Door) al$$ktsd an the Paps*# p53U1 r t th r b t t e x @sntei&8g drti

BQJfad ins

fox the G b w h f dulsbg tho aart Wrsa$7--four hour#, Th.

%bat there q h t be a Oo&-iaarpirM,wid+opsn Book rrhar(r arrw isiahtul Christian mi@$ go f ~ r fif$ht,rzevm antsrsd tbair ainbr,

I bar w b t i they wa~tbb to nark@ at ms,for lai tar t i o f sUn&

par ern if&, s j fbnef sr atid a Bho

Ono day,wha I m a fowteenBX -8 playing with aaother

- on the outekirtr of the tom.8 wheelbarrow re earr by the roa&si&

tempted us t o exoba f~e r idm, On L 836ep inoline lay pfa-te b ~ t

aontrol of the vehiols,with the result that I wae dcashed &no*

s heap of omshed stonas,rrhort a quarter of a aaf le aray, There

was a deep,bon+baring alaiarh belon my knee. The aocrident,rrhiah

oams n w aeasesftatiag the amputation of my l e f t leg,tur86dmy

thought6 t@W&rd the C h ~ o h ,

On the prsvioue year a oouein of =ins had entered the A u g u s t

inian Order, During; his novitiate in a oonrent near Rose bs kept

writing to me, telling rrondsrr about the ~6t%43t~f~h8$6 of mstUksti0

lkfe.1 cfwided to enter the 8-8 Order whioh,ar 1 wr%s t o lsarn

later,waa the Order ef 1Qart;in Luther, After studying the H w - A

itiss,which dealt ohief ly wiQB the anoient crllaeraio)+p~l~sophy L

aad Mstorf, f t m @ i r W q tha6Aogtml dol~attcm in th. %a-

Thusre wwu rrtirriag gcrara -th& jeara rhsa the ~ l b ; l l a d

W d e r ~ i a t i s ~ ~ c u c t&e le&ezaUp of gzmS U s sshd solik,

such 8s Bwnaiuti, 1rprre$U,8on Rugel

and otharr,rsrr filling the i irst deoadu of o s n t q

wtth the dr 8

were altl loyal Gbtholfor rho $%At that the tisne b d arrlvad

far aQa,pting xe2igion to tha %Bought snd Ufe of 'the srode~a L

wurU,

Srayeb 'by intel leo tusl oandor, theer Podernletr sat .boat

applying the new methods of o r t t i o ~ l and historictal rassrsmh

t o the Biblle,ar well ae to crhufoh d.~gmss and trrrditlana.Thg

refused t o accept tnzth 8s- a kind of hallowed fossil wmppw3

up in a pamei handed doaa from the past,To thm truth ma

the Living Qodss perpetual revelation to His cr~er-gmrrieg

o$ildren, Divine rsali ties, they maint&ine$ abide in Ws

e#ernal fl ent of our faith; but our apprehension of .theus

that ispour tbeology,ohanger wf th our ohsnqSiw

edto It iata d ~ o l r a t i o fams by bringfag &t to s higher

judgeren+- the oolleutira son~c f eno s of hi storlaal Chrietian~

I devoured the ir l ltbrat~re,lgu~h of rhiah I: 46 t o 88-

our4 surrtpti tlowly, with the' result that aliQOet mconwiously

I found lay8el.f &am into the glawlng orbit of the1 r brean, al-

though the rigorous ooLlege disaipllns prevented ms from o h a s p

September 8, W?, ahen Pope Birrs3 X1 E &athirig encyclloal Pasoen-

d i Dominioi Gregis condeagrred Eodsriecsla,tbus oonflrming the old

Protertant ohatlrge that R a m Cathoiicisla ks unreformed ana urt-

reformable. A furious stom of misuaderstandlng and persecution

broke loose upon the noble brewre, most of whom, horever, bravely

refused betray their inner light by rgcantfng.

I oannot Xook back at those years without a twinge of eelf-

condeeinebion.1 feel norr that I should have thrown myself iqto

the fray,and baatleb snd suifsred for the truth, Instead, ay

gwwigg doubts mtrf th~t&nalag, 1 left rapself to be ordained to

the priesthood by the late Cardinal Respighi In 19b,and & s t

esupertora t o be aeat t o A ~ e ~ i c a nhere,I thought,thet

claira8 of the Izlind laight be si lenced by active ratiniatry amow

. a canonised saint iapressed we w i t h assarancre theLt the b

spiritus1 opportunities offered by that oonttnent were as vast

-*1~%4m6 tree alr of ~sriua,homu,rar to inareaim the rertlsee- i I /

/ads's of my spirit. 'for oru tUng ,it did not take long tor ra i 7

$6 r d i z e the i a ~ h t y oi h at what I hdi been taught zt?aout 1 . :/q I

m i ' ,,

cdhie*, respected the lord*. Ily.attanded their oburchc. sad * .. ,'

