The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-12-30
Mass MeetiDq.

Protestants are, or ueed to be, in tb
habit of calling their sssembiages for w0r
ship on Sundays "meetings," and thei
places Of worship meeting houses and W,
see no reason why the sect called Episco
palians should put on airs and disdain thu
style. That beiog understood, We fee
justified In giving the name of mass meet.
Ing to o performance which recently oc
CURED in Chicago and which we find fairly
reported in the Times of that city. 1t waS
something Intended to correspond to the
Christmas "midnight mass" of Catholics
and was actually called n mace by the good
folks who, az clergy aud la,ty respectively,
participated quite devoutly in the ceIebra-
ton.
The affair took place at church called
the Ascension which seems to be under the
mcst advanced High church influences.
There was marble altar brilliantly lighted
with candles, surmounted by crucifx, and
decorated with flowers. The only conces-
sion to the epirit OF anti, Popery was the
absence Of incense. The celebrants were
vested in real Popish style with alb, dali
matte and chas1ble. Rev. Father Richie
celebrated "mass" assisted by Rev. Father
Street and Rev. Mr. Smith, sub deacon
Gouno de celebrated macs was sung by the
choir.
We insist on j: that authentic proof of
all such things SIS this ought, for the bene-
1it of science, to be prepared aud carefully
preserved. They present moral phenomena
30 Singular that philosophers of future ages
will put them down as barefaced fabrica-
lions unless incontrovertibly established.
The rites that these gentlemen and ladies
participated in are the very
hiugs held in the greatest odium by the
Protestant world, of which they claim to
'e part. The confession and dissolution |
which they advocate are the corner stone |
t Protestant. antipathy to the Church |
Rome, tie eucharistic real presence
'hich they profess is the impossible
hasm of Protestant unbelief aud the
orgeous ceremonial OF the high-mass
hich TREY initiated is that master piece of
which always wakes up your
Urinary Protestant into the very hyster-
3 of acorn. The good Chicago High
lurchmen, with their sympsthisers else
here, select those very points of mortal
stt!e as the points at which they 60 over
the enemy. And yet-cur outraged
rotestant of the line will say-and yet
ey dare to call themselves Protestants.
Now, If these poor people really received
" sacramental graces by virtue of their
pings one could understand their persist.
ice, bat when We reflect that it is all
lids play, that their absolntion is really
Ill, that their eucharist is really bread and
'thing more, that their "mass" is actually
and idle chow, that their :.Fs-
ers" are without spiritual viritity when
Q consider that their altar is without the
cred Gre, that their vestments are but
sestrical trappipgs, that their priest lie
nly stage priest and that their church
self is but severed and sapless limb, a ,
'ulless mummy, how can we repress our
at such fstuity7 Priests
ithout orders, sacrsments without priests,
recipients without sacramento
as mere simatacrum of life and energy
Id being as Adam WAS before the breath
God in his nostrils made him man f! What
solemn farce!