Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-03
PEACE BE WITH YOU;
BISHOP KeANE breaches AN IMPRESS
SINE SERMON ON THIS THEME.
II IL in God Alone That We Must Seek
Perfection and Happiness-Interest-
ing Confirmation Services.

The Sunday services at ST. Peters Ca
thedral In tho early morning. at lo:So. and
$50 In the afternoon, were unusually in
taresting and highly impressive Imme-
diately after the Z o'clock mass. at which
the boys and girls OF the parish went to
Holy Communion. Right Rev. Bishop
Van de Vyver confirmed class Of sixty
boys and girls. and some twelve adults
Before and after the ceremony the Bishop
in most earnest manner addressed those
who were about 20 receive the Blessed
Sacrament. and impressed upon them the
importance OF the step. The classes hsd
been well prepared and practiced for the
manner in which they should deport them
selves by Brother Philip. OF the %averian
Brothers. The sponsors for the boys were
Messrs. Michael Burke and T. X. Glaze
brook. and for the girls Mrs. DR. Coleman
and Mrs. Golden. At vesperS all the
children who had been confirmed renewed
their baptismal vows. and they were adj
dressed by Right RSv. Bishop John }.
kcanc, formerly OF Richmond. but now
president OF the Catholic University In
Washington. The renewal of the vows
was read for the boys by Master Leonard.
and for the girls by little Miss Donahoe.
BISHOP KEANE's SERMON.
Bishop Keanc preached at high mass.
and his sermon. which consumed nearly
an hour and quarter, was greatly en-
joyed by the large congregation.
The Bishop took his theme from the
wish Of our Lord addressed 10 His dis
oipes on yesterday: Peace be with
you" He asked what Is this peace?'
and showed that II meant the full salts
faction perfection. and happiness Of all
our human powers. This full perfection
and satisfaction. ne demonstrated. could
not be found in finite things. but only In
the relations OF man 10 the infinite
Temptation offers to man something
which IL pretends Is better than the per-
lection. the peace, and the happiness
which God offers.
Sin consists in yielding to this tempta-
ton and in endeavoring to find peace IN
something else than God. This is the
meaning OF the temptation and sin In
the Garden Of Eden, man having chosen
10 find his peace in something else thah
God. God. his Creator, gave him TAR
chance TO try the experiment All his
tory previous to Christ tells US how the
experiment worked out. Gods providence
helped man in the experiment, enabled
human powers TO attain their high
est development. and gave man ever
opportunity To try whether humanity
could suffice for it's needs. on the one
hand we see that the greatest achieve
ments OF mans genius are to be found In
the Pagan classical antiquity. but on the
other hand history shows that the breat
experiment proved dead failure, and thai
the civilization and the empire when
mans genius had built up for itself died,
rotted. and crumbled into dust
THE REDEEMER's COMING.
Then came the Redeemer to the world
Bishop Keane continued. to make atone
ment for the fall and the wickedness oil
the great experiment, and then TO lead
man back unto the true ways Of peace
10y demonstrating to man that IL is III
God that he must seek perfection and
happiness This is the fundamental idcd
of the Christian cvilizdtion-na that
humanitt should be developed 10 its very
utmost and noblest but that 1t should
remember its relations 10 the INFINITE.
- dependence on the Infinite: that II -
only I'm the Infinite that it can reacn true
perfection and lasting peace.
The history of the Christian ages IS the
history Of the advance Of humanity To-
wards that great ideal. When the ad-
vance had been going on for a thousand
wears there came in the fifteenth cen>
trrv q great reaction towards old Pagan
ideals. which Christianity had supplanted.
This react "a IS called the Renaissance
which r...s the new birth of Pagan
classical g. g. The result " this re-
ue~al has q the Deistc philosophy or
ENGLAND l.d 10y Locke and Hume. and
the ant-Christan rcvulsion OF France
led 10y Noltaire and Rousseau. Ii was a
renewal Of the temptation and SIN OF
Eden. and like it the new temptation
ended in dismal failure liut there Is
still lingering a vague notion that human
science and philosophy may possibly yet
suffice for the development OF mans per-
oil he Divine
THE ATTEMPT \ FAILURE.
In our own days We have heard the
leading scientists OF our time again
acknowledge that the attempt was fail
urp Last May, Mr.. Huxley declared in
the University Of oxford that human life
cannot do without the ethical or moral
principles. and that these cannot be found
in science. 1t is only in the Divine phil
os0phy Of religion that these principles
are to be found. and the facts OF his
tory demonstrate over and over again
that man cannot do without the Divine,
or in other words. that science, philos-
ophy and religion must always be in
separably and intimately united.
This great ideal is embodied in the true
university. university means an insu-
tuition in which universally of knowledge
is studied and taught but this means all
knowledge about nature, about man. ana
science, philosophy, and religion.
OBJECT OF THE UNIVERSITY.
"This," Bishop Keane said, 'Is the
mighty undertaking which the great Leo
the Thirteenth and the bishops of America
now have in view They are establishing
in the Capital City of our country a
university which will fully realize the
meaning of that great name. Under the
inspiration of that great pontin, who
0.gI tt,al rot
man and philosopher of our age, the
bishops of this country have begun a
great work by organizing, first, a faculty
OF divinity, in which all that concerns
God and our relations to God are studied
and taught. This first faculty has been
at work for the last five years, and its
students consist OF young and talented
ecclesiastics from every corner of the
land. who are pursuing their studies of
divinity and philosophy in order TO be-
come the leading scholars Of the church
in America.
Now. we are preparing 10 surround
this great central faculty with the other
faculties which will teach all about man
and all about nature, and which will be
specially intended for lay students. or
the first Of October, 1895. we are TO open
the first of these great faculties for the
laity. Between now and then i have
resting on me serious responsibility
OF raising the fundS Wnlcn VIII enuOW
this faculty, for our university can never
be allowed to depend for its support upor
the fees OF the students On the contrary
we wish to make the education as free
as possible. young men having 10 see only
TO the expenses OF their board and lodg
ing. Hence. the support of the profes
sorships must come from endowments
and am now endeavoring to raise funC
of 100000, which will endow the pro
fessorships OF the new faculty.
KIND WORDS FOR VIRGINIA.
The Bishop, in referring TO the Holy
Father. Pope Leo XIII. and his great
ability as a statesman. student, and mar
OF God told how the Holy Father haC
called him TO this great work, the ac
complishment of which he felt SO much
his inability 10 carry out: how he hac
expressed 10 his Holiness his desire TO re-
main among the good people of dear ole
Virginia, and how he finally, in obedience
had consented TO accept the charge
"Often." said he, "do think and almos
envy your good Bishop Van de Vyver II
his peaceful work among my old parish
he