Facts and figures


C^H). CJi/

/ve^5/B3

Facts

and

Figures



The Missionary Congress
Held in Chicaifo, Nov. 1908,

unanimously adopted the followingr
resolution

:

“We recognize the immense
amount of good accomplished
in the past by the SOCIETIES
FOR THE PROPAGATION OF
THE FAITH and the Holy
Childhood, and earnestly urge
upon our people the need of
increased support for these ex-

cellent institutions.’’

In his address to the Congrress Arch>

bishop Qui{g^ley of Chicago said

:

“
. . . The Foreign Missionary

Agencies of the SOCIETY FOR THE
PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH
and of the Holy Childhood, were

never better organized than they are

to-day.”



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ADDRESS

-



THE

FOREIGN MISSIONS

The following article by the Right Rev. Mgr.
J. Freri, Director General of the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith, was, by request, prepared
for and read at the Catholic Missionary Congress
held at Chicago in November, 1908. Within the
fifteen minutes allowed for each paper, all that it
was possible to do was to glance at the foreign mis-
sion field, the workers, the means at their disposal,
and the results of their labors.

From this brief survey, we shall, however, see
what Catholics are doing for the spread of the Gos-
pel, and the reign of the Catholic Church over the
minds and hearts of mankind.

By way of contrast, we will also look at what
is being done for the same purpose by our separated
Christian brethren.

The Missionary Field.
Wliat is the Missionary field ? From a

certain point of view the whole world is a
missionary field; there is not a portion of it

where missionary effort is not required.

But, from a more restricted point of view,
we will call foreign missions those countries
that are still under the jurisdiction of the
Propaganda, The recent action of Our Holy
Father, Pope Pius X. has considerably limited

1



Facts and Figures

the field, and for our purpose we will follow
this distinction.

A few gfeneral figures will suffice. They
are the ones furnished by the Propaganda
itself. We may remark, nevertheless, that in
some cases they are only approximative.

On the American continent there are still
a few Prefectures and Vicariates looked upon
as missionary countries. These are located
in the West Indies, Lower California, Peru,
Chili and Argentina. Their total population
is about 2,500,000, of which 650,000 are
Catholics, ministered to by 400 missionaries.

In Europe there are a number of mission-
ary countries under the jurisdiction of the
Propaganda: such as Sweden, Norway,
Denmark, part of Germary, the Balkan States,
Turkey. Their total population is about 40
millions, of whom a little over a million are
Catholics, the rest being Protestants, Schis-

matics, Jews, Mohammedans, etc. The
number of missionary priests in these coun-
tries is nearly 1,500.

The whole of Asia is a mission land, with
its enormous population of 900,000,000, of
whom less than 3 millions and a half belong
to the true Church, the rest being Moham-
medans, Buddhists, Brahmins, Shintoists,

2

Dssc!d!f!scf



The Foreign Missions

Pagfans and other non-Christians. There are

in Asia 7,650 missionary priests.

The African continent and islands con-
tain over 150 millions of people and less than

one million of Catholics with 750 priests.

Oceanica has a population of 7,500,000

with 1,200,000 Catholics and 1,500 priests.

If we add these figfures we find that the
total population of the missionary world may
be reckoned in round numbers at eleven
hundred millions, the number of Catholics
6,850,000, and the number of missionary priests
11,800. I have not mentioned their faithful

helpers, about 4,000 brothers and 40,000
nuns.

This means that there is in the mission
field, at which we are now looking, a popula-
tion of one Catholic for every fifteen thousand

people, and one missionary for every 93,000
non-Catholics.* In other words, to-day,

eighteen centuries after the Redemption of
mankind, there are over 1000 MILLIONS ot
human beings who have not as yet received
the Gospel message.

* In some parts the proportion is considerably larger. For
instance, the Prefecture Apostolic of Canton, China, contains
a pagan population of 31 millions, and the Catholic mission-
aries number 86, which gives one priest for about 350,000
pagans

!



Facts and Figures

I do not say who do not belong: to the
Church. We have millions of these, rig^ht
by our side, there kre millions of them even
in what we call the Catholic countries of
Europe. But of these, many have either lost
the faith throug^h their own fault, or the fault
of their forefathers. To many others the
blessing^s of Christianity are offered under

many forms, the truth is preached at their
door, one may say. To use a common
expression : they have a chance

!

But there are millions, nay hundreds of
millions of pagfans, especially in Asia and

Africa, who have never known that a
Saviour was ever born to them, who
have never heard the sweet name of our
Lord Jesus Christ

!