* gh-h-9chooli,,asksd ~ o c i e ta b ~ s a s i n g qmo tmtr s e a r and i n I. .

syadijothar r s ~ g brought thkz %nteUigent,practical rrllgion .<-

% > - 5 to bear ~ g m 9v82yda9 life. Their stwQinee8, t ~ t h f k h e t 3 8 ~

, . with traita of the older, &render believers of Suuthezn

N n

the unity of ,,;&%%ope. Thalr uaooncern ria theological do- aa ' -%,he f e i th , ..=-- -...-- -.-

PJSE$L$~ mas equal t o tiheir eagerncaa t o be Good Se,1aaritari8. , /

'r?ka Protestaata,I thought,ar# Ln laore t m one r a ~ better ,$: /

' CLL3"$@tithnb than t h o ~ e Catholfca who w o U aaonapollirs &ate ,f *r'

g r h ~ e discover). sharpened ; 8 ,

% dwf &n t8 aod belt ef 8 qmderlyi -_ I i- - &*

If; a 'a withered braach, t o r n from the Vine of %rut& a d giaae, '

, B h l l e disobhrging pastoral dutie8, f irst i n LswreMl@,Wa8., 6 i ? 7 \

and ;then i n Philadelphia, Penna., I began t o delve into litere'turs . I '

/

- forbidden t o ROS& Cstnolias. The works of Protestant echolarr, -P i'

x' 4\

4 A

more especially the Mgliatnn Uxf ey, Liddon, Lightfoot, &re, U%-

t ledde and severs% athers dwply fslpresssd me by their obvi-

ous intelbctwd. honesty,the%r reverence for wth and critic-

These sohohro made are p~iniully a W a 8 of the anesidtdness

of my theological and hi atoxfoal ed~lcstion. They conf irgled what

f had been suspecting right a20ni3,narnely,that my R o m teachers

aab proved their dwtrlnee only by raukicg ~clriptwal texts, the

writlags of the Church Fa.there a~rd the decreeat of the'E0ur~tmio-

e f Councils beyond their object ive memings, Instea@ of honeetly

conioraing their tenets to the p l a i n taschinga of the Gospel and

the nitness of primitive Chrlstianity,they skil'fully had done

- the opposite. For instance, I discovered that their interpreta- L,

t ion of the i ~ u c l , ~ ~ ~ o u art iPe teqm ~ ~ t . ~ t t . x r i , 13) was re- - j e c t m by no Lesa than f o r t y - f o ~ Church Father8,nhile only

Christ,the Rock. The vast aajarity of them aoncurzed i n St. bedrgck

, ~uguetine'e beltef that th ok of the Churoh i e not the

, i r d l buglraa person of Peter,but h i e mighty confession of dessi i n i ty

Chriatl eAbk3&se tlessi vinity, and that it was not @krtski /

, the Son of the Living W P h o ma8 b u i l t on Pe%eP,but vice-

. versa -0.1 rill build thee upupon Ye, not Me upon t h e e . v

f alao dlacovered &at my Roman teaagere had convenient-

'Ly winked off the signifioa,nt %no ident that Chi rist, 8f t er n

; supposedly investing Pet;er o r i t & the papal privilege,involt-

fng supiremoy m f A infallibility,ahost in one anb the Baa8

/

\*F.,* *

breath traorlated hi. w i t h Bir.@Out the+ behind 88,&Un; tMu

art tm offence anto M@,f~r Wtt ~ v u a r e a t mt the thigga that

be 0f God. lhtj L i k e ~ i s a . it 1m8 8 eQock to &08m thst the ~$&oI!#&

Pope Peter had been rebuked by hir fellor-spost%% Paul for being

amng %hose "who di& 'not talk uprightly acoorbfrtg t o the truth

of the Gosgel, 9 880 atrage, I ttlought, that not only the Maatez,

but also the reet uf the Apostles should U s ieft free t o judge

the mpposed supreme arbiter of f a i t h rand norake!

~ o r r e v e r , w ~ t ekttered ay beUef in the divine ohaxaatsr of

the Papwy was not any single Scriptural text --it mas the whole

s p i r i t and tenor of the gel Te~ttment. D08Liwtion tmd subJsotion

haa been the only k i d of authority known to the Alexazrctezs and

the Caesars.The Pazareth Carpente? set 3nyp a brand new criterion

of politicsl and social relationshfps when Be proclaileed that

*#it should not be go* m n g .EI;is d i sc ip le s whose would-be chiefs

o u g ~ t to be aerP&ats.~, '?kt was the consecration of the prirr- v c ip le 01 democratic e ~ ~ l i t y , r r i l o s e culminsting ritual was %a be

the washing of one ktnothcrss feet , In the glght of the "soapel r dewcmcy the hdder of the papal hierarchy bippea~ecl to me

as r m k pa hlp1.

