The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-06-13
IMPOSING CEREMONIES.
Dedication Of ST. vincent's School, St
Paul, Last Sunday.

to0l 0uuudys
st. Vincent's School of the Blessed
Sacrament, Virginia avenue and La
Fond street, which was opened last
September, was formally blessed by
Archbishop Ireland at 10 o'clock last
Sunday morning. The ground was
broken for the school on the feast Of
All Saints, 1900, the cornerstone was
blessed and laid on July p, 1901, by
the Very Rev. John N. Stariha, then
vicar general of st. Paul and now
bishop at Lead, S. D., and the dedica-
ton was completed OH the 18th inst.
by the ceremonies conducted by Arch
bishop Ireland.
The occasion was made an impOs-
ing one. \ procession was formed at
the parish residence and marched to
the school. 1t was headed by twenty
five altar boys, who were followed by
the priests and delegations of the
Hibernians, Daughters of Erin and
the Catholic Order of Foresters, who
served as guard of honor and a re-
ception committee for the archbishop.
The priests in the procession were:
Rev. Fl. Moynihan, president of St.
Thomas college, who acted as master
of ceremonies; Rev. Richard Cahill,
secretary to Archbishop Ireland; Rev.
Gregory Koering and Rev. l.. Cos
grove, pastor of st. Vincent's.
The blessing was read at the build
ing and the holy water sprinkled out
side and inside the school, and then
Rev. Richard Cahill celebrated high
mass at the church. Archbishop Ire
land preached the sermon and took for
his theme the necessity, value and
benefits of Catholic education.
st. Vincent's school is an imposing
structure three stories high, and
stands in spacious grounds, large
enough, after providing ample play
ground for the children, to afford an
enclosed park prettily laid out in
greensward and flower beds The
building is of the colonial style Of
architecture from Twin City mottled
pressed brick, with Georgia marble
trimmings. The entrance is approach
ed by a spacious promenade of Port
land stone.
The rooms are finished in quarter
sawed white oak and the floors are
of polished marble. There are eight
class rooms, with seating capacity
of 500. They are large and well
lighted, each having six windows.
Recreation and toilet rooms are locat-
ed in the basement as is the steam
heating plant. This portion of the
building is well lighted by large Win
dows There is an ornamental foun-
tain in the middle of the playground
The parochial circulating library is
located in the vestibule of the main
entrance.
An event unique in the records of
the church in the, Northwest took
place in the afternoon in the confirm
alton of $50 converts. many more by
far than were ever confirmed at one
time in this part of the country. The
ceremony was exclusively for converts
and was the browning work of mis-
.sionary labors for the past fifteen
months. Ten nationalities We're rep
resented, and among those that re-
ceived the sacrament of confirmation
was Samuel Lung. IL ChinAman who
has resided in ST. Paul for eighteen
years. Mr. Lung took the name Of
the distinction of being Minnesota's
first Chinese Catholic convert. and
probably the first in the entire North
west.
Archbishop Ireland preached to the
converts and dwelt on the qualitica-
tons necessary for the soldier of
istering the sacrament by Rev. II.
Moynihan, d. d., Rev. Patrick f..
O'Brien, senior professor at st. Thorn
as college; Rev. j. ]. Lawler, pastor of
the cathcdral; Rev. j. II. Harrison,
pastor of st. Joseph's; Rev. A. Nc
Nulty, pastor of st. Lukc's; Rev. \.
Carey, st. Vincent's; Rev. Dominic A.
Majer, pastor of ST. Adelbert's; Rev.
Gregory KOering, chaplin House of
Good Shepherd, and Rev. L. Cosgrove,
pastor of st. Vincent's
The music was supplied by the
Mozart club in the morning and was
of a very high quality.
The ceremonies of the day closed
with vespers. sermon and benedcton.
Rev. Patrick Il. O'Bricn delivered the
sermon, in the course of which he
took occasion to pay an eloquent trib-
ute to the Jealous work of the pastor
and people of st. Nincent's parish. He
said in part:
''To-day's ceremony has magnctiZcd
the gaze of the city of st. Paul upon
this parish of ST Vincent. To-day has
witnessed in the presence of the great
archbishop of the Northwest, the
browning of Is years of Catholicity in
the parish which he has honored with
his pontifical presence. 1t is no I'M
usual thing, of course. to see great
progress from small beginnings, to see
stately church on the ruins of a
humble edifice, to see parish marked
with new homes and increased with