^^^^5* v^.^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I bills 2.2 b£ 12.0 il.25 i 1.4 1.6 vg W % /: /A '^/ ^. y Photographic Sciences Corporation \ ^' 23 WeST MMN STRICT W«BSTER,NY. 14580 (716) 672-4503 •- 1S^^ ^^^^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian fnstitute for Historical MIcroreproductions / Institut canedien de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquaa Tha Insdtuta hat attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availsbia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha reproduction, or which may significantly changa tha usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D D D D Coloured covers/ Couverture de coulaur nn Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ et/ou pellicula □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque loured maps/ Cartas gAographiquas mn couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured maps/ I I Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ I I Coloured plates and/or illuatrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serrie peut caussk de I'ombre ou de la distorsion I* long da la marge IntAriaure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filmina/ II se peut que certainas pages blanches ajoutias lors d'une restauration apparaissant dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas iti filmies. L'Institut s microfilm* le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a itt possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographiqua, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mithoda normale de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ D Pagea da couleur Pagea damaged/ Pages endommagies Pages restored and/oi Pages restaurtes et/ou peiliculies Pages Pages Pages Pages d^tachias Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of prin Cualit* inigaie de I'impression Includes supplementary materii Comprend du material supplimantaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible I — I Pagea damaged/ r~n Pages restored and/or laminated/ B Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages dicolories, tachetdes ou piquies r~~| Pages detached/ r~l Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totaiement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuiilet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M film^s A nouveau de fapon it obtenir la meilleure image possible. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplim taires: This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ca document est film* au taux de reduction indiqui ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X aox y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Th« copy film«d h«r« has b««n rtproducad thanks to tha ganarosity of: Seminary of Quebec Library L'axamplaira fiim4 fut raproduit grica A la ginArosit* da: Siminaire da Quebec Bibliothique Tha Imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality possibia considaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in icaaping with tha filming contract spaciflcationa. Laa imagaa suivantaa ont Ati raproduitaa avac la piua grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattat* da l'axamplaira film*, at an conformity avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Original copiaa in printad papar covars ara flimad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- sion, or tha bacic covar whan appropriata. Ail othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- slon. and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. Tha laat racordod frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol ^^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol ▼ (moaning "END"), whichavar appiiaa. las axamplairaa originaux dont la couvartura an papiar aat imprim^a sont fiimte 9n commanpant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la darniira paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration, soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous laa autras axamplairaa originaux sont filmte wi commandant par la pramiAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration at an tarminant par la darniira paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Un daa symbolfts suivants apparaltra sur la damiAra imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la caa: la symbols — »• signifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols V signifia "FIN". Maps, plataa, charts, stc.. may ba filmad at diffarant reduction ratioa. Thoaa too larga to ba antiraiy includad in ona axpoaura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand comar, laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa raquirad. Tha following dicgrama illustrata tha mathod: Laa cartaa, pianchas, tablaaux, ate, pauvant Atra filmte A daa taux da rMuction diffirants. Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour itre raproduit an un saul cliche, ii aat film* A partir da i'angia sup4riaur gaucha. da gaueha * droita. at da Itaut wi baa, wti pranant la nombra d'imagaa nicassaira. Las diagrammas suivants iliustrant la m*thoda. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 f( i^f'G% t PASTORAL LETTER OF HIS LORDSHIP THE BISHOP OF KINGSTON. Edward John, by the Grace of God and the favor of the Holy See, Bishop of Kingston. To the Clergy and Laity of Our Diocess, health and Benediction in the Lord. Dearly Beloved Brethren, — Tlic holy season of Lent is fast approaching, those days of penance and prayer when the Church addresses us in the language of the Prophet Joel, — "Be converted to me, saiththe Lord, with all your heart, in fasting, in weeping, in mourning" — Joel 2, 12. Ever alive to our eternal interests, she exhorts us to enter on this penitential time with becoming dispositions, and to apply ourselves to the practice of the mortiticalions she prescribes to us. In vivid colors she portrays the necessity of penante, reminding us how faitliless we have been to the teachings of the Divine Law, the liilfilment of which can alone conduce to our peace of mind here, and our eternal fe- licity hereafter. She encourages us to the practice of mortification, by the assurance that " God is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy"— Joel 2, 13. To those whose lives are Eassed in the service of the Lord, whose solo desire is the observance of the Divine precepts, she rings the comfort and consolation that the Holy season of Lent is rich in those graces wliich will enable them to walk on, with constancy and perseverance, in the path which Lads to heaven. To the sinner who has wandered away from piety and virtue, sotting before his eyes the dark- ness of his ingratitude, and the awful punishments which await all those who love inquity, she ex- horts him to abandon sin and injustice, to alone ior his past offences, and to appease by sincere sorrow and meet works of penance, the anger of an offended God. For him she pours forth in plaintive language her supplications to the Father of mercy ; spare, Lord, spare thy people. The hallowed season of Lent is at hand. Remember!