Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1900-12-07
ST. JOSEPH CHURCH.
Blessing of the New Altar and Three
Statues Sunday Last.


Statues Sunday Last.
During the past year St. Joseph
church in this city has undergone
many Improvements in the way of
painting and decorations, the la
test and most substantial being a
splendid new altar, three statues
and very neatly constructed con-
fessional. The altar is built IN
Roman style, and is the work Of
Mic Ehlenz & Co., St. Paul,
Mimi, who are renowned in the
Northwest for their artistic taste
in building affairs. Above the
altar are three inches, in which
are placed the statues Of st. Joseph,
St. Patrick and St. Benedict. St.
Joseph is the patron Of the church
and his statue occupies the prin-
cipal place. He is represented
holding in his arms an image of
the infant, Jesus. st. Patrick's S
statue on the right side represents
him with the shamrock in his left
hand, by which emblem heexplain-
ed to the Irish the mystery of the
Most Holy Trinity. In his right
hand he holds the episcopal staff,
resting it on a snake. While this
reminds us Of the legend that st.
Patrick banished the snakes from
Ireland, it also reminds the Irish
that he was their evangelizer, their
apostle. Ireland as nation never
lost that faith preached to them by
st. Patrick. In the time of the
reformation in England under
Henry VIII and Elizabeth, they
suffered the contiscation of their
property, Imprisonment and death
rather than give up their faith and
his statue stands as rebuke to
those careless ones who do not live
up to the faith of their forefathers.
st. Benedicts statue represents
him with his rule-book in his right
hand. st. Benedict is the founder
of the great Benedictine order
which has existed for over fourteen
hundred years in the Catholic
church. Its monks :, brought the
light of faith and civilization to
England, Scotland, France, Ger
many, Denmark, Norway and
Sweden. Its monks have pre-
served the works Of heather auth
ors and transcribe them with their
hands, because the art Of printing
was not invented at the time.
During the migration of nations,
when the wild northern tribes, like
a mighty wave, inundated the
southern part of Europe and pill
laged and burned everything that
came within their reach, the monks
preserved and multiplied by their
hands heather literature, and the
students Of today have to thank
the monks that they have frag-
ments of the works of Cicero, Gaze
sar, Salust, etc.
Sunday last, December End,
these statues were blessed accord
ing to the Roman Catholic ritual.
The celebrant of the solemn High
Mass was Rev. Benedict Peter, O.
S. B., deacon at Mass, Rev.
Hem, o. S.. B., subdea-
con, Mr.. THOMAS Sherlock, O. S.
B., and master Of ceremonies, B.
Kuhn, O. S. B.
The sermon on the occasion was
preached by the pastor Of the
church, Rev. Alphonse Hem. He
explained that the statues are not
there to be adored. We adore
only one God. But they should
remind us Of those whom they rep
resent. and should inspire us to
initiate their virtues. He adduced
texts from the old and New Testa-
ments, that the blessed in heaven
do know what is passing here and
can hear the prayers offered up to
them, and that they do sympathise
with us in all our wants and wishes.
He also proved that the angels in
heaven are constantly in the habit
Of imploring God for us, that He