The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-09-21
1878

tertaining bis Eminence the Cardinal, tho |
Primate, and all the Prelates, at his hospit-
able mansion, Browniow House. Lord |
Beaumont, Sir John Bradstreet, Bart, Sir |
Bernard Burke, and other Catholics of rank |
were there. The House Of Commons was
represented by Major O'Reilly, Mr.. P. j. !
Smyth, Mr.. Edmund Dease, Mr.. D. G. Heron, |
apd MI. P. Callan. Thee were some forty |
magistrates present, while the bulk of the |
audience included gentlemen, embracing |
every grade in the community, from Ulster, |
Dublin, and elsewhere.
The sum subscribed, or realized, at the |
dedication, on Sunday last, is, however, in !
the eyes Of the incredulous, the most sub |
stantial evidence Of popularity. To receive
"a 900 at the dedication of tue church, ex-
tended to more than co 600 through ad-
missiOn tickets, and likely to expand to |
El0, 900, when the publication of the pro-
ceedings shall have reached the population
the national undertaking, is q remarkable
fact. In. the annals of Irish generosity
there has been no such noble subscription.
The great ceremonial of the day may be
briefly stated. The dedication of the
church was performed by his Grace the
Cardinal Cullen, after which the High Mass
was celebrated by the Bishop of Clogher,
with Rev. - Marks, deacon, and - Moon
as su6-deacon. The Rev. Father Burke,
o. F., delivered a discourse ranking with
the highest efforts Of his life. The following
is fair outline of Father Burl1es masult-
cent sermon -
"The just man liveth by faith" The Apos-
tie of the Gentiles Che said) divinely inspired
by the Holy Ghost, laid down in those words
one of the grandest aud most cousolng prnci-
pies that could fall upon tho ear of man. The
| Apostle said that men live for various objects
-some lived to enrich themselves, come to
| gain power-but amongst the various things
i and objects for which men could live the
Apostle selected one, and be said that there
! was something else that man could live for
a just man-shat was to soy just man in
| the estimation of the Apostle-waS the man
who lived by faith: As it was with individu-
ais 1t was with nations. A nation would
| live for this object, and for that. nation
might live for purposes of war. or again ma
tion might live for purpose OF commerce, but q
APOSTLE sooke-a nation might live by faith.
What did those words moan-"To live by
faith I" Whether they considered them a. ap-
piled to the individual or the nation it meant
| simply this--tbat the Almighty God conde-
secluded to offer Himself as the object and pur-
pose of mans ife-to place Himself in the cat
egory of beings for which man might live. He
took His place, as it were, amongst uncrsated
things. and He said" You may live to obtain
riches, you may live to obtain power, or for
political ends, but the one who is content to
live for Me is the man who lives by faith"
Aud that, according to the Apostle, is the
highest manner of life, the highest nobility of
man, for the man who lived by faith rose to
thedignity of realiziug the Messiah. They could
not see God, and yerthey could live for Him.
Therefore the faculty of divine faith meant the
realizing the unseen, and realizing the unseep
as not only to live for Him, in believing HIM,
but to manifest that love in acting for God, in
entering for God, in speeding the Kiogdo@ OF
were assembled that day to make one great
act of faith-the greatest act of faith, perhaps,
that the Irish people had been called upon to
together that day, not merely as representing
. nation, but az representing q race, and at
the conservation Of that mighty cathedral to
God, to the Catholic Church, and to st. Pa
trick. They had the eyes Of all the Irish race,
all the world over, fxed upon them and they
had moreover, the legions of saints Of Ireland
looking down from their high thrones in
Heaven upon their successors in the Epscopacy
of this faithful land, and upon the successors
of devoted and faithful people. The Rev.
Father said he regretted, in common with
had expected to hear would not resound in the
midst of them that day. 1t was pity that
one 80 high in intellect, so pure and holy in
heart, 30 devoted in his life to the Irish people
for he had bound up his life and his labors
with them-could not be present, for it was
fitting that such a man, who would have
| brought majesty to the conservation, and the
weight of dignity that would have SO beft-
Jingly rendered homage to the fait of the Irish
race should have taken part in the ceremony.
They could only live ia the hope that God
would prolonS that high and holy life, and
that on future occasion-one which be
Gather Burke) hoped would not be far dis
tant-they might have an opportunity of lis
tenng to that matchless, that golden stream
of eloquence that always fell from his lips
That was one of the grandest occasions that
ever presented itself to the Irish people, for it
modification of that Church which had never
died. and of that race which conld never be
utterly conquered or utterly abolished be;
cause God, whom that Church represented, and
to whom that race had consecrated itself, laid
His blessing upon them. Nearly 500 years has
passed away sinoe that most memorable name
in the annals of the world and of the Church
entered upon the shores of ireland, aud
in an old Celtic town proclaimed to the
princes and kings Of this ancient land
Very happily st. Patrick found in his spos-
tleship that the people seemed naturally Gu
dowed with love of divine faith. He found
among the Irish race-the men to whom he
preached-a strange faculty Of realizing the
| unseen, and of realizing the truth of the Apos-
ties words No difficulty crossed him: he
had only to proclaim the name of the true God,
and the name of Jesus, aud the name of Mary,
the Mother of our Lord, aud instantly, as if it