Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-14
81. IaNArIus. CHURCH.
It b Dedicated Today with impressive
Ceremonies.

l 0xs l0NAIlUS' CHUhCAs
It d Dedicated Today with Impressive
Ceremonies.
| AN ELOQUENT ADDRESS BY CARDINAL GIBBONS
HISTORY OF THE PARISH AND OF THE NEW
CHURCH MOVEMENT HANDSOME MEMORIAL
wrNDcws-LAReE NuMBER OF PEOPLE PRESENT.
Saint Ignatius' Catholic Church was dedi-
Gated this morning. The church is situated in
Prince Georges county, Nd, six miles to the
southeast Of Anacostia, three miles east of
Fox's Alexandria ferry and two miles from the
Oxon Hill manor house Of the Addisons. Its
dedication was an event Of moment and the
country people. strengthened by urban rein
forcements. turned out to do it honor. The
neighborhood is Catholic, and each adjacent
district sent a big percentage Of its population.
Cardinal Gibbons was there to oficiate. and
promptly at 10 O'Clock performed the solemn
ceremony OF dedication. Rev. J. A. Cunnane
OF st. Mary's Church, Upper Marlboro, Nd.
| and former pastor of the old st. Ignatius. sang
high mass: Coram Episcopo, and at the gospels
Rev. c. ". Currier CT Boston preached the
dedicatory sermon.
THE HOUSE OF COP.
His text was taken from the 2Sth chapter and
18th verse Of Genesis: ''This is no other but the
house Of God and the gate of heaven" He
| said: God needs no house to dwell in, His
dwelling is infinite. However. mans condi-
| ton requires q religion adapted to the senses;
hence, from time immemorlal men have at
tacned religious value to certain places and
| Things The most ancient nation Of antiquity
possessed its temples Although the Hebrews
had originally none, nevertheless they had
| their sacred places. Their religion was orig
| inally very simple, but this simplicity had been
lost by their contact with the nations. hence
God to impress their Imagination commanded
the building OF the temple and the tabernacle.
These wero fguratively the houses of God.
In the Christian religion sacred edihces
| became necessity on account of the
ministry of preaching and tho eucharistic
| sacrifice. The Catholic church is in
| reality the house of God and the gate Of heaven
because the blessed sacrament is there. This
| induces three-fold obligation, that OF visiting
| the church, OF showing respect within It's walls
| and partaking of the sacred banquet, More
| over, the church is the house of Gcd because
| the Almighty there grants special audience 20
| the soul and allows it to hear His voice. The
church may also be called the gate If heaven,
for there the way t. heaven lie POI tea out ~
| the ministry Of the word and there the soul
partakes of the supernatural means CT saliva
ton. This material edifce is an image # the
| universal church and this latter Of the celes-
| tial Jerusalem, of both of which VIC may say
with the prophet, GLORIOUS things have been
| said Of thee. o city Of Godp' In bis perora-
| ton the speaker cast a glance at the glorious
history OF the church in its persecution and in
| its triumph" and raised the aspirations of his
| audience to the celestial Jerusalem, which he
| said was the church triumphant.
CARDINAL GIBBONS REMARKS.
Cardinal Gibbons began by complimenting
the congregation on the Christian llberality
| which they displayed in erecting this beautiful
church to the service of Almighty God While
| their brothern in other portions of the diocese,
and particularly in Washington and Anacostia.
| aided the congregation by their generous
offerings. the bulk Of the contributions were
contributed by the members of the congrega-
| ton themselves. and We naturally esteem
best that which costs us most, the cardinal was
certain that the congregation will take deeper
interest in the church, the erection Of which
was the work of their own munifcence. In
Catholic Europe the churches have been
government and as a consequence the people
exhibited less interest in the welfare
and progress of religion which they
were not called upon to sustain. In
this country, on the contrary, there
are no government officials standing
ligion. The relations between the clergy and
the people are direct and spontaneous. The
people erect our churches, support our clergy
and these constant relations between clergy
| and people bind them more closely toward
each other in affectionate bonds We should
remember that the erection of a temple to
Almighty God is privilege and duty and a
source Of benedictiOn to those who cooperate
in such noble work. If a citizen Of the
United States esteems it an honor and a privi-
lege to contribute his offerings toward the erec-
ton Of monument to the father of his coun-
try how much greater is the honor which we
enjoy in having share in the erection Of q
monument to our Father in heaven. Solomon
regarded it as the glory of his reign that he
was selected by Almighty God to be His instru-
ment in erecting the first temple for the wor-
| ship Of his Maker. And in early Christian
times and for many centuries after the estab-
lishment of Christianity kings and emperors
claimed and exercised the exclusive privilege
| of erecting to Almighty God those magnificent
basiiicas, some of which exist even to this DAY
to attest the munifcence Of their royal
founders. But the times have changed and
privilege which was once exclusively enjoyed
by temporal sovereigns is now possessed by the
| sovereign people. And though you have not
| royal titles. nor royal exchequer, you have
proved by your generosity that you have royal
hearts, aud the offerings which you have freely
bestowed like the widows mite in the gospel
| are more acceptable to our Lord than the
treasures OF kings. 1.-The earth is the Lords
| and the fullness thereof" and it is meet and
just that we should give back to our heavenly
benefactor portion of the goods which He has
80 bountifniiy conferred upon us. We may rest
| assured that our generosity in this respect will
be rewarded by many temporal and spiritual
blessings, for if Zaccheus was blessed and all
| his household because he once had the happi-
! ness to entertain our blessed Redeemer, how
many more blessings will rebound to you in
providing for Him permanent home Here
the sacred mysteries will be offered up: here
the sacraments will be administered to you
and to your children; here the eternal gospel
of Christ will be preached to you, that gospel
which gives glory to God and peace to man
| and which holds out to all that earnestly seek
for it the eternal promises of Jesus Christ.
THE RITE OF CONFIRMATION.
At the conclusion of the mass a class of
twenty-five young ladies and gentlemen was
confirmed. The young girls were dressed in
white, with here and there a ribbon or a
flower to relieve the simplicity of their garb.
The men we're clad in somber colors
The altar was uncovered in the rarest
flowers the country could produce Other
than the celebrants there were in the sacristy.
wearing cassocks and surplices, Rev. Stephen
J. Clark OF Frostburg. Md, Rev. James F,
Mackin Of st. Paurs Church, Washington:
Father Minnehan Of St. Johns, Surrattsville.
Nd, and Rev. George Daugherty of Beantown,
Md. The music was by st. Teresa's choir, con.
sisting of Misses jamie Beam Emma Bean.
Gertie Rowland, Nellie Hardy. Rheta Reppetti'
Annie Green and Master Lewis Cross
THE NEW CHURCH BUILDING
The new structure is thirty-eight feet front
and sixty feet deep. The architectural STYLE ia
Romanesque and the tower rises to a height of
| 81 x,r cd xs,x<xn Ia.