When we reflect upon these statistics, we
find that they are startling:, astounding-, heart-

rending ! We are not surprised that they
form, in the hands of infidels, one of the most
powerful arguments against the Divine origin

of our Holy Religion.

To think that 1800 years after the Re-
demption, more than one-half of the world
has not heard of it because the number of
messengers has been insufficient to bring to

them the good tidings

!

4



The Foreign Missions

Why No Greater Progress?
Naturally, we are inclined to ask: “ But

has the Church to whom her founder said:
‘Go, teach all nations . . . Preach the Gospel

to every creature ' . . . been faithful to her
vocation ?

Yes, the Church has been faithful to her
mission from the beg-inning-. But she can

carry on this apostolate, which in the words
of Our beloved Holy Father, is “ pre-
eminently Her work,’’ only in proportion
to the means placed at Her disposal by Her
children to overcome the obstacles she con-

stantly encounters. There are many hind-
rances, besides the powers of darkness, as

active to-day as in the time of Our Lord. I
will merely mention the two following.

The great defection of the XVI. century,
which brought about the apostasy of several
European Catholic nations and caused mil-
lions of the faithful to leave the fold, is having

the most disastrous consequences for the

Christian missions. After being indifferent

for two centuries as to what became of the
heathen, the Protestant denominations, in

the XIX. century,developed the most wonder-
ful spirit of proselytizing. One hundred

5



Facts and Figures

years agfo they beg:an to send forth their
emissaries, and to-day Protestant mission-
aries are to be found in every corner
of the earth. They . are established in
places where Catholic priests have as yet
been unable to set foot. When, at the cost
of what sacrifices, only God knows, our mis-
sionaries arrive in an isolated place, they

often find that the cockle has been sown in
the field of the Father, and that in order to

have the faith prevail they must overcome,
not only the degfraded practices of pagfanism,

but the objections naturally raised b}^ the

spectacle of a divided Christianity.

The other obstacle is the lack of men and
women workers, and, above all, the lack of
means, which is the main cause of the lack
of workers. I wish time would allow me to
show you how immense is that lack of men
and means by repeating: some of the cries of
distress from the field, that we daily hear.
Tet these two suffice:

Only three weeks ag-o the Superior of the
Belgian Foreign Missions wrote us that he

had forty men ready to go to the Philippines,
where there is a lamentable need of priests,

but no money to pay for their transportation.

A Jesuit Father in a letter to us from
6



The Foreign Missions

China last month stated that in one district
only, that of N. Kiang-Su, 10,000 Catechu-

mens could be baptized every year if there
were priests to minister to them and funds to
build chapels. The crop is whitening, but
there is no one to gather the harvest.

The Budget of the Missions.
This leads us to the question ; What is

the budget of the foreign missions ? It is

diflScult to determine it accurately. We have,
of course, the reports of the various organ-

izations receiving alms for the missions, at

least of those that publish reports. Besides

this, nearly all Religious Orders and Societies
issue bulletins, through which they solicit
the charity of the faithful. Then, again,
missionaries receive alms from their brethren
in more fortunate lands, from their relatives
and friends at home

;
some of their converts

are giving a little help, very little, for general-

ly they are poor, Pauperes evangelizantur

Now, including all these sources of in-
come, after collecting much information and
consulting several chiefs of missions, I think

I am far within the truth in saying that the
missionaries, above mentioned, live and
work on less than 6 millions of dollars a year,
including everything. If we reckon 10,000

7



Facts and Figures

priests, 4,000 brothers, and 40,000 nuns, this
would give an average of $111.00 per year and
per capita. With this amount they have to
support themselves, build churches, maintain

schools, hospitals, asylums, colleges, semin-

aries, pay the transportation of missionaries,
etc.

It is clear that, under such conditions.
Catholic mission work cannot progress, de-
spite the superhuman sacrifices and absolute
self-devotion of the poor missionary priests,

brothers, and nuns, who consent to live away
from everything they hold dear in this world,
in unhealthy countries, and in, I shall not

say evangelical poverty, but abject misery,

for the salvation of their fellow-beings.

Protestant Missionary Efforts.

And now, by way of contrast, it may be
interesting to know what our separated
brethren are doing for the same cause.

