1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

While the offered prayer is to God it should not be forgotten that inharmony with the foregoing statement (that the prayer influences ofall who join in it) that Jesus and the Apostle indicate that it shouldbe uttered in such a voice and manner as to enable those about toappreciate and intelligently join it. Jesus said, in connection withone of the few of his recorded sayings, "Because of them that stoodby I said it." (John 11:42.) Paul exhorts those who lead thecompany in prayer to seek to do so in such a manner that all may beable to hear and acquiesce in it. (1 Cor. 14:14-17.) And in all thingswhatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.R800 : page 4====================ROMAN CATHOLICS REBEL.So complete is the submission of Roman Catholics to their priests,that such a thing as a Roman Catholic congregation asserting anyrights, is almost unheard of. But contact with freemen and theexercise of liberty on other subjects is having an effect, and theindications are that the church of Rome must ere long bend or breakunder the weight of this influence. She will undoubtedly do both,bend a little first then break and lose her power over her faithful asher daughters are doing.The following clip from a Chicago daily explains itself in harmonywith the foregoing remarks:"A movement of unusual character has taken place in the large andwealthy Roman Catholic parish of St. Mary's, at Aurora, Ill. Sometime ago the parish revolted against the Rev. Father Welby, itspastor, giving as a reason the fact that the priest would not permitthe congregation to superintend its own financial affairs, butcollected all the money and spent it at his own pleasure, without somuch as making a report to those who contributed. At that time thecongregation appealed to the Archbishop to remove Father Welbyand replace him by a pastor who would accept a stipulated salary,"as other preachers do," and permit the congregation to manage itsown affairs. The Archbishop referred the matter to the VicarGeneral, and that gentleman visited this city and from the pulpitsoundly berated the congregation as a lot of ignoramuses andconcluded by saying that Father Welby would be kept here until thecongregation bowed in submission to his authority. The VicarGeneral subsequently said in Chicago that Father Welby would bekept in Aurora until the congregation accepted his word as law, if ittook until his dying day. Notwithstanding these promises FatherWelby was removed from Aurora in two weeks and thecongregation was left for a time without a priest. Last Sunday,Father Leyden, of Woodstock, occupied the pulpit and announcedhis intention to control, not only the spiritual but the temporalaffairs of the church. The result of this announcement was ameeting of the congregation at which a more compact organization