:io l e s s sbcittering nlis the result of ti r e s t u d y of the

Ecmeriioal Councils of the early Chwroh,nhich St.Gregory the

Great professed t o ureceive anti venerate a8 the Four Gospels..

The very faot that f o r nine centurie8,when traveUng was so

' s l o w and Cifficult,Christiep filth z::d practiq)r hzd to be de-

- ffnad by the ae~tmblad epls~opaw of both #e Eest m a the lest

stmwrk me a0 a -st aonriaoing proof that the G h ~ h crontinasd

ypreaci belief that the fM&Llible lecbclership of the Spir i t oouU

be expressed only by the ~on~ent ienf ; taied of the univessrsl O h w h ,

that is ,by t&c d aratio priaoiple 01 repre~entatkon~ia tha

categorical dictum, ~ e c t u u a iudioat orb&* terrazua*.\tj - - / __C_

f found i t equally signifioa~nt that one of these Ccur#ils,%he

Fourth Bcuraenicaf,hel? in Oba&ebdoa in S51 under the presidenay

of 33,Cyri l of A i e ~ d X i s , sbalrf b r e been elrplicit in dimlaring

that the Rertf~m Biabop'rs was a pisre priority of honor,and that

she Patriarch of Cons+aatinople Was his equal in authority and

jurisdic tian. bother of these Courtof 16, the VI th Ecurneaics1,freld

in Constantinople in 681,waa so Little heedful of %he papal clairmrs

that it d i d not hesi tate to anatheaatiee Pcpe Bonoriys as a Pono-

thel f te heretia.

I h a been wzgtlt t o dlalaiss tihe Eastern Orthodox Chwrcher

Ortnoauxy loomed beXore my view aa a strow buttrese of the Pro-

testant position.flere rsas the oldest Church in Christendom,the

Churah which W&S torn on the Day of Pentecost,'~lrote the Four

, 698pel8, iormul~tea the f ire t Greeci, evolves the First Lf ture ,

sent her rnissfontuiee ketsr aria Paul t o give the pagan 3ase her

Ch;FlstLan bagtiss --and this Mother Churoh rejected the papal

vpassira, in Contra hnatiztas.

A

clal~la!Thirs Church lsetiatnigrd mat i t rres the y@u~zg@f,a* i t fo~r

Patriarch of the Best who had separated hi U ima hf s older

brother-Patri~imhr of She &%i3t,mt r i o s t s t n , T h c r whim bad P a w

been the reaplt of the b~htar*eA%aperisU%qnot of tha urtheTg8

that the Pagaoy,with its abrsrolatifstio uorroenrration of poter,is

no% a aivins instimtion, but rathe? 8 Bu~laaa Uevs;Lopa%nt f06t6?@d

by his%orioal oirc~8ktnoea,suc:3r ae the dlssoPution of the R o w

Einpirc and the church-msepigg oontroverste@,both of shfcth Lo-

the falling of the ia&ersl alght Ronecr politioo-aooial genius as

aad centztLLiution of power d i d prore,proridential as the Greek

A sgeoulstisae geniu~r ha8 proved at sn earUex perfod,when Atha.-

nasitrs "atoud aloae-ainet the world-engulfing stom of heresyr doer

But a providential missionA?s- not necessarily point t o s divlnr

institution, As the Oxeek tnctaphyaicpl subtlety oeasad t o be

beneficial when i t degenerated i n t o Bpsantins auphistw, even so

Rogle6e authoritative usefulaesro e w e t o en en8 when i t grtm t o

such tihemratio sbmlutism as to destroy every traoe of Capel

teaohera had eqA;,in& the growth of the Paga.cy by the

theory of devslopursnt, so-called, weording to whiah the papal

power was simply a grrrdutssl uarpackiw pf w h a t had been given i n

a .tight paroel 8 thousand years bsfors.8ut n#w t h % ~ mechanistit n

explaprttioa erppeaxed t o me 8% ~bevxd - as i t WBS C~E?VBT. Of G O U ~ S ~ ,

8

I was aot rn naira ;rrra to sxgecrt tha* a f t s t anfiurbea o f

Iffs Chriotcr or@ziisation alto* have bea#rr amctly %t nu

in the day8 of %he ~ o m d e t . ~ t even after saki* the wider%

Lowance for gr~wth,I w a s bsri'ldcl.rab aab appalled by the cfisa;t&l-

arity between tbs fruit 886 tfre seed, Coaid,f asked myself ,the

aemoratio fellowship of faith an;4 luos into rhioh *he l&m of

Oc9121ee dreamed of bringfag together the areekarr of Ood's Elngbom

have grown in%o a totall taritbn w o ~ s a i a s t f oo-politioaf tnrpire?