According to the official report of the

United Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions, the whole sum collected in 1907 by
Protestants of all countries was $21,418,869.00,
of which sum $8,997,970.00 were contributed
by Protestants in the United States. It is
clear that our Protestant fellow-countrymen

8



The Foreign Missions

believe they have obligations in this matter.

We find that every sect makes great sacrifices
to send out, and support in a liberal manner,
missionaries to preach and teach what they
believe to be the Gospel of Christ.

Let us not delude ourselves that Protes-

tants missions are a mere sham. With this
enormous outlay they are obtaining remark-
able results, and, above all, they are raising

a powerful obstacle to the planting of the true

Christian Faith. There are nations that
would to-day be far on the road toward
Catholicity, were it not that when our mis-
sionaries arrived they found thatProtestantism

had already, there as everywhere, done its
work of dividing the minds of the people and
leading them towards incredulity and indiff-
erentism.

It is not to be wondered that in all their
letters, our missionaries complain of the utter
impossibility of competing with their Protest-
ant neighbors. Were it not for the efficiency
of the Truth they preach, and the grace of
God which is with them, they could accom-
plish little or nothing.

Nevertheless they are doing wonders
with the means at their disposal. But if we are
to make any further advance among the billion

9



Facts and Figures

of pagans and non-Catholics, more apostles
must be sent, and there must be an output of
alms in these days, as in the days of St. Paul,

on the part of the brethren who have received
the Faith.

From the foregoing, it follows that Cath-
olics are not doing their duty to their unbe-

lieving and pagan brethren. I do not speak
of American Catholics only, but of those of
old Europe as well. I venture to say that many
so-called Catholic nations have not generously

passed to others the Light of Faith, and this

is perhaps why it is growing dim among some
of them. Let us beware of the same fate.

A Plea for the Missions.
I may be excused for making: a plea

in behalf of foreigfn missions, it was the

necessary consequence of the subject as-

sig:ned to me. But, I am not exclusive ;
I know quite well that home missions,
whose cause will be eloquently pleaded
in this Cong;ress, have the first claim

upon us. Yes, it is the first duty of every
Catholic to help missionary work in his parish,
in his diocese, in his country. Indian and

Negfro missions, missions to non-Catholics

ought to have his practical sympathy, but he

10



The Foreign Missions

ought also to remember occasionally his
foreign brother still in absolute darkness.

This does not call for the sacrifice of our

substance. A trifle from each one, if
gathered regularly and assiduously would be

a wonderful help to Mother Church for the
spread of our Holy Faith. Charity begins at
home, but must not end there. The Catholic
whose charity is limited by the shadow of his
church steeple fails to understand all the

obligations of his vocation. As Cardinal
Wiseman said: “Every member of the
Catholic and Apostolic Church ought to con-
sider it an honor and a glory to be included

in the sublime commission to labour for the
conversion of pagan nations.''

Yes, we are sadly in need of missionary
work in this country, and to use the words of
Cardinal Manning: “ It is because we have
need of men and means at home that I am
convinced we ought to send both men and
means abroad. In exact proportion as we
freely give what we have freely received,
will our works at home prosper and the zeal
and number of our priests be multiplied.
This is the test and the measure of Catholic
life among us. The missionary spirit is
the condition of growth and if the faith is

II



Facts and Figures

to be extended at home, it must be by our
aiding: to carry it abroad.”

Paradoxical as the assertion may appear,
I believe that one of the necessary conditions

of success in our propag^ation of the Gospel

at home is to contribute to its propag-ation
abroad. And this is why I utter the wish : God
speed the day when every parish will have a
mother’s love for these far-away priests,

brothers and nuns who are striving for Christ,
in the wilderness, beyond the frontiers of
civilization and Christendom!

The harvest indeed is greats

bict the labourers are fewT

Pray ye therefore the Lord of

the harvest^ that he send forth

labourers into His harvests

Matt , /A., 37

12



for tljr pro|ia0atwtt

of tijr

It was founded in Lyons, France, in 1822 in
answer to an appeal for help from Mgr. Dubourg,
Bishop of New Orleans, and the first missions
assisted were those of Louisiana and Kentucky.
But the Society soon asserted its Catholic char-
acter by assisting the Apostolate throughout the
whole missionary world. To-day it aids more than
three hundred dioceses and vicariates in America,
Asia, Africa, Oceanica and the non-Catholic coun-
tries of Europe.

While it aims at helping the whole Missionary
world, it solicits the prayers and alms of the whole
Catholic world. Founded in France, its adminis-
tration has remained there, but it has legations in
all the countries of Europe and the republics of
North and South America.

