The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-12-26
ST, pATAlCK'S CATHEDRAL

Sermon oil Rev. DIR. Shea, President Of st.
Johns College, FOrdham-imposing Cerc.
m0nials-ChOice Music.
The solemn ana imposing ceremonies at the cee-
bratOn OF high mass at this church yesterday were
attended by very large congregation. The body OF
the church was unadorned, save by the beauty Of
its gothic architecture, while the decorations OF the
altar were OF chaste character, which served to
highten its simple grandeur, being simple pyramidal
b0queIs OF white flowers entwined with green, and
large halo placed at the rear Of the Host, which,
as the gas light fell upon It, shimmered and sparkled
glorlously.
But it was only upon the entrance Of the 'ecclesi
astlca procession composed OF twenty acoytes, Two
OF the foremost bearing candles, and third, be-
tween these two, bearing a large cross, headed by
the master OF ceremonies, Father kearney, and fol-
lowed, in order, by tn sub-Deacon, Father Mclean,
the Deacon, DR.. McSweeny and The celebrant OF the
mass the Very Rev. Father STAIRS. that the grandeur
ana soemnlty or the Catholic Church celebration OF
the birth OF our Savlous was shown. The gold Drod
cred vestments OF the priests the red cassocks and
hats OF the acolytes contrasted prettiy with the
grand simplicity Of the altar and made such scene
as no one, having once seem would ever iorget and
then the solemn stiffness which 1t induced was sud
denly broken by the pealing forth from the organ
and choir OF the Ky1te Eeis0n.
The sermon was delivered by the Rev. Father Shea,
Reens Il c c q "a %aS
Jlle DlTLIl OF our saviour 10 the suepnerus.-
"Fear not, Tor behold, bring you good tldngs OF
great Joy, that shall be to all the people:
Christ, the Lord, In the City OF David"
The reverend speaker said:-We are celebrating
the birth OF Jesus IN the human nature; for IN the
Saviour there are two natures-the human and d.
vine. He comes TO be Saviour, to raise from all
troubles; He does not come IN thunder any other
manner by which we may be frightened into belief in
him, but he comes TO us as a little chld. How
did he deserve the title OF SAVIOUR Did he
raise us from any form OF trouble or suneringY In
ana ~ nrtn n CrA nod I'M
creation OF man and the many advantages given
hum. God gave man soul, thus making him, as
st, Peter said, "a sharer OF His own naturen and
made rs the end OF man that he was to see all good
in Himself not, as we now DO through faith, Dut He
was to see Him In person. God made a sort OF COM
pact with Adam and Eve that II they should remain
faithful to Him all their privileges and advantages
should be transferred to their children, but should
they prove unfathfu they should die, for until then
they were safe from the thing we call death. The
speaker compared the passage OF sin over the souls
OF our first parents TO the devastating sweep OF O
storm over beautiful landscape; for said he, theo-
logans tell us that after the original sin was
United the souls of Adam and Eve were masses of
corruption all the intellectual faculties were gone.
Man would have renamed IN this condition through
all time he would have come into this world toiied
barred from the sight of God. NOW, then did Jesus
prove His right TO the title OF Saviour. He offered
Himself to make atonement for the sins Of
form, but He must be born as q human
being. Before Adam sinned he could not
err. but SO soon as he fell he lost all the SUPER
natural intellectual power, and he forgot his God in
the one divine person and raises up for himself many
images which he called his gods and which was the
origin OF ldoatry which spread all over the world
and 1t only In Judea that faint idea OF the true
God was retained. Then Christ comes to US and
gives us His peatltudes aud acceptable manner OF
worshlpping Goo and shows us the true end OF man.
1t would have been useless for Him to give us the
principles OF right If He had not given lis the power
to pursue them. This power He did give us in the
form Of Faith. The Reverend Father asked all to
study the generosity of Christ in coming from HIS
royal throne IN Heaven ana laying down MS life for
man, when the smallest suffering on His part would
have redeemed u.s. asked oil to show their gratitude
tor their redemption by giving literally to the poor
and the orphans and sald:-"rhe seed you now sow
Will In future bring forth harvest In proportion to
your present generosity
During the service Mandanicrs Mass, in G major,
was rendered very nicely by the choir and chorus
attacked the church, under the conduct OF Mr.. q.
Schmltz, the organlst, and several solos ana tros
were sung, OF which only one or two be noticed.
At the Ofertory Verdis 30 YeSu Dein was sung by
Mme Cnome ana Messrs. Schmitz and SOhst; at the
elevation" Mrs. eros sang Pr0ch's "Ecce Pd.etS,"
Mr. Fl. Schmitz playing the accompaniment upon
the French horn,