Our Catholic lleritagc in Texas
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"You arc an American, and everything is forgiven an American. Why not appeal to the Pope directly?" Having no less a personage than Apostolic Delegate Aigus as his escort, bolstered the courage of the lowly priest-president of the Society for an audience with the Supreme Pontiff on the wet, dreary evening of May 1, 1910. Years later, Bishop Kelley recorded: "I told my sad story to the Supreme parish priest in the white cassock, while his face lit up with an amused smile. The humor of the situation stirred him. An American tied up in the meshes of Roman red tape ! . . . He laughed and joked about it before he offered to help. But the humor of the situation was my salvation. The Pope was on my side." Upon being asked just what it was he desired, Kelley replied that it was a request in the name of the Catholic Church Extension Society and of the Arch- bishop of Chicago, for approval of the Constitution of the Society in the form of an Apostolic Brief. The Holy Father pointed out that such a step would be a mistake: "Yours is a young, rapidly developing country. What is good policy today may be improved on tomorrow. Your Society may want to change its constitutions as your work advances, and you have a new outlook from the new conditions. If I grant what you desire you will have to petition for the changes, and perhaps go through all this trouble again. I counsel you to select the special things you really want, and we shall give you a Brief of approval for them." Upon enumerating the four special matters, Monsignor Kelley was astonished to hear the Pope reply at once, "They are granted." Still amazed at the rapidity and the ease with which his mission had been accomplished, Monsignor Kelley called upon the Secretary of State. The Cardinal put him at ease with a smile and the assurance that every- thing had been arranged. The Monsignor voiced his suspicion to the Secretary of State that he had paved the way by talking to the Holy Father prior to the Papal audience. To this Merry del Val replied with a knowing smile, "Well, perhaps I did say something to him." The great Cardinal, a Spaniard born in England of Irish lineage who spoke Italian so perfectly that many believed him to be of that race, was a great admirer of the United States and was genuinely pleased that he had been able to help the American clergyman. The official document of approval addressed on June 9, 1910, to the Archbishop of Chicago, came in the form of an Apostolic Brief. Pius X showed increased esteem for the Society by erecting it into a canonical in- stitution and assumed to himself personal protectorship through Cardinal
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