Federation of Societies

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 20, 14 May 1903, Page 19

Federation of Societies

Ofle of the proposals of the recent H.A.C.B.S. conference in Sydney was ' the federation of tfur various important Catholic societies for purely Catholic and social objects.' Such a union might safely follow on the lines successfully adopted by ' The American Federation of Catholic Societies ' at a national convention held in Cincinnati on December 10. 1901. Politics are rigidly excluded from the federated societies in America, but, outside this, the organisation does not interfere with the autonomy or special aims of any of the associations of which it is composed.

The special benefits claimed from the federation of the societies in America are summarily set forth as follows :—: —

' 1. The pleasure and p.rofit of knowing, understanding, and sympathising with one another.

'2. The facility of meeting in comention, where by friction of brain and interchange of expression, we may impro\e our plans of organisation and enlarge our power of good.

' 3. Greater strength and dignity for every individual organisation as a result of its membership in the Federation.

' 4. Wide advertisement of our various societies and their objects, with the consequent large increase of membership for all of them.

'5. Opportunities to discuss those needs of our Catholic people who are not yet joined by associations of piety, charity, or benevolence.

' 6. Promotion of the growth and spread of Catholic literature. ' 7. Refutation that will reach the whole body of the people of misunderstandings and calumnies, dogmatic, historical, and inferential, which are so often' uttered againsC the Church.

' 8. Intensification of the spirit of patriotism in the hearts of all our co-religionists.

9. The social and intellectual impro\ement of the whole Catholic body througih the benefits derived by union among oursel\es.

' 10. The practical demonstration on a largo scale to our separated brethren of what, the Catholic Church really is.

' 11. The gradual eradiction of all and old-time unreasonable prejudices against the Church as a body and against Catholics as individuals.'