it down "as quite inelegant!" If a man actively endeavour to remove some crying abuse, instead of seconding his efforts, or emulating his example; to work they go to attribute pride or vanity to him! Nay, if an individual, to the strict performance of his duty, adds an untiring zeal for the instruction of the ignorant, relief of the poor, or amelioration of distress, they say,"no one wants him to make himself thus unnecessarily busy.'

Thus, good works are constantly laughed down, not so much by the wicked, as by those who ought to have virtue most at heart.

We think that such persons ought to tear lest the words of Jesus Christ to the Bishop of Laodicea : " because thou art lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth," (Apoc. iii. 15, 16) might be applied to them. They ought to know that God often "makes use of the weak things of the world to confound the strong;" that if their favourite indifference had been always adopted we would have known nothing of the ardent love of Peter, Paul, John, Magdalen, or the Virgin of virgins; that the church would not have the talents of a Jerome, an Augustine, an Ambrose, a Gregory, a Basil, or a Chrysostom, nor the glories of these latter ages-a Thomas, a De Sales, a Bernard, a Bonaventure, a Liguori, or a Peter Damian, and finally that we would not this day have to admire the zeal of a Francis, a Dominick, a Teresa, a John of God, a Vincent Paulo, or an Ignatius!

God usually gives great graces to men of zeal in his service, whilst he hates sloth and idleness. He often, also, proposes through very plain people, works, which if suggested through men of talent might be rather attributed to them than to Himself! Finally, as the devil goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he shall devour, so it is the sacred duty of every Christian, who at his baptism has sworn to renounce his works, to manifest not less zeal in promoting the divine honor, in extirpating vice, in advancing virtue, and in extending the kingdom of heaven upon earth, than he does to destroy souls for which Christ died.

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LAITY'S DIRECTORY FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. May 4.-SUNDAY, 5th after Easter. Mass of St. Monica, widow: commem. of Sunday. Gospel of Sunday at the end.-White.

In the D. of Elphin, Mass of St. Asicus: commem of Sunday.-White. In the D. of Kildare, commem. of St. Conleth.

May 5.-ROGATION MONDAY. Mass of St. Pius V., P. and C. : commem. of the feria. Gospel of feria at the end.-White.

On this and the two following days the Litanies of the Saints, &c. are said before Mass.

In the D. of Clonfert, 3d oration for Right Rev. Thomas Coen, this being the anniversary of his consecration.

May 6.-ROGATION TUESDAY. Mass of St. John before the Latin Gate 2d oration of the feria. Creed. Pref. of Apostles.- Red.

May 7.-ROGATION WEDNESDAY, and Vigil of Ascension. Mass of St. Stanislaus, B. and M. 2d oration of the Vigil, 3d of the Rogations. Gospel of the Vigil at the end-Red.

May 8.-ASCENSION THURSDAY. (Holyday of obligation.) Mass of this feast. Creed. Pref. and Communicantes, proper during the Octave.— White.

May 9.-FRIDAY. Mass of St. Gregory Nazianzen, B. and D.: commem. of the Ascension. Creed.- White.

In the D. of Kildare, commem. of the Ascension and of St. Conlath. May 10.-SATURDAY. Mass of St. Congal, abbot: commem. of the Ascension, and of SS. Gordon and Epimachus, MM. Creed.-White.

In the D. of Kildare, Mass of the Octave day of St. Conlath, with the 2d commem. above-mentioned.- White.

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THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY'S EVENING HYMN.
CHILD of beauty, brightness, power,
Sleep, it is the evening hour;
Sleep, though rude thy chamber round,
Fear not, this is holy ground:

Angel watchers hover here,
Spirits bright are bending near.
Child of mystery and might,
What can ail thee, babe, to-night?
Infant tender, pure, and pale,
Rose-bud, delicate, and frail
Ah! I see upon thy brow
Some uneasy feeling now;
And thy quiet falling tears
Wake my heart's foreboding fears.
Child of bright and heavenly love,
Thou hast left thy bower above;
Come, then, to an humble nest,
On thy mortal mother's breast;
Why art thy sweet murmurs heard,

As the timed singing bird?

Is it my rude songs that break

Dreams from which thou would'st not wake?

Are the angel-hymns on high

Softer than a mother's sigh?
Child of heav'n! a lowlier lay,
It were meet for me to pay;
Gem of glory! fount of bliss,
Borne upon a breast like this:
Holy Mary, Virgin dear,
May I love thee without fear?
Oh! too beautiful thou art
Thus to slumber on my heart.
Yet while thus our arms entwine,

Thou art mine-for ever mine.

DUBLIN: Stereotyped, Printed and Published, by T. & J. COLDWELL, 50, Capel-street. Sold also by the Catholic Book Society, 5, Essex-Bridge; R. Coyne, 4, Capel-street; R. Grace and Son 45, Capel-street; J. Coyne, 24, Cook-street; Willmer and Smith, Liverpool; D. Kennedy, Glasgow; J. O'Donnell, Edinburgh, &c. &c.

THE

No. 13.

PUBLISHED WEEKLY,

UNDER THE INSPECTION OF CATHOLIC DIVINES.

DUBLIN, SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1834.

VOL. I

CATHOLICITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE following article, substantially taken from the Connecticut Observer, an anti-Catholic publication, affords a gratifying account of the amazing progress of Catholicity in the land of liberty.

