The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-16
POPE LED KITS
 LONG PONTIF|CATE
,,wenty-ffth Anniversary to Be
 Duly Celebrated Here.
BISHOP ALLEN BREACHES
At St. Paul's-Diseusse Sacrament of Matrimony, and Says Church Abhors and Detests Mixed
 Marriaees-The Music.

At the various masses in the Catholic churches yesterday the following circular letter was read;
 Mobile, Ala, February, 1903. Dear Rev. Father
 The 20th of February completes the twenty-fifth year of the Pontficate of our Holy Father Leo XIII It Is Hitting that the day should be celebrated by some special commemoration. The mass of the day, which ought to be A high mass may be offered up for the Holy Father, and the faithful-especially the children attending the parish schools should be encouraged to receive ioly Communion as a thank offering to the Almighty God for the long and fruitful Pontihcate of Leo XIII. For this ln- tention also the prayer Pro Papa will be said in the mass from February so to March g. inclusive. whenever the rublcs permit, and at the end of the mass one Our Father, hail and the verslcle.
 Let us pray for our sovereign ron, tiff I,eo The Lord preserve him and | give him life and make him blessed upon i earth, and deliver him not unto the VIII | of his enemies At the end of the mass on February 7 ! the Te Deum should be chanted In Lauf or in English. EpN. |, Ahl.r1N, | I w. SHAW. Bishop of Mobile Secretary
 St. Pau's Church. At St. Paul's Catholic church the Rev Father O'Reily said the half-past seven o'clock mass the Rev. Father Urban said the 9 o'clock mass and the Rev. Father Kerrigan was the celebrant at high mass at 10:30 o'clock. At the low mass the Right Rev. Bishop Allen occupied the pulpit. He preached on the sacrament of
 fnr 'Wherefore man shall leave father and mother and shall cleave to hls wife; and they shall be two in one flesh. Gen. ii, 24.
 After discussing marriage as civil and religious institution and emphasizing the fact that 1t was the basis of the social fabric. he came to the question Of mixed marriages, matrimonial alliances between Catholics and non-Cathohcs. He said that the church denounced such marriages abhorred and detestcd them. l)ispcnsa- tions were granted under certain condl- tions for such marriages, but the church did this, the bishop said, in order to pre- vent greater evils Among serious objec- tions to mixed marriages, the speaker said was the failure of the non-Catholic party In many instances to comply In good faith with promises made to have the offspring resulting from the union to
 
 short, mixed marriages had caused a great loss to the church.
 Fine Music.
 The music at St. Paurs was particular ly fine. The altar boys choir sang the responses excellently and the choil in the gallery was up to it's usual high standard Weber's mass in G. with Mrs ! Putnam as solo soprano, was never bet ter rendered here, perhaps. And In ad 1 diton to the music of the mass Mir. Her. ! bert sang churchly piece just before tho sermon and a double quartette sang a beautiful "Veni Great or" for an offer tory
 The Rev Father O'Donnell. junior as- sistant priest at St. Paul's, said mass and preached at Helena yesterday. The con- gregation was much larger than 1t was on the occasion of his previous visit and he said that he was greatly encouraged with the outlook for the Helena mission.