mises, if the Catholic party felt that in his case the expected results would not follow, and that his faith, or the faith of any of the children would be endangered. The promises are exacted in compliance with that dictate of the divine and natural law, which forbids us to place ourselves or those committed to our charge, in danger of losing our souls by heresy or any other sim: "Nostis ipsas omnes cautiones," writes Pius VIII to the Bishops of Prussia, "eo spectare ut in hac re Naturales Divinæque leges sarta tectæ habeantur, quandoquidem exploratum est Catholicas personas, seu viros seu mulieres, quæ Nuptias cum Acatholicis ita contrahunt, ut se aut futuram sobolem periculo perversionis temere committant, non modo Canonicas violare sanctiones, sed directe etiam gravissimeque in Naturalem ac Divinam legem peccare."(Litteris altero.) We deem it necessary to ask you to represent to those who, unhappily, wish to contract these marriages, that as the Catholic party has the same responsibility before God for the souls of all the children, it is most wicked and unjustifiable to allow by tacit, and still more by express agreement, any of them to follow the religion of the Protestant parent. The Catholic must likewise understand, that the truth revealed by our Divine Lord cannot be divided, and that as no one can be saved out of the Catholic Church, it is his duty to adopt every means that may lead the Protestant party to embrace the faith and return to the one Fold of Christ.

After you have carefully explained the force and meaning of these promises, and obtained them from the parties, you need not insist upon having them in writing; but you will have the goodness, in compliance with the decree of our Second Synod, and with our instructions, to forward to us a written application in the following form. A space must be left on the same sheet for our reply conveying the dispensation.

The undersigned applies for a dispensation, in order that A. B., a Catholic of the congregation of may

marry D., a Protestant. Both have promised that all the children, male and female, will be baptized and brought up Catholics. The Protestant party promises to allow A. B. the free exercise of the Catholic religion, and the Catholic undertakes to use every endeavour to induce the other party to adopt the true Faith.

The undersigned believes that this dispensation may be granted, because (here state a cause sufficient to justify the dispensation.)

Signed,

N. N.

October 20, 1856. If these promises are refused, you will, of course, refuse to be present at the marriage.

When the dispensation, which His Holiness may allow us to grant, has reached your hands, you will find in it the following expressions: "Omissa nuptiali benedictione et absque usu eorum rituum qui in matrimoniis mixtis omitti debent." You know that the Church is anxious to avoid every act that may seem in any way to imply her approval of these marriages, and she wishes her children to share her horror and disapproval of them. At the end of the Ritus celebrandi Matrimonium, in the Ritual, are given the prayers from the Mass pro Sponso et Sponsa. These prayers, and especially the Mass from which they are taken, give solemnity to the marriage, and convey the nuptial blessing (Benedict XIV, Instit. lxxx, n. 7), and must therefore be omitted, according to the decree of Clement VIII. It is mentioned that when the marriage of Henrietta of France with Charles I took place, it was performed at the threshold of Notre Dame, by the Grand Almoner, à quo tamen benedictio nuptialis data non fuit (Benedict XIV, de Synod, lib. vi, c. 5). The maternal anxiety of the Church for the safety of the souls of her children, leads

her to avoid giving any countenance to these marriages, since the enemies of the Church feel, says Gregory XVI, in a letter to the Archbishop of Fribourg, "facile futurum ut Catholicæ potissimum fœminæ aut licita aut non tam graviter illicita existimarent ea conjugia quæ Sacris Ecclesiæ ritibus et sacerdotali benedictione honestari viderunt."-(May 23, 1846.) As we hope that instructions will be given hereafter by the Archbishop and Bishops respecting the other rites now in use, we wish you to understand, that our silence respecting them does not imply any permission beyond those instructions.

II. The proximity of our Missions to the Continent causes many difficulties to arise in the minds of the Clergy, respecting the law of the Church by which clandestine marriages are forbidden. As some erroneously imagine that a marriage is clandestine, in the canonical sense of the word, when it is secret, it is right to mention that the impediment of clandestinity arises when a marriage is performed, publicly or privately, between two persons subject to the operation of the decree Tametsi, without the presence of two witnesses conjointly with the parochus, or with a priest properly authorized to act for him. You are aware that in most of the Continental countries, (Carrière, tom. ii, p. 413, "Agnoscatur ut receptum, Tridentini decretum in Italia, Hispania, Lusitania, Gallia, Hollandia, Belgio, Hibernia, et in partibus Germaniæ tunc Catholicæ. Non autem receptum est in Anglia, Suevia, Saxonia, Dania, et pluribus Germaniæ et Helvetiæ locis."Gury), and in every part of Ireland (since Dec. 2, 1827), this first chapter of the twenty-fourth Session of S. Council of Trent is in force, and that persons who belong to those countries, and have their domicile in any of the parishes of such countries, cannot contract marriage validly, aliter quam præsente parocho, vel alio sacerdote de ipsius parochi seu ordinarii licentia, et duobus vel tribus testibus. So long then

