The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-06


of ''the good and sanity father
And now. your Grace, let US say word
for ourselves, and then l shall be finished.
We are still here as you see, amid tnese
grand monuments of nature. these eternal
hills, endeavoring to assist our fellow
Christians in laying the foundations for
city that shall be the pride of our state, and
a state that shall be the pride of our nation.
shall not forget to tell you-for 1t Is
matter of pride with us-that since your
departure we have organized among US
literary society, and although we have not
yet startled the world nor the community
With the learning of Bossuet nor the lmper-
ial imagination and eIoquence of Chateau
BRAND, yet there is whole command OF US
that have learned to give and take stray
shaft of repartee with becoming grace, ana
it only remains for US to gaze upon the
Barney stone and to kiss its oily charms,
when We shall open the aood-gates OF our
genius and move even the Blarney stone
itself with our elOquence,
And now. your Grace, we are all deilgnteo
to see and greet you once more. The accl-
dent you unfortunately met with, and Tor
which we are all heartily sorry, does not
seem to have impaired your health nor
blanched the rubicund glow from your
cheeks
ed ocean depths, from beach to beach
around the rolling globe, you have been; and
now that you have at last returned to us.We
shall hope that you are able to say that the
sun in his course visits no land more free,
more happy, more contented, more prosper
Gus, or more lovely, than this our own
country.
Welcome, your Grace, thrice welcome
home.
Mr.. Connolly's feeling and beautiful re-
marks were frequently interrupted by bursts
of appreciation, and he was congratulated
upon his scholarly address.
In behalf of the Sisters academy, Miss
address of welcome, and then little John
McGill, bright youth of the boys school.
recited an address of welcome in behalf of
his companions. The bishop was visibly
affected by these manifestations of love for
him and loyalty to the church. Nearly
every ono present followed in single file
to individually welcome the bishop home
again.
Mounting a platform, his countenance
beaming with delight and qualification. the
good prelate paused for some seconds, and
with that easy and charming grace Of man
ner began to accede to what he knew was
the desire of his audience-to hear some
thing of his journey. Whenever ne hears
the words, "Home, sweet home," it takes
him back to the days of youth, but on this
occasion he had heard them and they were
a reality, and the pleasure and joy which
it gave him to be home again
made him feel younger. While
he had been away eight months
he knew it was reality that he had grown
older, but he felt younger now than he has
for years. He sincerely thanked all for the
kind, generous and respectable welcome
that had been accorded him, which he felt
was given, not SO much as mark of esteem
for himself, but for his being the represent
alive of the church in this diocese, and as
we'll as mark of loyalty and sincerity in
the cause of their church. He alluded feel
parted this life since his absence, and par
ticularly to the demise of James Ryan, upon
whom he was the last to call and say good
bye before his journey. In calling this the
land of the free, the bishop remarked that
great truth had been said. During his
absence he had visited many lands and seen
people of every race and color, and oft
times he wished he were home to this land
of the free. He had visited Palestine, the
birthplace of Christianity, and now only a
vestige of the once gorgeous city of stately
palaces, magnificent pillars, the all-famous
land of power and civilization is to be seen
and all this the result Of return to bar
barism, christianity is the only road to
civilization" said the bishop.
He said he had visited Belgium, Italy.
France. Jerusalem, Palestine, ireland and
England and sailed on several oceans. The
principal object of his journey was to visit
Rome and the Holy Lands and he promised
to occasionally refer to them as it would
require days to tell all he had seen. He
carried home with him the most agreeable
recollections of an interview with the holy
father. the pope and described some of the
pontiff's characteristics. He had been en-
powered by the pope, who was highly
pleased with the intelligence Bishop Bron-
del had to convey to him Of the loyalty and
industriousness of the Catholics of the
great west, to call the people togethea at
his earliest convenience and bestow upon
them his apostolic blessing; and Bishop
Brondel has set apart to. morrow after high
mass, as the time for the bestowal of the
blessing and wanted as many as could do
so, to be present.
Refe sring to his pilgrimage through the
Holy Land the bishop said that he FIRST saw
Mount Calvary where Christ was crucified
and beneath the spot where the cross was
planted saw the great crevice in the rock
earth trembled. The mountain and many
things of interest connected with this his
toric place, the bishop said, are enclosed in
q magnificent temple which was built by St.
Helena, once empress of Rome, who had
made the pilgrimage when 10 years of age.
This temple is called the Holy Sepulcher
and on Mount Calvary. on the spot where
Brondel offered up the holy sacrifice OF the
mass. He also visited Bethlehem and saw
the place where the Savior was born. This
he said was in a grotto of stone in natural
cut about l5x2O feet and here also the
bishop said mass where an altar is in posi-
ton for this purpose. He has also brought
home som relics, He again thanked the
assemblage for their hearty welcome and
bid them good night.