CIHM Microfiche Series (l\/lonographs) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographles) Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian da microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming are checked below. a n n Coloured covers / Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged / Couverture endomrnagee □ Covers restored and/or laminated / Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicul^e Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps / Cartes geographiques en couleur □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations / Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material / Relie avec d'autres documents Only edition available / Seule edition disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin / La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge int^rieure. Blank leaves added during restorations may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / Use peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutees lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mals, lorsque cela etalt possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6te flimees. Additional comments / Commentalres supplementalres: L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6\6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-§tre uniques du point de vue bib!;- ographique, qui peuvent modifier una image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^tho- de normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. Coloured pages / Pages de couleur I I Pages damaged / Pages endommag^es D Pages restored and/or laminated / Pages restaurees et/ou pellicul^es □ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed / Pages d^colorees, tachet^es ou piquees L/j Pages detached / Pages d6tach6es |>y[ Showthrough / Transparence I I Quality of print varies / D D D Quality in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary material / Comprend du materiel suppl6mentaire Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 3 r- tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the b ' possible image / Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6te filmees a nouveau de fafon a obtenir la meilleure image possible. Opposing pages with varying colouration or discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des colorations variables ou des decolorations sont filmees deux fols afin d'obtenir la meilleure image possible. D This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below / Ce document est filme au taux de reduction indiaue ci-dessou$- 10x 14x 18x 22x 26x 30x —7 12x 16x 20x 24x 28x 32x The copy filmtd h«r« hat b««n rsproductd thanks to th« ganarosity of: Universite de Moncton Archives acadiennes L'axamplaira filmA fut raproduit grica i la ginArositi da: Universite de Moncton Archives acadiennes Tha imaga* appaaring hara ara tha bast quality poasibla considaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacif ications. Las imagas tuivantaa ont *ti raproduitas avac l« plus grand soin. compta tanu da la condition at do la nattatA da l'axamplaira filmi, at ^n conformity avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Original copies in printad papar covars ara fllmad baginning with tha front covor and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- sion. or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microfit:ha shall contain tha symbol ^^ (maaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol ▼ (moaning "END"), whichavar applias. Maps, platas. charts, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant reduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly included m one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. Tha following diagrams illustrate the method: Les exemplairas originaux dont la couvenure en papier est imprimAe sont filmAs en commencant par la premier plat at an terminant soit par la darniAre paga qui comporta une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par la second plat, selon la cas. Toua las autras exemplairas originaux sont filmAs en commenpant par la premiere paga qui comporta una empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration at an terminant pa> la darniira paga qui comporta una telle amprainta. Un das symbolas suivants spparaitra sur la darniira image da cheque microfiche, selon lo cas: la symbols — »• signifie "A SUIVRE". la symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvant atn filmAs A das taux da reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA. il est filmA A partir da Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droits. et de haut an bas, an prenant la nombra d'images nAcessaira. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART 'ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No 2: 1.0 I.I m I 3,2 1^ 1.25 iu IIIM 12.2 2.0 I 1.8 1.6 A APPLIED IfVl^G E ^^■^ '553 fjst Men Sl'p^t S^S Roc^.estef, New *o'ti '4t^rN '-^ ('16) ^6/ ■ 0_5u(i - l-'Honf ^S C^' ^8B - 5989 - rt3» CIRCULAR. ^^f\ % Reverend and Dear Father: The comfort that was naturally afforded us at the success which attended your zeal and labours in carry- ing out the suggestions we offered to you in our last circular letter prompts us, on the important occasion of the holy season of Lent, again to intimate to you some thoughts that may serve to inspire you to further efforts along the same lines. In this age of general relaxation of the stern rules of Christian penance, it is necessary for us to strive by every means in our power to inspire our people with the spi-it of our Holy Mother the Church in order that they might profit by this «'acceptaMe time" and "this day of salvation." It is true, inched, that whenever we turn to God by sincere repentance, that is for us "the day of salva- tion." Nevertheless the time of Lent may be truly styled the official day of salvation. In this holy season the Church exhorts, commands all her children to do penance in an especial manner. In this she is fulfilling ihe great end of her existence — the sanctifi- cation of souls. Her Divine Spouse, when on earth, replied to those who asked Him why His disciples did not do penance, "Can the children of the Brido'TOom mourn as \on^ as the Bridegroom is with them ? But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast." Immediately after the Ascension of our Divine Lord the Apostles and all the faithful began the saving exercise of penance. In a special manner they prepared for the greatest of our solemnities, Easter, by the observance of forty days' fasting, abstinence, prayer, and alms-deeds. Throughout the successive ages r the Church this law was most faithfully observe Saint Jerome tells us, four hundred years afterwards, "Lent is everywhere observed by Apostolic institution." Saint Isidore says that Lent has come down to us from Apostolic times. Th tughout the different ages of *he Church down to our own time this observance of Lent has never failed. It is true the Church, in con- sideration of our weaknesses, has deigned to mitigate the rigors of the early penitential works ; but this should make us all the more zealous in the exact ob- servance of what she at present prescribes. Pope Benedict XIV. wrote to the Catholic world in the year 1 75 1, "The observance of Lent is the very basis of the Christian warfare. By it we prove ourselves not to be the enemies of the cross of Christ. By it we avert the scourges of Divine Justice. By it we gain strength against the prince of darkness. It shields us with heavenly help. Should mankind grow remiss in the o' servance of Lent it would be a detriment to God's glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted but such negligence would become a source of misery to the world, of public calamity and of private woe." (2) '4 It is for us to ward oflF these frightful calamities predicted by that ilhistrious PontiflP as foliowinj^ the non-observance of penitential works, by exhibiting- in ourselves the utmost zeal ip fulfilliiii,' the laws of penance as they are officially given to us during the season of Lent. There is no one who claims to be a Christian that can dispense himself from the law of penance. The Divine Master has laid down, with the greatest precision, the conditions of discipleship with Him. " If any man come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." "If any man will not deny himself he cannot be my disciple." " Unless you do penance you shall all like- wise -lerish." These are the conditions that our Lord Himself has fixed,' and He has left us no power of dispensing with them. If we only consider our very nature we will find new motives for admiring the Infinite Wisdom that prescribed these conditions. It was by the indulgence of appetite that man fell and thereby brought death (and the innumerable miseries leading to it) upon the human race. It was by self- denial, by sulfering, and by the cross that mankind was redeei- '. Although we have been redeemed we still a; i. We therefore must still make atonement. "The im.av^nnation and thought of man's heart are prone to evil from his youth." (Gen. viii., 21.) We thus find from the very word of God that we carry within us the promptings of every vicious passion, and if these are not repressed by self-denial, they will carry us into every species of sin and iniquity. Hence holy Job said, " The life of man is a warfare upon earth." The epistle of the first Sunday of Lent is but a vivid description of this great and truceless warfare. (3) The Church never loses sijrht of the world as the j^'-reat battlefield of her children. She looks upon Lent as the time when they are enjii'aj^ed, as ii were, in mortal conflict with their relentless foes. She sees on the one side the World, the Devil and the Flesh puttinj^' forth their utmost efforts to retain their power over the hearts of her children. On the other hand it is she herself who inspires her own with the spirit requisite for success in the engagement. She tells them it is by self-denial, by fasting, by prayer, and by alms-deeds, that they are to retain dominion over their rebellious nature, and she gazes with admiring sympathy on her heroes carrying these principles to a successful issue. The Royal Psalmist has s: id : "We all, like sheep, have gone astray," and the Holy Ghost has told us elsewhere, "The just man falls seven times. " We have here still another motive for penance, viz., to make atonement to the Divine Justice for our sins. It is here that the saying of our Lord "unless you do penance you shall all likewise perish " is rigorously applied. Whatever