The duties of the delegates are to make the
work of the missions known to the faithful and
collect their alms which are distributed in accord-
ance with the desire of the Holy Father, the data
of the Propaganda and the reports from the chiefs
of missions. It is a law of the Society to make its
affairs public and full reports of the collections and
distributions are published regularly.

The Society has no permanent fund. At the
beginning of each year, the total sum of money
collected during the past year is distributed to the
missions which are thus always at the mercy of
the faithful.

13



^ortpt^*0 ®rgatti|atinn

The aim of the Society is to assist by prayers
and alms, the missionaries who preach the Gospel
in heathen and other non-Oatholic countries.

The organization is very simple.

To be a Member it is necessary : 1—To recite
daily one Our Father, one Hail Mary,^^ and

St. Francis Xavier Pray, For UsP 2—To con-
tribute at least Five Cents Monthly to the missions.

The usual method of gathering the contributions

of the Faithful is to form the Associates into

Bands of Ten, of whom one acts as Promoter.
There are Special Members who contribute

six dollars a year, and Perpetual Members who
contribute at one time, or at different times during

the course of one year, a sum of at least forty dollars

Deceased Persons be enrolled by their
friends as Ordinary, Special or Perpetual members.

Both living and dead associates share in the

merits and prayers of missionaries and thousands of

Masses offered yearly for the benefactors.

Legal Form of Bequest.

The Society is incorporated under the laws ot

the State of New York, and any person intending
to leave a gift may use the following form of bequest:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath unto

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (New
York City) the sum of_ Dollars.

14



tmb tift Ifolg Btt.

The Propagation of the Faith was canonically

established by Pope Pius VII. in 1823, the year

following its foundation, and all the Popes who

have succeeded him in the see of Peter have recom-

mended it to the charity of the faithful.

Leo XII. approved the Society in 1824 and

Pius VIII. in 1829. In 1840 Gregory XVI. placed

it in the rank of universal Catholic Institutions.

Pius IX. in 1847 and Leo XIII. in 1879 con-

firmed this judgment, and in 1904 our beloved Holy

Father Pius X. addressed an encyclical letter to

the Catholic world in which he said

:

“
. . . . Through the Society for the Propag-

ation of the Faith salvation began for numberless

people. . . Through it there has been gathered a

harvest of souls. . We are filled with hope that
this most noble association will grow in strength

day by day . . . and may Christ protect it since it
is its aim to spread His Most Holy Name. . . ”

Spiritual Favors,

In pursuance of the paternal solicitude of the

Sovereign Pontiffs, the Society has been enriched

with many Spiritual Favors. Some are common
to all members, others are privileges granted to

ecclesiastical benefactors.

15



tijf ^oriptg Ija0 inn? for

Olljr iili00tim0

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
to-day furnishes the largest fund for the support of

the Missions.

The following statement will show the amount
the Catholic world has given and the Missionary

world has received through this channel of Apos-

tolic zeal since the foundation of the Society in

1822 up to 1908.

Collected by the Society in
America $ 4,180,782.88

Europe 70,244,475.97

Asia 83,158.08

Africa 295,485.49

Oceanica 123,015.17

Total $74,926,917.59

Distributed to Missions in
America $10,495,339.16

Europe 10,706,783.87

Asia 30,247,000.95

Africa 10,790,906.49

Oceanica 6,923,277.63

Special Donations

Transportation of Mis-

sionaries

Management

5,763,609.49

Total

16

$74,926,917.59



PUBLICATIONS
OF THE

#ortPtg far Pruftasatian of % Jfaftlf.

The Annals of the

Propagation of the Faith

Is the Official Organ of the Society.

It is published every other month, and

is forwarded gratis to all Perpetual and

Special Members, also to all Bands of Ten

Associates.

Catholic Missions

A Magazine beautifully illustrated from

original photographs taken in all parts of the

world, is also published in New York by the

Society.

Issued every other month.

Subscription Price - One Dollar a year.

Address: THE RIGHT REV. J. fRERI,

627 Lexington Avenue, New York City.



&ntiel8 for tiff ipropagatinn

of tl|f Saltli

027 Cfxtti0t0n

Nfut^orketty

f CATHOUCS't

272,638^00

Figures speak.

To many, the proportion of Catholics

represented in the above diagram
is surpris-

ing, if not disappointing.

Are we righf in believing that it
should

be larger?

It is in your power to help
in making

it larger.