Diœcesi Birminghamiensi Ecclesiam S. Ceadda; pro Diœcesi Suthwarcensi Ecclesiam S. Georgii; pro Diocesi Nottinghamiensi Ecclesiam S. Barnabæ ; et pro Diœcesi Salfordensi Ecclesiam S. Joannis; aliisque Episcopis dedit facultatem constituendi vice Cathedralis Ecclesiæ provisoria ratione templum quod modo opportunius præsto fuisset, ut interim omni ibidem peragerentur veluti in Ecclesia Cathedrali suo tempore designanda. Per aliud Rescriptum ejusdem diei 21 Aprilis 1852, præscripsit quod constitui debeant Canonici Theologus ac Pœnitentiarius in singulis Cathedralibus cum lege quod hic morari deberet, quoties fieri posset, penes Ecclesiam Cathedralem: quod Dignitas titulo Præpositi distingueretur; quod Canonici a residentiæ obligatione apud Cathedralem exempti statis diebus ipsam adire et apud Episcopum ad negotia pertractanda congregari deberent.

Hæc omnia decreta ea quæ par est reverentia et summa cum animi grati effusione suscipientes atque ad effectum perducere cupientes, Auctoritate Apostolica Nobis benigne in hac parte commissa, in Ecclesia S. Georgii in Cathedralem electa, erigimus et instituimus et institutum declaramus Capitulum quod ex una Dignitate et decem Canonicis, ad tramites juris et Constitutionum Aplicarum præscriptum eligendis vel nominandis, constare debet in perpetuum ; et Capitulo eidem Præpositoque et Canonicis singulis vel omnibus in universum tribuimus ea omnia jura, privilegia et honorificentias quæ ex SS. Canonibus et præsertim ex SS. Concilio Tridentino Canonicis et Dignitatibus Ecclesiarum Cathedralium competere possunt. Teneantur vero omnes et singuli obligationes sibi impositas summa cum obedientia, atque ex amore Omnipotentis Dei et in honorem Beatissimæ Matris Nostræ Mariæ semper Virginis Immaculatæ et S. Georgii Cathedrali Nostræ Patroni observare. Quoque facilius intendant ad munus sibi commissum fideliter et constanter explendum, singuli debent promissionem emittere de

exacte adimplendo et tenendo ex quæ in Statutis in Synodo Provinciali vel alias sanciendis decreta fuerint.

Auctoritate pariter Apostolica in hac erectione peragenda declaramus duos ex præfato numero undecim canonicatuum respective Canonico Theologo et Canonico Pœnitentiario in perpetuum conferendos esse, eo pacto quod uterque debeat leges canonicatus seu quasi præbendæ sibi assignatæ ad normam SS. Canonum rigorose sequi et tenere.

Per alia decreta sub hac eadem die edita nominavimus de benignitate S. Sedis, salvis juribus ejusdem Sedis et Nostris quoties Canonicatus vel Præpositura vacabunt, Præpositum Rmum. D. Thomam Doyle S. Theologiæ Doctorem ;

Canonicos vero R.R. D.D. Marcum Tierney, Jacobum Holdstock, Richardum North, Timotheum Reardon, Stephanum Dambrine, Danielem Rock S. Theol. Doctorem, Joannem Ringrose, Edwardum Cox S. Theol. Doctorem, Petrum Collingridge, et Joannem Crookall volentes quod singuli pro hac prima nominatione tantum præcedentiam juxta tempus suæ ad Ordinem Presbyteralem promotionis sibi competentem habeant, et stallum assumant, et futuris temporibus Canonici nominati præcedentiam teneant suæ promotionis ad Canonicatum. Canonicum vero Theologum deputavimus et constituimus R. D. Richardum North et Canonicum Pœnitentiarium R. D. Marcum Tierney.

Inhærentes decretis S. Sedis sub die 22 Aprilis, 1852, datis declaramus nullam distinctionem Ordinum sacrorum faciendam esse inter Canonicos.

Cumque Canonici futuri sint Nostri consiliarii et præcipui adjutores, eos in Domino rogamus ut effusis precibus et præsertim in Sacrosancto Missæ Sacrificio pro Nobis, pro Capitulo et pro Diœcesi Nostra dilectissima Spiritus Sancti opem assidue implorent, quo omnia in fide plena, spe firma et charitate ferventi procedant, quoque Deus ipse dignetur per gratiam