Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-08
FATHER ,IULCAHY's SERMON.

Delivered at the Laying of the Sacred Heart Church Corner Stone in New Ha- ven, Sunday.
 "rhou art Peter, and upon this rock l will build my Church,
 My Beloved Brethren:-It is to me great pleasure to behold you assembled here to-day to lay the corner stone ot what we may call new house of divine worsnlp. For all Catholics these gatherings have a vital and sacred significance. They pro claim to us the spirit of faith that prompts these works; the generous spirit requisite to bring them to happy completion, and both these attest your union with God These assemblies delight us, on the one hand. they are public profession of our faith in God, profound acknowledgement of his supreme dominion and watchful Providence over us, solemn act of adora- tion, where the venerated pontiff in his sacred robes. the priests clad in the vest ments of their holy office, the faithful, young and old, all meet in Gods name, and unite in dedicating to Him in prayer and sacred rite and ceremony even the very Foundations of this temple where one day He will choose to dwell, whilst on the oth 7 CT. they testify that our holy mother church is living acting and fruitful Ill her laoors amongst us. Despite of the unfavorable circumstances that surrounded her early days in this country, presenting numerous obstacles that necessarily impeded her pro gress, she firmly retains within her fold those whom she has begotten in the Lord; she has beheld with joy many of the worthiest of our separated brethren enter her communion and she is steadily, surely leavening the masses outside her pale, grad ually dispelling the prejudices which they had hitherto entertained against her. 10 most of them to-day her feet are no longer cloven, and there are not few who be- holding her salutary influence in all grades of society. feel that she is from God, be- cause she could not do these things unless God were with her and do not hesitate to apply to her once more the words of the inspired writer, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, that bring glad tidings of good things"
 Your faith and generosity, my dear brethren, rendered fruitful by divine grace, have wrought these great things. The dis polling of prejudice, the winning ot the good will of this great nation, and the con seouent preparation for the acceptance of the true faith, commenced with the cree tion of the first Catholic church on this soil, and with the multiplication of these temples devoted to the teaching of truth and to divine worship, this evangelical work will go on apace until all shall be. hold in the Catholic church the spouse of Christ in whom there is neither spot nor wrinkle, the joyful mother of Christ s children the church instituted by our Divine Lord when He said, ''Thou art Peter and upon this rock l will build my Church."
 As vet however, all do not think thus we'll of this church. For centuries her en- emies have conceived and disseminated false ideas of her, procuring for her odium instead of the veneration due to her as the most wonderful work of God. It has, moreover, too often occurred that men of acknowledged ability, men we'll versed ln learning and in science, and accustomed to see beauty, and harmony and subllmlty in all this visible creation have by some strange inconsistency if not indeed perver- sity of our nature, ignored or belittled this work of the redemption, whereas had they but faith, even large as grain of mustard seed, they would expect and see that God would here manifest in special manner His wisdom, power and goodness, and re veal His inetfable essence. That he has done so we shall be fully convinced ot raising our thoughts from this material temple whose-corner stone we lay to-day we consider even briefly, this church whose corner stone is Christ, whose builder Is God.
 As we first contemplate this mysterious temple of the Divine Spirit, feeling o1 veneration and of awe comes over us From it's sanctuary as from another burning bush voice seems to come forth, saying Approach with reverence and fear as the ground whereon you stand IS holy" In its formation the Eternal Father seems to our eyes to move with a slowness and de- liberation that is not perceived ir His other works. The creation o1 this world, whatsoever may have been it's condition at birth, was imme diately accomplished by the simple fiat o+ God, but the incarnation and consequently the church which is but it's continuation seemed to have constituted the subject O. His thoughts for the space of fou thousand years. During that time thu saints of God, the patriarchs and thu prophets, ceased not to sigh for its coming praying that heaven may open and rail down the Just One. Even inanimat nature continually puts forth it's mutt appeal to be freed from the bondage of it. curse. When finally the event was abou to be accomplished God, as he previously declared through the prophets, moved thu heavens and the earth, the sea and the dr. land, moved all nations to witness it coming. For this the Son of God despoilet Himself of His splendor and glory, becam man, and died upon the cross. If such b. the preparation for it. and so great be tn sacrifice of the Son of God for it, hoy sublime must not the church itself be how salutary for man in whose favor was created, and how eminently worth of our most earnest consideration
 You will then in the first place see at glance that this church is not a materis temple constructed of wood and stone ik the one whose foundations we bless he1 to-day This is something wholely ( earth, @ purely human creation, havin indeed it's mission in the divine econom and consecration from God, but in itself
 possesses no life; whilst that other is nc in the natural order, it is 8 supernatur' creation possessing within itself it's ow centre of life and activity. As is tn corner stone that you shall lay to-day, s shall be the temple that you will erect upo it, perishable. Some day shall behol them both crumble to the dust. But ths other church has as it's corner stone tE Eternal Word. Like Him it is destined endure forever Our Saviour, it is tru tells us He will build it upon Peter, an therefore the prince of the apostles, a me- human being must be its foundation. B' we must remember that this church whic