CATHOLIC RURAL LIFE - Vol.VII - No.10 - The Spiritual is Fine, But (our trouble is economic)

Oct 13, 2026

December 1958 issue of CATHOLIC RURAL LIFE (Vol.VII, No.10) addressing Catholic rural family life and social concerns. Editorial reflections argue that spiritual guidance must be applied to economic pressures, family stability, and community responsibility, urging study of local problems and active stewardship. The publication outlines conference leadership, themes such as mercy and the Ten Commandments in daily duties, and includes a featured discussion under the cover theme connected to Bethlehem shepherds and the farm vocation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Editorial

The Spiritual is Fine, But (our trouble is economic)

In the Dioceses

We Salute: the Diocese of Fargo

Bremen Bucks the Trend

Vertical Integration Roundup

Fiction Feature

What We've Been Up To

F+. Wayne Panel Reports

Country Kitchen

Are Farm Wives Obsolete?

Youth

Rural Life Around the World

St. Isidore Pilgrimage

Rural Industr.

管 CATHOLICRural Life December,1958 | Joy to | | the | World | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | CATHOLIC RURAL LIFE December 1958 Vol.VII,No.10 The Spiritual is Fine,But(our trouble is economic) Editorialthis pageIn the Dioceses …… ……… ……WE SALUTE:the Diocese of Fargo ……6Bremen Bucks the Trend.………… ……8Vertical Integration Roundup ………10Fiction Feature…………·. ……12What We've Been Up To.· …………14F+.Wayne Panel Reports... ………16Country Kitchen……………… 。……8Are Farm Wives Obsolete?.… …………19YOUTH…… ……….… ………20Rural Life Around the World. …24St.Isidore Pilgrimage………… 25Rural Industr.……………… ………27 Low many times have these words been uttered day after day byHlvoices committing the crass heresy!Divorce—birth control—murdering unborn children—time and again unless the Church is thereto spell out the Ten Commandments as they bear timelessly on today’sproblems of time and place and money. How can we steer our families,laws,institutions,communities,and ultimately our world toward the real,wholesome needs of fam-ilies?Privacy,yet a community spirit;opportunity to work,yetwithout destroying our way of life. If we in our family do not study the present local problems—be they vertical integration,watershed development,creating jobsfor our maturing young folk,youth leadership,accurate publicopinion on "surpluses"/abundance—then we fail in our vocation asindividual,as family.Maybe we are too busy wondering "why doesn'tsomebody do something"to do anything about it ourselves. We ignore the fact that God gave us a mind and a will.We donot seem to realize that our life can go with the wrong trend orwe can help create the right trend.Our actions do count.We arenot sheep,led by blind economic forces.Man has free will.He canchoose.Therefore he is responsible. Cover—the greatest event since Creation hasinspired the world's greatest art.We aremighty proud of this prayerful visualization ofthe shepherds of Bethlehem,designed by yourown art editor,Mary Martin,from the Dioceseof St.Cloud.God's wisdom is beyond allquestion,and it is not by accident that Hisson was a country Boy nor did it just happenthat the first to learn of the Birth werehumble shepherds,men of the soil.What mighthave happened had Jesus come to save onlythe aristocrats is conjectured in CATHOLICRURAL LIFE's first short story.page 12. At Judgement,God will say:“I was hungry and you gave me toeat.I was naked and you clothed me.As long as you did it for oneof these,the least of my brethren,you did it for me.”Matthew 24:34. How well are we as a family,a community,a nation,fulfilling thiswork of mercy,this command of Christ? Do we see the connection between man's body and his soul asproclaimed in our Rogation Day prayers for a good crop?Do wesense the Thanksgiving Day spirit of lifting up our minds and heartsto thank God for the things our bodies need before we can turn ourenergies to His Work of helping to steer our local organizations,ourtown,our laws through the Christian principles supplied us by ourNational Catholic Rural Life Conference?In the Birth at Christmasand the Rebirth of Easter do we sense the especially holy vocationof the farm family?Do we apply the Christmas spirit of generosityin our daily contacts with other people?Do we remember that weare all brothers in Christ?Or has our association with God stoppedat the Communion rail on Sunday morning? NATIONAL CATHOLIC RURAL LIFE CONFERENCE3801 Grand Avenue,Des Moines 12,Iowa MosT.REV.WILLIAM T.MuL.LOY,D.D.Episcopal Adviser MosT REv.LEO A.PURSLEY,D.D.PresidentREV.JAMES L.VIz2ARD,S.J.Vice President Do we apply the Ten Commandments to our everyday duties andrights,or do we join the unawake chorus that has rung down thecenturies back to a Christ hanging on the cross?Do we join thatcry that brings with it divorce,family decay,selfish economic gaincloaked in the misdefined name of efficiency at the expense of precioustopso

FAQs

What theme does the editorial emphasize in this issue?

It stresses that while “The Spiritual is Fine,” the central trouble is economic, and the Church must connect spiritual principles to present-day family and community problems.

How does the publication relate faith to everyday duties and rights?

It urges applying the Ten Commandments to daily responsibilities rather than letting social and economic trends erode family health, happiness, holiness, and security.

What responsibility does the editorial assign to individuals and families?

It argues that people are not “sheep” led by blind economic forces; individuals have free will and are responsible for creating a right trend through their actions.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Theodore