The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-18
Service and Sermon at st. Pat
rick's Cathedral Yesterday.
FATHER TOM BURKE AND THE SAINT,
The History, Career, Teaching and Characteris-
tics Of st. Patrick Eloquently Described.
1RELAND's RELIGIOUS HISTORY

admission. the Most Rev. Archbishop McCloskey
officiated as ceebrant. assisted by Very Rev. DR..
STAIRS. v. s. The deacons OF honor were Very Rev.
+. Lilly, o. 8. D., and Very Rev. F. Bapst 8. j.; Rev.
Father McNamee was deacon; Fathers Keane and
Kearney, sub-deacons, and Rev. r. Kearney, master
or ceremonies. Alter the Gospel had been chanted
by Rev. Father McNamee, the celebrated Dominican
priest Faihsr "Tom'' Burke, assembled the pulpit.
In moment all were silent. Every eye was a.
rected toward the great pulpit orator. ana every
strained to eaten the first sound OF his voice.
The reverend father selected the following as his
text" Let us now praise men OF renown and our
fathers In their generation these men OF
mercy whose cody deeds have not 1atled; good
things continue with their seed. Their posterty are
holy Inheritance and their seed hath stood IN the
covenants Of their children for their sake remain for
ever; their seed and their glory shall not be for
saken. Let the people show forth their wisdom and
the Church declare their praise" lEcch. ~ After
an Introductory reference to the duty Of the day,
which was to obey the command OF God expressed
In the text the father dsscanted at length upon the
celebration Of saints by the Church. He traced
rapidly, but graphically the establishment Of Chris.
tianity In the world and as to Its Introduction TO
Ireland by st. Patrick he proceeded to say as fol-
l0ws:-
The conversion Of Ireland from the time of st.
Patrick landing 10 the day OF hts DEATH is In many
respects the strongest fact in the history OF the
%s
king than the difficult LABOR OF . missionary. the
w nnr rs ana s %
selzes on heaven. is not congental to fallen man.
His PRIDE his passions his blindness OF intellect and
hardness OF heart all oppose the spread OF the Cos
yersally accepted 4. Is adducea as proof that
continue to pc, 4 work Of great labor with appar.
emily small results Sucn has 1t ever been among
all the nations, and yet Ireland seems grand OK
ception: she 49, perhaps, the only country IN the
he S her
he left her universally Christian. She s again, the
only nation that never cost her apostle an hour OF
sorrow, single tear, drop OF blood. She well
coined MIN ike friend, took the Word from his
lips, made Il at once the leading feature Of her life,
language Of her most familiar thoughts, and repaid
her benefactor with her utmost veneration and
Ireland 10 oVe ana vense 9n g apose
All sanctity coming as IT does from God, ID an ml
word Of the apostle "those whom he ioreknew and
predestfned to be made cOmlormabe to The image
Of HIS Son, the same He called and justified e, and
which was hidden from eternity with CHRIST in God.
fulness OF The Godnead corporally" Is an abyss OF
al perec;ions, SO do we fnd the saints dlering one
s ea and resemblance TO hs s!yss gifts FOR 50
:isiar a:: ..c:s rom Star ii glory" "."en
among the apostles, we are accustomed to
THE VIRGINIA. PURITY OF JOHN,
&C., not as II Peter were not pure. or John want
ns IT q xssss nj the
nently. and seemed to marx the SPECIFIC character
Mb ds adoed te o9 1e
apostle and MADE HIM so dear to the people l tind
three which ne made especially , ms ONE and these
vourng zeal for the salvation OF SOULS spirit Of
penance It is remarkable ria and worthy Of SPECIAL
religions how practical the Gospel is. tbs pre-emi
nently not only the science OF religious knowledge
but also or re igous life. 1t tells us not only what we
TO believe, but also what we to do. And now
what is the drst great precept OF the Gospelf 1t
e. COY al i on
day Of Pentecost the Prince Of the Apostles first
earth, tie people, ':when they heard these things
had conjunction IN their hearts, and SAID 10 Peter,
40 ae and sa hs 10
spirit Of .penance was essentially PatricKs. His
youth had been holy; preserved from earliest child
hood by ''the blessings Of eetness, he had grown
up like lily In purity. In holy fear and love. Yet
first years he was filed with conjunction, and
with Lifelong sorrow. HIS sin, as ne called 1t,
cried out '.wno viii give water to my mead and o
fountain OF tears to mine eyes, and l will weep
gay and night" 10 MS loueneylngs ne was wont
sefreproach, as he was the greatest OF sinners;
and when he fastened from "Royal Meath" into
the far west of the island we read that when Lent
approached he suspended his laDors for time and
went up the steep rugged side Of Croagn Patrick
S and ads ne wen ns
sna SsfoSs and
tory are still familiar TRADITIONS in the land.
10 raau INA so o1 a 40
ever with Gods saints. who do his work on this
EARTH going they Went and rsp
humility. Now, this virtue springs from two
fxl.l fhnk fNnh
OF ourselves. This was the double knowledge lor
which tile great Saint Augustine prayed, "Lord let
Tnee and despise myself y ana this Gid our saint
possess In an eminent degree This knowledge Of
things besides Cod and even or Gods 0iils except
when USED for Himself; and therefore he did all
hlngs for God and nothing Tor SELL and Of .hls Own
in advancing the interests aud the cause OF God, he
hid himself behind his work In which he labored for
tory come down to US by reason Of his great humi.
ity, for would write himself sinner, and calls
himself ssPatrick, an unworthy and ignorant and
sinful MANI for SO lie saw himself, judging himself
- INFINITE HOLINESS IN JESUS CHRIsY,
by which we also shall be one day judged.
After descanting at some length upon the nuni-
y and the virtues o. sse s ne n
Peters successor. the Pope OF Rome; devotion TO
the blessed Virgin Mary, prayer and remembrance
their bishops , and priests These We're the four
BY the first-namely, ndelity TO the Pope he So
cured the unity OF the Irisn Church as living
member OF the Church Catholic; by the secOnd-de-
votion to the Blessed Vlrgin-ho secured the purity
ana morality OF the people; BY the third care Of
the dead-he enlisted the side Of Catholic truth
natural love and strong feelings OF the Irish Oh
acter; and by the last-attachment and obedience
to the prlestnood-he secured to the Irish Church
the principle OF internal union, which Ii tho secret
Of her strength. He preached ndenty AID unswerv.
ing deuotion to the Pope-the head Of the Catholic
Church. Coming direct from Rome and filed with
ecclesiastical knowledge, he opened up before the
eyes OF his new children and revealed to them the
grand oesign OF Almighty God in HIS Church. He
showed them IN the world around them the wonder
iul harmony which speaks Of God; then rising into
the higher world or grace he preached to them the
still more wonderful harmony OF redemption and OF
the Church, the Church, 30 vast as to fiji the hole
EARTH yet as united In doctrine and practice II
she embraced only the members Of one small family
or thel Inhabitants OF one little village; the Church,
embracing all OF men, and leaving to all their
fun Individual freedom OF thought and action, yet