The Irish standard., 1891-08-15
THE FEAST OF ST. DOMINIC.
1t Was Very Appropriately Observed
At Holy Rosary Church
Last Sunday.
FATHER BYRNE ABLE SERMON
And All Saw His Face As II It Had
Been the Face of An
Angel

been the Face OF An
Angel
Last Sunday large and expectant
congregation assembled in Holy Rosary
church to do honor to the great st,
Dominic. Archbishop Grace was pres
ent. Fathers Daily aud Byrne acted as
deacon and sub deacon of honor Rev.
Is. A. Ennis, O. F., assisted by Fathers
McGill. o. F., and Carpenter, .. P, as
deacon and sub~deacon respective
celebrated Solemn High Mass. The
Rosary choir rendered Mercadantes
grand Missa Solemnis. Rev. Father
Byrne, OF Immaculate Conception par,
sh, preached the panegylic Of the saint.
The following is the SERMON:
Il there is any one thing more than
another, ny dear brethr8n, that can
make us bear patiently the ills OF life,
that can spur US on to uncsassng en-
elgy, and that can raise OUT hearts when
they would faia be cast down by many
troubles it is the beautiful example of
Gods holy saints. For they were
clothed in the same flesh and blood as
we are, they trod this same earth Where
every pilgrim must perforce feel at
ai"les footsore and disheartensd, and
they had obstacles to overcome which
were not unlike ours in kind, and far
exceeded ours in degree. When there
fore Eve know through our Holy Church
that these men and woman are now 1or
a certainty with God, that the deeds
they did and the virtues they exercised
are the deeds and the virtues that load
&c Immortal life, and that we can sc
take works of a like kind, we cannot
help excialnlng with st. Augustine,
1T these men AID these women can
save the2r souls, why cannot II" and we
cannot but be moved to greater effort
by examples 50 powerful. It is we'll
therefore from Tune to time to recall the
incidents of their beautiful lives and 80
refresh OAR souls Hith the contempla-
tion Of their manifold virtues. Among
Ill the saints of God, it we except those
who were Immediately associated with
His Divine Son, perhaps there is none
to whom so many feel q debt of graft
tude, and whose name in Catholic
hearts The world over calls forth so
hearty response as the one whose VIZ
tues we are this day about to commenn-
crate. Whenever the Rosary is recited
whether by the shrinking recluse in his
gude cell Or by the woman of fashion in
her giided mansion, the name of st.
Dominic is known and gratitude to him
is felt sincere.
Wherever this white robed order goes
on its mission OF good (and that is
everywhere from the lands of perpetual
SNOW to torrid climes) preaching Gods
holy word, procIaiming the eternal
maxims in unmistakabie tones and win
ming innumerable souls to God, there
st. Dominic is known and honored and
blessed by people who still feel in the
deeds Of his children the throbbings of
the great and holy life of the founder.
Looking back through The vista of
years, through the serried ranks Of his
followers, now clothed with purple, now
crowned with tiara, here With the halo
OF the saint. there bearing the martyrs
palm, through the mauy and varied
trials Of seven centuries we see this
holy man, and the glimpse we catch of
him is not unlike that the Jews had of
st. Stephen: And all saw his face as if
it had been the face Of an angel.
Let this then be our theme, that an
angel in truth Dominic was in the sane
tity of bis life, in the superhuman great
ness Of his work and ia the heavenly
message he carried to men.
The second attribute of Dominlc's
greatness, were there no history to con
suit, would of itself argue the frst
namely, bis angelic sanctity. For what
ever may be the heaven given mission
to man whether it be in the lowly walks
OF life comparatively unknown and un-
seen, or be 1T in those higher planes
where every success is a triumph and
every setback a d1scomforture, it is Ger
tain that God gives man all the qualii-
cations that are required to fulitil that
mission. And as Dominlc's mission
was one of the most exalted that could
be accredited to man, namely to reclaim
a whole people, we must naturally con-
ciude that into his youthf ul soul as into
q rich depository the spirit of God in
fused the most elect treasures of heaven.
But the pages Of history are open and
we need not argue what we can read,
ST. Dominic was DO IN at Calaroga in
Spain, in the year 1l70. This was a
period in. the world 3 hi story when every