The Anaconda standard., 1898-01-17
Impressive Services at st. Law
rence's in Centerville.
A BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE
An Eloquent Sermon by Bishop Bron.
dell-The Church Was Completed
in Nine Months and Is En-
tirely Paid For.

IN a church in Butte was u service at
tended with such grand music. and
never was there a church more crowd
ed. The new church is beautiful
| structure, and is perched on top of
| Centerville hill, the Ioftiest point in
Butte's vicinity. This church has been
/ completed and ready for dedication in
nine months, and what is more to the
/ point than even the rapidity of con-
struction, is the fact that it is entirely
paid for. 1t is a church OF working
/ men. There is not rich man in the
congregation. There We're no eontribu-
| tions of 800 bills. The church WAS
paid for by the small contributions of
| poor people.
Half the people who went to the ded-
| ication could not gain admittance to
the beautiful new st. Lawrence church
Yesterday morning when the dedica
/ ton services We're held, accompan
by pontifical high mass. There are
| two forms of church dedication in the
| Catholic church. A permanent edifice
of stone or brick is consecrated. while
a frame church is blessed. The bless
ing of the church was the beginning of
the service yesterday. Bishop Brondel
as celebrant, with Father AllaayS of
Anaconda as assistant priest, Father
| Arts of Butte assistant deacon, Father
| Batens of Centerville as sub deacon
and Father Hogan of Portland as mas
/
| the altar. which was bare of adorn-
ment, to the entrance of the church.
| where prayers We're said. The clergy
| men moved outside and around the
church, blessing it. They re-entered
the church singing the iitany of All
Saints. Then the clergy passed around
the interior of the church, blessing it,
Prayers were then said before the al
tar. which ended the service of bless
ing. The flowers, candles and other or
naments We're then placed on the altar,
and the bishop in full nontificals pro
ceeded to celebrate high mass
An Eloquent sermon.
In his sermon. which was earnest,
eloquent and practical, Bishop Brondel
took his text from the passage in Luke
where Christ goes to Zaccheus and
says: To-day | wish to stay in your
house" So the bishop says: God
comes to abide in the beautiful house
you have just completed here in Cen
terville." The bishop told of the uses
of the church. First, it is used as a
place of sacrifice, as coming down from
the old testament. Second, 1t is place
of sacrament. Third, it is a place for
preaching the word of God Fourth, 1t
is the house of prayer. 1t is for these
reasons that churches are built.
Churches are adorned first of all be-
cause they are thespalaees of the King
of kings. If earthly monarchs are
given SIdIiu pdldCGS. IL temples TO dTI
and learning are constructed, surely
the house of the King of kings should
be beautiful. God has given man the
earth for home and made it beautiful
with varied landscapes and lovely sky.
So should man beautify the house of
God. We adorn churches further so
that man by the sight of beautiful
things, beautiful affairs and pictures,
beautiful windows and beautiful vest
ments and beautiful music. may have
his mind raised to the contemplation
of higher things.
Heaven is beautiful, and in thoughts
of heaven it is fitting that there should
be beautiful surroundings. Then
churches are adorned on account of
tradition. Under Constantine the de-
stroyed churches We're rebuilt with
greater beauty, and instead of humble
conventicles, they had beautiful BASIL
icas.
History of st. Lawrence.
The bishop then recounted the his
tory of st. Lawrence OToole, from
whom the church is named. He was
the son of Maurice O'TooIe, a poor but
worthy 1rishman of more than six cen
turies ago. From his very youth he
was strongly attached to the service of
the church. He became abbot of Glen
aloch and then archbishop of Dublin
when 30 years of age, and proved HIM
self man of great charity and love
for the poor and distressed. He inter
ceded with Henry II. in behalf of the
Irish people with success. lie went TO
the shrine of st. Thomas at Canterbury
and while there "a madman struck him
on the head. but he cured the wound /
with blessed water. He was canonized
by Pope Honorius in 1926, who, in his
said that st. Lawrence |
OToole had raised seven people from |
the dead He died at Eu in France |
where his relics are kept to this day
The bishop then congratulated the |
people on the building of a church so
beautiful. well ventilated. heated and |
lighted in the space of nine months. /
The edifice is substantial and well built, |
with beautiful stained glass windows, /
and all paid for. The bishop said he
was thankful first of all to God. the |
giver of all good gifts. He was thank
full to the people of Centeryille. who /
had so Loyalty raised the money to
build the church, and had shown by |
the results that they needed no in /
from the bisnop in regard /
to church building. He expressed the
appreciation of what the peo-
pie had done. He was thankful to
Father Batens. through whose marvel
church had been built and paid for in
so short a time. In closing the bishop
called down the blessing of God on the
people, that God would protect the
miners IN lhelf hazardous work, ana
protect the women and children from
disease. He prayed that the priest
might have many and happy days with
his congregation, so that the work of
God amongst men might go on.
The grand music of the occasion was
under the directorshp of
Father Smells with precision and exquis-
tie beauty. There was choir of 40
voices. including the Silver Bow Glee
.iub and the ladies orchestra. Peters
celebrated mass IN D. was rendered in /
The morning. The offertory was a tre-
mole by organ and violin and the Men
lelssohn wedding march followed the
mass. Miss Katie Ro5nan was organ
81 Among the sopranos We're Misses
Mary Kellogg. McGlynn. Muller. Doyle, !
Mooney altos. Mrs. Fred Ferrell and
dtEs Rose McDermott: tenors NessrS.
FlatleY. Pasnter and p. ]. Donohos5
oasses. Messrs. Cannon. kroeger. Sulli-