USA > Illinois > Stephenson County > The history of Catholicity in Stephenson County; Illinois > Part 7
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This whole morning, my dearly beloved brethren, was spent in rededicating and in consecrating your church to God. Whatever may have been said of it in the past, from now on, for many years to come, it will be a building dedicated wholly to the ser- vice of the Almighty, in which to praise His name. I congratu- late you, above all, upon the fact that you can now truly say to
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God, that it is His Church. You have paid for it, no man owns- it, and it is God's, God's from now on, forever. Accept, therefore, my congratulations, and I trust the people of this parish will always continue to manifest the same spirit of zeal in behalf of their religion ; that theirs will not be a religion of faith or belief merely, but that it will be a religion of charity and good works.
This church has been built-what is the object of it-why have the people spent so generously of their means in order to erect a building to the service and worship of God ? Is it not, my brethren, because they believe in the truth of their religion- is it not because they are fully convinced that their church is the true church, founded by the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, him- self? It would be well for us, during the few remarks I am about to make, to dwell principally upon the reasonableness of the claim of the Catholic church to the acceptance of the faithful Christian. There is perhaps no charge more frequently made, than that the Catholic religion is wholly out of joint with the demands of right. reason. It is asserted that no Catholic can accept the teachings of his church without doing violence to the demands and require- ments of sound sense. It seems rather strange to us, my breth- ren, who are members of the fold, that such a charge as this can be made; in fact, we Catholics find it very difficult to acquit thoughtful and religiously disposed people of all blame in refus- ing to examine, personally, into the astounding claims of a church that has been connected with almost every important event of the past 1900 years-every event that was fraught with weal or woe in the early history of the world.
Let us dwell on these facts briefly this morning, my brethren ; briefly I say, because this is due you, on account of the lengthy services of the day, and due perhaps also, in a measure, to myself. Let us dwell briefly, then, upon this subject of the reasonableness. of the Catholic faith. Let me endeavor, first of all, to give you some idea of the Church. Starting out with a belief in God, and looking out into the world, we see a condition of things that fills. us with distress. Cardinal Newman describes it as full of lament- ations, misery and woe, and the apostle, in a few words, describes.
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the condition of the human race, as it passes before us, as being without hope and without God in the world.
Man, my brethren, did not come from the hands of God in the condition in which we find him, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that some great calamity came upon the human race at an early day. Shall we continue by our own unaided efforts to try to remedy this calamity, or shall we seek assistance some- where else? To say nothing of the impotency of human efforts to right a wrong, such as we suppose must have been committed against the omnipotent God, by the first sin, it is absolutely fool- ish to expect that man, without the assistance of some superior being, could have come to the relief of the human race. In the first place, the reason of man, unaided by the grace of God, in an environment created by human passions, tends to unbelief, that is to say, the mind of man left to itself, in the condition in which it was created, and subjected to the cravings and demands of the low animal appetites and the sensual passions of human nature, the mind of man, under such circumstances, tends to the elimin- ation of goodness and truth. This appears to be certain when we study the history of the past. What was the outcome of the old pagan religion, but the rejection of all true ideas of God ?
Many of our unassisted, advanced thinkers of to-day, have adopted a new idea of religion, and they are preaching the un- knowable and humanitarianism as the outcome of their best in- dividual efforts.
It is not unreasonable, therefore, to suppose that the Almighty God himself came to the rescue of the human race; there is a fitness in this, all the greater when we come to consider the great goodness of God. He first made man in His own image and likeness, and what was more, was determined that the great work of the Creator of the world and of man should not come to naught. This brings us, therefore, to the incarnation of the Son of God. Man being unable to remedy the great defects and overcome the calamity and consequences of the first great disaster, God comes to his rescue. The Eternal Son of God himself became man. Why did Christ become man ? Only a Catholic, it seems to me,
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can answer that question satisfactorily. Let us bear in mind, my brethren, that our divine Lord is the Saviour of all mankind, of you and me, as well as of those who shall come after us, and we can say, with the same truth as the apostles of old, " My Lord and my God."
Christ is the one Saviour of the world, and there is one God, and Lord, so one faith and one baptism.
REV. D. J. RIORDAN,
Pastor of St. Elizabeth's Church, Chicago, Ill.
