The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-23

Nearly three thousand persons from
the surrounding country witnessed the
laying of lie corner stone of the new
st. Philomena Catholic church, Haw-
ley by Rt. Rev. Bishop NJ. J. Hoban
yesterday afternoon. The Erie and
Wyoming train that left this city at
2 y. m. was composed of nine coaches.
all of which were comfortably filled
with Scrantonians bound for Hawley
to witness the ceremony.
Hawley was crowded to overhowing
with visitors, and the residents had
dressed the town in gala attire. When
the last excursion trains from Scran-
ton and Honesdale had emptied their
loads of human freight, a procession
of visitors containing easily twenty
five hundred persons started up Main
street, headed by the Forest band.
They passed under the large evergreen
| arch that had been erected, then turn
ing into Sixteenth street, proceeded
to the site of the church.
The proposed new church will oc-
cupy the corner of Sixteenth and
| Twentieth streets, upon the same
ground where formerly stood the old
| and historic cdifice 1t succeeds. The
/ foundation walls of the new church
have already been built, and II is ex-
pected that the building will be ready
| for occupancy on January l next.
LAYING THE STONE.
At the point where the corner stone
was to be placed, small pavilion,
decorated with the national colors, was
erected. At o'clock, the procession
of priests and acolytes proceeded to
the basement of the church, where
| the cross under the altar was blessed,
after which the procession to the pa
vilion took place. Here the Litany of
Saints was chanted, after which the
stone was blessed and placed by the
bishop. There was a beautiful appro-
priatness in the laying of this corner
stone by Bishop Hoban, because in the
| humble little edifice that preceded the
| proposed structure he first worshipped
| as a little boy at the altar of his God
| The sermon OF the day was preached
by Very Reverend Eugene A. Gar
vey, of Pittston. He took as his text
from Genesis: "And this stone which
l have set up shall be called the house
| of God"
The sermon was an eloquent and
impressive one and held the profound
Il
| close. He told of the propriety of
erecting becoming temples for the wor-
ship of the Lord and approved the
spirit of the early Romans who, sim
pie and frugal in their private lives,
were sumptuous and generous in wor-
shipping their gods. There was time
when the Christians, struggling few,
paid homage to their Creator in pri-
|
subterranean caverns," but that day is
past. Now in liberty and sunlight
they may bow before their God and it
is fitting that they show their graft
tude by erecting temples in keeping
with the dignity of the Almighty.
PROGRESS OF CHURCH.
After felicitating the congregation OF
st. Philomena upon its growth and
progress, which necessitated the con-
struction of the new edifice, the speak
er narrated the progress the church
has made and is making in alleviating
the suffering of humanity, evangeliz-
ing to the poor, championing the
cause of the oppressed and pointing
out to her children the straight and
narrow path that leads to life.
After strongly asserting that were
the Catholic church to suddenly cease
to exist 1t would be one of the great
est calamities that ever befell the world
and would leave a void that none of
the other sects and no other influence
could fill, the speaker again directed
his remarks toward the new church.
He closed by declaring to the parish
toner's that the great work they were
| doing in erecting a temple to GOD
would become more apparent as the
years passed. Here the waters of bap-
tism will be poured upon the heads OF
your offspring. Here your marriage
vows will be plighted, and here, after
life's fitful fever is over, your cold and
silent remains will be carried to re-
ceive the last benediction Of Mother
Church. God grant then, dear breth-
rem, that by your devotion, generosity
and zeal you will uphold your pastor