Could there be aap relationship beween the thorny arom surronnd-

ing Christt a head ~ e r t;ss PopsBe $\maled tlara? Was i t poeaible

that the Xingdoa of fiewen pi~$urbb by the fSssa?eth Gtwperzter

might have beooane a kingbet of this world ni# s pompous Uerarchy,

diploaatio 'oorp8,aacret c erbfns,kni&te of the oape tiad

r' eword? Ho! arfed both sy rszacron and my conacliaoa, it wmut pot+

eibljd be! To see f n the P a p ~ l Court a devel~gnrent OX b e 8etb

lehem k%er would be Like believing &hat figs are the prcrdmt

of thistlae, BaatLail; to be &solately sure, f re-read the bspsls

m e d i t s t i v t l y and prayerfully,gad every p g e shouted forth the

ease answer, lo!

f I1

The divine right of the Papacy was not the only tenet whicrh

critical self-edwation oorrrpeLlad me f o t o s s aaay,kLeo bel ie f

in the .sdequaoy of scholastic fhought propounded by St, Thomar

~quinas now appearai $6 me as the pathetic i l l u s i o n of ainde con-

f ined in a squirrel oage. Logi~al a entation t o sappart oort- 0

olusions given i n advance s t w k 7198 as spmial pleading,~atbr

than phibo~phfoal rsaw>nbg, likewie8,Z r o a d i t diffionllt kr ANQ rsconcib w i t h either the temhings the #?%tit of the

p e d l a o y , i t s Jxmtifiaatfon of tbs r~ea j l r , by thQ snd,ltirr wwkery

of siac3erfty -8 truth by m e x a t 8 l reservation, As for tba abiai8 that the Chumh need. to be @matohm% on tmporal power in order

t o discharge b w eiri%ual aiseion,thsse t~o\ua66b to lple as eon- V < K B

rlncing a. the notion that biNr need to fly. 4

The aria18 b r o w t about by sy saif-rdaduaation m s deepat- T+*E-F~ c r i t ecbemd, fcr rmrcr

tht X kept eyes a p e a , d that fhe 4

Chumhas whioh d u r i ~ the ReXora3ation hBd sbakan off %Be attrsr-

brous luggags of trad&tional triasrntinge mawed t o hold on the

heart of the Goepel better thaa Rome, Thir bwaaas a otxrtauinty

for me when, one Stmaaf evening, while etrolUng a brig Chrf s ~ i m

Street, in Phi kbelphia, I mas sftrac ted by the lusty singing

coming from nitbin %he Qimopai Church of the Rely kpoct las .

It was so mulrstirring that I ha&i t o walk in, Everyt-dng X saw

and heard was a re~olatlon -the s i r s p l i ~ i t y Ebnd dignity of the acp

service,the aest with which 6wrgane in the cangreg~tion took

part In f t, the iomeiul avtmgolioal pretmhlrrg m&, m o ~ t of a b i ,

the -%zit of demcratf~ fellonahip which prompted the rector stand at tbe door and

self, * I wish the Pope were here t o see whether thoee czlSside of

the h ie r~c . ; i ca l fold a r e wived by $heir ignorsnoe of truth,

T? ther t h a n by their enligbtensd f %i th:

I now be- t o oraver for contacts nlth Proteskant people,

I cannot help thinkgag that i t nrs the pityiog Ood who

toward rplr groping spirit EUB m d iaithZul sremant,m6 Rm,

, supertatemdent ~f #% Qity Useion on

South T h i r d 8%~%et, Eccah of tiha ssvsta l discruseions I hi%% w i t h

bis var a further step k,xztrd l i ght and p m e , f in hia

a lovely persoaifioaziua of the spirif of Hila w h o was aon~ernerlt

mare w i t h doigg p a d tBan with pramhing dogmas. Oor Bfe reli-

gion sppsarecl to ma aa being less en ivory tmer of doctrine

t m a ssmtifier of h w experience. The E ~ I B ~ C Q Z I Q L ~ rector ae-

s u r d a e o f What Z Lac half divined,nantely, %&at witbin h i8

Church,with her ~triving d t e r rs balmas of Cathollo a ~ t t ~ o r f t y . aad Proteatant iraedon,I wouLd#flnd a spiritfal hum not a. is-

