Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-18
ST. YINCENT'S
Celebration of the Feast of Its
Patron Saint.

Celebration of the Feast of Its
Patron Saint.
The annual celebration of the feast
of the patron saint OF St. Vincent de
Paul Church, at the corner OF Grand
avenue and Washington street, Sun
day, was one OF the most pleasant
and imposing of the kind ever held
in the city. The altar and chapel
were appropriately and elegantly be-
decked for the occasion, and in accord
ance with the nature of the service.
The music, under the direction of
Prof. A. J. Stamm, was up to the
standard Of that gentle mans talent,
and was highly appreciated by the
audience. The "Veni Creator" by
Mrs. j. J. Schoelert was excel
lently sung.
The choir was composed of Mrs. j.
Mccoy and Mrs. Stanbury. sopranos;
altos, Mrs. j. J. Schallert and Mrs.
Nesbitt. The tenors wereJ. j. Hayes,
G. I. Stamm, Mr.. Sullivan, MIR. 1.
Muller and Mr.. Walsh. The bassos
were Mr.. Bornemann, Mr.. j. Schal-
lert and DR.. Fonandez.
At the mass, Father Gernier offici-
ated, assisted by Deacon Rev. Father
A. j. Meyer and Sub Deacon F. X.
Antell.
The services were impressive and
the sermon by Rev. Father Morgan
was profound in thought and greatly
appreciated by the congregation.
The following is a brief outline of
the se,mon;
"The charity OF Christ presseth us.
| Sad and deplorable was the state of
France at the end of the sixteenth and
the beginning OF the seventeenth GEN.
turies. The civil and religious wars
had thrown the country into absolute
confusion, and though crowds OF holy
souls, pure in life, and filled with the
love OF God, consoled the church with
their sanity lives, corruption was
rampant from the throne to the lowest
scale of society. Few were there to
administer to the spiritual wants OF
the souls, for the absence of colleges
and seminaries, and the scandalous
system of lay patronage had filed the
ranks Of the clergy with men unfit and
unprepafed for the sacred calling of
the priesthood, given to worldly
pastimes, seeking only worldly
preferment. With a lstless and in
active clergy, what wonder that the
poor were abandoned, that the people
of cities and country were left to wal
low in their sins, that there were none
to look after the sick and dying, none
to console the poor prisoners in the
goal. Sc rcely thirty years of the cen
tury had rolled by when total change
had come over the land. Paris had
its school OF st. Charles, its seminary
of the Bons Enfants, its priory Of s.
Lazarus, where the aspirants to the
priesthood were educated from boy
hood to the day of their ordina ion, in
science and spiritual life. Semina-
ries were springing up everywhere.
The clergy, reformed, had become
Jealous and worthy pastors. Poor
and abandoned sinners were
being brought back, by thousands, to
the practice of their religion, by the
untiring labors OF the priests Of the
congregations OF the missions. The
poor and the sick, the aged and the
orphan, were tended bv the self-sacri-
ficing Sisters OF Charity. Prisoners
and galley slaves had their asylums,
where every spiritual and corporeal
want was atten led to. And this WON
derful change was due to the influence
of one man, who has rightly been
called the father OF the orphan, the
friend OF the poor, the nurse OF the
sick, and to whom the clergy OF
France owe, not only their reform,
but all their splendor and renown.
That man was Vincent de Paul, whose
feast We celebrate to-day.
If you wish to be charitable. if you
desire to give aims, but know not
where to place them, look at the Or
phans' Home, and in honor of st.
Vincent, on this his festival. resolve
to aid the poor little ones OF Jesus,
and aid them generously. For months,
nay, for years, have the Sisters of st.
| Vincent stretched ous their hands to
beg for help to erect new home. The
house they have is too old, too small,
too unhealthy. 1t is oyercrowded,
and there are numbers OF poor little
orphans still in the city that may lose
the greatest treasure Of God, their
faith, if they are not sheltered by
the good sisters care. Help them,
brethren; help them according to
your means. If you have plenty,
give plentifully; if little, then
give what you can--but give. Help
the poor at all times, help the poor
orphans now, for the love of Vincent,
their father; for the love of Jesus, for
your own sakes, that when standing
at the dread judgment seat you may
hear those words full of consolation
and of joy: Come, ye blessed OF my
Father, possess the kingdom prepared
for you from the beginning OF the
world, for was hungry and you gave
me to eat, was thirsty and you gave
me to drink / was stranger and you
took me in, naked and you covered
me, sick and you visited me; l was in
prison and you came to me. Watso.
ever you have done to the least of my
brethren, you have done to me-"
Sandbagged and Robbed.
yOy1np man namad John Kar