The Jersey City news., 1898-03-26
Father Mackel's Eloquent
Sermon in Memory of
Mgr. De Concilio.
AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
Awful Responsibilities aud Trials
Of the Sacred Office-l!s
High Rewards,

the fSeV. GnaTIeS ii. MacKel, OIL 0etoii
Hall College, was a remarkable effort Of
thought and eloquence. It was a source
Of great spiritual pleasure to those who
heard it, and as thousands, who were ex-
cluded from the church by the throng
were eager to hear it. 1.-THE News prints
today. substantially, a verbatim report.
This is what Father Mackel said;
"The ideal Of the Christian priest is the
most exalted. his vocation the most sub
lime, his office the most holy, his duties
the most spiritual, and his mission,
whether we consider its relation to moral
ity, which is the basis of Industrial and
social welfare, or to religion, which is the
promise and the secret Of immortal life,
is the most important and most sacred
that can be assigned to human being.
Hence, no higher praise can be given to
man than the words of my text, Behold
great priest, who in his days hath
pleased God and was found just Our di-
vine Saviour in sending forth His apos-
ties into the world said to them:--'As the
faith hath sent Me, so also send YOU
He himself had been sent to be, as He
said the way the truth and the life-the
way by the example of every virtue, the
truth by the sublime doctrine He taught.
and the life by the sacrifice which He Of
fered for men and the sacraments which
He established to. be the channels of
grace.
This threefold mission was to be con-
tinued by the Apostles and their success
sors, to whom He promised that He
would be with them all days, even to the
consummation of the world. They We're
to be the light of the world and the salt
of the earth by their personal holiness.
They We're to teach all things, whatso-
ever He commanded. They were to bap-
tize in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Ghost. Whose sins
they would forgive would be forgiven in,
Heaven; whose sins they would retain
would be reained by God Himself. They
were to offer the holy sacrifice even
as He offered it at the Last Supper. pro-
nouneing the self same words, This is
my body, this is my blood To the full
filment of these duties they were to de-
vote themselves absolutely. unreserved-
ly. They were to renounce all thoughts
of wife or child,-to leave father and
mother and home, to deny themselves, to.
take up their cross and follow in the foo
steps of Christ
Considering the duties to be fulfilled
and the responsibility of him who would
fail to be worthy of his high office, it
would seem that all men would shrink
from entering the priesthood, when they
might so much more easily save their
souls in the ordinary walks of life. 1t
might be indeed, but that Divine Provi-
denee singles out men for these duties
fro f1a 10 xf n az; ,1,i md
leads them step by step to the foot of
the altar, where they are made priests
forever according to the order of Mel
chisedeck. You have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you We have
not made ourselves priests. We have
not chosen the priesthood as a pro-
fession. as we might choose law or medi-
cine. We have become priests only be-
cause we have been called by the inn
perous voice of God, because in the mys-
terious designs of Providence He has
chosen us in preference to others to
assume the tremendous responsibilities,
to undergo the risks and dangers, that
attach to the sublime dignity of being
ambassadors for Christ and dispensers of
the mysteries of Cod
sIn the heart Of every priest there is
the anxiety, born of his knowledge of his
own unworthness, lest perchance he
should fall by the wayside and be unable
steps of Christ to the end of his journey.
He is comforted and consoled by the
promises of our Saviour, by the daily re-
ception of the body and blood of Jesus
Christ in the holy sacrament of the altar,
by the prayers and cooperation of the
faithful. But it is only when his work is
done, when the day OF iife Is drawing to
ors that he can feel sure the victory is
won, that he can look back and say with
gratitude and security:-I have fought
the good fight; have completed my
course; / have Kept the faith, and there
is now laid up for me a crown of glory
which the just Judge will render unto
eAnd when such priest has died, one
who has been faithful to the end, an ex-
ample of every priestly virtue. of personal
holiness, of great learning, of unrelaxing
gather about his coffin, as we do today,
ia all sincerity and truth, to proclaim that
he has been a great priest. that he has
pleased God in his day, that he has been
found lust and thus merits the highest
praise that can be given to man.
Death impartial and equal in his visit
tations striking down alike the rich and
poor, the clergy and the laity, has of late
made sad havoc in the ranks of the
priesthood. But think it is not too much
to say that in many years no priest OF
this diocese so distinguished for learning
and ability, with so great reputation
throughout the country, has been called
to his reward. as the priest and prelate
whose remains lie before US. may say
ceiyed from a faithful and loving people
more sincere and heartfelt affection than
has been rendered to him during the
thirty years of his ministry.
THE Monsignor, born In Italy in 1885
came to this country at the very begin
ming Of his priestly career, impelled by