The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1901-12-21

always Appealed more to the Irish
| Imagination than the social side. If
there is any half-heartedness in the
nature OF the latter celebra lions there
is not in the former. The intensely re-
, Igious bent of the Irish character IS at
no time more strikingly in evidence
than at Christmas. In the cities the
churches are thronged with crowds of
devout WOrshippers from 6 o'clock in
the morning, when first mass is cele-
brated, and numbers make a point Of
attending three masses and taking part
in other devotional exercises. OF late
years midnight mass has not been
celebrated often in the public churches,
but only in convent chapels: however.
whenever permission is accorded to
the public to attend midnight mass III
any of the city churches the permits
sion is awaited of by as many as the
sacred edifices can hold. When the
lord mayor of Dublin is Catholic
which is usually the case. he and the
other Catholic members of the corpora
ton attend, in their robes of state, the
celebration of high mass III the pro-
cathedral, Marlborough street: the
archbishop of Dublin is likewise pres
ent during these ceremonies.
Dublin has deservedly acquired the
name of being the most charitable city
in the world. and its claim 10 this
title is never better eXemplified than on
Christmas day; when in every lnsti-
tuition founded for the relief of the
poor and suffering, especial efforts are
made to alleviate the hard lot OF the
inmates. Hospitals aud pourhoUse
wards are made gay for the time be-
ing, with decorations, and tempting
fare is provided for the patients. The
staffs, aided by kindly visitors. provide
entertainments in the form OF con-
certs, dramatic performances, etc. Tor
the amusement of those who have been
obliged by poverty or illness to throw
themselves on the charity of the pub
lie Everything is done which kindly
thought and Christian charity can &c
wise to make the most afflicted realize
that the season is indeed one when
peace on earth and good will to
men" prevail. Yet the stats of these
charitable institutions declare that ev-
cry inmate who posS the poorest
of the poor homes and who has the
strength to go there, makes an effort
to leave the hospital ward il possible
before Christmas, in order 10 go home,
for after all, there is 10 place Ike
home"
In remote country parts the same
facilities for holding religious cere-
monies are not. of course, available.
but the faith of the people is none the
less intense, though the incentives to
devotion are scantier.
For many a weary mile over rocky
mountains and wet bogland, old and
young will tramp to Mass and wait
patiently often in damp and scanty
clothes, the coming of the priest. Many
of these country churches raised by the
pence of the poor after the long night
of the penal times are Wretched build !
ings, woeful contrast to the beautiful |
ruins of our old-time churches, now
crumbling fast. UnpictureSque, bare, |
draughty and comfortless, as too many |
of our modern Irish churches are, they |
hold unquestionably the most reverent |
and deeply deyout congregations in the |
world, as foreign visitors, both clerical
and lay often remark. The Holy |
Child in the Crib is never left alone, |
for many Irish mother brings her !
child there :, pray, and still through |
the ages, ascend to heaven from Ire
land the voices of little children, those |
same voices which Patrick heard cry
ing to him in the long ages, calling |
him to return to Ireland to preach the |
coming of Christ.
The traditional white Christmas is |
not often with us in Ireland. We usu- |
ally have mild weather, but sometimes /
storm and rain take the place of the |
frost and snow experienced in most |
northern European countries. Last {,
Christmas there were severe gales on
the west coast of Ireland and the ISL |
ands off the coast felt the full force of |
their fury.
This reminds me of a graphic de-
scription which was written to me in
Irish last Christmas, by "a friend who |.
was stopping in Aran, of the manner in
which he had spent Christmas there.
My friend began his letter by saying:
This is a strange Christmas. 1 think
that this poor island is the only place
in the Catholic world where there is
not Mass today. The priest has been
unable to land here on account of the
storm, and as we are without Mass or
priest we assembled our family and |
friends here in our house and we have
just stood up from our knees, having
recited the Rosary. l hope God will
hear our prayers since it was not His
will to send US today the priest to eel
citrate Mass" My friend then pro-
ceeded to give a graphic description of
the storm raging on the cliffs of Aran,
and told how the vessel by which he
had arrived the previous week from
Galway had nearly suffered shipwreck,
and how several islanders on board had
gathered together to prepare. as they
thought, for death, and to pour forth
prayers in Irish, the best language in
the world for prayer. The description
would be spoiled in the translation, so
l will quote it, but 1 can assure the
reader that it was a very powerful and
poetic piece of Irish writing, and the
of that strange, wild, desc
late Christmas always stands out in
my mind whenever l think of Christ
mas in Ireland 1t should be explained
for the benefit Of American readers un-
acquainted with the geography of our
western coast that there are three ISL
8nds of Aran-AIranmore, Inismead-
hon and Inisiar--and that both the par
ish priest and curate reside in Aran-
more. There is no priest resident on
or on Inisiar, and the Gu
rate comes across, weather permitting,
On Saturday night in "curach" (ca-
nOe) to Inisiar where he celebrates first
Mass on Sunday morning, and then
crosses over to Inismeadhon where he
celebrates second Mass. During the
winter, storms are frequent and weeks
sometimes pass by without the priest
being able to land either on south or
middle island Qnismeadhon or Inisiar).
it so happened, as above
described, last Christmas, with regard
% Inismeadhon, the priest having been
able to effect a landing only at Inisiar.
"Aran of the Saints" is so famous as
having been the home of many Irish
saints in days gone by, whose dust has
mingled with the soil there, and of
whose existence we are still reminded
1y the ruined remains of the churches
which they built, that it is necessary
o dwell on the claims which it has on
he interests of all Irish people. The