Now, our Lord lived but a short time on this earth, then He was crucified and He died. How was His work to be perpetuated ? He established a church-a church that was to endure throughout all the ages of the world and to continue the work which He came to accomplish. The Church is the witness, and Jesus Christ is the teacher of the truths which He made known to His apostles. This is the means by which the sanctifying grace of Christ is brought home to the individual, and by which each and every one of us can hope to save our souls. That is the nature and the object of the Church. How does it accomplish its
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purpose ? Founded by Christ, and by Him invested with His own authority, the Church is not a creation of men, or any number of men; it is not the work of the Pope, the Bishops or the Priests, but the work of Christ. In the sense in which you say God made the earth, and that He spread the sky over our heads, in that same sense do we say that Christ, with His own divine authority, without respect to the wishes of man, without counseling with him, founded the Church, which was to take His place, and be to all people, to the end of the world, what He himself was to the people of His own day ; what He would have been to the people of this day, and to the people to come, had He continued to live on in the world. Is there any other religious denomination that claims this divine authority ? Well, in theory there is, but hardly in practice, and the great funda- mental truth after all, is the divine establishment of the Christian Church, with the authority of the divine Founder, to preach and teach in His name. The Church does not argue with the people, the apostles did not argue, they announced the truths of their God, they commanded people to hear them, they bore in mind the words of the Divine Master himself, who said, "He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me."
Sometimes I hear people say, " Well, there is not so much difference between your church and ours. We have vestments, we have lights and acolytes, yes, we have even the confessional, with few, I fear, of the awful secrets." Now, why should similarity, or dissimilarity in these things constitute a resemblance or dis- semblance between the various churches? The great difference between the Church, and all other churches is this-that the Church stands instead of Christ, that she preaches in God's name, that she comes with authority from the eternal Son of God, the Founder of the Christian religion.
She does not ask, and does not permit people to inquire into her teachings; of her own authority, she announces the truths taught by the Divine Saviour of the world. The controversy, in the past 300 years has been, for the most part, upon side issues ;
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little, or comparatively little, has been said upon this vital funda- mental thought, namely-the authority of the Church. Now, my brethren, is there anything unreasonable in the claim of the Church to the authority of Christ, since Christ founded
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BISHOP JANSEN.
it to be a witness to Him, and a teacher of His truths throughout all ages? We are not without authority, of course, in the treatment of this subject, but we now confine our- selves wholly to what may appear reasonable to the mind, es- pecially, if debating with those who are not in accord with us in
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religious matters. If we fell back upon the inspired word of God, and then found that this book, which gives the history of the life of Jesus Christ, the Founder of the Church, was silent upon this most salient point, it would be most disappointing to us. But, as we read this inspired book, we see many pages, where we find accept- able reference to this very point, and we are told, again and again, by the apostles, that they were sent out into the world to teach, in the name of Christ, that they have His own authority, and that of the Eternal Father who sent Him. So, also, He sent them to teach the universal world, and to proclaim to all mankind the great tidings of the Gospel. Here, therefore, according to this scriptural teaching, here is a picture of the Church. A body of men, appointed by public ceremony, invested with divine author- ity, inculcating the truths of religion, not in their own name, not in the name of advanced thinkers and scientists, but in the name of the Founder of Christianity, and declaring that all men must believe them, under pain of an anathema. "He that heareth you, said the Lord, heareth Me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me."
I merely claim, my brethren, that it is not unreasonable to suppose that Christ founded the Church ; it is not unreasonable to suppose that the Church is invested with the authority of its di- vine Founder.
It is said of us: "Catholics will believe anything "; " not only do members of the Church claim authority to preach in the name of God, but they claim infallibility for the Church "; they say " ' the Church cannot err in matters of religion ;' how can a fallible man become infallible, how can a mnan, subject to all the weaknesses of human nature, one who, like all others, has felt the heavy hand of the first curse laid upon our first parents-how can such a man expect to be exempt from error ?"
If you and I are obliged to believe in a Church, why that Church must be protected in some way, by Almighty God, from leading you and me astray. Is it impossible for God to confer on man the gift of infallibility ? I can imagine a thousand ways in which God is able to protect a human mind from error; He
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BISHOP S. G. MESSMER.
