The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-01-23
BELOVED NUNS oBsEaU1Es.
Father Kiely's Tribute to Sister Mary
Geraldine.

The funeral of Sister Mary Geraldine
took place from the Holy Cross Hos
pital last Saturday.
Requiem high mass was celebrated
by Rev. Father Kiely with Rev. Father
Guinan as deacon, and Rev. Father
Morrissey ub-Geacon.
The funeral sermon, which was an
emotional tribute to the dead religious,
was delivered by Rev. Father Kelly. He
said:
Blessed are the dead who die in the
J Lord" Death always gives a. shock.
No matter how often we may witness
/ il the same effect follows. 1t places
a break upon our thoughts. and turns
| them aside from their usual channel
| They follow the departed soul on it's
! journey to eternity. There are certain
strange feelings aroused. These we are
unable to account for. Gazing on the
| corpse chilled by the hand of death.
we think of the soul. It is still the
same body, but it is cold. The tongue
is silent, the eyes are closed in the
sleep of death. We whisper into the
ears but get no reply. What great
mystery,
1t awakens our sympathy, and in its
presence We speak in suppressed tones.
What is it that awakens those feelings.
calls forth such solemnity and elicits
such profound sympathy? 1t is our re-
gard for the soul that has departed
from the body, and gone into the abode
Of eternity. We are so solicitous for
the immortal life of the soul that we
cannot conceal our anxiety Our in
ward emotions find relief only in ask
ing our heavenly father to show mercy
10 the departed soul. The church in all
her prayers for the dead makes appeals |
to the throne of God for mercy, and |
we do the same instinctively. This is
our only relief in sorrow. 1t is the !
measure of our sympathy.
What takes place beyond the veil of |
death we know not. Where is the soul |
of the deceased for whom we mourn
today? The body viii soon be resting
under the snow. But the soul, yes. the
soul which never dies, where is it?
Faith and hope come TO our relief and !
tell us that the soul is in heaven.
The sister spent more than quarter
Of a century preparing for death. In |
fact her whole life was a continuous
for that final moment when
the dissolution of the soul and body
took place. Always ready, her lamp
and filled with oil, when the
message came she was prepared to
meet the bridegroom.
In the morning of her life she fol-
owed the counsel of our Lord by tax
ng up her cross TO follow him She
became attached to the cross. and con-
ecrated her life to it. as q member of
he Sisters of the Holy Cross. For I
hirty years she labored assiduously
md zealously. following closely in the
ootsteps of the Good Master. Beneath
he coarse garment of religious habit | ,
we're concealed not only many virtues
# which the world never dreams. ort r
kinks possible 10 be realized, but bril-
fancy and charms which were con- )
ecrated 10 God.
As teacher she stood in the front I
ank of the community. Her old pu- ;
ills still retain happy memories of her 2
ficient work. She was always busy +
nd labored for their advancement.
he was both strict and exact: hence
er great success.
Her useful life was cut short. 1 might Io
3y- in the prime and whilst Iaboring +,
Dr. the little ones at St AIMS orphan- N
sc. The last five months Of her life a.
ere spent there working solely for NJ
cd. The talents entrusted 10 her were liz.
OF buried, but fructified each day. He. :,
arthly happiness consisted in Seeing m
ie fruit budding firth in the. minds Of II
rose little orphang Twice she invited er
le into her class room to be- present All
an examination of the children en- in
listed to her charge. Their proficien- Ist
IN answering told Of her success. | m