The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 27

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

27

Buffalo since November 5 to canvass for a colored
Lutheran mission to be begun at that place.
Burrato, N. Y.— A mission was opened on
New Year’s Day with an informal reception in the
afternoon, followed by a brief service. On the fol-
lowing Sunday afternoon the first service of the
Sunday-school was held, and at night services were
conducted by Rev. E. E. Mueller and Rev. H. F.
Wind, the Institutional Missionary. A well-located
house serves as temporary quarters. The owner,
a Lutheran, has granted the use of this roomy
house, without rental charge, until May 1.
lower floor is temporarily fitted up as a chapel, and
the upper floor can be used as a residence for a
missionary. ‘The Board for Colored Missions is
being appealed to for a missionary for this promis-
ing field. The writer earnestly hopes that a good
missionary will be secured; for he believes that
our work has a wonderful opportunity at Buffalo.
Here is a district without a church, a list of pros-
pects, a house for services (no store could be rented)
and for the missionary, and a lively interest on the
part of the Lutheran congregations of the city.
What more could a missionary desire ?
, STATISTICS. — The annual reports for the year
1925 show the following totals for this field: Souls,
1,579; communicant members, 913; voting mem-
bers, 173; schools, 14; male teachers, 8 (3 of these
are pastors also); lady teachers, 14; pupils, 795;
pupils in Sunday-schools, 925; baptisms, 100; con-
firmations, 69; communed, 2,743; marriages, 17;
burials, 35; contributions, $9,050.83; with board
and tuition at Immanuel Lutheran College,
$14,187.74. Concord leads in the number of souls
(231), of communicant members (127), of voting
members (33), of baptisms (16), of confirmations
(15), and of funerals (8); Kannapolis, in the
number of persons that communed (447); Spar-
tanburg, S.C., in the number of pupils in school
(154) and in Sunday-school (90); Atlanta, Ga.,
in the number of marriages (4); and Yonkers,
N. Y., leads the congregations in total income
($1,747.19). J. P. Saarra.

oo ___§__

Moral Conditions in South America.

Some years ago a plenary council of Latin
American bishops was held at Rome. In the Acts
and Decrees of this council the following may be
read: “The widespread pollution of fornication is
to be deplored and condemned, but especially the

most foul pest of concubinage, which, increasing

The ¢

both in public and in private, is leading not a few
men of every station to eternal destruction. Most
unfortunate will be the religious training and the
moral estimation of children begotten of an un-
happy union of this sort. So dreadful a plague
brings in fear and terror alike, destructive of all
religion, of all honor, and of true civilization. On
that account, moreover, the condition of those living
in concubinage is pitiable, because, having wallowed
in the filth of unchastity, they are truly converted
only with great difficulty, because, being made a
most dangerous rock of stumbling and a cause of
many offenses, it is with great difficulty that they
are willing to satisfy God and men and the Church.
Therefore let the guardians of souls, with bowels
of mercy, seck out’ wandering sheep of this kind ’
and lead them back to Christ’s fold; and, terrified
by their own difficulties and placing their hope in
God, let them despair of the safety of no sinner,
but with the most ardent zeal let them be solicitous
for the conversion of all sinners. Hence, availing
themselves of the’ advice of their own bishop, let
them strive to prepare a plain way of conversion,
and as often as scandals. can be removed from the
midst by legitimate marriage, let them gladly remit
the temporal prerogatives and rights that they may

‘win souls for God and legitimize offspring, accord-

ing to the rules handed down by approved authors.

“And with no less zeal let parish priests and
confessors be solicitous for the conversion of adul-
terers, since their temporal and eternal lot ought
to be regarded as utterly miserable. Of these adul-
terers the Council of Trent has said: ‘It is.a grave
sin that dissolute men should have concubines, but
it is a most grave sin, and one committed with
remarkable -contempt for this great sacrament
[matrimony] that married men also should live in
this state of damnation and should dare sometimes
to support and keep them at home with their
wives.’ ” -

Throughout South America it is. safe to say
that from one-fourth to one half of the population
is illegitimate, born of parents married neither by
Church nor by State. The most deplorable feature
is that the priests in only too many instances set
an evil example. It is stated that statistics were
presented to the council of South American bishops
above referred to which showed that in Latin
America, of 18,000 priests 3,000 .were living in
regular wedlock, 4,000 in .concubinage with their
so-called housekeepers, and 1,500 in relations more
or less open with women of doubtful reputation.