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can reveal himself to each and every one of us, so we will be absolutely sure of the teachings of our minds. He can bring about such a result by external means .. Did not God make the human mind-can He not guide it, and direct it, and lead it. wherever He will? The discussion is foolish from every point of view. How can people find fault with the bestowal of such a gift ? We have to admit the inspiration of the Scriptures. Who wrote the Bible-did God ? Did God take a pen in His own hands and write the words which I have read for you to-day? The authors and writers were men, God's chosen disciples, and yet you and I, and all of us, accept it as the written word of God. Now, if God could protect them, by means of special inspiration, from falling into any error while they were writing the sacred pages of the Gospel, why can He not protect one or more men, and guard them, against all error, in matters appertaining to the most. important of all, the salvation of their souls ? In fact, what would be the good of establishing a church, and authorizing that church to preach the Gospel, unless the seal and stamp of the Divinity was put upon the work itself? Those He had appointed not only claimed authority to preach in His name, but were assisted by some special aid of the Holy Ghost to enable them, at all times, to declare the truth, the whole truth and nothing more.
I must not, my dearly beloved brethren, detain you too long this morning. The subject is certainly an inviting one and a. most attractive one, and I might, did time permit, enlarge upon many of the most disputed points of the Catholic doctrine, in order to show you how reasonable, from the information imparted by the Holy Scriptures, are these various teachings of the Catholic Church. As to the claims of the Catholic Church, they may be illustrated by the following example :
Suppose we were about to take a long journey ; at first our way led by a broad avenue through an open country, but soon we come to the foot-hills in the mountain range, where we find dif- ferent roads, and then, as we are about to enter, certain guides present themselves. One claims to know the way-he is abso- lutely certain he can lead us to our destination. The others
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claim only a probability, they are not sure they are right, they think themselves sufficiently familiar with the way not to lead us astray, but are not quite certain. I ask you which one of these guides would you choose, did you feel bound to reach the objec- tive point ? Why, surely you would choose the guide who claims to know the way. He may be mistaken, he may not be able to lead you aright, but you cannot act according to the claims of sound sense and prudence if you select the guide who tells you he is not sure he is right. If you select him, you act unreasonably, at the start; you will dispute with him every step, and at every turning point in the way you will stop him. What is this but a picture of the blind leading the blind, and both falling into the pit? If you select the guide who claims to know the way, once you have placed yourself under his guidance, you will follow him quietly, never interfering, feeling assured that he will lead you aright. Is not this, then, the relative position of the Catholic Church with all other churches? The Church claims to know the way.
"I am the Church of the living God." She says: "I am the Church founded by the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I was not born yesterday, or the last century-I have a history that goes back through all ages ; if you will follow me, I will lead you in the road that will take you to eternal life."
Are we not apt, brethren to believe this honest, direct and forcible presentation of the claims of the Catholic Church, even though it be made by ourselves ?
Strangers, who are not in our communion, have sometimes drawn very forcible and vivid pictures of the Church.
I will ask your permission to read to you what the distin- guished author, Mallock, has written on the subject now being treated. (Here the Rt. Rev. speaker read an extract, of which we have no copy.)
Here is a picture of the Church drawn by a stranger; he draws it well, but it does not satisfy the Catholic; it does not satisfy the man who has been born in the Church, who looks into the eyes of his living mother, with a heart full of tenderness and
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keen sense of the weighty debt he owes her. The faith of the Catholic is something akin to that gift which nature bestows upon the childish heart, a faith abounding in love.
The true character of the Church cannot be perfectly de- scribed ; it must be felt in the heart. The Church, my brethren, is the road to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and, through Him, to heaven. In her, the Christian hears the voice of the Lord himself.
In the heavenly picture of the world to come, he feels a sense of security, and is overjoyed by a participation in the feeling ex- perienced by the apostle on Mount Thabor when he exclaimed, " Lord, it is good for us to be here." In life's experiences, the Catholic always feels secure ; he knows the Church will lead him aright. Knowledge and power are the two great requisites for the success of every enterprise. The Church possesses them in all their fullness. She is the truth-she has the strength of God to lead her aright.
Therefore, my brethren, when we kneel down in this Church to worship Almighty God, first professing our faith in God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, we will ever exclaim in all the fullness and love of our heart, "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church."
