The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-28
MASS OF: REQUIEM
IN THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN
THE BAPTIST.
IN MEMORY OF LEO XIII.
TRIBUTE TO LIFE AND WORK OF
THE DEAD PONTIFF.

and tbs Services Were GrundlN
Beautiful and Impressive - Re
ouirm Mass Was Celebrated by
Rev. Father Kennedy, Who After
wnrds Delivered EuIOEy on Pope
Leo XHI-John Weignnd's First
REQUIEM Mass sung by Cathedral
Choir Under Director Rebarer.
Solemnly beautiful and grandly i'm
pressive were the services held in the
sonabre-draped Cathedral of St. John
the Baptist yesterday morning. In
the presence of a congregation that
completely filed the great edifice the
ceremonies appointed by the church
in reference to the death and burial
of Pope Leo XIII. were conducted by
Rev. Father Kennedy. assisted by sew
eral members of the clergy The
Solemn High Mass of Requiem was
followed by a short eulogy, pronounc-
ed by the celebrant, and this was
followed with the ceremony of the
absolution. The immense assemblage
heard with attention and interest the
words of the rector and all Catholics
present joined in the devotions Of
the mass. Father Kennedy spoke of
the pastoral letter addressed to the
Catholics by Bishop Kelley and quot
ed some portions of the tribute then
paid to the dead Pontiff.
The Solemn High Mass of Requiem
was begun at o'clock with Rev. Faith
er Kennedy, celebrant. Rev. Father
Quinlan. of st. Patrick's Church, dea-
con, and Rev Father Mcguire, sub
deacon: Master of Ceremonies, Daniel
Mccarthy. Censor Bearer, Wilder
Adams, acolytes of the mass, Mas
tiers Michael Mccarthy, and Andrew
Ambrose. Twelve little boys acted as
torch bearers.
The music Of John Weigands first
Requiem Mass was splendidly given by
the Cathedral choir. under direction of
Prof F. E. Rebarer
Father kennedy's Tribute.
At the interval between the mass
and the service of absolution Father
Kennedy, rector of the Cathedral, said:
The heavy drapery of mourning which
encircles the sanctuary and entwines
the pillars of this Cathedral and which
will remain here according to our Bish-
ops direction for the space of thirty
days, keeps before our mind the great
affiiction and sad loss the church mill
tant has sustained in the passing from
earth of the noble soul Of the illus
trious successor of St. Peter, Leo XIII.
For a period of over two weeks the
world literally stood amazed, and
watched with sympathetic admiration
the noble efforts which the aged Pom
tiff made TO conquer the weakness of
his fragile frame when lowering al
most within the shadow of death. Dur
ing that time the faithful as well as
many outside the fold betook them
selves TO prayer, imploring, that, if it
might be pleasing and agreeable to
the Almighty Will,God would spare the
life of his wonderful Pontiff to the
world and humanity for a few years
longer But God ordained otherwise;
il was Gods will now TO relieve His
of his earthly labors, labors
which he performed so wisely and so
Though his wonderful
rallies almost from the jaws of death
gave 1s some hope of permanent recov-
cry, yet il was Gods wish at that time
to take him and call him unto Him
self And so that mortal frame so
steel-like in endurance, but above all
so well tempered by the greatest mod
GRAFTON, al last yielded to the ravages
Of the king of terrors, and succumbed
TO the grim destroyer of human life
death. And the emaciated and lifeless
form of our once noble leader and
guide in the things that appertain to
God and our soul, has been conveyed
TO its resting place. in the crypt of st.
Peters.
A Great Pope Dead.
The long reign of the pontihcate of
Leo XIII has come to a close. The
action of that pontificate have been
recorded and can well await the final
judgment of posterity. The actions of
Leo have come to an end, and the
man. as priest, bishop and pope, has
gone to receive the judgment of the
Almighty. His was an age of giants
in intellect. none of whom outclassed
him; all of whom he outlived. 1t may,
with truth. be said that a great Pope
is dead. and doubtful it is If this or a
proximate generation shall see as
great a one.
Though dead, Leo XIII will yet in a
certain sense always live; he will live
first of all in history as perhaps the
greatest pope who has sat In the chair
of Peter since the sixteenth century;
he will live in the grateful memory
and profound gratitude of his spiritual
children. as the great pope who, by
his blameless life, supreme intellectual
ity and sanity earnestness, not only
won for himself the highest reverence
of all men of noble mind, but won also
for the church the high regard of all
peoples of purpose and nobility OF
sublime and wonderful intellect he
era sped and answered. and that sue
cessfully. the many social. political and
philosophical questions that disturbed
society in his time and his encyclicals
that have stood the scrutiny of all hon
est enquiries will yet remain the stan
dard for the success vi s 1lu ions of erava
questions yet to arise in the future
Kind. Gentle and COnsiderate.
Lofty as he was of mind. Leo was
good of heart; his wonderful life was
dominated by the spirit of kindliest
good will. Faithful to his high calling
to the Roman pontificate, than which
there is no post of honor or duty in
the world more elevated or more grand
more difficult to fill or more response
bic. Catholic in every fibre of his be-
ing and every inch a pope, Leo XIII
yet always managed to be kind, gen.
tie, and considerate. His life was I'M
sullied; he was deeply imbued with
the spirit of faith; he lived and work
ed purely for God and the welfare OF
society; he shone in every virtue; made
he was, it would seem to win the
hearts of men, for he was simple and