The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-04-26
OUR CHURCHES.
connrnat.on Exsreises


There was large attendance Sun
day At the services held at the Catholic
church of the Sacred Heart, the occa-
sion beng the exercises attendant uDon
the confirmation of the lhIriy-fiye or
forty children and youths who. the Sab
bath before, had part crpaIed in The cat
echumenical vows and ceremonies. The
time, up 10 about IL 30. was devoted to
mass and kindred exercises, and the con-
firmation services occupied the time
from that on till about p. m, and were
solemn and Impressive AS i, is possible
to imagine. every commitment seeming
to enter into the spirit OF. the occasion
with the greatest possible zeal.
Bishop Fink, ona OF The brightest
lights in the church in this stale, and
who is regarded by The pope as supe-
rIor individual, conducted the services,
assisted by Fathers Meier, Guido and
Angeles. Before proceeding with the
rights of confirmation this eminent di-
vine, for shout fifteen minutes. delivered
an address directed IN r. especially TO
those about TO be confirnie.i, which Was
full of good advice, and might. with
much profit, be followed by any person
whose desire il was 10 live good, true,
moral. upright life. During this talk
he mentioned the fact that he had, while
visiting 'he pr. ( IL Rome about year
/ ago, received the power and authority TO
confer the pope's own blessing upon the
communicates of every church in his
i'ferred but once, and he impressed upon
his hearers the importance OF paying
strict heed to and putting themselves in
4 that attitude of mind which would ena
Bile them TO the best understand and ap
preciate the blessing, whose heights
could not be scaled, whose depths could
not be fathomed, and whose breadth was
broad as space itself, aud then at the
conclusion OF the services he went
through the ceremony of conferrIng
this great and rare blessing. When
this talk was concluded, those to be con
frmcd arranged themselves about the
altar aud the Bishop, assisted
by the above named priests,
went through with the
confirmation rites, which were as solemn
and impressive as anything one ever
witnessed. Mr.. Casper Ellison officiat-
ed as God father for the boys and Mrs.
Thos Burns performed the duties of
God-mother for the girls.
At the conclusion of this ceremony,
Bishop Fink again addressed the con-
gregatIon, and made some very eloquent
ana pointed remarks. He was glad to
note the progress made by his church
every where in Kansas, and particularly
10 Emporia, where the growth had been
almost phenomenal. From but hand
full of commandments only a few short
years ago had grown church str@ng in
numbers and influence; and instead OF
being able To have services but once
q month as in time past,
the communicates here were enjoying
the luxury of having mass every day
and stated services every Sabbath, and
he urged his hearers with great force
and eluquence to be firm in their faith
and all obstacles to their growth and
prosperity would vanish as snow in the
hot sunshine
The reputation which the Catholic
church enjoys for good singing was vel
sustained throughout these services, and
altogether it is safe to say that an even
OF this kind was never before attended
with more signal success.