the world may think of penance, however absurd it may think fi.st, prayer, and alms- deeds are, it always remains true that Divine Justice is unchangeable, and to it we owe atonement for our sins. This is the secret of penance in all the ages of the world. David watered his couch with his tears, and his very knees did tremble with weakness from his fasting. God prescribed fasting and prayer for the Ninevites to avert their impending ruin on account of their sins. Saint Paul counts more on his work of penance for salvation than the fact that he is a "Vessel of election," or that he was favored with the most extraordinary heavenly visions, " I chastise my body and bring it into subjection .... lest I become cast away." The spirit of modern relaxation can in no way affect these Divine oracles. If \w say tliat penance is not practical nowadays, that very few do it, we must say in return those very few are the only ones that are saved and that the rest all perish. The love of ease and the desire of being" dispensed, so prevalent in modern times, can never exempt u:= from this essen- tial law of Christianity, and the Church can no more cease preaching penance than she can cease being Catholic. Hence the necessity of entering with proper dispositions the holy season of Lent, of filling our- selves with the spirit of the Church in this "acceptable time." We have to prove ourselves the disciples of our crucified Redeemer. We have to atone for the many sins of our lives. We may, indeed, at any time during the year do works of penance, and they are always acceptable to God and even necessary for our sanctification; but in the time of Lent these exercises are elevated by the Divine precept in a general manner obliging us to fast, and, by the sanction of Catholic tradition, together with the certainty of Apostolic in- stitution, and by the millions of Christians throughout the world being united together in this great holocaust of penance. In the midst of this multitude we may consider our Divine Redeemer in the actual exercise of his forty days' fast. Although it is nearly two thou- sand years since He passed the first Lent in the desert, yet "a thousand years are as one day, and one day is as a thousand years" to God. There is no past, there is no future in the Divine action, for God lives not in time but in eternity. The Eternal Father is looking to-day as vividly on his Divine Son fasting forty days in the desert as he did two thousand years ago. We are invited to look at Him in like manner, worn and emaciated with the rigors of His fast. We (5) are to bear Him company during our own Lent, carrying on our bodies the marks ci our penance, bearinj^ our miseries in union with his and with the many million Christians lhrouj,Mioul the Catholic world. Neither must we forget the motives the Church brink's to our assistance to encouraj>^e us in these arduous works. She keeps constantly before us durinjj Lent the conspiracy of the Jews against the life of her Divine Spouse, the horrible instruments of His passion and the n^'onies of His suffering's and death. She wishes b\ these to excite our sympathy, our admiration and our love, and thus stimulat.» us to suffer, in an infinitely less dej^'ree, it is true, the privations imposed upon us during' this holy season. From C'Misiderati(Mis such as these we may justly hope the ^'•ood people will be inspired to undertake with couraj^a* and zeal, and to execute with fidelity the works prescribed for the proper observance of Lent. 1. All the days of Lent, except Sundays, are days of fast and abstinence of oblij^jation for all persons of the a^^e of twenty-one years, except excused by hard labor, ill health, and such legitimate excuses. 2. Custom in this countrj permits in the morning a cup of tea or coffee with a little b.ead. 3. By dispensation from the Holy See the use of flesh meat is permitted at e /ery meal on Sundays, and once each day at the principal meal on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, except Ember Saturday and Saturday in Holy Week. 4. The use of lard or dripping- is permitted in cooking fish and vcgiHables, not only during Lent, but also on days of fast and abstinence through the \ ear, (6) f except Ash Wednesday, Gc i Friday, and the vigil of the Nativity of our Lord. 5. It is not permitted to use fish and fli- 1 meat at the same meal. 6. The time for i imply in jf with the Faster duty will commence next Sunday, and all should prepare by a jjood confession and holy communion to sanctify the holy season, and thus merit gr.ice and glory by their prayers, fasts, and other good works. The people may be a sembled, if possible, say on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Lent for some spiritual exercises the Beads, the Way of the Cross, a lecture or instruction on the Commandments, the Sacraments, or the Passion of our Lord. Permission is granted to give the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday and Friday during the holy season. The offerings of Good Friday are for the support of the F"riars guarding the Holy Land. You will read this Letter at the different Masses in your Church the first Sunday after its reception. Yours faithfully in the Lord. tT. CASEY, Bishc^ «. f St. Jciiii. St. John, N. B., February 4th, 1902. (7)