The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-12-31
OGDEN CITY.
A Word of Sympathy for Our Be-
loved Pastor.
Special Corresnondence.A


To the members of st. Joseph's con
gregation there was a minor strain tC
the glad Adeste Of Christmas morn
ing, and sadness in their hearts, fol
each one perceived that the earnest
honest face of their beloved pastor
wore sorrowful. yet resigned, express
sion, and the cause affected all, for
Father Cushnahan is bound to each
member, large or small, influential or
lowly, of st. Joseph's congregation, by
! ties extending beyond mere words
Saturday morning, just as Father
! Cushnahan had concluded the offering
! OF the divine sacrifice, he received word
! that his cousin and lifelong friend, Rev.
/ Hugh Lagan of San Francisco. had
/ been called to celebrate the glad fes-
/ tiVal in heaven. One short month ago
! he had offered mass at st. Joseph's,
and While in his usual spirits, he was
! evidently broken in health, and to
| friends. he intimated that he felt the
end approaching. For him it was truly
the death of q devoted son, and he
must, in that trying hour. have felt
Gods arm Tightening closer around him
and drawing him sweetly home.
Last April he went TO Ireland, and
those who saw him then. robust, bright
and dauntless, were shocked on his
return to recognize i'll the aged, worn
figure the same genial soul they had
met few months before. A severe
cold, contracted during the voyage, re-
suited very seriously and necessitated
an operation, from the effects of which
he died on the evening of Dec. % at
the Lane hospital in San Francisco.
Father Lagan'S minstrations were
often of a most trying nature, but he
shirked no labor, lending his talents
and persuasive ability to the conver-
sion of the fallen and reprobate, hav-
ing served as chaplain at the San Quen-
tin penitentiary for years, and succeed
ed in winning back to God many erring
sheep of the fold.
AS an educator. he was even more
noted, taking special interest in school
work and the advancement of the same.
the methods and systems employed in
different countries were all known to
him, and he selected what was good in
each for the promotion of Catholic edu-
cation.
A jealous pastor, he is mourned by
a devoted congregation. The funeral
took place Monday morning at o'clock
from Sacred Heart church, San Fran
cisco, and at the same hour a mass
was celebrated at st. Joseph's for the
rerose Of Father Lagan's soul.
To our dear pastor, Father Cushna-
han, we offer our most heartfelt SYM
rathy. Sorrows have been his portion
of late, coming to him especially on
great feasts, but his deep faith and hon
est soul enable him to withdraw the |
veil and look beyond to that eternal |
reunion with his loved ones which will !
inevitably be the reward of his resig- |
nation and nobility of soul. Could the |
shrouded priest friend. relative and CO. |
laborer send a message from his silent |
grave on the far Pacific slope, it would |
be one of hope, love and !
tender confidence to the dear ones left |
behind, and we echo it thus to you, our
kind father:
Sorrows are blessings if we but SO take
them,
Partings, the pillows that watt us to
rest;
They are Gods treasures, if so we re-
ceive them,
Since He. and He only, knows just
what is best.