The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-05-18
Conservation of the New Bishop of Savannah

At the eleven o'clock Mass on last Sunday
the entire Cathedral was filled by an at
tentive copgrega alton to witness the grand
ceremonials celebrated for the consecra-
ton of the new Bishop of Savannah, Rev.
VIM. II. Gross.
The young prelate is native of Balti-
more, having been born in this city on the
18th Of June, 1887, aud is conseq aently the
youngest bishop in the United States, Rev.
NJ. A. Corrigan, the Bishop elect of Ne
wark, N. j., who will be consecrated on
Sunday next, being eighteen months older.
Bishop Gross belonging to the German Or
der OF Redemptorists, the services of his
that order, and his appointment recalls the
gratifying fact t" the large body of German
Catholics in the United States, that there
have been since 1900 sixteen German
bishops, six of whom now survive. He is
the third bishop born in Baltimore who
has been raised to the Episcopacy since
lS70-Bishops Foley, of Chicago, and Glib
bons, of Richmond, being also natives of
this city. He is the son of former old and
highly respected citizen of Baltimore
Jacob Gross, Esq, and another of whose
sons, Rev. Mark Gross, is now q priest sta
toned in the diocese of Wilmington, North
Carolina. The latter assisted at tho cere-
monies on Sunday. On his fathers side
the new bishops ancestry was German, and
on the maternal side natives OF Ireland. In
boyhood he attended the school of st. Vim
cents parish, whence he was transferred in
lSl9 to St. Charles College, near Ellicott
City. In 1853 lie entered the novitiate of
Redemptorists at Annapolis, made his pro
fession of religion in this order on the 4th
day of April. 1858, and was ordained by
Archbishop Kenrick, March 81, 1863.
After residing about two years at the
house of the Redemptorists in Annapolis,
he was sent on mission to Cum ber
land, Md. Leaving Cumberland, he trav-
elled through the Western and Southern
States, and in 1871 went to Boston, where
he was made Superior of the House of Re
demptorists. While in charge of the
Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in
Boston, he was appointed a bishop in Feb
ruary last by the Pope in place of Bishop
Persico, of Savannah, who resigned his po-
weeks ago Father Gross came to Baltimore
and repaired to st. Alphonsus' Church,
where he has been preparing to enter upon
HE new station by a spiritual retreat.
Inside the Cathedral the sight was grand
in the extreme. The grand altar and the
the side affairs were laden with the chnicest
exotics, pertaining the sAnc u,ts I'D on
tire church. Hundreds of cams >}..d .,
mellow light over the exquisite h..I ttt-
and garlands of flowers adOrniug ia. >...i>.
and the sombre dignity of the venvrah'.
Cathedral seemed to unbend for the joy"
occasion somewhat of it's granite sterAneS~
The usual arrangements had been HIa,lc
for the accommodation of the bishops and
clergy-the former occupying seats on the
dais erected on either side of the sanctuary
while tho latter had seats parallel with the
communion railing. The Semiuarians
were provided with benches outside the
railing.
Long before eleven o'clock large num-
Der of the clergy had assembled at the
ArchbishOp's residence, the attendant
priests and bishops robing in the Cathedral
the visiting clergy in the house, where the
procession was formed, and at ten minutes
before eleven started in the following or.
der:
The censor bearer and assistant, forty
altar-boys as acolytes, marching in double
file, dressed in scarlet cassocks, lace sur
plices and ermine collars. Next came the
Seminarians, in black cassock and plain
white surplice, followed by the clergy oil
the archdiocese and the visiting clergy
from other dioceses, prominent among
whom were the RedemptOrist Fathers
Then came the Bishop elect. with Bishop
Becker, of Wilmington, Delaware, on his
| right, and Bishop Gibbons, of Richmond
on his left, bota of whom we're secretaries
! at one time to the late Archbishop Spald-
| ing. Following these were Bishops Will
liams, of Boston; Wood, Of Philadelphia
Mullen, of Erie; DOmenec, of Pittsburg,
and Shanahan, of Harrisburg. The Arch.
bishop, with Rev. Fathers Lee aud Volz, Al
deacons Of honor, Rev. Father John Foley
as assistant priest, and Rev. Fathers Ly.
] man and Bartlett, as deacon and sub-dea
| con- ali in foil Veatments, formed the rear