular apolo-

getical literature, must be able to di-

vest truths of faith of all phraseology

that is purely technical, and make these

(1) E. g., Devivier-Sasia, Schanz, Pohle-

Preuss, Hettinger. See Walshe who wrote in
English.



95IN THE UNITED STATES

truths readily understandable, by

means of clear and simple explanations

and illustrations whenever it would be

inadvisable to avoid technical terms.

This is a task for a man : 1) who has a

very good command of the vernacular

;

2) who can speak or write correct,

idiomatic English, yet of such a simple

quality, that the ordinary man can rel-

ish it; 3) who knows how to present,

explain and prove a truth to the inquir-

er ignorant of a subject; and 4) who

has the knack or skill of employing the

foregoing when imparting knowledge.

d) The practical or popular apologetical

writer need not carry out the entire

process as outlined under a, b, and c.

University and seminary professors

might be asked to prepare special stu-

dies, both complete and thorough, of

single Catholic doctrines and to cast

these into scientific form. These studies

would then serve as the ready source

upon which the popular apologist would

draw. The latter would turn them into

easily understood articles for news-

papers, weekly and monthly reviews,

into magazine feature articles on reli-

gious topics; into replies to secular



96 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

newspapers which due to ignorance or

bias, misstate or misinterpret the Cath-

olic position or teaching; into pamph-

lets intended for general distribution;

into apologetic sermons or instructions

for special occasions, for schools, high

schools and colleges, for missions to

Non-Catholics, question-box answers,

inquiry and convert classes, for sodal-

ity study clubs, “Catholic Evidence

Guilds”, and even into handbooks and

text books of the Catholic Religion;

not to mention the service they would

render in drawing maps, charts and

sketches or pictures which are often

helpful auxiliaries to the teacher of re-

ligious doctrine and practice.

e) The writer of popular apologetics must

be of a clear, quick and keen mind, for

he must be able to explain and prove, to

persuade and convince, not with vio-

lence and temper, but in unfeigned and

all-embracing charity. He should know

how to stimulate and hold interest in

the less willing, the ignorant, the mis-

guided and perplexed
;
how to concili-

ate, how to draw on, how to win over

the reader whose judgment is opposed

to the truth, or partial to error. All



IN THE UNITED STATES 97

this he must be able to do without sac-

rificing one iota of truth or compromis-

ing one commandment of the law. He

must never be a partisan, but always

the spokesman of the truth.

f ) He must understand the modern world

of thought, especially of religious and

philosophical thought. He must be able

to enter into the minds of the persons

he is attempting to help. He must be

conversant with the errors and vagar-

ies of the day, with the position taken

by modern liberal Protestant, skeptic

or agnostic.

g) Because of the constantly shifting

character of the attacks made upqn the

faith, the popular apologist will have

to supply ever new and freshly written

works on his subject. If it be asked

whether any special topics need popu-

lar apologetical treatment today,

among others there might be mention-

ed: 1) Certitude; 2) Religion and

Science (not in general alone; but re-

ligion as it affects particular sciences

and scientific theories) ; 3) Compara-

tive Studies of Religion as these refer

to particular Catholic doctrines; 4) the

Basis of Morality; 5) the Ethics that



98 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

will help to correct the particular vices

rampant today. (1)

3. WHO IS TO USE THIS POPULAR
APOLOGETIC LITERATURE?

In the first place every priest ought to

be able to use this literature intelligently

and effectively whenever the occasion pre-

sents itself. Secondly, it might be well to

train one or several priests in each diocese

or even in every larger city in popular

apologetics. Such a priest would build up

a library of these popular works, index

his library thoroughly and cross-index it

exhaustively after classifying it exactly.

He would draw up lists of this literature

in which he would offer brief reviews and

suggestions as to the use of special works.

He would write reviews of new works as

they appear, supply information to inquir-

ers among both priests and laymen, train

(1) It is of course quite plain that the Bible,

Liturgy, History, Science, etc., Politics, Sociology,

Economics, Education and the like must be given

popular apologetic treatment. The Catholic view-

point must be presented and explained and then
demonstrated.

There is a good and quite informative article

on Apologetics (not popular apologetics) written

by Augustine N. Bellwald, S. M., S. T. D., in
Universal Knowledge, vol. 1, coll. 1045-1063.



99
IM THE UNITED STATES

religious and secular teachers to carry on

popular apologetic courses where these

may be especially needed (e. g., among

workers exposed to socialistic and com-

munistic agitators ; in rural districts where

Catholicism is poorly represented). He

would attend to the proper distribution of

• this literature either immediately or by

the hands of lay auxiliaries. He would be

a bureau of information for all seekers of

the truth. If occasion offered, he himself

would instruct prospective converts. If it

were deemed advisable this priest could

conduct, once or twice a week, classes, or

teacher-seminars, of popular apologetics.

During the year immediately following up-

on their ordination, priests could be re-

quired to attend these courses in order to

fit themselves better for the various kinds

of practical work which the parish priest

Is called upon to do. Such a priest could

be made a Diocesan Official like Superin-

tendent of Schools, or Director of Chari-

ties. It seems very important that priests

of a Diocese realize that they have an Of-

ficial to whom they can go, who has the

approval of the Ordinary, who will help

them in stating the position of the Catho-

lic Church, who will direct them in their



100 CATHOLIC EVIDENCE WORK

reading
-

,
etc., who from time to time, will

have conferencs with all the young priests,

especially who are interested in convert
work.