The Irish standard., 1902-03-15
RISEN FROM ITS ASHES.
Immaculate Conception Church
Farlbault. Mimi.

q 1Cu.ACCICA udy III liz uAu1AS VI IllC
parish of the Immaculate Conception,
Faribault, MINI. During the greater
part Of year, in fact since last June,
when the parish church was burned,
the members Of the parish have gone
to mass at the Church of the Sacred
Heart. All that time work has been
going forward as rapidly as the sea-
son permitted, and on last Sunday, for
the first time since the confagration,
they assembled again in the old
church.
1t was hardly the old church, how
ever, that welcomed them. Part Of the
old walls alone remain of what was
"the old church on the HILL" And
even these have been much improved
by two large mullioned windows, one
on each side, above each of which
rises slight gable that relieves the
harsh lines Of the roof. The old pill
lars that so considerably obstructed
the view for a time have disappeared.
The result is that the interior of the
sacred structure seems as large again
as it was. The floor has been made
to incline gently from door to altar
rail; the center aisle has been widened
new oaken pews take the place of the
old pine seats; the floor of the sanct-
uary has been tastily tiled; beautiful
stations of the cross in bas-rclief are
in place, and electric lights in album
dance show all these new beauties as
well by night as they can be seen by
day.
When the Jewish people came back
to Jerusalem from the captivity of
Babylon, the old men wept when they
saw how far the beauty of the new
temple that Zorobabcl was erecting
for them fell short of that Of the old.
Under the Zorobabel of Faribault all
this is reversed. The beauty of the
new church so far eXcels that of the
former edifice that the people of the
parish gather round Father Slcvin,
their pastor, and congratulate him
and themselves that the happy mis-
fortune which took away the old
church befell them. "Old Things art
done away-all things are become
new" may well express their Utmost
thought, as they enter the church that
now is.
Worthily to celebrate the resurrec-
ton Of the old parish church Father
Slevin gathered about him many of
his fellow priests. The pastors of the
other two Catholic churches of the
city, Fathers Ellshorst and Monge,
and Fathers Lawler and Cahill from
st. Paul and Father Danehy from
Minneapolis were present. The high
mass was sung by father Cahill, chan
cellor of the Archdiocese. Father
Ellshorst, of the Church of st. Law
renee, sang the vespers and Father
Monge of the Church of the Sacred
Heart gave the Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament. Father Danehy
preached at the high mass and the
evening discourse was delivered by
Father LAWYER
The subject of the morning sermon,
of which we here give summary,
was "The 1nfallibility of the Church."
The text selected was from st. Matth-
ew: "Jesus coming spoke to the eleven
saying: all power is given to me in
heaven and on earth. Go We, there
fore, and teach all nations II
to observe all things whatsoever 1
have commanded you, and behold
AIN with you all days even to the con-
summation of the world" Father
Danehy spoke substantially as fol-
lows:
The Catholic church is Gods great
est work on earth. 1t is the oldest
institution now on earth, counting its
years with the Christian era. Its
bishops join hands with the bishops of
every Christian age back to the days
Of the Apostles and are thus united in
unbroken succession to Jesus Christ
himself. 1t has withstood the shock
of persecution whether from Pagan,
Prince or Christian potentate from
weary age to age. 1t has witnessed
the rise and fall not only Of dynasties,
but of monarchies. Mighty enemies
from without and false brethren with
in have alike been unable to stay her
onward progress. She has as fearless
~ cut of from her communion the
mightiest bishop or the obscurest lay
man, the crowned monarch on his
throne, or the humblest subject in his
realm, when they were found to be
but dead branches on the true vine of
Christ. Now this more than human
power and this more than earthly
length Of days she owes to her I'M
broken unity. And her marvellous
unity is due wholly and solely to her
infallibility.
by infallibility is meant simply the
power to teach ut all times the truth
as Christ revealed it. If Christian
men today hesitate-as many do-to
admit that this power exists in the
Church, it Is because they are not
aware that Christ explicitly and en-
phatically endowed her with it. They