The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-07-19
Death of a Venerable Prslate.


We copy the following beautiful tribute
to the late venerable Bishop Whelan, OF
Wheeling, Va, from the Lynchburg Vsr-
giniam, paper edited by Methodist gen.
tleInap of distinction:
The death of the venerable Bishop Whe.
Ian, of the Catholic Church, is announced
| passed away on Tuesday last, leaving
thousands to mourn his departure from the
| shores of time. We knew him we'll in our
| boyhood, when he was parish priest in
our native town. Properly speaking, he
was a missionary, having a number of
that time, was q laborious one. Indeed, he
never spared himself, but was always going
about, engaged in doing good. He was a
man Of the greatest urbanity and purity of
life. Temperate and frugal in his tastes, he
was always willing to deny himself luxury
fare of others. A more self sacrificing
spirit we never knew. While affable and
agreeable to all, Bishop Whelan always
preserved his dignity and commanded the
highest respect of Catholics and Protestants
alike. AS scholar, he stood high, and,
tor, there was the simple earnestness and
directness of truth, as he understood the
truth, in his dlscourses. While devoted
Catholic, there was a sweetness in his ma
ture that made it upcongenial to his tastes
to engage in fierce polemics. And so we,
at least, never heard him assail other de-
nominations in his pulpit. His face was
the very index of goodness and amiabiiity
and yet he had the iron firmness of an old
Roman, where it was necessary to take q
stand.
Some of our readers may remember the
effort, as reported in the newspapers during
the war, that was made by certain Federal
officers in Wheeling, to place a flag over
his church, as they had done there, and
elsewhere, over other churches. They
were the more anxious in this case, be-
cause they knew the Bishop to be in earn
est sympathy with the cause of the South.
But be resisted stoutly, telling them that
they could only succeed in their efforts by
passing over his dead body. The Bishop
triumphed and his church was not desc
Grated, as were some others, by flying the
ensign and symbol of that murderous war
fare with which Christianity could have
nothing to do. We had % verification of
these facts, in the main, from the Bishops
own lips.-The Bishop told us further, that
an order for his arrest was suspended over
him during nearly the whole period of the
war. Policy alone, deferred the minions
of power from arresting this venerable
prelate, who dared to say that the war
waged against the South by the more num-
erous North, was unjust and cruel. But he
adhered to his convictions to the end.
And now the good old map, who would
have gone to the stake for his principles,
whether they were right or wrong, ac-
cording to other mems opinions, has en-
tered into rest.-When the last hour was
near, he was fully aware of what was i'm
pending and calmly awaited the summons,
declaring that ''his work was done."-And
SO it was, for no man in his circumstances
could have done it better. He was faith
full, earnest, laborio US, self-sacrifcing, and,
according to the faith that was in him,
discharged his whole duty. What more
could be required OF any servant of the
Most High 7