THE JUBILEE CHOIR.
The musical part of the service was of unusual merit, and would have rendered the occasion memorable, even if there had · been no other attractions. The best singers of both congrega- tions, St. Joseph's and St. Mary's, joined under the significant title, " The Jubilee Choir," and, by diligent practice, fitted them- selves to produce magnificent results. On the great days that were successively celebrated, they were assisted by Gibler's or- chestra. At the mass that followed the consecration of the church, Generali's grand military mass in G was sung in parts as follows :
Kyrie Full Chorus Christi. . Quartette Soprano, Mrs. Leo Thro; alto, Miss Jennie Tracy ; tenor, J. P. Lawless ; bass, Frank Rogers.
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Gloria.
. Full Chorus
Gratia.
Duet
Tenor, J. P. Lawless ; baritone, Ed. Lawless.
Domine Fili. .
Duet
Soprano, Miss Maggie Carey ; alto, Miss Nonie Reardon.
Domine Deus
Full Chorus
Qui Tollis
. Trio
Soprano, Mrs. Leo Thro; tenor, J. P. Lawless ; bass, John Rau.
Qui Sedes
Basses and Chorus
Quonian
.Solo
Miss Cunningham.
Dei Patris.
Full Chorus
Credo Full Chorus
Genitum.
Mezzo Soprano Solo
Miss Jennie Tracy.
Descendit
Full Chorus
Et Incarnatus Est Full Chorus
Crucifixus Duet
Tenor, J. P. Lawless ; baritone, Ed. Lawless.
Et Resurrexit.
Full Chorus
Et Interum.
Mrs. Leo Thro.
Et In Spiritum.
Tenor Solo
J. P. Lawless.
Qui Cum Patre. Duet
Tenor, J. P. Lawless ; bass, Frank Rogers.
Et Unam Sanctam. Soprano, Miss Maggie Carey ; alto, Miss Nonie Reardon.
Duet
Et Expecto. Full Chorus
Finale . . .. Full Chorus
Offertorium
O Cor Amoris Victima
Full chorus with soprano solo obligato by Mrs. Leo Thro.
Sanctus Full Chorus
Pleni . Full Chorus
Benedictus. Alto Solo Miss Jennie Tracy with cello obligato by Oscar Wagner. Hosanna Full Chorus Agnus Dei Full Chorus With tenor solo by J. P. Lawless; soprano solo by Mrs. Leo Thro. Dona Nobis, Finale. Full Chorus
The members of the Jubilee Choir were : Director, John L. Carroll; organist, Miss Mary E. Brennan ; orchestra director, W.
Soprano Solo
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H. Gibler; soloists: W. H. Gibler, violin ; Mrs. Leo Thro and Miss Maggie Carey, sopranos; Miss Jennie P. Tracy, mezzo so- prano ; Miss Nonie Reardon, contralto; Miss Cunningham, alto ; John P. Lawless, tenor; Edward Lawless, baritone; John Rau and Frank Rogers, bassos. Chorus: Sopranos, Mrs. M. Ellsworth, Misses Susie Ellis, Anna Summers, Gertrude Loos, Josie Wilson, Blanche Knipschild, Loretta Knipschild, Mamie Vail, Agnes Dolan; altos, Misses Theresa Loos, Josie Nohe, Anna Darrah, Theresa Miller, Helen Miller; tenors, Herman Straub, Frank Burns, John Loos; bassos, John Coyle, Leo Thro, Clem Gordon and Ed. Dubs.
ARCHBISHOP FEEHAN'S ADDRESS.
Archbishop Feehan also spoke briefly at the morning service, congratulating the congregation upon having that day given to God so magnificent a temple, and praising highly the Pastor, the Sisters of the school and the members of the congregation for their work. " This day," he said, " will be long known as one of the greatest in the history of the parish. Fifty years to the church, or to history, are but a span, but in the lives of individ- uals, or congregations, they are a great deal. The celebration of this Golden Jubilee is an occasion of much pleasure. Sincere is the joy afforded by the knowledge that the Catholics of this dio- cese have been able to make such an offering to God as this church. The consecration gives it to Him forever ; it can never be given for any other use, or destroyed, except by some great calamity.
