The St. Louis Republic., 1903-07-27
The Reverend Father j. C. Burke
PAYS Tribute to the Dead
Pontiff at st. Francis
Navicf.

Francis Xavier College, Church. Mass
was conducted by the Reverend Father
/ Eugene Conahan of Detroit. Mich. and n
| special song programme was rendered by
| the choir.
| The Reverend Father ]. C. Burke in his
! sermon delivered an eloquent panegyric on
! the life of the late Pope. The services Were
| only parish memorial for the dead Pontiff
and only preparatory to the diocesan serv-
ices, to be held in the old Cathedral
| Wednesday. The Reverend Father Burke
in his sermon spoke as follows:
! THE Christian world has seldom. II ever,
| witnessed so widespread and profound an
! interest as that manifested within the last
| few days. when the news Of the death Of
| our common father. Leo XIII, was flashed
| around the globe; nor was it only among
| Christian men and women that this wide
| spread sympathy found place, but men of
) varying creeds and beliefs: men of no re-
ligion or faith shared in the universal sor
row. The Catholic mourned that the COM
mon father oil Christendom was taken from
his childIen-summoned to his well-meritad
reward: the noncathoHc. that a great and
| holy man. whose influence for good was
widespread on earth. had laid down the
| cross so bravely borne to assume a never
fading crown.
| Never, We may say. in the history Of the
| last 800 years. has any event produced such
| universal sorrow and regret, and, what Is
| more significant. never has ChristenGon
| been SO united in sincere testimonials to the
| worth and goodness OF any man as to the
memory of Leo NH.
From day TO day, rs his mortal sickness
F, grew upon him. eager eyes scanned the
news of his struggle, and loving hearts
vent out in symIathy and prayer for the
venerable sufferer. that ne whose indomit
| able Will has So often conquered would, in
| Gods mercy, prove victorious in the struS-
gle, and live for many years to carry on
! the glorious work Of his pontifcate. But
| God saw otherwise, and when the fatal
| news arrived it Was to tell us that in his
| last agony. worn out with years and sick
| ness, sinking into tine arms of death. with
the shaGoW5 of eternity gathering about
| him. his last thoughts We're with the church
he loved 50 we'll; mis- last words. fathers
| tender blessing upon his children. Surely
we may say in the words of st. John. The
hon of judah has corquered'-conquered
the woiia by his sanctIty. his greatness,
his christlike sympathy for the human race.
THE FAMOUS NAME. OF LEO.
! We'll has Joachim Pccci spoken on that
10th. of February. ISIS. w:.cn. elected +, ,he
| chair of Peter. he declared the narHe by
which he was to be known in history 10
| be that OF the thirteenth Leo. 1t is a
significant fact. for this thirteenth Leo of
the ropes compressed into the long and
useful years Or his reign the characteristics
OF many OF the Leos who had made that
name famous in the annals of the papacy.
1t was Leo the Great who went forth
from the Eternal City to meet the scourge
or God, AttiiA. ard saved civilization from
the lnroads of that fierce barbarian. 1t
was a Leo III VINO crowned a Charlie
inagne: II was IL Leo ~ VINO saved Rome
from the Si,racens: II was a Leo N who
repressed. by his energy. courage and vir-
\ who added glory TO his pontificate IN the
period of the Renaissance. by his promo
,tn tion OF arts and letters. Ali these have
lived again in The reign of Leo XIII. In
him we find the literary spirit of n en
y. the patron of learnirs, and science like
leo le |, ne was the uncompromisng opponent
cialisrn and anarcy; like Leo ". he was
the preserve1 of the Christian family The
SacTeancss IS, OF the marriage tie from the
modern i lnfideiity. or rather paganisn. which
threatens to destroy our civilization Ha
mas, mas crowned labor by proclairning he
the sanctity of toll rs consecrated by. the
choice of the workman of Nazareth.
sr,"o C cannot nope to comprise within the
S!PrI"Gs I reign; fer the biography of Leo
IINui Is the history OF the world for tne
ID las, quarter of century. but let US glance
al al. the condition OF the papacy twenty-five
years ago; when he ascended the throne Of
feter. What We're the conditions thai con-
d,Untea n,,. . MN; The papacy stood alone with
oul = friend among the Powers of the
World-shorn of its temporal power, with
Unica Uot fferritory without an army. without a
was proclaimed by its enemies that The
papacy was dead: that as its place on the
nap ma was erased so would its power over
Wy hearts or men cease to exist. and Leo
MI NJ assumed the place of Plus N who
nad died prisoner. What a prnsnect nas
Of ssht sat ann me. s,4. the gaze of this ra old man
,s by rrovidence TO guide the destinies of the
IL M 7
But this lion of the fold of Judah di5 No.
tsd bsd neaT' s; ais faith was strong in him who
tG nau t5a Saia: .BehoId. ! am with you ali 6ays
S ooh9u upward when human help was nm
dattdL,ins, at,aL around him all was dark bmt
in prophecy to h,a was that motto ascrbed
iore-I.umen in coelo' Tbe ~ sas, oe
hhefaVen)-that hfr, illumned the darkness arnund nu
Il need not tell you of bfs r.o-,ors,,,
energy, his activity. his loving "UusrfIi cbaritv
Seveoned Gnteh out OF these elements of weakness
written in the history of COW n+anI,,s iur II IS
events ever OF all these in no uncertain cbarac.
hereditary foes he Of the Helv fhe e2sity Of The
winning personality. Joined t,i,b INV b"aI ms
renee ano strength of character raised ~.
merly adorned as the yreates, "Iicm mel II for
IN the world for the Regeneration and nonea
0l OH me IN human race his forceful intercession
ameioration Of the religious Conditions % 'He in
russia. Germany. Turkey. persis ts S.a; IN
france: G IN every land his voice was raised |
for peace and unity was idiseu
., Nor need recount his efforts throushou.
ttese ne years to better the social condition of
the world. the vexed question of iabor - VI |
cdpl'al: ire greed for territory and its COR
Selueht miserles of war and bloodshed. bis
enorts 10 brlng back the intellectI1ai world
ing. anu act
Nor was his pen less active tb., IT.,
voice IN that 1t Transcribed those immort1I
documents which contain the true soIrtion |
OF an those VeXed questions which disturb
the peace OF society in this our age In a |
Wotu. ms whoe life of marvellous activity
was spent, as he himself so patheticaIIv ar
pressed it in one of his letters 20 yecsiI
men from their utter forgetfulness of eter- |
nal things and to recall them tn tboi- |
allegiance to the church OF Christ
WORLD BOWED WITH SORROW.
Is II any wonder that the world is bowed |
with sorrow at the death Of such a man
That the world recognizes the loss ~ en- |
great personality, such influence welded !,
for all that was hottest and purest and hes. Z,
in the service of God and men?
Yes. Leo. the lion. has conquered and |
!he World nows in veneration and love at |
the bier of the vicar of Christ: the Prince |
of peace: the Pope of the poor: the svn,-
pathetic father of Christendom
lie Is gone; that eloquent voice is stilIed |
forever that venerable form, that seemed |
IN IT'S very spirituality disembodied spirit. |
has laid aside its activity forever: those |
bright and searching eyes that scanned |
the worlds troubles and doubts are closed |
in the sleep OF death: the hands that were |,
raised but IN peace and benediction are COM
posed for the long sleep of the grave. |
But the spirit of the great Pontif lives. !
True, his personality will no more direct |
q Of ;uio