The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-15
THE COMPASSIONATE.
THE CEREMONIES OF TIE NEW
ST. BENEDICPs CHURCH.

Church TO be Dedicated in October.
The ceremonies incident TO the laying of
the corner stone Of St. Benedict's church at
East Broad and CASTOR street lane yester-
day afternoon we're novel and impressive,
and drew a large crowd of people, very
nearly equally divided between white and
colored.
The church is for the colored Roman
Catholics, and is TO be two-story building,
the first story of brick aud the second Of
wood The walls Of the first story have
been laid, and the framework is in place on
the walls for the second floor; but au open
ing was left in the northeast corner wall 70
place the box containing relics, newspapers
and record Of the churchs building. Mr..
John Buchanan is the contractor, and the
ediHce is to be completed in two months,
and will cost, when finished and furnished,
about $4,000. Ground was broken three
weeks ago.
Rev Father P Melchior, priest of the
benedictlve order VINO is the moving spirit
in the building and who will be the pastor
of the congregation, said that the church
will start with a membership of 200, but
that there are 500 colored Catholics in the
service for the colored people has been held
in the chapel OF the Sacre1 Heart church.
PREPARING FOR THE CEREMONY.
Father Melchior was on the ground early
Yesterday afternoon arranging the details
for the ceremonies and from 4 to 5 O'Clock
the crowds began to arrive on foot and
by the Belt Line cars Shortly be-
fore o'clock Sister Matilda, Il col
ored Franciscan sister, accompanied by
two other sisters of her order, and twenty
colored orphans, ranging in age from two
TO sixteen years, marched up aud formed
in line with two handsome silk banners, %
the south Of the church and fronting the or
gan (which had been brought to the ground to
furnish music for the occasion. At 5 o'clock
in the evening, Rev. Father Catferty, the
officiating priest. and Rev Father William
arrived.
A hymn was sung, and Father CATER
ty, accompanied by Father MechIor bear
ing a vase Of holy water, and Father
William entered the church and stood in
front of rude wooden cross in the hall
near The western entrance, where, after
passages from the ritual were recited by
Father Cafferty in Latin, with responses by
Father William, Father Caferty sprinkled
the cross with a small peach branch.
sPRINKLED WITH HOLY WATER.
The priests then marched to the northeast
. wall where r dJuBE NHIleTLy, al Yer reading
passages from the ritual, ana making the
sign of the cross on the corner stone with
the masdn's tTowel, deposited the box con-
tanning the archives in the cornerstone,
and spTinkled the wall with holy water
After this, to the music of the organ, the
three priests made a circuit Of the building
Father Cafferty sprlnkllng holy water along
the walls as the march was made. Return
ing to the cornerstone, Father Melchior
ed hA
among which was copy of Sundays
MORNING NEWS, containing notice OF the
days ceremonies; copy Of the Church
Nei0S Of Jan. Is, the Savannah Tribune of
July Is, numerous coins bearing a stamp as
far back as 172l aud down to 1889, and a
number of medals of st. Benedict. The
box was hermetically sealed during the
ceremonies.
After the ceremonies, a short sermon was
delivered by Rev Father Cafferty from
the scaffolding Of the southern wall of the
building, part of the people sitting on the
piles of lumber and improvised seats, and
far the greater part standing.
THE OBLIGATORY SERMON
The sermon was an interesting one. and
referred to the first and second temples Of
Jerusalem. OF the first, or Solomons tenn
pie, he said it hattled description, as it was
rich in gold and precious Stones. The
ark of the covenant was in the holy of
hoies, and the tablet Of laws When the
Chaldeans had taken the city. they had
destroyed 1t, and Cyrus had ordered
it to be rebuilt, but the sacred
temple YVES SO much inferior to the first
that the Jews, when they looked att turned
away and wept, and Yet the prophet had
prOphesled that it would be more glorious
than the magnificent temple which had pre-
ceded it-a temple which was the pride of
the Jews and had Won the Arbitration of
the Gentiles. 1t did not appear that the
editice so inferior by comparison would
ever be what Malachi had predicted, and
yet it was destined to be more glorious, for
the feet of the infant Jesus had resounded
on its floor, where in his boyhood days he
disputed with the doctors-the Messiah
looked for by all nations had honored it
with his divine presence, and in fuller years
he had cast out Of this temple the money
changers who were desecratng it.
BUILDING FOR THE PEOPLE.
The speaker, referring to the church
whose cornerstone had Just been laid, said
that while it is not pretentious building
and not a grand editice to attract the eyes,
or rich interior to charm the sight. it would
be dear to the hearts Of those who worship
in it, for God would reside in it TO bestow
his blessings on those who come thither to
seek him
The Jewish temple was only the shadow
of the christian religion. The simple build
ing now under progress, the preacher said,
VIII contain far more than the rich temple
of the Jews. The Jewish temple had many
sacred relics; the ar& of the Covenant; the
tables on which the laws OF God We're writ
ten, and the manna that fell from heaven
which fed the Israeiites for forty years in
their march through the wilderness, and
other sacred emblems, but we will have
God in our chnrch,n said the speaker, ",yho
is the bread of life. The bread given you
will be life. He who eats Of it will live
forever, aud this desirable food viii be for
us"
Abiding to the cry that the Catholic
churches cost TOO much Father CaffertY
said that good Catholic can give nothing,
which the prompting of his heart may
suggest, which Is too great for God, for all
that he has IS given by God, and good
Catholic ought to be generous enough to
give all he can to the giyer--to the deco
ration and construction Of temples to God
DEDICATED TO GOD.
In this church, humble as il may appear.
divine sacrifice viii be celebrated as fore
tod by the prophet thousands OF years ago
the new sacrifice an ublation offered No
from the rising to tie setting Of the sun.
he Jewish sacrifice could be celebrated il
but one temple, bat the christian sacrifice
is and may be celebrated al over the
world. THIS sacrifice IS necessary aud was
first offered Up on Calvary 5 night, and it IS
nCa4 ina flta Gal 70 of h..