The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-08-20
ARCHBISHOP PURCELL'S DIS
COURSE.
Ecumenical Council and InfaIIibiIity

| tne CalueuT Ai, on lum oLcct, w do
filed to overflowing with an inn
menense concourse of Catholics
mainly. but interspersed with here
and there inquiring or curious
Protestants, all anxious to hear
the distinguished Archbishop af
ter his return from the Ecumenical
Council.
Bishop Borgess.; of Detroit. con
Quoted the devotional exercises
, assisted by number of prize ests.
Hayden's Mass in c was sung with
fine effect by the choir.
The Archbishop read the 18th
chapter, First Corinthians, and
then proceeded:
After returning thanks to AL
mighty God for preserving me
from dangers on the sea, among
the Alps, by land and water. l
have, beloved friends and children
in God, most sincerely and fer
vently to thank you, whose prayers
am we'll assured, ascended, day
and night, to Almighty God, that
this result Of my safe return home
by His mercy, be granted. thank
you, also, as I had not the oppor-
tunity to do so before I left home,
for the generosity with which SO
many of you contributed to defray
the expenses of that long journey
and my expenses in Rome. as
sure you that prayed fervently to
Almighty God that every cent of
these kind and generous contribu
tions may be multiplied hundred
and thousand fold for you in
Gods treasury that they may
bring in a great interest, and that
you may be blessed over and over
again for every thing which Chris
tian faith and love have induced
you to contribute.
I thought of you when I the had
happiness of celebrating the Holy
Mysteries in the crypt where the
bodies of st. Peter and st. Paul
are enshrined, or in the prison
where ST. Paul was so long incar-
cerated with ST. Peter, where he
made the water eush from the rock
! water that is still flowing as a
divine attestation of the miracle
in order that he might baptize the
jaiior and his fellow prisoners. SO
also when last Sunday and Sunday
before l celebrated mass out on
the ocean-having at the last SER
vice truly great crowd of per
sons of all eligious denominations,
who we're my fellow travelers-on
that wide ocean, too, you were also
remembered.
And so shall it be forever. The
salvation of priests, and still more
of the bishop, must never be ef
fected alone His happiness in
heaven would be incomplete if he
were not surrounded by all the
thousands in whose behalf he had
served God at the altar His hap
piness in heaven would be imper-
feet if you were not here also to
share with him to bless God who
gave the good faith, and enabled
YOU to live the good life in con
formity with that holy faith.
The Archbishop said that while
they were discussing those very
important questions for which they
were assembled at Rome, he was
particularly struck with a word
that fell from the lips Of one of the
holiest, and saintliest, the best Of
bishops, very Milton, he might
say, of the entire Catholic episco-
pacy, when in mild and wise re-
buke of the agitation of the great
question Of infallibility he said,
how much better it was ttat all
should continue as it had been, all
being quite convinced that God
had endowed His holy church with
infallibility that it was utterly
impossible that her teachings
should fail. that her teachings
should be false, or that her ora
cles should ever be struck dumb.
He went on to say tina. they were
telling Of the faith Of her saints,
and bishops, and priests. He told
them that the people-the poor,
simple, trusting people-had more
faith than they had. They never
agitated this question. It is en-
ough for them that God has made
His Church infallible, and when
ever she speaks in council, or out
of council. she speaks the truth
of God. She hears and utters the
voice of the Holy Ghost-the voice
of her spouse; and in this manner
she proceeds from day to day in
that glorious career of Christian
truth and faith inaugurated by the
Apostle.
Ii is great deal better that we
should not worry ourselves with
abstruse ma tiers that we don't un-
derstand, but that with simple,
trusting, loving faith we feel as
sured that Jesus Christ will never
break his word, that he will keep
inviolable his holy promise, and
that we shall be safely and surely
guided in the future as we have
been in the past, until we reach
our haven.
Tue archbishop closed this por-
ton of his subject by saying that
on another occasion he should
speak more at length upon this
topic.
The remainder Of the discourse
treated OF his text in the usual
PASTORAL manner.-Cin. Chronicle.