Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-10-13
oa.;.l Seal of the City of Alexandra.

THANKSGIVING SERvICEs.-Consid-
.;nntbe brief notice given, q very re-.
CIV number of persons attended
. .po bish mass of thanksgiving at st.
NJ, Msry'- Church at s o'clock Thursday
m' mention of which was made
u erday's Gazette. Rev. Richard
u Gsroe chaplain of Old Point Com
t,rt College, was the celebraot, assisted
t0. Nas.rs. Mcfarland and Harlow as
s:oiytes The music of the mass and
the Gloria in Excelsis were well sung
br the choir and after the reading OF
ina Gospel. Father Carne preached a
short s main sermon on the important
dmr Of referring all things to God and
thanking Him for His mercies. Taking
far his tex, UNLESS the Lord keep the
ciiy he wstcheth in vain who keepeth
Ups. cxxvi., 3, he spoke first of the
natural love of every good man for his
earthly home, which. if truly Christ
ian one, was a faint image of His eter.
nal habitation. Then he referred to
,ne occasion and reminded his hearers
oithe duty they owed TO God of thank.
inq Hin publicly Tor the mercies and
blessings of the last century and bait,
for His guidance to their forefathers in
seeking new and beautiful land be-
yOnd the sea, of their deliverance from
oppre.sion aud the establishment OF
civil aud religious liberty for them
selves and us. Then referring to Alex
andria in particular, he spoke of the
great wars which had disturbed is
peace, Of the two occasions upon which
Il had been threatened with immediate
destruction, as when in 1914. a single
hour was given for the removal OF the
women aud children and the ports OF
the enemy's ships were opened to rain
upon the town death and destruction;
aud when IN 1861, seven war ships took
their places along the harbor and bat
Terry was erected on the side of Shoot
er's Hill for the same purpose should
certain events occur. He referred also
TO the very mild visitations ofyellow fe-
yer aud cholera and the entire immun-
ity from the latter twice while other
sections were fearfully afflicted, of the
freedom from foods and dangerous
gales. OF the general good health
aud moderate prosperity, which
bad enabled our citiz sDs to care Tor
their poor while others starved, quoting
from Agnes's prayer "Give me neither
riches TOR poverty" Lastly he gave q
brief history OF the continued progress
Of the church from the Revolution,
when there were so few Catholics that
only niue men able to bear arms (all OIL
whum volunteered to defend the couo.
try's liberty to the frat log church
near the site OF the present jail; the ole
brick one in the cemetery;the o dMetho
dist chapel purchased when the present
Trinity Church was built; the new one
erected on the same site in 1926, bu
with its doors towards Royal street. il
stead of on chapel alley, as that bad
and of its many enlarsements and i'm
provements until it's present beautiful
proportions and appearance wer'
reached. Then he passed to the hrs
oreaniz alton as mission in 17SS 10 tn
time OF the first resident pastor in 1881
the period OF his own first communion
10 1888. and thence to the present da.
when the largest membership in tn
city filed its spacious interior, and t
its present educational advantages, ure
Ing his hearers to second their pastor
zeal and increase their advantages b
the addition of higher school for thei
boys. He concluded with prayer tina
their homes might still be prosperou
and happy and that from them the.
might be translated to "a city no
made with hands, eternal in tn
heavens.n
After the mass Rev. Henry J. Cut
Ter, rector, read the prayers for tn
church; for the national, State and Cit
authorities; for the people of the Who'll
country, and for the dead, and all stoo
while the choir sang the versified Eog
lish translation of TIE Deum iauda
mus, Holy God, we praise thy name,
with which the service concluded.