ppe6siVe a8 Ftaete,but mre l i k e the one delineated in the pqer

of the %@pel,

~t wa8 after oael of these interviewe t b t I opened my heart

to one of my feilcw-priests -- a w n beloved by the who-te eon-

gigregation, Far # m a being tshoclrect by ay perplexities End l e e s -

ings, ue w m l y aynzg&ttfaed w i t h me, ''1 W O , ~ he confided, * & m e

ny uoilbta; but a break w i t h b ther C b m h wuld e n t i i l too aruolh

irardship.1 w i l l go pa c;iercWgirtg my priestly duties the best

I c a , cbrgiag my asntcr;L reeervaxione end hypocrf sy to the Pope.

~uce,whilej#discussirig the panegyric8 with wolc:: f roio the

pulpit we h a t o keep ertollillg the rnfraoulous posers of this

or that Saint,I reaajked tat%% we were ayrking gods of Ood88

.servants, "Yes, * Be rei;;df ly agreec?, a by hasping on h a l l these

false miraolesl,vb are fostering gross stlgerstisiori, rawer t8aa

as much as r a ~ t owl liksrar slunahixi~,~ Om. arrcrther croaasiowt Z ~reamlbsr

Ood as l i t t l e ahflartn,&t the 0-b w m t s u$ to receive it ae

iyromup iaiots,ms %&ugh thuau n m need the dbsaat fa l food of

meetenec m i l k , u This e prfest l e t me k m m that if CE eter

were t o tur* nis bsck on We Popt,he rouLO join the Eplsaopal , in preiereme to ~ t h e r ohw~thea,bewse in his opinion it s%wd

samet ims lor the best in Protestaiitisa, f rondez how he hed ratscth@d

A

such cftnclusion,There n a ~ M Epkmopal Church a ftn blgcks a m 4

froa our own, Et Is Ukely thaf t 5 i o gave Uea sg opportunity to observe ~Xxtdy st close quarters the faith and prsetfoe of t h o ~ e who ckttm

to be at once CetmZics for every truth of Codsand Protestants

t.48inst every error or man,

,y tuis t t a e ay pos i t ion h&C be0ril:e well-nigh intoLerr~ile.1

SELB l o s i n g UJ self-res~ect,enc l ~ c k i a g despicable in my o m eyea.

c c u a sot heLp zu%itt%riri.g even e n ~ ~ i a g the siaple

faith of my penitents snci parisbSuners in general, I felt l ike

~ e k i a g God wLy it w m that ignorance an8 auperstitlon made people

hap2y,r:hile t h e e to cnorn it ~ r s s given t o know he6 t o rreetlte and

grum in their inaerzost depths. Titar tho spirit 0% w~derstmding

no Longer one of H i s gifts? aid Ee no Longer delight in ~dcln'e

Xesnanf le,waenevsr X bokod at t h e Crucifix on the eb-kt&r,Ee

en you teaah lrrma

I: onoe. eff ere4 on the Cross- remues from the flslPes of Purge

when you tell the people to go t o Orr i rs clr that Wnt,as though

X were aot the only loving Sarfot of nen a d the only E&ator

between them bad My $&the.l! Ysu derogate froat Ye +hen you ref-

t o the Pope as the head of the Chtwh and q ~osr,as tnongh sr

a r k e n tag' 0 o u l ~ of pour parirshioners with tmperatition by blerrss-

irig rosaries, aeaaA.8 and s ~ a p u h u s , or by announcing inauL,tno ies,

or e;r wsvia-p; reLic8 or by urging pifgri es to various eh::tnes,

when deep in yoiu: heart you know that ay Fatha is a S p z r i t who

seeks saoh as m y aaure H i m in sp ir i t m a trutht You kast of your

a b i l i t y t o f i l l the clluroh aith sorehippert3 Sueday a3 ter 3m&a;

but w n a t are you do&& t o fill their hearts --Goats true temples-

with usderstanain& toleraace and goadaill?"

Tnese and other reproachful voices I seewed to heer a l l a-

raund me. I could so longer r e w i n in tne Cnumh of my fathers,

Xy excraus was hastened oy the fwt that a fr iend or uaine,to whoa

f had opened ay doubtridc%en heart,must have felt that i t w a s hfr

duty to help save a8 by revealing w h a t I had c~oafided t~ him. One

mnorniiw a. able &rr1ved,bwi&o&~ ae b w k to i'iorae, The ailsxietjf of

my aupstiora ra# undersk~ndable: two other l&tuni's~ p r i 8 . t ~

bad left the Chtzroh iron the twme pariah, to join Proteatant-

i s Instead of bobding the f i r s t Italy-bolmd sUpJ took

she road %u the City )ifiseian,ar$d after a Galk ai$h the super-

intendent resolved to ay break rith Roas fiaal, 'Phat

aae on June 11,19&4.

