The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-01-03
1,rnlng Star and Catholic Messenger
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TasD oRLEANS. SUNDAY JANUARY ,s.5
Christmas at Some Of the Churches.

- = osIsAss. suNDAY. JANUARY ls:s
Christmas at Some Of the Churches
Kind friends interested in the churches men.
toned bolow. have furnished us with the fol-
lowing notices
ST. ALPHoNsUs' CHURCH.
Being aware of your desire to receive short
and sensible communications from occasional
correspondents, / presume to overcome my
natural modes,y and appear in print. + was
papers that the midnight solemnities at the
Jesuits'; St. Johns, ST. Patrick's. and other
churches, were unusually imposing and at
tractive; bnt 1 could not help thinking that
they could not possibly have surpassed those
which had the pleasure of witnessing at ST.
Alphonsns' Church: In fact, al! who were
present at the Midnight Mass in this spacious
and lovely church agree that this Christ
mas, despite rain and mud, by far exceeded
all previous ones in point of impressive
the five large bells of st. Mary's and St. AL
phousus' pealed forth their joyous Invitation
TO the faithful to hasten and adore the new
born Divine Infant. By 12 O'Clock every avail
able spot from the doors to the railing. in the
church below and in the galleries above, was
occupied. Never before, not even at the burial
& Of the sainted in Father Duffy, had the spacious
drunken man was seen, nor did the least dis
turbance occur during the three hours of the
services 1t was well that no one tainted, for
it would have required hslf an hour to carry
the luckless fainter through the wedged crowds
in the aisles
Rev. Father Girardey. the new pastor of the
church, celebrated the High Mass, being asss-
ted by Rev. Fathers Gleeson and Colonel. OF
course, the Rev. Celebrant, who is gifted with
ashigh and melodious tenor voice, excelled
himself in singing the praises of the Most
High. The sermon was preached by Father
Neithart, the usual orator in st. Alphonsus on
all grand occasions. and the fact that he sur
passed even himself is excuse sufficient for my
attending a nf 10 ad.
dress. The choir under the leadership of
Prof: A. vnllies, rendered Mozart's majestic
effect Madam Kramp's Qaoniam, Madam
Tessiers Benedictus, Madam Williamson's Dona
aobis. and Madam Johnson's Et Incarnatus and
Oevtory were all much admired. However,
not q few were surprised that the Adeste fdelis
the customary Christmas Pastoral, was alto
gether omitted. You know some people will
fancy it 10 not Christmas unless the Adests is
sung. The High Alter was magniiciently il
Illuminated and tastefnlly decorated with
wreaths and garlanas of evergreens. under
stand that these decorations were made by Mrs.
members of st. AlphonsUs' Sanctuary Society.
The handsome little crib was erected by
good Brother Alphonsus, than whom not a
more punctua1 and systematic sacristan can
be found in the city.
After High Mass Holy Communion was dis
tributed to some 1900 faithful. 1t was an edi-
cauts, not only devout females, but hundreds
of earnest me1 of all classes, including the
principal business men of the parish. Indeed,
there is faith yet in the old land. After the
High Mass l was surprised and delighted to
see that but few left the church until they
had first heard the two low masses which fol-
lowed. Not a few remained all night in fer
vent alteration before the lovely Infant in the
crib To see the crowds that thronged to the
masses during the day, you would have sup
posed that there had been no midnight mass
at all. No one seemed to mind the rain and
wind: In spite of all these drawbacks all
maintained it was the ioveliest and happiest
Christmas they had ever spent
= But the most charming solemnity was OBJ
served in the afternoon. At 8 O'Clock p. n.
upwards of q thousand school children with
the happiest faces have ever seeD, marched
into the church and filled all the psws. After
the singing of the Adesfe fGelis. Father Neithart
ascended the pulpit and gave the little ones n
short address, in which he told them, Co their
evident delight, that the Divine Infant, being
little like themselves, loved them much more
than He did the big people, aud that Christmas
was their Feast particularly, wherefore they had
and sing and pray, and be thankful and Joyful
to their little hearts content. This most ap-
propriate address being ended, all arose and
sang the different s:rophes of the beautiful
hymn: What lorely Infant can this be9 All,
even the tiniest, sang along with wonderful
emphasis and harmony, keeping time with the
organ, and with the Rev Father in the pulpit.
Then followed the Devotion of the Twelve
Stations of the Infant Jesus composed by that
dear friend of children, st. Alphonsus.
After another address by the Rev. Father, all
| through
the aisles up to the crib and there deposited
the little letters which they had written to the
Infant Jesus, all meanwhile singing another
pretty little hymn selected and learnt for the
occasion. Thereupon all dispersed to their |
happy homes to tell their parents what nice |
time they had enjoyed in church. Thus closed |
the Christmas exercises in st. Alphonsus
Church
On the Sunday following, the St. Alphonsus
Total Abstinence Association, counting 125
regular members. approached Holy Communion
in q body. Rev. Father Neithart their Sniritnal
Director, in a neat little address, congratu-
lated them on their piety and regularity, tell
ing them that, although their Society was the
youngest in the parish it already surpassed all
the Others in number and fervor-a tribute of
praise which they. we'll deserve. May God
bless them all and increase their number.
| On the eve of New Year, Rev. Father Nett
hart, in his sermon of Thanksgiving, informed
his audience that st. Alphonsus' Church was
never before SO frequented and prosperous as
st present; that every pew and seat in the
church was rented ont. leaving manz diam