The New York herald., 1876-10-09

the Nativity and the Corcusuon OF the Blessed vir-
GIN Over the main altar 10 painting Of the Last
Judgment in which 81 Michael holds an upfted sword
The altar Is m itself q masterpiece There are
three aisies divided by two rows Of columns Al the
top OF each column rs q picture Of some one OF ths
santa All the windows are OF stained glass; Tn .
altar railing rs Of exquisite nnsn comolning cherry.
ash ebony and mahogany The structure thus far has
cost $l60 600 Tho remaining improvements, inciud-
ing the continuation Of the tower will not be pushed
forward for some .ims
Al half past ten O'Clock procession OF acoiytes and
priests by the front door OF the church. Bishop
Corrigan bringing up the rear The Lilany OF the
having been sung or read pontincai hign mass fol-
lowed Bishop Corrigan was ceieorant, Father Flynn
deacon Father Henry suedeacon, Father john Of ths
Passionists and Father Smith deacons OF honor.
Fathers Mccarthy and vassao masters OF ceremonies
Very Reverend Father Doane, " g., was assistant
high priest The following were among the cerRymeu
present in tho sanctuary:-Rev Fathers The6aud
S j.. and McQuade s. j. Rev. D. Senez Key. Z. Hen
o,er Passonists Rev Father Brown, OF the paulsts;
Rev Father Cody, Rev. Father Fleming; Rev Sylves-
ter Malone, Williamsburg; Rev. Father Hogan, Row.
Father Borghese aud Rev. Father Holland.
The sermon was preached by the Rev. DR.. Spauldng,
Of New York, who took for his text This m worthy
OF the house OF God How lovely, O Lord! are Thy
tabernacles; better ono day spent 10 them than
thousand"
THE ESSENCE OF RELIGION
is ike that OF the soul Both derived from Cod
who is spiritual Tho hoest sanctuary OF religion -
the soul itself To believe In God, TO love HIM to
serve Him, is religion. Hence when our divine
asked whether God could be worshpped on
the mountain as well as in Jerusalem. He replied that
the day would come When God would not be adored
either that mountain in jerusalem, but in spirit
and in truth. The whole aim OF the Catholic Church
Is to unite the soul TO God through faith, hope and
charity This is the purpose Of all she teaches and all
she does and therefore recognizes in the most IN
doubted manner the essence OF religion. Man not
spirit he composed Of twofod nature. II through
HIS spirit he himself to God yet he IL also
bound 10 this earth. He is
NATTER
10 all Its forms; he is body well as soul Tho
Church teaches, therefore, that religion without
body, without physical elements, without ceremonies,
would be vain religion or men, It would DO unreal,
and We are incapable OF single act that is purely
spiritual from that spirit clothed with our humanity.
God gave not only spiritual to the Church,
but also ar outward form and body. something tangi
ble The purely spiritual religion would be no religion
at all.
With such a religion We would have no religious
FORMS consecrated bishops, priests, no tangible
form. Man would worship his own passions and bs
slave to the base portion OF his nature
The Catholic Church has not grown out OF any har.
monious ideas OF beauty given to the mind OF man.
Not at ALL grows out Of that doctrine that Christ
dwclls there; that II is His temple Hence the altar
the centre around which congregates the whole body
OF tho faithful The Catholic Church Is the mother
house OF liberty 1t Is from her comes the teaching
that all alike the children oi God She levels
the king with the beggar and tells man not to bend
the knee to tyranny. What IS the history OF the
worldy II Is history of the >triumphs of the over
powering mighty masses over the weaker mass So
that for centuries the world has lived for but lew
men, II was Jesus Christ who first preached the doc
trine that man should stand up against this iron
power. The history OF republics in the past shows
that wherever the people had not Christs religion
mako them moral their liborty ran into license and
soon pershed