^ Beloved Brethren, that " if you live according to the flesh, you shall die, but if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live" — Rom. 8, 13. To us all is offered an opportunity of making our peace with offended Heaven, and returning like Prodigal children to the embraces of an outraged but still loving Father. Impressed with a deep conviction of the heavy responsibility resting on Us, desirous of ful- filling the duties devolving on Us, as your Chief Pastor, urged b^ the charity of Christ, We call on you " to sanctify the fast" by a sincere conversion, by approaching that Holy Tribunal, where, in the fulness of a penitent heart, avowing your sinfulness, acknowledging your weakness, aban- doning your vicious inclinations, you may receive that pardon which healing the wounds of your soul, will strengthen you against the temptations of the world, and enable you to encounter suc- cessfully the trials and difficulties of your different walks of life. , The season on which we are entering will be hailed by the sincere Catholic with solemn and joyful feelings. The idea of fast, of penanc6, of mortification, may be repugnant to the world- ling or the voluptuary, whose sole desire is the pampering of a perishable Dody, or the enjoy- ment of those pleasures of which he is a willing slave. But to the faithful Catholic the annual recurrence of this great Fast brings high and holy thoughts. It fills his mind with the recollec- tion of that pclemn fast which the Scripture tells us the Lord endured for forty days and forty nights — Matt. 4, 2. It reminds him of the ages gone by since the establishment of Christianity, in each successive year of which, during nineteen centuries, to every people, in every country where Catholic faith has been preached, this great fast has been proclaimed : co-eval with the 2 propagation of the Gospel, and, if we believe the Fathers of the Church, of Divine and not hu- man authority, the lenten fast has ever been practised in the Church. True, we have fallen away from primitive fervor; the Church yielding to our luke-warmness, and pitying our great weak- ness, has departed from or rather relaxed that rigorous observance of Lent so faithfully prac- tised by our Fathers. But if she has done so aa regards corporal nourishment, she never lias and never will relax in her doctrines : now as in the primitive ages of Christianity, she leaches us the absolute necessity of penance and mortification. At all times, but particularly during the Holy Season of Lent, she exhorts her children to curb their passions, to restrain their evil incli- nations, to crucify the flesh, to atone for past transgressions— and this, Beloved Brethren, is the chief and principal object of the fast ot Lent. Fasting, abstinence from certain viands is un- doubtedly of great service, at all times salutary; but the principal aim, the primary object, is fiist from sin : to diminish corporal food to restrict our.'elves to a certain quantity is, it cannot be de- nied, a privation ; to war against sin, to battle against iniquity, to cleanse and purify the con- science is, according to St. Augustine, the great and perfect fast. By uniting your eflbrts lor the destruction of sin in your souls with the privations enjoined by the Church during Lent, you will giin a victory over the numerous difficulties which your own inordinate self-love throws in the way of salvation, you will draw down on yourselves the infinite mercy of God, and this is "to fight the good fight, to lay hold on eternal life, whcreunto we are called" — 1 Tim. 6, 12. Wherefore, Beloved Brethren, with firm resolve to break down those barriers of sin which interpose between you and the service of God, "cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light' — Rom, 13, 12. Walk on courageously in the way of penance and mortification. Recall to your minds Ihat " now is the acceptable time, that this is the day of salvation." Ful- fil with piety and exactitude the observances imposed on yon during the Holy Season of Lent. Fast in order that you may restrain and subdue your rebellious passions, that you may shun the evil consequence-^: of sin ; "for the wages of sin is death" — Rom. 6, 23, the loss of eternal hie. Fast, and to fasting add other works of self-denial and abnegation, that you may draw down on yourselves the purifying dew of Divine grace, which, enabling you to purify your soula in the salutary waters of Sacramental penance, and to strengthen them by a ho* communion, will ren- der you worthy of celebrating in the Spirit of the Church, "in joy and gladness" the approach- ing least of the resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And now, Beloved Brethren, we invite your attention to another subject of deep import- ance to us as Catholics. No one among you is ignorant of the manifold injuries recently inflict- ed on Our Holy Father Pius IX, or of the great and crying injustices to which evil designing men have subjected him. Imbued with the false liberalism so rampant in our days, seeking only the success of their own ambititious designs, aided and abetted by an anli-catholic and revolution- ary press, they have left no means untried to deprive the Holy Father of his temporal dominions, and to sever that union of Prince and Pontiff consecrated by the lapse of ages, and by the uniyer- Ba' tiss-'nt of all good, sincere Catholics. They have to some extent succeeded in their criminal designs ; trampling under foot every right, both human and divine ; setting at naught the guaran- tee of treaties, the laws of nations; acknowledging no other law but that of the lawless freebooter, they have wrested by armed violence from the peaceful sway of the Vicar of Christ, a portion of tho