I t semed as If euddenly a great elf had severe4 as from

a l l my past.The world in rhicrh for twnty-five years I had

l ived M& wved betoante ~ t ~ ~ n g e and even hosti le t o ere. Far&

a t las let i't be knom that; $hey would k i l l lae if I dared

show my face again i n South Phfladelphia. Old friends de-

serted ae; only two or three of them mere &udarrluus enough

to sympathize with are areorttlft.My parents and rehtives

wrote to heap reproach upon aae.But my conscience 88mred

Wat I had done the right thing,thua enabling taa not only

t o go mahaken through the stom,but a l so t o resist a dear

f e l b r oollegiss, who on hia knees begged me to return to

Mother Chwh.

On the fbllowing October I entered the PhilsLdeLpUa Div- -

i

see behind the eeptvation of the Churoh of Enghrd from the

Papop something more Henry VIIIts whim - the uier- AN^ mining o f the papal claims by Biblloal a o b o l a r ~ h l p ~ the con-

th6 bie3%mhycg science of English Christendo. outraged by &@.aka abuse8 4

--C 4

atongrub now a t r w k me as being letits expL-tory tbuaa tb pttre

light retdiating frora Granaaer@ar amrtyzdum. On J m w sir of the

following yeat I was received fato the Episcopal Chumh by

Phi l ip Mercer Rhinelan&er, biebop of Penzutylvaaia,

men ordained to the pman Catholic prieclthood,I had

%&an the vor of oelfbaoy,But,lfke a thousand other priest@,

I h&d been shut out from the work& at an early ags,to be realc

ed in an unr&.,artifiulal oonoeption of l i f e whioh hred prs-

vented me f r o m reallsing the treaendotrs import o f that v w ,

For fnstance,l had been taught to adaiire a certain rsafn$(l

think i t was Louis G o o w ) for keeping hie eyes donnmwl

when talking to nomsn,inclu&ing hie okn r~other, When f Shrew

away the papal systaar,my consoienoe told me that X could @ i z b

1essly diaoard holy oelibaoyvfor the equally holy e s w t e o f

mtrimony, On kpril eevew, 1915, fn S t ?

aa&2rrctkxY t a s x U 2% before the altar of Christ Cathedral,

I joined i n wedlocck Hies Easel Bennett,vho was to eonfirm w h a t

I had surmised al.rebady,namely that hunran lovs , ln %he *pal

church held as a hindxanoa to God's greater lor8,ca.Q btr a

uomderf~l laader thereto,

For years to Gome my wife was t o be more than tab f & ~ i l y ~ @

sacred center and heart,msn more theLn a source of inspiration

and strength - the sharer of 811 my drezma for the 'Jingfloai of A

Dod, Besides raising five chSldren,of whcm every Amricaa pa*

ant l ight be proutd,ehe t a a ta spend helcsslf in the @a~?-~i@@

of tha Ilaetsr.Su was t o be so w y things i n oae -oZg8;2Ltst,

ahoir tlrainer,Bmday Srrhool superintendat %ad tezmber,8ocfal

ionsra,sha war t o put on fit;hetS Uveu of our 101m t b t a&

gift.

men 1 think of the ~ 8 ~ 8 t h and beauty 8 faithful oom-

panion oan bring into the life of 8 God@ a sarvazit,I fee l

l i k e pitying the Ru CatholSs priests whom c e l i l ~ o y keeps -re or bar

outside of the glowing heart of life,and apart from the A

sweeping tkdsa of bmanity. A careful aseassment of both

the ad~antages and U r s w W k ~ ef crelibaoy had deepened %a

me the oonviotLon #at the majority of Rose98 ~ g i r i t u a l

euldiers soulld be better fati21srs in God f f , d t e r St.Psu1~a

advise* they were allord t o be human

I rill never forget the Gunday when 1 attended %be

first mi soopal servioe at the Churoh of 8t.John the Emm-

gelist -- a charge of my friend and arpiritul leader,the

Reversnd 8r.WHeary. Both sy ireagination and qy heart rsrs

l i t en i l l y gripped by the simple yet ipipraseive ritual. The

cross-cent ered altar wae profueely demorated with whi t a reflect tlonr

l i f i e s upon which f e l l tbs milt %%gkt of the Euclheristio

. lights. A mystiu glow was on #e jtaoee of the worshipper8 G

a8 they knelt at the ohanas1 to re-

,'-- ceive into their haads the Br-d of Heaven anb drink oZ the

Fine of the £30~3.. There aae no U n t hers that $he priest might

be performing wme taagic rf t e d e read %he servfae c l e a l y and

audibly, and knelt rhf re raosiving the coaswraterU elmen ts,ss

though E deep #sense of himflitp wde hila amre that one

present was alao a p r f e ~ t unto God, me batelike intirrrsroy and

swse t fellonehip pervading the whole celebrratioa was forcibly

relafnisoent of the l o w A . Table 9n tihe G d i l Upper Room,

rather thhta t h e Roislan CathoUrr high altar where Wd i r j =die majestic

t o 823- as t n*^.fc%vu King,rrrtber than aa a 1ovir.g Fatbar.

