The age-herald., 1900-12-03
ST. ANTHONY'S AT
 ENSLEY DEDICATED
Bishop Allen of Mobile Conduct
 ed the Exercises
AN AUSPICI0US OCCASION
The Bishop Preached a Most Interest ing Sermon, and Was Closely Followed by the Congregation
 Which Filled the Church.

St. Anthony's Catholic Church, a very substantial ediice of brick, located at the corner of avenue II and Twenty-first street, Ensley was dedicated by the Right Rev. Edward P. Allen, Bishop of Mobile, yes- terday morning at half-past ten o'clock. The sun shone brightly through the hazy air and the day had almost the warmth and languorous beauty of Indian summer It was indeed a perfect day, and throngs of Christian people came from many direc- tions to witness the ceremonies of dediea- ton and hear mass.
 Perhaps never before in the history of Jefferson County were nturgical services and music more beautifully combined for God, solemn high mass eoram episcopo was apart the new building for the worship of God, solemn high mass coramepiscopo was sung, and in the choir gallery were heard many of the best voices of Birmingham, accompanied by a Birmingham orchestra, under the direction of Phil Memoli.
 Promptly at the appointed hour the bishop, escorted by priests and altar boys, came from the vestry and moving in pro- cession through the main aisle of the church, entered the yard, where the cere- monies were begun. The bishop was vested in rochet, amice, white cope and mitre. Two priests-Father O'Reilly and Father Ignatius, O. S. B.-acting as deacons, were vested in albs and amices and rich dalma- tics and maniples of cloth of gold, lined with red silk Father Vincent, O. S. B., as master of ceremonies, and Father Ken lf ,,,I,, plain surplices over their soutanes.
 The bishop and his assistants. standing near the church and facing the portal, be- gan the offices with a short antiphon and then was chanted the "Miserere" psalm.
 The Procession.
 From the entrance the procession moved around the church, the clergy chanting and the bishop sprinkling holy water upon the four walls This picturesque ceremony has been familiar to Catholics in all the cen turies since the time of Constantine. Re turning to the front door the procession entered the church and moved to the altar, where the offices were concluded with the Litany of the Saints After the ceremonies of dedication, which lasted about three quarters of an hour, the bishops cope and mitre were removed and Father Kennedy, putting on his eucharistic vestments, cele- brated mass. Father O'Reilly was the deacon of the mass and Father Ignatius was the subdeacon.
 Bishop Allen preached the sermon, choos- Ing for his text, My house is the house of prayer" St. Luke xix, 46 Very eloquently he spoke of the majesty of God and the
 
 vault of heaven and the green earth. He gave us the light of day and the twinlSing stars of night. He made the hills and val leys fair to look upon, and all nature in vited man to adore the great Creator and sing songs of praise to Him and rejoice in His goodness.
 But some men will say, the bishop re- marked, that as God had created the uni verse, with it's beautiful dome and it's verdant fields, why can we not worship Him as acceptably in His own grand house of nature as in a house reared by man? Why build churches? The answer is, that this beautiful world that God gives us contains the wicked as well as the just. The vaulted arch of heaven covers vice as we'll as purity Therefore it was, the bishop
 
 crated them to God; set them apart en- tirely for divine service. In the old law places of worship were erected under the direct guidance of God Every part of the temple was planned in detail by divine di- rection; and not only the temple itself and the sacred utensils used in the service of God but the priests vestments, even their colors and the minutest details relating to them, were made in accordance with direc- tions from on high. It was but reasonable, then, the bishop thought, that under the new law Gods children should continue to erect and adorn temples-houses of beauty in which to assemble in Christ's name for the purpose of worship.
 Bishop Allen described in graphic lan- guage many of the splendid cathedrals of Europe and pointed to the devotional spirit and the self-sacrifice which gave the world the magnificent ministers of England and St. Giles of Edinburgh and St. Patrick's and Christ Church in Dublin. These were erected by the monks of old, and they stand as witnesses to the religious ardor of the church in days gone by. The speaker here paid glowing tribute to the good men who built the old cathedrals, and said the Christians of today needed more of the de- votional spirit and love for the church that characterized the followers of Christ in the ages past.
 Bishop Allen then touched briefly upon the sacraments of the church. and after exhorting Catholics to be faithful to their vows, he closed by congratulating the con- eregation of St. Anthony's upon the good work they had performed in erecting the new building which he had just dedicated.
 The above is but short outline of what was pronounced by those who had heard the bishop preach frequently one of the ablest and most instructive discourses that the distinguished prelate has ever de- livered in Jefferson County.
 The Music.