The Irish standard., 1904-12-17
Last Days of Father Burke.

Last Days of Father Burke.
One Of my dearest friends in Dublin
was that holy man and splendid ora
tor, Father Tom Burke, says the Rev.
l.. c. p. Fox, o. NJ. l., in Donahoe's
for November. We often met at the
dinner table in one OF another of the
Presbyteries, as we We're invited to
preach, the one in the forenoon and
the other in the evening, for some of
the numerous and excellent charities
of Dublin. A certain Snowman had
been exhibiting two dogs that had
been highly trained and could perform
a great many clever tricks. So he
had the streets placarded with numer-
Gus posters at the head of which were
i'll large letters conspicuous enough
from the opposite side of the street,
1.-TWO Wonderful Dogs" Then came
the name of a Catholic church fol-
lowed by the names of the Rev. Thom-
as Burke, o. F., and the Rev. L. c. L.
Fox, o. NJ. l., as the two preachers
for the occasion.
Any one in the world who would
stop to read the announcement would
say that we We're the 1.-TWO Wonder
full Dogs" for the poster on which
the sermon was announced was
smaller than that of the dogs, but was
pasted in the middle of it, with the
announcement below that admission
for adults was one shilling and for
children siXpencc. This gave great
amusement to many in Dublin, but to
no one more than Father Burke linn
self
When I was returning to Dublin
few years later on, from Westport and
Cliftlen, l was informed in the hotel
in Galway that Father Burke was in
town, and was stopping i'll the house
of his sister, and 1 went to call OIL
him. Though he had gone to bed after
his journey from Dublin he told his
sister that he would like to see me.
There was no installing then that the
end was approaching fast. In fact 1
never saw him but once after that 1t
was at the solemn opening to the mag
niiiccnt church of the Holy Rosary in
London with it's sixteen chapels and
affairs.
l had been removed from Ireland
and was living in London, and Father
Burke had been invited to preach both
in the morning and the evening. There
We're hundreds Of Dominican Fathers
present from all parts Of the world,
and the clergy, regular and secular.
We're also present in great numbers
When I saw Father Tom entering into
the pulpit l hardly recognized him.
His voice was at first so weak that it
was scarcely audible, but after awhile
he revived and continued until the
end in somewhat of his old style of
eloquence.
When the mass was over we We're
requested to go into the yard outside
to be photographed. The Dominicans
were arranged on one side, and all the
other clergy were facing them. The
photographer being some time arrang-
ing his machine 1 crossed the space
between the two bodies of the clergy
to speak to my old friend. 1t was for
the last time.
First of all he said to me, 'To think
that we should meet here in this great
Babylon" I then asked him how he
was, and lie replied that he was just
dying on his feet and he begged me
to pray for him. I was not present at
the evenings discourse, but was told
that his voice seemed IL little stronger
than it had at the high mass in the
forenoon.
On the following day he returned to
Dublin and went straight to Tallaght,
the novitiate of the DOminicans. He
retired to his bed and was very i'll.
suffering intensely from cancer in the
stomach. Two days later while he
was still in bed a deputation came out
from Dublin to see him.
y popular preacher had promised to
plead the cause of some orphans. but
from one cause or another had failed
to keep his word. Whom else should
they ask but Father Burke? To whom
else should they appeal but to him
who had so often and so eloquently
pleaded for the widow and the orphan.
They found him in bed, it is true. but
they We're not aware how ill he really
was. He could not refuse them, so he
got up, dressed himself, and returned
to Dublin with them. After that he
went back to Tallaght and to his bed
there. Within few hours his Master
came to call him.