The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-11-11
The City OF Baltimore Metamor-
phosed Into q Great Oath
olic Cathedral.
The Grand and Impressive Religious Oere-
monies Which Marked the Opening
Of the Third Plenary Council.
Who Compose the Body, and What
Was Done ON the Opening Day
Secret Sessions.

IL doubtful If in the history of tho
Catholic Church of America there has
ever been religious ceremonies as grand
and impressive as those attending tho
opening of the Third Plenary Council at
the Cathedral in this city yesterday. Ger.
tainly not since 1866 when the last Plen.
airy Council was held in the same edlhee,
The ceremonies consisted of solemn
procession of the clergy, Pontifcal High
Mass and the formal opening of the Coun-
Gil. The streets In the vicinity of thu
Cathedral, long before the hour appointed
for the procession were densely crowded
with people Of all denominations. Ten
thousand would be fair estimate of the
number,
AT 10 q. N. the Most Rev. Archbishops
RI Rev. Bishops, IT. Rev, Mitred Alb.
bots, Rt. Rev. and Very Rev, Monsignoi,
Very Rev. Administrators and Procura-
tors, met IN the Arhiepiscopsl residence
on North Charles street The other mem.
bers OF the Council, the visiting clergy
and seminarians of st. Sulpice met at ST.
Alphonsus' Hall.
At 1880 a. IN. the procession left st.
Alphonsas Hall and proceeded to tho
Archlepiscopal residence the of Most Rev.
and Right Rev. Prelates. The process.
sion, numbering in all about 900, then
left that point and moved toward the
Cathedral by way of Charles, Mulberry
and Cathedral streets in the following
order: Cross bearer, carrying the process
sional cross; Seminarians of st. Sulpice;
regular clergy; secular clergy; chanters;
Theoiogians of the council; officials Of
the council Superiors of religious or
ders; Rectors of Theological Summaries;
Very Rev. and Right Rev. Monsignori;
Right Rev. Mitred Abbots; Right Rev.
Bishops; Most Rev. Archbishops; censor
bearer; Archiepiscopal cross bearer, be-
tween two acolytes; Assistant Priest of
OF the Most Rev. Apostolic Delegate;
Most Rev. Apostolic Delegate arch
bishop Gibbons of Baltimore) between
his Deacons of Honor; insignia bearers
OF the Most Rev. Apostolic Delegate.
During the procession the hymns Veni
Creator Sptiftas and dee Marie Stella
were sung by the clergy.
The Most Reverend Apostolic Delegate,
on reaching the altar, sang the prayer to
the Holy Ghost and TO the Blessed Vir-
gin.
Pontfioal High Mass was then cele-
brated by Archbishop Kenrick, of st.
1 npts no Most Dnuaranl AnA-tn1in MI
gate occupying the throne at the gospel
side of the sanctuary.
At the end of the mass Archbishop
Ryan, of Philadelphia, assembled the pull
pit and preached the opening sermon, his
subject being
"THE CHURCH IN HER COUNCILS"
In his treatment of the subject Arch
bishop Ryan maintained his great reputa-
ton as church orator. and throughout
the entire sermon he was listened to with
deep interest and evident admiration.
The ceremonies proper to the opening
session then began, and were as follows:
Antiphon and psalm, by the choir; Prayer,
by the Apostolic Delegate; Litany of the
Saints, by the choir; gospel, by the
deacon; formal opening of the Council;
reading of preliminary DEGREES which re-
gard the rules to be observed in the Coun-
ell; roll of members called; profession
OF faith, made by all the members of the
Council; Papal benedction, by the Apos-
tolic Delegate.
1t was after three o'clock when the
services were completed. The procession
then returned to the Archiepiscopal resi-
dence.
Last evening at 1880 solemn high YES
pers were sung, and Bishop Shanahan of
Pittsburgh preached sermon on
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH.
During the three weeks of the Council,
public services will be held on each
and Sunday.
The Council is composed of 256 mem.
bers, including Archbshops, Bishops,
Iheologians, etc. The public will not be
to any of the business sessions
OF the Council, so that all the proceedings
Will be as a sealed book until after their
transmission to Rome at the close of the
Council, and approved by the Pope. Then
the DEGREES will be promulgated and
and copies of the same be sent TO each
of the Council.