The Irish standard., 1886-07-10
dress Of the Right Rev. Bishop IRE


corner stone Of the Catholic Orphan
Asylum Of Minneapolis, to invoke Gods
blessing upon this institution Of char
ity and upon the generous Catholics
who are contributing to its erection.
1t is an important and solemn occas-
ion; not simply because Of the magnlti-
cent structure which is being erected,
as because OF the many and noble pur-
poses to which it is designated. AS we
look forward to the future years we can
we'll imagine how much good will be
done beneath tie roof OF structure. We
can well imagine how many souls will
be brought nearer to Sod. saved from
misery and wretchedness. We can
well imagine how much honor, through
the workings of tllis institution, will
be conferred upon your city, upon the
Church Catholics under whose auspices
we are laying this corner stone, and
how much: glory shall be rendered to
Omnipotent Himself, who has inspired
this3work and who viii bless and re-
ward those contributing. to it. Charity,
my dear brethren, is the very soul Of
practical religion. It is the test of
true religion. God made the hearts
of men TO love hirn, but God himself
is invisible and apparently remote
from Us. That we might then have
opportunities to give practical evidence
Of our; love for him, approving to our
own satisfaction tbat we do love HIM,
he put in the world his representatives
those needing love from us, and .bade
lis go to their assistance andlove them,
promising that what we would do for
them he would accept as done for him
self. Before our blessed Lord ap-
peared on the earth there was but little
charity, if any, III the world. The Pa
gan world had many material excellen-
cies, 1t built great cities, it had It's
commercial mafts, it's banks, its stores,
it's great armies, it's conquests. but the
loving charity which is the evidences
of true manhood and Of Divine love.
was not to be found in the Pagan
world. Those who We're miserable, Or
poor, or destitute, were abandoned.
Men had nc hearts for them. Why?
Men looked upon one another simply
in the light Of humanity, and humanity
for it's own sake is unusually an unin-
yiting revelation. Man loved himself.
Egotism was the prevailing sentiment;
but Christ appeared Oh earth. and he
asked us to love the poor. He bade us
consider our duty &c him, and invited
us to, give evidence Of our love to him.
What you should do to the least one Of
those shall be done unto me. Els that
giveth a cup Of cold water to me shall
not lose his reward. The words that
tue Judge shall say to us are there:
Because you visited me when was in
prison, you clothed me when I was
naked. you shall receive your reward.
And the apostle, writing Of charity
said, true religion was to visit the
widow and the orphan. It, was true
evidence of Christianity, and the disci-
Piles Of Christ went forth into the cold
world of. Paganism and changed it..
And imnled ediately asylums for the sick
and the destitute sprang up in every
quarter of the world, and during the
eighteen centuries that has gone by
charity has been the most manifest,
clear evidence of true religion. The
Church of Christ is the medium Of the
Christian spirit, of Christ's teachings,
and wherever the Church is to be found
we have to expect to find all the works
Of divine charity, and such has been
the case: My dear brethren, it
to-day, Vas" in any time in
the past, you wish to
find the true Church of Christ, look
around you.s The Catholic Church lays
down TO all her children as the corner
stone Of practical religion their duty as
to their neighbor. She teaches them
that WHAT'S done to the neighbor is
done to God, who shall reward it. And
heroic charity in the Church is OF every
day occurrence. We are not at all as
tonished because we read in the history
of the Church Of men in thousands Civ
ing themselves into slavery in order to
redeem slaves, as was the case solne
centuries ago, as there was need i'll
Africa and adjoining countries, fol
such sacrifices. We are not at all as
tonished to hear from the Sandwich
Islands that some one is needed to live
among the lepers, knowing that the
foul disease shall carry him off, that a
priest is found to enter the little boat
that shall land him on the isle Of death.
We are not surprised when we read
That when calls were made to- go and
attend the smallpox patients on Black
Wells Island, a dozen good Catholics
were found ready to go and devote their
time to the inyalids. The Catholic
Church has had i'll every age, and has
to-day, for the relief OF every evil that
afaicts humanity, religious order, a
number Of men and women, who in or
der to go to the rescue of humanity.
sever themselves by perpetual vows
from all earthly connections, and de-
vote their whole lives to the service OF
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