The Irish standard., 1899-05-06
An Eloquent Discourse on the
Memorable Occasion.
TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO FR. LOUGHLlN
His Grand Character Eulogized
by the Fargo Prelate.

AT the celebration OF the silver jubilee
oi Mgr. Loughlin in Philadelphia last
week ut. Rev. John Shanlcy, d. D.,
the popular prclatc oi North Dakota,
delivered the following eloquent sermon
before a large audience assembled in
the cathedral:
Brethren, the occasion OF this great
gathering OF clergy and laty is the
twcnty-hith anniversary OF the ordina-
| ton OF a priest. Here are priests and
people from distant parts. of our own
vast country; here is present, by apos-
tolic letter comforting highly priced
and well deserved ecclesiastical title,
Leo MIL, Peters successor and Vicar
OF Christ. To me has been assigned the
pleasing duty Of addressing you on this
happy jubilee, not by reason OF any
special fitness OF mine for such duty,
but because, l take it. OF my lifelong
friendship for the distinguished jublari-
an, and of his lifelong and oit-proven
affection for me. 1t is the festival of a
priest. What is a priest? II we would
know the truth OF anything, we must
study it from the standpoint OF Him by
Whom all things were made. and with
out Whom was made nothing that was
made.
AS God sees things, SO they really
are. With Gods knowledge as a guide,
the question, What is a pricst?" is
easily answered A successor OF the
apostles in the ministry OF Christ for the
salvation OF the world, to every priest
is applicable every word spoken by
Christ about the universal Apostoatc.
you are the salt of the carth,' said He
TO His twelve priests. You are the salt
OF the earth says He TO every young
priest at the moment of his ordination.
You are the light Of the world Preach
the Gospel to every creature. Baptize
the nations in the name OF the three per-
sons OF the adorable Trinity. Whose
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven,
and whose sins you shall retain, they
are retained. You are my ambassadors.
You are the dispensers OF my graces.
The Eternal Father sent me into this
world to teach by work and by word,
and by my teaching 10 save mems souls.
AS the Father has sent Me, so now 1
send you. Teach all the nations to OBJ
serve all things whatsoever have COM
nandcd you, and | am with you all days,
even unto the end of the world. He that
hcarcth you heareth Me, and he that
despiscth you despiseth Nc. Great in
the sight OF God are His angels and
saints. Greatest among these is the
Immaculate Mother who bore the God
lncarnate; but greater in dignity and
power than our Blessed Lady herself is
the lowlicst priest, who, another Christ,
Alter Christus, offers to the Eternal
Father in the holy Mass in a mystic
manner, Calvary's victim for our sins.
No wonder, then, that the fathers and
the doctors OF the Church should have
spoken OF the dignity of the priesthood
in such high terms OF praise, calling it
"omnium dignitatum apex" an angelic,
nay, divine dignity, than which moth
ing more sublime in the world, "nihil
eXccllentius in hoe saeculo." No WON
der that Saint Bernard calls priests the
parents OF Christ, and that Saint Greg
ory Nazienzcn declares that the angels
venerate the priesthood. Nor does it
astonish us to learn that so many great
saints like the sweet Seraph of Assist,
contrasting their own unworthiness,
saints though they were, with the sublime
dignity OF the priestly office, persistent
ly refused the priesthood. We may now
easily understand why Holy Church in
ssts upon so long and so careful train
ing of those who having vocation,
aspire to the priestly office. The duties
to be performed by the priest, the end
for which the priesthood exists, demand,
besides vocation, real piety and pro-
found learning. The priest is the father
of the flock committed to his care. 1t
is his duty to teach Christian morals to
his children, to lead them through the
easy ways of divine love to the higher
walks of spirituality, to be mediator
between them and God, to be their
guide and counsellor in all matters per-
tanning to conscience, to be model for
their imitation. First qualification in
the true priest must be sanctity. A good
tree bringeth forth good fruit, bad