I needed ao wordat to osy t o my~elf,~ff &d is not w i t h 5 1 %hi8

Church, Me f a nowhere! a

xv* n ;-.a I look baofSwarCls , Z f e e l that I can never tbrmk ?ad tirs3-

ough for leauiug me in to a Church ~;htch,wkiile holding faat t o the

e t e z n d foundztioas . h i d i r ~ t h e Goepei, keeps he2 witlCroris open 'sruth.

t o the ever-uroadcuing l i ght of the t. This makes i t pow

s i b l e for me t o aorship the :reator Spirit not only r i t k ary

hear t and souf, but also a i th :ay aind -the =af:~b hungry far the

div ine Zrsad of Trith,of which I f e e l l i k e a huoaule seeker,

rather than a p ~ o ~ d and exchsive possessor,

cf course,I ca;l s t i l l see tbe fine+,more luminous side of

R a w Zatholicisa --its unbroken w b l e of Christi'm bzlkef and

~ractice which, d e ~ p i t e regiaonted t o t a l i taritmi sm, baa room with-

' in it for a vast amber of coase:rated,self-sacrificing s o d a n

doing batt le Tor Cod's Kin,cltlrora, md 1 a m arnzerstanc? why there

A are people w h o , f a ~ f =tad by Rome* s msjssti c smbiLi.t;y,aaa 8.0-

cept her promise^ of certdii~$j ma pew%@ 88 an Bdequte OCB*

pensation for taeir surrender of the rights of t h o a m . f t

is natural, that the o k i a t o speak Srifai.Ubly for truth ahould

provide for many the kind of ptaeus8nce t o which men, evm &ulr

ideulogiclral ooafusion and politlco-eooiaL ohaoa. 1: l 8 so dif-

f i cu l t ,a lmat iqmssibfe,to rerrlst aa offer of ocsrtainty which

e pafns of the search Ebitor %ruth, . the

$:.f. Wdc,w-st= 1Pght-mrd path

l i n e under the shouted ordere of key&-rattling hler&rche9

But rohe,t,f s b ~ ~ f i d 11ke t o a s k the happy ciiscove~ers of the

'rtua Cilurch, rhat f i the concepts of authority on ~ h i c h Bo3ne'a

asswcnces ere br,sed, ehould derive f r o a the i q e r i ~ l trtiditions

of the Caesars,rzther t u n from the s p i r i t alrd teactings of tha el 8 H&z,reth Cawenter? %st i f e t 8 i ~ i ~ ~ r e a s i r e shov of Ustoricsl

ani socia& pGwer should be, fo 6 Exert. extent, the r e s u l t cf a

deft but unholy coczipro~iae with the world -- &he co&prc;niue

~ h i c h made the gret.t Father Tyrrell mwa,BTte misery is that 7

Rome i s at once .;he& t anc t w e e d l i g h t ana darkness,good

Because t o me genuine Ghristiaui t y i s only that eet forth

in tbe f i f e and t h e tc.ae .inl;s o f the larl of Saliloe, I must

wonder whether men hare angrignt to s q e o t salvation fzos, za-

7 - Ligious prttrerncr whfch obviously do not oonioxm t;o the divine

original,&or o w I help boast3.q lrbether rr bcs2tle-flae; an rb.i@h

I fail t o re&'thg two great ChrLstitm watohff6lrd8,'Pruth a d

Freedom, wid on ~whiog eoclesisst l o a l interests loom ZR hrger

thsn the Qoapex'e, oaa help the huitnan a p L ~ l t to exprem the

Df vine Spirit --the Light- shedbr anb hrrls-breather,

\

ThirtSs;.five year8 of mainistry have! ioteaerified my love for

.,':, the Qiscopal Church, while lak king me incressfnglp &Wars of the ,a ,/' spirihml emptineaa of ahat is spectaouks in 3omn batholicr-

