General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1877 Original Publisher: Rivingtons Subjects: Religion / Christianity / Anglican Religion / Christian Ministry / Missions Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER I. STfjr Jtninfiattnn anU Jivst Daps of tljr HAVING thus endeavoured to impress the reader with the state of the Church at the time of the commencement of S. George’s Mission, it may be interesting to describe some of the circumstances which led to the idea of its foundation. And first of all a few personal reminiscences may be allowed. The writer remembers well, as Curate of a country town in Gloucestershire, in 1851, reading one evening by the fireside the account of the farewell of the Incumbent of S. Paul and S. Barnabas, the touching words which he spoke, and his sad leave-taking of a much-loving flock. The whole history was not to be read carelessly, or reflected upon without many burning thoughts. Those which arose in his mind were of deep sorrow for the parish which had lost so devoted a priest, of prayer that his place might be supplied by one who would faithfullycarry on his work, and of ardent longing that, if it was God’s will, he might be permitted to take a part, however humble, in aiding such an object. He felt that in his own parish he had reached the end of his tether: after nearly six years of parochial labour he could not induce his vicar to move further in advance, and S. Barnabas offered a most inviting field for more congenial work. Here the experiment of winning the poor to the Catholic faith by Catholic teaching and services was being successfully tried, and proved the soundness of the system which Mr. Bennett originated in that parish, and which by a r…