The San Francisco call., 1897-03-16
THOUSANDS SEEK
OLD ST, PATR|CK'S
Its Silver Jubilee At
tended by Catholic
Throngs.
Three Ceremonies Observed Yes.
terday With Sermons at
Each.
Venerable Father Sc nlan Closes With
Pl.a for I'm N ediate Rspen.
tance of S.ns.

Twenty-one hundred Catholics. slowly
moving ana devout, issued last night in
steady streams from the three front en-
frances to St. Patrick's Church, mingled
for few moments upon the side and
then quietly dispersed, part going up and
part down Mission street, and scattering
out toward the different parts of the great
parish, whence they had come earlier In
the evening.
1t was the third time during the day
that such a concourse of worshipers had
come from the stately old edifice. Morn
ing, afternoon and evening those hun
dreds or others in their places had assem-
bled under the high-vsulted sanctuary to
participate in the simple but i'm pressive
religious ceremonies connected with the
cele bration of the twenty-fifth an niversary
of the foundation of that towering, somber
Gothic pile.
At A. M. mass was celebrated, and the
Rev. Joseph M. Gleason OF st. Roses
Church delivered a sermon upon THE
Time OF Grace" His thought was that
there is no time so GO as the present in
which to turn to GOO. At 3 P. NJ. there
was devotion of the Way of the Cross"
and sermon by the Rev. P. J. Keane of
Sorrows of Jesus" And at 1880 P. NJ. the
final services of the day were held.
They were not more impressive than
those that had preceded, but the scene was
perhaps more effective. Hundreds of tiny
gas flames twinkled over broad, silent,
dark field of seated worshipers, and from
all parts of the gorgeous towering altar
sparkled and glinted the lights of Candida
bra ami the gilded decorations upon which
they shone.
Every part of the extensive seating
space below and in the gallery was
thronged with women, men and young
persons intent upon their prayers or the
words of kindly admonition from the ven-
erable father P. Scanlan of st. oseph's
Church, who delivered the evening SER
mon.
He urged upon his hearers that they
act at once in renouncing their sins so
that with the advent of st. Patrick's day
and the silver Jubilee of the grand old
church named in honor of its patron saint
they might enter upon life OF purity
and untrouhled conscience. During his
simple remarks he said:
We all know our own lives. We all know our
acts and our faults Examine your consciences
tonight and see whether you are leading lives
that will blossom in the salvation Of your
souls.
You can see for ours elves that if you wish
to profit by confession you should re-
nounce your sins tonight. If we neglect this
now Of our a; sins who
and miss the salvation OF our souls? We
know not when God may ca IL upon us. Now
is the time for you. He tells you tonight that
If you come to him with sorrow and confess
your sins he will grant you absolution. Listen
to his voice tonight
The service had begun with the rosary,
during which the choir sang the myster-
ies After that Father Brennan OF st.
Patrick's Church recited prayer In
honor of st. Patrick.
About a hundred persons remained
after the services for confession, many
hundreds of others having presented
themselves all during the day.
To-day there will be services and SER
mons at the same hours as yesterday.
Tomorrow, however, the great celebra-
tion will take place. The occasion will
be particularly notable not only because
of the day and because of the twenty-fith
anniversary of the erection of the big
church, but because of the assent bling
from different parts of the State of all the
priests that, al one time or another in the
last twenty-five years, have been past tors
of st. Patrlck's parish.