The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07
TRIBUTE TO BISHOP CRETIN
Eloquent Grafton Delivered by Judge William
L. Kelly at the Semi Centennial
Jubilee Anniversary.


jub lee anniversary Of the arrival at st.
Paul of its first Catholic bishop, Right
Rev Joseph A. Cretin.
Mr.. Chairman: In this distinguished
presence, gentlemen so eminent in
church and state; confronted by so vast
an audience; expected to speak to a sub
ject which to properly present requires
time, requirements and gifts 1 do not
pOsSess-the historians research, the
poets imagination, the orators matcn-
less power may well. on the very
threshold, pause to crave the most in
dulgent consideration from you ALL my
neighbors and my friends.
The average duration of human life,
we are told, is but thirty-three years
The individual man may, then, properly
measure his existence by days. Great
communities like cities and nations, by
years. But there is one institution, and
indisputable and Stupendous fact In
human history, which tells it's years
upon the rosary of the centuries-the
church Catholic-the Church of the
Living God
From that first Pentecost in an upper
chamber in Jerusalem, when the visible
presence Of the Holy Ghost rested as in
tongues Of fire upon each of the apos-
Tolic band, to the last in yonGer
cathedral, by the authority of Christ and
under the seal of the Fisherman's Ring
she has been for all times, for all men,
Tor all conditions Of life an unerring
guide and most tender mother.
This great multitude of earnest and en-
thusiastic men and wcmen before me. in
this city, which a few years ago was an
almost unknown frontier village now
The magnificent capital Of a magnificent
state, assembled to commemorate the
Ill ueJh anniversary Of the coming of
bishop Of the ancient faith and the
founding here Of his see, attest as notn-
Ing else can, the truth, the vitality. the
power the universally of the teaching
church
My friends mere in St Paul. in this
Auditorium at the close of the nine
teenth century, there are as many diff
1erent languages and dialects spoken by
men, who learned them at their mothers
Knee as were heard on the streets Of
JrusaIem at the first Pentecost. And
now as then, whatever the tongue
wherein we were born, whatever the
race or cline or color we hear from our
Holy Mother the voice of Peter through
the lips Of Leo XIII. and the priesthood
and hierarchy whom he and MS prede-
ceSsors have sent, procla inning to all
men the wonderful works of God" and
hearing We bow before the Lord Jesus
who commissioned Peter
Our celebration of Bishop Cretin's
by reason of its composite character be-
comes Tor us all, whether inside or out
side her never closed portals, an object
lesson of the worldwide presence of
mother church.
And, for US who in the voice of Leo
Mi. recognize the teaching authority
Of Peter, this demonstration is an act
Of faith as magnificent as it is public.
WISH to particularly emphasize the
llsl
non-Catholic fellow citizens taking part
in this jubilee. 1t is especially fitting
OLD settlers, that you are here, for you
welcomed fifty years ago with our
brethren, some who are with us still
and many who have fallen asleep, their
bishop at yonder landing. You stood side
by side with them that happy day. and
You and they, through sunshine and
storm, laid deep and broad the fonda
tons OF our beautiful city. And YOU
twain wrote above it's portals, 'WeI-
Come to all who come willing to labor
bearing the olive branch of peace" And.
lhougn peIchance an alien hand sought
TO SOW the dragons teeth, you helped
us stamp out that harvest ere it riDene5
mo wrath. We bid You welcome, non
catholic friends, old settler and new
conner alike. And We pray God that in
Ihe future we viii in all that upIifts
and enncbles humanity continue to stand
slue by side and that His divine grace
VIII eventually span as with a bridge Of
stars tine space that divides all Christian
peoples.
This latest part Of the nineteenth CEN
tury to me seems full Of signs, which
Ioreteli the wonders of the twentieth.
Beneath the surface humanity's great
heart is throbbing as never before and
needs but the Masters touch to bring
all IT'S hopes into full fruition.
never before have art, invention sci
ence ana tireless effort made the nations
so near and knowledge so easy. Steam
ana eiectIiclUy-Ur to state it more aeon
1aJely, electricity and Steam-are oblit-
Grating time and space. That wondrous
PIouuCuon OF brain, muscle and machin-
cry, the daily newspaper places in orr
hands each morning the Chronicle of
events over all the earth. The lands
nave been 8ridirCned with steel the
mountains pierced or surmOunted the
ocean depths invaded with wires puls-
ing with human thought We call orr
last ships now the "greyhounds Of the
seas, ana over the land with almost fine
s"Htncss Of an arrows flight the wheels
u commerce move. Activity marks all
peoples and in every department. The
spirit of inquiry which is the shirt of
unrest Tor many, inyades all ranks Of
society, among none greater than with
our christian peoples Among them es
peclally t1cre is activity in thinking. in
doing, in learning. Now, this truth ie
evident mat the more We know. the
more we travel, the nearer We get to
true Knowledge Of things, OF OURSELVES
ana ~ each other, the broader and bet
lef ana more tolerant we all become
HE ola philosopher left this as the slIn
a wisdom: Know thyself" [ presume
70 "cd' know yourself" as you really
"'1. ana Know your noighbor as he is
nm Tact and not as his enemies or voIr
lielul!cc5 have painted him.
" '-3 this feeling in my heart tonight.
clal'' hands with all at this our iubi-
lee.
IN 1879 the white population of ST. Paul
YVES aoont 80 souls the whole state
-'.5- --Ao yet, with what seems to Us
j" N clhetic vision, the council Of
Halunore In May Of that year. repre-
senJe5 to the holy see the proprietv Of
erecting a blshopric at ST. Paul 1t was
not until the next year. owing to the
revolutionary troubles of the times that
Rome acted. On July 49, 1850, he new
see OF St Paul took its place in the his
tory of the church and of the world, and
on July 3, 1870, Joseph A Cretin, Illus
trlou3 rs the parish priest of Ferrev.
was named its first bishop Consecrated
on Jan. 81 1851, in Bel,ey, France, by tie
bishop who had twenty-eight years before
elevated him to the priesthood, he
started Without delay on his then long
and IaooHoIS journey 10 his post Of
duty And th)Ugh as was the fact in
all his vast see but two priests awaited
his com3r on al 81. Pau, the other in
distant FeInb.na, ana though his pro-
eathe raj was a log cabin ana his epis-
CGDal residence no more Dre4entio,,e .