The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-01-20
THE PLENARY COUNCIL
Of the Catholic Church. i'm the United
States, at Baltimore.

On Sunday, Nov. 9th, the largest coun-
Gil of the Catholic Church ever held in the
Western Hemisphere convened at the
cathedral of Baltimore, which had already
witnessed several councils, the very first
of which was held in 1889. It has been
70 years since the cathedral corner stone
was laid by Bishop Carroll, the very first
Bishop of Baltimore, and 63 years since
the complete building was consecrated by
Archbishop Mareschal. Even alongside
venerable dignity would in no wise be
diminished by the grandeur and opulence
of the new structure,
The streets between. the Archbishop's
house and the cathedral were thronged
with thousands of people anxious to wit
ness the grand procession of all the mem
bers of the Council. Some streets were
| almost impossible, First came about 100
theologians, wearing surplice, amice, red
and gold cope and berretta. Next came
| % chanters, and then the regular and
| secular clergy, about 20 in number,
dressed like the theologians, and about
| 200 seminarians wearing surplice and
berretta. Next came all the prelates Of
the Council. The monsignori, dressed
like the theologians, were marching ahead
| of the prelates, and then the abbots, ten
| in number, most of them bene dictines,
many wearing long boards, and all of
them having white mitres, and copes OF
red color.
Next came the bishops, numbering
over fifty, and wearing rich red and
golden copes, amice and plain gold mitres.
Next came the twelve Archbishops, and
finally the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop
Gibbons, wearing amice, alb, cinture, red
stole and red cope. on his head white
mitre ornamented with gold, nd in his
hand his crozier or pastoral staff. Or
the way to the church the Oh anters sang
ssVeni Creator Spiritus'' and 'tAve Maria
Stella" When the procession had en-
tered the church, and the clergymen anG
prelates taken their respective seats,
Archbishop Kenrick, of st. Louis, begar
the celebration of pontifcal high mass
in the presence of the apostolic delegate
The music, which was of the Cecilian anG
Palestine Schools, in strict harmony with
the rules of the Catholic liturgy, was rem
dered by two chOirs, one composed of the
official chanters of the Council, assisted
by 40 seminarians of st. Sulpice, and the
other composed of so voices, the regular
chorus of the cathedral and st. James
Church.
At the conclusion of the mass the pull
pit was occupied by Archbishop Ryan
His sermon was on ''The Church in hel
Council" Is years rgo. Said he:-
''Some of us here present beheld &
similar spectacl in this cathedral. The
contrast in the number of prslates present
is fair index to the progress of the
Catholic Church. Forty-six then repre-
scented the Catholic Church of the United
States; and now the church numbers then
over 20, with q proportional advance il
the religious orders and the clergy. The
foundation of the social edifce seem:
most shaken, and men are looking for
stronger and more permanent basis fol
morality. They feel that the tendency is
toward greater license still. 1 believ,
that the eyes of many thoughtful men O
different denominations and of no demon
nation at all, are directed toward thi
council, and they are disposed to say t.
US, 'Can you, Catholic bishop and priests
do anything to help to stem the torren
already so threatening?' We canno
trust men as we formerly did. Honor
honesty and purity seem on the wane
The church of the 1st century was tbt
church of the I'd, and so on until thu
present century. Her bishops meet il
council, preserving the chain of testi
mony unbroken, unbroken because as TIT
breaking of the Atlantic cable at any
point would prevent the transmission of (
message from Europe, so if the chain O
testimony be not unbroken, we cannot
know with certainty the great funda
mental facts of Christianity. Look around
and see it (the church) represented il
part in this great council. How glorious