# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1855_S269
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the History of the Roman Catholic Associations, etc. 269

at the hour of prayer an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" is prayed for the living members of the brotherhood and likewise for the deceased ones. At least every quarter-year the holy Sacrament must be received by the members of the association. This brotherhood is a union of Catholic university students. For the University of Breslau the board of the association is formed by the gentlemen Canon Dr. Sauer, Professor Lic. Stern, Repetent Stoffner, Paul, Kinur, and Machni. At the head of the Breslau association, as a rule, stands the rector of the local princely-episcopal clerical seminary. — For the preparation for this brotherhood during the university years, provision has also been made at the Gymnasien. The "Aloysian League" or the "Aloysius Sodality," such as exists in Oppeln, unites Gymnasium students under the direction of a religion teacher in veneration of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the model of chastity, humility, faithful fulfillment of duty, and especially zeal in prayer. By statute, such a student union holds a six-week devotion each year in honor of the said saint, this patron of youth, and besides this four general assemblies annually; the reading of "dangerous" books is forbidden to the youthful members of the association.

To the same idolatrous spirit to which the Brotherhood of Adoration of the Sacrament is devoted, the Düsseldorf Picture Association also ministers, which has already supplied eleven annual volumes of images of saints, naturally for no other purpose than religious veneration, or rather adoration, of the saints. The Roman clergy therefore recommend the artistic products of the Picture Association especially for sale at places of pilgrimage, where indeed the poor pilgrims, for their penances, obtain admittedly only a painted righteousness and holiness, just as their images of the saints are likewise only painted. Nevertheless, according to the Deutsche Volkshalle, the Princess of Prussia has stated, in Düsseldorf, that perhaps no association unfolds its activity so effectively and becomes "a blessing" as does precisely this association, which reaches into all classes of the people, into the religious element as well as into artistic taste. Truly, an admission that testifies to great powerlessness of faith! The Roman clergy accordingly did not fail to spread these insinuations as widely as possible, even though the princess does not belong to the mother church.

Such specifically papal tendencies, as are expressed in the two associations just mentioned, could not, however, achieve their intended effectiveness if the clergy and the teaching profession did not also receive a corresponding spur. There were therefore ordered, to a greater extent than before, so-called "spiritual exercises" for priests and teachers. Under the direction of a clergyman especially chosen for this purpose, distinguished by "piety" and talents — preferably Jesuits and Redemptorists were employed for this business — there assembled