Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-09-03
GLORIA IN ExcELsIs DEo.
Exercises of Unusual Impressiveness in
 the Catholic Churches.

Exercises of Unusual Impresslveness in
 the Catholic Churches.
 Sunday, September }, will be long re- membered with religious and fond recol- | lections by the Catholic community of Waterbury. Almost every parish had un- usual and impressive exercises. At 7:30 a. m. in the Sacred Heart church a large body of children with their faces aglow with new happiness and their young hearts filled with anxious but longing faith received from Right Rev Bishop Me Mahon the holy sacrament of confirmation. The Immaculate Conception parish had two important events to commemorate the occasion, the closing of the womens mis- sion, and the blessing of the new St Mary's school. Fatber Byrnes, s. J. delivered his last sermon to the women at the 10:30 | service. The Rev Father dwelt principally in his remarks on the all powerful necessity of sending the Catholic children of the city l to the parOchial school. He hoped that | such a demand for admittance would be made on the sisters who will have charge of the building that the rooms will not see one vacant seat. Father Byrnes also wished | to thank the women of the parish for their | jealous endeavors to make the mission a success. Over 2,100 women had ap- preached the altar and received the sacred host, and he cited this as an important l
 mence this week It is fact not generally
 known to the Waterbury Catholics that | Father Byrnes is considered one of the l best English scholars in the United States. 1 and twenty years ago was an instructor in Holy Cross college, Worcester, Mass | Father Finnegan, who is now visiting in
 Europe, was one of the many pupils edu
 cated under Father Byrnes. After the l 1O:30 ceremonies Bishop McMahon, who l hoH bp If ba of 1,a I'm maculate Conception church over night, donned the religious robes of his office and preceded by the school children of the 1 parish was driven to the new pnrOc hial school on Cole street, and there performed the sacred ceremony of blessing and ben edicton. At 2:30 the mission for the
 women closed with the administering
 of the papal blessing. At 7:30 in the evening. when the male portion of the parish had assembled to begin their share of the work. every available seat was occupied and the aisles were black with eager listeners. Father Mcdonald expressed
 himself in terms of gratefulness to the as | sembled Catholics and hoped for a cOntn uance during the week of the same large
 crowds The St Ann's parish held the most impressive ceremonies of the day and
 scarcely q French Catholic in the city who
 did notIadd to the success of the occasion in some SQDSIantlal manner. Ill the evening at 1:45 over 100 children knelt for the first
 time before the sacred altar and received
 their first communion. In the afternoon
 at , clock occurred the lay ing of the cor
 her stone. Every preparation had been
 made for the entertainment and comfort of
 the visiting clergy and invited friends.
 and not an Interruption in the sacred cer emonies occurred. A procession of all the
 French societies, headed by the French
 band, formed on Grand street at three
 o'clock, and to the music of sacred airs
 the march was held to the new church on
 the corner of south Main and Dover streets
 Here the right rev bishop performed the
 impressive ceremonies of laying the corner
 stone, On the stone, which will
 contain records and different
 periodicals. was inscribed the following : "Eglise, 1888. St Ann" After the laying of the stone. two sermons were preached,
 the first one in French by Rev Father J. , NJ. Emard of Montreal. and the second in
 English by the Rev Father Sheridan of : Windsor Locks. Both reverend gentle
 men were listened to attentively by the
 assembled multitude. A platform on which were seated some of the most prom inent persons of other denominations and
 the right reverend bishop with the visit
 ing priests served as rOstrum for the
 speakers. Rev Father Zones, the pastor of the new church, sincerely thanked the
 listening people who had so generously extended their helping hands in the cree
 tion of the St Ann's church and could not
 find sufficient nor desirable words to ex- press his and his parishoners' feelings of gratefulness to the Catholics of other par
 ishes and to those of other faiths who had } so generously helped them in their religious \ work. Every sidewalk and avenue of ap- proach to the new church grounds were
 crowded with the friends and we'll wishers l of the French Catholics and never has such
 an impressive ceremony met with such CO.,
 operation. Owing to the laying of the
 corner stone VeSpers were sung in St
 Patrick's church at 1;30 last evening in
 stead of at the regular hour, 3 o'clock The following clergy were present with
 the Right Rev Bishop McMahon of Hart
 ford and assisted in the ceremonies Rev
 J. NJ. Emard D. D., of Montreal: Rev J.
 OR Sheridan of Windsor Locks; Rev Fathers Mulcahy, Walsh, Treanor and
 Duggan of this city; P NJ. Ryan of Sydney, Australia; Tierney of New Britain: Ken l nedy of Birmingham; Sweeney of Litch- field; Rodden of Bristol; Pagan of Nauga- f tuck: SynnOtt of Ansonia; Grogan of Sey- mOur: Lancaster of Watertown McGiv. ney of Thomaston; McAlenny of Meriden :; Kelley of Ansonia; Frederick of Meriden; Fox of Thomaston; Farrell of Brooklyn The reverend fathers conducting the mis- I sion at the Immaculate Conception church were also present