Excerpts from the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Family

The object of the Arch-confraternity is, with God's assistance, to elevate and sanctify the family, and thereby to elevate and sanctify society.

The devil and his agents have inoculated modern society with principles the most dangerous and infernal principles which may in truth be called the gates of hell, since through them so many souls are led into eternal perdition. Satan and his agents have, first of all attacked our Children.

"The surest way," they say, "to destroy the Catholic Church is to take the children away from her influence and to bring them up in theory and practice godless infidels. We shall therefore establish public schools, to which all must resort, and from which the true knowledge of God and of His Holy Church, shall be forever banished." The next point of attack of Satan and his followers is the docility, modesty, and sobriety of our youths, and the purity and piety of our maidens.

"Let us," say they, "throw open public libraries, and fill them with infidel, sentimental and immoral books. Let us publish daily and weekly papers, monthly magazines, and quarterlies, and so-called medical books, filled with infidel assertions and immoral incidents. Let us employ the artist, the photographer and painter, to multiply a thousandfold the occasions of sin."

"Let us throw open the theatre, with its immodest representations, the ball-room with its lascivious dances, the club-room and the gambling saloon;"

"Let us sow broadcast over the land the barroom and the den of infamy."

"Let us inspire Catholic youth with indifference and contempt for the priest of God, and soon they shall be ours."

The next point of attack of the devil and his agents is the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. The initiated member of the "Secret Lodge" receives, if married, a pair of gloves "to present" not to his wife, but "to the woman he honors the most," thus from the very outset teaching him to ignore the great sacrament of marriage. What the devil teaches by means of secret societies, he accomplishes by means of Protestant or rather infidel governments, and infidel divorce courts. The words of Christ, "Whom God has joined let no man put asunder," are utterly ignored outside of the Catholic Church. "Let us destroy the sanctity of marriage," say the agents of Satan; "let us poison the fountain-head, and thereby we can destroy hearth and home, obedience and respect for authority; we can destroy forever the life of the family the foundation of society."

Among the powerful means that God has raised up in modern times to counteract these terrible ravages of Satan and his followers, one is certainly the Arch-confraternity of the Holy Family.

The members of this Archconfraternity learn to imitate their great models, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They are enabled to do this by means of prayer, frequentation of the Sacraments, and solid and practical instructions.

Our Holy Father, Pope Pius IX., exhorts all Catholics to unite and form Unions and Confraternities. The members of the Holy Family obey this loving and fatherly advice. Let all, then, strive earnestly to become true members of the Holy Family while here on earth, in order that they may be members of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph forever in heaven.