The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-11


Rev. Henry p. Burke. at st. Mary's.
Pittston. The fourth. Rev. Emericus
Hajtinger. will wait until Pentecost
Sunday. when his parents will be on
here from Chicago.
There was very large congregation
at st. Peters to attend the celebration
of Rev. Father Germans first mass.
His parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Walter Cor
man. of Penn avenue. and the other I'M
mediate members of his family, occu-
pied the front pews. Many people from
out of town, relatives and friends OF
the family, were in the church. The
officers of the mass were Rev. Thomas
Carmody. deacon; Rev. j. W. Malone,
sub-deacon: and Rev. Emcricus HIATT
niger master of ceremonies. Rev. ID. j.
Mac Goldrick. president of st. Thomas
college where Rev. Father German is
professor, and who was his sponsor at
ordination acted as assistant priest
Rev. Father O'Reilly, rector of the
cathedral, was also i'm the sanctuary
The young priests mother was the first
to receive communion from his hands.
A feature of the excellent programme
of music was an Ave Maria at the Of
fertory by Miss Hannah Magran. OF
Blnghamton. Rev. Father Mac Gold
rick preached the sermon. He took for
his text the words "a little less than
the angels hast thou created them q,
Lord" In part he said:
DIGNITY OF A PRIEST.
The sacred writer contemplating the eS-
alted position to- which Gods servants
are called furnishes one with an idea that
can be applied in the celebration In which
We participate today in the very sense III
which 1t was used many thousand years
ago. For today We are gathered around
Gods altar 10 assist at the first holy mass
of one of our kindred who has lately been
raised TO the exalted position of the prieSi-
hood. and when We realize the nature ot
the office of Gods priest, awe-struck at
the sublimity, we are forced TO eXclaim
"A little less than the angels hast thou
created them, . Lord.
When our Lord came down upon earth
to teach men how to save their souls, and
instituted the sacraments as the channels
OF sanctifying grace, by which their sane
tiiication was to be effected, one woilu
naturally suppose that the custody and
distribution of these sacraments ought 10
have been entrusted to angels and not to
men. But. in the initial step of the work
of redemption He did not make use OF the
angelic nature, but chose. rather, to as
sumo an human nature. SO in the continn-
alton of the same work down through the
centuries He chose. rather. to select Ills
messengers and His ministers from
among men than among angels. For had
lie chosen angels, or any kind of being OF
a nature superior to our own as HIS MIN
listers the bond of sympathy between the
redeemer and the redeemed, between the
SaviCr and the saved, between the hlSh-
born ambassador and the low-born SIN
crushed serfs might not be so evidently
present as materially to help the corre-
spondence with grace. what sympath!
could we suspect an angel or other SUI
perior being to have for us in the thou
sand mlseries that our own waywardhess,
or neglect, brings to us? What patience
could we look for from such being Tor
the relapsng sinner? What claim for mec-
cy and interccssion could we reasonably
hope for from a being of nature dlferent
from our own? But when Gods messen-
ger is of our own kindred. and the thea
ter and subject of feelings and dispositions
and Tendencies identical with our CWn,
surrounded with difficulties similar to
sion that make war and havoc on our
lives, melted TO the same sins that nave
wounded and smirchcd our souls ana have
separated US from the love of God. who
knows the weaknesses of our nature Dy
having experienced them, who, In dis
tress, knows the STRENGTHENING value Oi
a word of cheer and comfort, the balm OF
a word of sympathy and kindness, we are
emboldened to ask for aid. and with yearn'
ing we cry out for the relief to which We
GODS MESSENGER.
For this is priest chosen that he be
the messenger of peace between COD ana
man, that he be the angel Of recOnci'ia>
ton between sinful. erring man and an Of
Tended God that he be light to the blind,
strength to the weak, comfort TO the sf-
fected, and a guide to the erring. rms
he achieves by the distribution OF the sac.
raments. Souls separated from God by
the absence of the bond of sanctifyins
grace are united to God in the sacrament
of baptism and thus are brought from
darkness and death into supernatural
light of lfe-souls stepped In sin, yet penl-
tent have the trangressions of years blot
ted out and annihilated when the priest
announces the words of absOlution and
reconcili1 tion--the death hour of person
stepped ,or years in crime, made dreat'ful
by the remembrance of the deformitias
of the past, and the anticipation of dp-
preaching judgment, is robbed of its ter
rors when Gods priest appears to speak
the words his office charges him to say.
And what shall l say of the priest who
cc.nsecrates the precious body and blool
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and distributes
the same to the faithful.
The angels of God are sometimes repre-
sentcd as gathering the drops OF our
Lords precious blood shed during His pas
sion and jealously guarding them-here Is
the priest of God by virtue OF the commits
sion he has received reversing the angelic
the precious body and blood Of our Lord
so as to fill every human heart TO over
flowing, not merely with our Lords grace
and love, but with our Lords most pre-
cious blood.
The priests office and dignity are not
given to him for his own emolument. but
in favor Of others-that he may save souls,
bring them to the feet of our Lord and
there offer them as the pledge of His
ear(,stness, to please our Lord by co,
operating with Him in the work of re-
demption.
This is day of rejoicing for the COM
munity from which such person has
been chosen. 1t is day of special re-
jo!cng for his parents, who have willing
ly parted with him that he may be a
faithful companion of his Savior in win.
ming souls to Il life of grace. and day OF
special rejoicing for himself. who conse.
crates his young life to the service of
Cod, and the sanctiiication of souls, puts
OF the thought of the world and of self
and knows only the supreme motive CT
the desire to please our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rev. Father Burke's first mass at
tracted a congregation that filled st.
Marys Dunmore. to overlooking. The
same incidents were attendant as are
noted of Rev. Father Gorman's mass.
Rev. DR.. George Lucas was assistant
priest and preacher; Rev. Fathers
Dunn and Dolan were the deacons.
Each of the young priests spent the
afternoon at their respective homes. re-
ceiving the congratulations of their
friends. Five hundred people called at
Father Germans and as many more at
Father Burke's.
RELIGIOUS NOIES.