"The first Roman Catholics of the United States were the settlers of Maryland, who emigrated in 1632 from England and Ireland. From this period till the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, the American Catholics were constantly supplied with Jesuit missionaries from England. From 1773 to the establishment of their episcopacy in 1790, the American Catholic Church was governed by a vicar of the Roman Catholic Bishop of London.In 1788 the Catholic religion of the United States was almost entirely confined to the State of Maryland, and a few scattered districts of Pennsylvenia, into which latter State it was introduced in 1790. The whole number of priests in 1788 did not exceed twenty-six, all of whom had been educated in Europe; and there was, at that date, no Popish" college or seminary, no convent or feniale academy, in the United States. In 1814 the face of things

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had greatly changed. The Popish hierarchy of the United States was now established.' The diocese of Baltimore, which had been created in 1790, and placed under the care of the late Archbishop Carroll (then bishop), had now become an archiepiscopal see, under the charge of the same prelate. Four other dioceses had been formed, four new bishops consecrated over them, and the diocese of New Orleans, which had been made in 1796, under the Spanish government, was now added to those of the United States. At this period there were two colleges, two seminaries, and three or four convents, and the whole number of priests and bishops was but 43, including the archbishop. From 1814 to 1833 the increase has been astonishing! Instead of six there are now eleven dioceses, to which the College of Propaganda, at Rome, contemplate soon adding a twelfth. There is one archbishop, 13 bishops, 10 vicars-general, 320 resident priests, exclusive of those in colleges, seminaries, convents, &c.; about 300 churches, erected or finishing, six diocesan seminaries for the education of priests, 10 colleges, 28 male and female convents, 35 seminaries for youth (14 for boys, and 21 for girls), and 16 orphan asylums under the care of the Jesuits and nuns, all the pupils of which are, of course, trained up in ways of Papacy' while, probably, more than 500,000 of the population of the country are connected with the Catholic Church; thus giving to that denomination a greater number of communicants than are attached to any other in the country. This rapid progress of Romanism is alarming !"-Connecticut Observer.

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THE POPE!

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BALTIMORE GAZETTE.

"SIR,I find in the New York Mirror of September 31st, another passage on which I shall take leave to remark. It is the description which the writer of the First Impressions of Europe' gives of his presentation at the Papal Court.

"I have been presented to the Pope this morning, in company with several Americans-Mr. and Mrs. Gray of Boston; Mr. Atherton and daughters, and Mr. Walsh, of Philadelphia, and Mr. Mayer, of Baltimore. With the latter gentleman I arrived rather late, and found that the rest of the party had been already received, and that his Holiness was giving audience that moment to some Russian ladies of rank. Bishop England, of Charleston, however, was good enough to send in once more, and, in the course of a few minutes, the chamberlain in waiting, announced to us that Il Padre Santo would receive us. The ante-room was a picturesque and rather peculiar scene. Clusters of priests of different ranks were scattered about in the corners, dressed in a variety of splendid costumes, white, crimson, and ermine; one

or two monks with their picturesque beards, and flowing dresses of grey or brown, were standing near one of the doors, in their habitual humble attitudes; two gentlemen mace-bearers guarded the door of the entrance to the Pope's presence, their silver batons under their arms, and their open-breasted cassocks covered with fine lace; the deep bend of the window was occupied by the American party of ladies, in the required black veils, and around the outer door stood the helmeted guard, a dozen stout men a arms, forming a forcible contrast to the mild faces and priestly company within.

The mace-bearers lifted the curtain, and the Pope stood be fore us in a small plain room. The Irish priest, who accompanied us, prostrated himself on the floor, and kissed the embroidered slipper, and Bishop England hastily knelt and kissed his hand, turning to present us as he rose. His Holiness smiled and stepped forward, with a gesture of his hand, as if to prevent our kneeling, and as the bishop mentioned our names he looked at us.Whether he presumed we did not speak the language, or whether he thought us too young to answer for ourselves, he confined his inquiries about us entirely to the good bishop, leaving me, as I had wished, at leisure to study his features and manner. It was easy to conceive that the father of the Catholic Church stood before me, but I could scarcely realize that it was a sovereign of Europe, and the temporal monarch of millions. He was dressed in a long vesture of snow-white flannel, buttoned together in front, with a large crimson velvet cape over his shoulders, and band and tassels of silver cloth hanging from beneath. A small white scullcap covered the crown of his head, and his hair, slightly grizzled, fell straight towards a low forehead, expressive of good-nature merely. A large emerald on his finger, and slippers wrought in gold, with a cross on the instep, completed his dress. His face is heavily moulded, but unmarked, and expressive mainly of sloth and kindness; his nose is uncommonly large, rather pendant than prominent, and an incipient double chin, slightly hanging cheeks, and eyes over which the lids drop, as in sleep, at the end of every sentence, confirm the general impresssion of his presence-that of an indolent and good old man. His inquiries were principally of the Catholic Church in Baltimore, (mentioned by the bishop as the city of Mr. Mayer's residence,) of its processions, its degree of state, and whether it was recognised by the government. At the first pause in the conversation, his Holiness smiled and bowed, the Irish priest prostrated himself again, and kissed his foot, and with a blessing from the father of the church we retired."

"Each individual must be the exclusive witness of his own impressions. The correspondent of the Mirror has published those which he says he had, regarding Pope Gregory XVI., and gives