The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-03

he won by love of himself rather thar
conquered by the awe of his station OF
the fame of his name.
But not merely as man. we knew
and loved him; he was our priest
our pastor, our defender our common
father, our counselor, our guide, oul
comforter, and our refuge. How many
there are in this hall tonight who have
been baptized at his hands; who whis-
pered their first trembling confession
into his ear: who received their mrs.
communion from him; who, when sick
were visited and consoled by him; and
how many there are whose dead nave
been laid away in the Lord through
his kindly ministrations. o, the charm
of the intimacy that binds together
a Catholic pastor and his faithful
people! How mighty, though unseeT
and sometimes seemingly unfelt, those
cords Of love that, having in theil
strands no thread of earthly or materi-
al passion, yet bind and control oul
lives and hold them to their proper
sphere as irresistibly and as surely as
the unseen, the unfelt, but giant force
that keeps the planet to its orbit
This mighty love, this inexpressible
charm Of intimacy was ours for nearly
a score of years, growing daily strong
er by what it daily fed on.
Is it to be wondered at that to-
night this long and strong love, like a
vigorous and stately tree comes to
maturity, here bourgeons and flowers
into this magnificent demonstration OF
affection, as If to say to all the world
Here was the peoples man; here was
the peoples priest; and. all the peo-
Pile love him unashamed.
Right Reverend Bishop-for to that
title has it come at last-on behalf of
Z f1r text R,,r,4
and last care as a pastor, l beg of you
to accept this tribute of their love, and
I dare to invite you to give answer to
this challenge of their affections, by
assuring this assembly that in the
future the parish of the Sacred Heart
! Church of Worcester shall ever be
particularly dear to you, even as it
has been throughout all the past since
its foundation.
1--WE are fully aware, Right Rever-
rnd Sir, that this poor tribute of ours
when measured against the magnifi-
cent tribute of honor and respect SO
lately paid to you in the time-honored
cathedral of His Eminence at Balt!-
more. or weighed with the beautiful
tribute of friendly affection given you
but yesterday in our own church by
the good bishop of this diocese, falls
far short of what is rightly due the
exalted station to which you have just
beer elevated; nay, more, it falls still
further short Of what our affections
would joyfully see accorded to you
TO" we have known your work and
your worth for many years. We havs
watched together with our fellow
members the clergy and the laity of
the universal church in America, youI
EHtiring championship of every good
cause in which the proud old race
whose blood runs red In your veins
has been interested your interchangeable
zeal in advancing every proper move
ment for the beuterment IF humanity
your answering devotion TO Mother
Church, and your signal achievements
in ftrthering the interests OF intellec-
tual Catholicity-We have seen your
hair literally grow white in Gods work
and the peoples service, and finally
we have lived to see-thank Cod
not alone the success. but tie reward
ard crown or your labors. Wear, then
your prelate's mitre with dignity as
by right, and taking from your oTr
l;Is the blessed wish you SO recent y
..oc'eSsed to aEother-may you live tC
exercise the Der eficent sway of epis-
copal authority I'D mult0s amos, a.
multos amos, ad multos amos.
In placing at your feet this tribute
of a people s love, it seems proper to
remind you, dear Bishop, that, though
no honor, rank, or title, can ever come
/ to you that we could possibly think toe
good for you, this love of ours had still
remained your own though you were
always to be the simple priest whom
we first learned to love as the ange
of Gods altar and who finally became
the idol of our homes. Those homes. as
you know, though rich in the priceless
wealth of affection, are not all palaces
! in the vulgar, tawdry modern sense OF
dissemination and display. They are the
homes of brawny, strong hearted
happy, independent, men and women
And out of them, and from these men
and women, now sitting joyfully in YOU
| presence, there have come many, Oh
| so many, blessed mites, free-will offer
! ings, heart-blest gifts, and these mites
may I be permitted to say, using one
| of loves beautiful fictions,-have beer
by the power of love transmitted into
pure gold. This gold 1 now hold in
my hands, and these good people have
done me the honor of commissioning
me to ask you to accept 1t, not indeed
as expressive by quantity of the love
they bear you, but as signifying by its
fine and indestructible qualities the
pure and deathless affection with
which they shall ever regard you. The
commission of the people of Sacred
Heart parish to me was: Ask him tC
accept it from US in the spirit with
which it was given, and with it ash
him to take the love Of all our hearts,
Drohan was we'll rendered. Bishop
Conaty was presented to the audienc
! by FIR. Foley who refrained from say
ing an Introductory word. AS Bishop
| Conaty rose he was greeted with tn
| multuous applause, the entire assem-
bly, rising in his honor. He said:
Reverend Chairman, Ladies ant
Gentlemen:-I am a little bit sorr!
that l have a heart tonight for / an
afraid of 1t during this demonstration
This mark of a peoples love makes i
difficult for a heart to say wha
should be said. My thanks to the com
mittee of the parish among whom
recognize men who have beaten tim
with me more than once in the worl
Of the last 20 years; to the choirS o
the parish who have shown not toda,
but during the years past their effort
to make the service of the Sacred
Heart in keeping with the ambition
of the parish; the children of fthe Sun
day school represented by Master Han
ley and Miss Kelly; the responses 0
the people, all those deserve my heart
felt thanks indeed.
II may well say it is good for us t.
be here tonight, good for us to lool
once again into one anothers eyes ant
see where we have found inspiration
from the successes of the past. It wa
my privilege to have been your frs
pastor 1t was an honor to have re
ceived that charge and well remem
Der those early days in the Sacred
Heart We had no such ceremony a
we have had during the past few
years. we had no such gathering o
the people but we had determined mel
and women who were one with thei
,nastnr in the ambition to have q par