/-

i s m --nur;lberr,pomp md pagcsmtry. &en. lass 60 1 feel Like sd-

Gring hosrel~ ~ ~ c s l l e sparen, sbose massive cohesiot. sod ?A

iron dieciplt& breed better aoldiera of ;he Chuoh than serv-

ants of Chrtst. One oan undersfand why ~ o m a a h o u ~ d be ao

3ut Prot stiants railst f e e l equally horrified at sac r i-

legious deetn;rx; tisi? of the G o ~ e l ' s de~ocrot ic liberties. l o

them oorgsrate unity w5i-h is becured ~t the expense of the

l iberty of the individuel s o u l mast Peel Like ihtoleraale tyr-

anny, m d no show; tif szrery~th and efficiency aan ever r'ckrncl

such feeling. For thcy carmot bring themselves t o bs,lieve t h p t

t . , e end Justifiee the eseBns,or & k t night mkes right in. . the

spiritual b @ i n , m y more $hart i t does in the p ~ l i t i ~ m l .

I thank 006 tnat i n the Church of my cboice the unity of

the f s i t h is held a o t by the fasces of oae manta erb&ol?lt$

euttrority,but in U;re c o r j m r ~ ~ e , d e t ~ o c r a t i o @Boa& of the spirita, -

A To me,th8 tme ideal. o f unity %a tkat which erprGsfts8 i*rel;I

in l iving warieaf,not in the rigid,iafLex%bls Uforrioity

of BEtbel,ratharr Wan a ai?mplasnsioaeb Bosikgte of Faith, k lut they the

sLlould reamber that the &a of 004 naa crwified not Cf3r in-

dogmezi~, oocrkmre mmbera of the Sa9hearira. The ezrcessear of

utvistve, d&8i~tegrating sec?isrianisa are too deplorable Spr

IFOM$; b:3t on? CP.? qcver forget that Lheobgicebl &iff srarrcela

were raapant even wi th in the 2riaitive Churah ,and set the

conseroativ~ Peter far wart fro% the l i b e r a l Paul,

There are nu canonized saints on the kzlenaar US ~y Cburoh;

the

--the Catbulio oauntei-pzrt of the pagan apotheosis-- could

ac;L: nothing to t h e precio~zs Geauty oX Iiollness 8iii:iiilg ;ia ale 2 agree

l i v e s of many of my fellow balieverc, Qtii the gcrent Father 4,

T y r r e l l that the s p i r i t u e l rmther of Chriet-Alka peopLe l i k e

i:eb;le, Fusey, Heele, Florer~ce I-iigfrtiag~le, Azchoishop Terrtpfe,

I:itjL~jp Erent,Dr,Grcr3ell and m a g o t h e r s Ltl "the Church of

betser-than-saints. * In the c ~ ; ~ ~ ' m ~ i o n a 3 fellowship of such

Zhrf s t - f i l l e d ohnractera I feel kkit together in c ' h r i z t t $ ,'

=' / mystical B3dp -2 f e e l i n g nifich g i v e s me a l l the strength /'I ! - -9 end inspf rstiorr 1 need to live;by- f a i t h a m hope 'and' b y e , /I'

L i k e w i s e 1 Gad that $Us Qhtucah,heedt"ul of Christ'r

d, "Render wl.t;o C a e W the

not yielded to tihe teqiptation to be furrf God,hali the world, bt

turning refigion into an inat; nt of poli tiear duraiaatf on, %'ma

mhlng it Of ff icult t o r countLeas believers t o reoonciPe th%;tr

gaauiDerssip in the Oitp of God t k f t h their Loysfty to tcte City of

L a a t but not least, I love the breadtk, ccr~eprehsn~ivene~~ -6

tolerance ~ k b c h have l e d axmy tUnking Cbistircrrs to see in the

Episcophl Cnwch soaetaing m r e than $be KidGle Road --We prs;r-

videnf i a l Bridge across the, appstxat cham bemaen Cat.~ollctfnr

and Protest~ntism.On t h t 6ri-e I m ~ f sion the Crest Shepherd

steaoirrg vi tD outstretched arm, eager t o bring all 8% s fo lbnero A

I n t o one f e l l o ~ s h i p 1:;rger than the papal or the egfscpsll or the

pzesbyterfan or the coagrqgntionn1,or even &he Christim. c r

only s felloasbig as broad, as the heart of the Eternal Father,

and as high as the stisring w i n g s cf the Boly Spiritsend as &ow

as the feet which the Galiletln Sor of 2rn stooped to wash in tf:&

Ppper R ~ o a can help bci ld . the Eo-use of P e s e for oar toro,&e- f uL*

wildered and despeirfPL uorld. +.

(i.dv.) T T ~ C I S C.CS~OZZ~. Zt+*%.ry* G E ~ ~ i s ~ o g a l Church R f nd ;ha ,Psnna.