" How different is the congregation of to-day from the one that first met fifty years ago ! The few who assembled for the first mass have grown and multiplied to a great congregation, like a tiny seed that has grown to a great tree. Those pioneers who first came here, and among whom the faith was so firmly estab- lished, deserve all honor from us. They have nearly all gone to their rest, and we can hardly realize the trials and struggles they have endured. They brought with them the one priceless pearl, their religious faith; they were loyal to it, in all their hardships, and bequeathed their loyalty to their children and their chil-
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dren's children, who are here to-day to celebrate this Golden Jubilee. We must not forget the priests who labored in the building up of this church, who came with the pioneers, and, suffering what they did, earned a share in the result. There was another element of success, the daughters of Ireland, who, as re- ligious teachers, and as faithful mothers of families, followed the teachings of priests and missionaries and cared for the young. All worked together to build up the Church all through this new land. Fifty years is not long, but see the result! Who could have foretold, when they were planting the seed, that the harvest would be so splendid ? The congregation of this church may well rejoice.
" There is another thought : we ask ourselves, 'What kind of people will come after us? Will they be loyal and cling to the high principles of the pioneers ; will they be men of char- acter, true to their religion and cherishing their faith ?' To-day finds the answer. The praise given to-day is well deserved. It is a source of great gratification to see the success of the Church and the school. Upon the latter rests the future of the Church ; in the training of the young, the planting of good seeds and the awakening of a lively faith in the minds of the children, lies the secret of large, zealous congregations for the future."
The mass was not ended until after one o'clock, but nothing further took place at St. Mary's until evening, when there was a pontifical vesper service, at which Bishop Janssen presided, and all the visiting clergymen assisted. A short sermon was delivered by Bishop Burke, who spoke of the sacredness of the church, since it had been anointed, with holy oil, and consecrated to the service of God.
The vespers, the sermon and the benediction of the Blessed -Sacrament, in the glory of lights and song, constituted one of the most impressive services held during the week. The sanctuary was filled with richly vested clergymen of various ranks; the altar boys, in their pretty robes, were present, in full force, and sang the vespers, alternately with the grand choir, in a style never before equaled by them. Finally, so inspiring was the scene and
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the music, all the clergymen joined in chanting the psalms and hymns, making a magnificent chorus of supplication and adora- tion, that seemed to the listeners a foretaste of heavenly harmony and celestial song.
The gleaming tapers and the flashing gas lights, with the steady radiance of electricity, brought out all the beauties of the altars and their surroundings, so that sight, as well as hearing, was enthralled.
Between the vesper and the benediction services, Bishop Burke, of St. Joseph, Mo., delivered his eloquent discourse, re- ferred to above. In beautiful language, he told the story of the cross, what Christ had done for mankind, and urged all to follow in His footsteps. He also spoke words of praise in regard to the beautiful house of worship which the members of St. Mary's con- gregation had erected. He said it was a lasting monument to their devotion and their zeal for the cause of Christ, and admon- ished the members ever to remember that it was a sacred place, which they should enter with only pure thoughts in their hearts. He complimented Rev. Father Horan, on the great work he has accomplished, since coming to Freeport, and said that the reverend gentleman could not have accomplished this, were it not for the fact that he possessed the confidence and love of his people, in a marked degree. Bishop Burke is a dignified and polished gen- tleman who makes a fine appearance in the pulpit. He is noted for his piety and scholarly attainments. There was a congrega- tion present that overflowed the church, and great numbers of people sought admission who could not find a place to either sit or stand.
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The Golden Jubilee Day.
With all the pomp and splendor of the highest functions of the Roman Catholic Church, the Golden Jubilee of the establish- ment of the Catholic religion in this county was celebrated on Octo- ber 14th. The first few of the fifty years that have intervened were- filled with struggles, cares and hardships, with disappointments and heavy trials; the last few have been marked by thrift and ultimate success, but, at all times, there have been unremitting toil and dogged perseverence. This day's celebration is the climax of the pious events of the past half century, and the realization of the most sanguine hopes of the early priests and their pioneer con- gregations. Their zeal and loyal perseverence prepared the way for this day, and made its celebration possible. Through their efforts, in the almost barren days of the county's early history, was sown a great part of the seed that has grown into the rich harvest of to-day.
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