Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-05-17
GOLDEN JUBILEE.
Archbishop Williams Has Been
80 Years in Priesthood.
Church pignitaries from All Sections
Pay Homage to Him.
Grand Celebration in Honor Of the Venerable
Prelate at Boston.

Boston, May l6.-Amid all tho magnifl
cence of religious state and ceremony tn,
golden jubilee of Archbishop William.
was ushercd in this morning The CRANE
pontifical high mass at 10 o'clock, i,
which the central figure was the venerabl,
archbishop himself, did not find absent q
single one of the noted prclatcs whose pres
ence has been so long anticipated Car
dinal Gibbons, Mgr. Satolli and great
number of archbishops, bishops and mon
signors were seen at the great altar OF
Holy Cross cathedral when mass begun.
1t will be the last time probably for
many years that there will be witnessed
in Boston religious procession of such
grandeur as that which preceded the OPEN
| ing of the mass.
1t was formed in the chapel on the
Union Park street side of the cathedral.
ana from there passed out by the left
transept along the north aisle and hallway
INTO the body of the church. There by "a
cross aisle 1t reached the middle aisle and
turning, proceeded directly to the center
OF the altar railing and into the sanctuary.
First was formed the little altar boys,
then the sanctuary choirS, seminarians
priests, Wears general, monsignors, bishops
ana archblshopS. Not far from the head
III the ranks of the archbshops, was the
pope's representative, Mgr Satoli, with
an escort of priests.
Behind them a body of acolytes, proceed
Ing Archbishop Williams. who was sur
rounded by the priests who assisted him
In the celebration of the mass The tower
ing form of Cardinal Gibbons was seen in
cluster of attendant priests at the end.
two train bearers supporting the flowing
ends of his long state vcstmcnts.
The sermon was by the Rt. Rev. Bishop
D. M. Bradley of Manchester, N. H., and
was both able and scholarly Referring
to the functions of the parish priest he
said:
What is the priest in action? What
should he be in actions Ho should be- as
the fathers, write another Christ" for
Christ we are ambassadors, God, as it
were, exhorting by us. And what was
Christ in action? He will tell us in his
reply to the disciples of St John the
Baptist. At the time of their coming to
him, he was engaged in preaching and
teaching in the cities of Judea-Go he
says, and relate to John what you have
heard and seen. The blind see, the lame
walk, the lepcrs are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead rise again, the poor have
the gospel preached to them. And blessed
is he that shall not be scandalized in me
This is the standard Judge the parish
priest by this standard. Judge him by it
as you see him every day under your eyes
Turn on him the full light of the noon
day sun, he will not dread it, but do not
forget that he Is man taken from among
men, who can have compassion ON them
that are ignorant and err, because he him
self is compassed with infrmity. But
tell mo seeing him in the discharge of his
duties, contemplating him with an I'M
preJudiced eye, is it not true that he is al
ways found on the side of order and law?
Are not his efforts at all times directed
towards the uplifting, towards ameliorat-
ing the condition of his fellowmon? Is
he not the conservative factor in the com
munity? Is he not the center about which
differing and often jarring elements and
nationalities are made to coalesce and
live in peace and harmony? Is he not In
season and out of season, often at the
peril of his own life found to be an eye
the deaf,a physician and a CONSIDER to the
afflicted, life-giver to the spiritually
dead, a father to the widow and the or
Dhan, protector to the outcast and the
homeless, q preacher of the gospel to the
poor? And his gospel preaching has for
its object what Jesus Christ had in view
in his teachipg-that men may have life
and may have it more abundantly. -
Teach all things whatsoever have com
manded you says our Lord, and these
things which Christ commanded to be
taught and only which the parish priest
does teach, fit man not only for the abun- |
dant life of citizenship in heaven, but also
for good citizenship in the commonwealth, |
for the reason that fidelity to Gods law is |
tho best pledge and evidence of fidelity to |
the laws of the republic. at any man |
say love God and hateth his brother |
the truth is not in him. Tell me then, |
the parish priest in action, |
IL this be not his record, II he hath not |
buildcd according to the model given by |
the Divine Master Of tho kingdom Do
not his works give testimony Of him, a |
testimony too, which does not fear scru
tiny. Blessed, says the Lord, are those
who are not scandalized in me, but there |
are those who are scandalized in the par
ish priest; his motives are questioned. his
actions are misinterpreted. he is not in
frequently regarded as altogether I'M
worthy of confidence, but may he not say
to his traducers, If / have spoken evil,
give testimony of the evil but if well.
why strikest thou me:" And they give
no testimony of the evil, yet they strike
him.
But, my beloved brethren, let us not
delay longer with the parish priest as it
we're in the abstract; let us consider him
IN the concrete; let us contemplate him