The religious section of Time ( July 12, 1948) cites the new Official Catholic Directory to the effect that the Roman Catholic Church increased by 807,524 in 1947, bringing the total to 26,075,697 in the United States. Twenty-five new bishops bring the total of bishops to ,178, with 1,277 priests added, bringing their total to 41,747. Catholic colleges doubled their enrollment (from 102,655 to 220,226), and the number of converts broke all records-115,214. Their methods include correspondence courses of instruction-38,000 servicemen were enrolled during the war. The Paulist Fathers operated six "trailer missions" effectively in sections where Catholics are little known. Motion pictures are displayed upon occasion.
The Catholic laity are harnessed into a C.M.O.A. Association—Convert Makers of America. This functions directly under the counsel and supervision of the priests. Each C.M.O.A. layman must counsel with his priest-adviser once a week on his problems and his progress. That is what makes the plan effective. Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen, famed proselyter, says that modern converts, unlike those of past generations, have nothing to be converted from. He declares, "It is no longer Protestantism from which we convert souls; it is confusion-ism." Debates are frowned upon. Kindness is named as the key to success.
Here is food for sober thought. The children of the churches of the world are sometimes wiser in their generation than the children of light.
