The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-09
FEAST OF VIRGIN mary
Tie immaculate Conception Mas Hon
orsd In Especial Manner.
TWO soDALlrY RECEPTIONS
One in St. Peters Cathedral and the
Other in tho Holy Rosary Church.
solemn High Mass Ceie-
brotod 1T the Cathe dral.

The feast of the Immaculate Concep-
ton was celebrated in st. Peters cathe-
dral yesterday morning with a solemn
high mass at TO- 80. Rev. d. j. MacGold-
rick, s. j., president of st. Thomas COL
lege, was celebrant: Rev. Kenneth
Campbell was deacon: Rev. Thomas +.
Carmody was sub-deacon. and Rev. j.
]. b. Feeley, master of ceremonies.
Father Feeley preached the sermon on
the feast and paid a noble tribute to
the mother of God.
At 7.3O in the evening the annual re-
ception of the Blessed Virgin sodality
was held. and about ninety postulants
were received. Rev. F. p. McNally, or
the West Side, preached the sermon,
and after the reception solemn benedic-
ton was impaired by Rt. Rev. Bishop
O'Hara with Father Carmody as dea-
con and Rev. James McAndrews, sub
deacon.
During the reception the members OF
the Blessed Virgins and Angels sodai-
tiles sang hymns. The postulants were
received by the bishop and then were
presented with medals. The priests
who were present. besides the bishop.
were: Rev. ]. A. O'Reilly, Rev. ]. A.
McHugh, Rev. NJ. ]. Millane. Rev. j. j.
B. Feeley. Rev. Thomas F. Carmody,
Of the cathedral: Rev. ]. A. Moffitt,
South Side: Rev. ]. 7. Dunn. Green
Ridge; Rev. James McAndrew, and the
speaker, Rev. Father McNally.
Sermon Nv Fnthcr McNnIiv.
His text was from the canticle of the
Blessed Virgin. My soul doth magnify
the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced
In God my Savior. From henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed"
He said that the name of Mary lives
on the lips Of him who would call upon
the name of Jesus. Mother and son,
who can separate them? 1t is against
nature and the infallible teachings of
the church. She nursed him, watched
his infant footsteps, and when he left
her they were not separated. She was
his mother; throughout their lives they
were inseparable and even in death
they were not parted.
From the prophet Isaias the promise
was handed down that the seed of the
woman would crush the head of the
serpent. We cannot honor and love
our blessed Redeemer unless we honor
her who bore Him. The history of the
life Of Mary Is written in the only vol
ume worthy to contain the record, in
her heart. Temples are erected and
dedicated in her honor, and days are
set aside to profit by following the part
that Mary chose.
The three things the world lives for
are notoriety, wealth and comfort. In
contradiction to all this Mary chose
obscurity, poverty, suffering. as the
dove that builds her nest in the clefts
Of rock.
Asked to Initiate Mary.
The speaker urged the socialists as
daughters of Mary to make her their
guiding star. There is something of
that mother heart throughout her life.
something intense and awful. AS soon
a. she looked upon the white brow of her
child, she could see the crown Of thcrns
pressing there.
Mary Is honored because first, she is
the mother of God. There are sacri-
ligious persons who charge Catholics
with deifying Mary. Father McNally
said that not long ago a Protestant
bishop declared that the Roman
Catholic offers supreme homage to
Mary. This man Is pious. but he is