Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-23
LESSONS FROM
LIFE OF ST.AGNES
CATHOLICS PAY HOMAGE TO
MARTYR MAID
Bishop consty Eloquently Pictures
Character Of the Roman Maiden
and Relates the story
of Her Life

mt II east VI hBhV9f pau bAANSo "
st. Agnes church, was celebrated yes
terday with solemn high mass at the
church on West Adams street at 1915
a. m. Rev. Charles De Ceuninck was
celebrant; Rev. c. Molony, deacon, and
Rev. M. Scanlon, sub-deacon. Bishop
Conaty was assisted at the throne by
Rev. George Donahoe as arch-priest;
Revs. Lunney o. F. NJ, and Scher.
deacons of honor. The affairs were
adorned with white carnations and
ferns. AT $3.50 p. m. Bishop Conaty
confirmed a class of thirty children. In
addition to the officers of the mass,
Revs. j. Barron, L. j. Foin and
Raphael, o. f. NJ, were present.
Bishop Conaty preached the sermon
at the morning service in his usual
forceful style, outlining the life of the
saint whose feast was celebrated. He
said in part:
1.-THE Feast of st. Agnes places before
you the life and virtues of your patron
saint, and reminds you of your obliga-
ton to honor her memory and initiate
her virtues. The young martyr whom
you love as patron was Christian
maiden who in the flush of youth Of
fered her life as evidence of her faith.
The source of her strength was in her
dependence upon the supernatural. Her
life was a belief in the things of the
soul. rather than in the material things
of the world. The grace of God was
more valuable in her eyes than all the
wealth and honors of the court. Our
admiration runs toward youth. with it's
hopes and fancies; toward innocence,
with it's simplicity and directness;
toward courage, with its manliness of
conviction. This young girl in the in
nocence of life and with courage be"
yond her years commands our admira-
ton and reverence because in youth
and innocence she had the strength of
conviction by which, through courage,
she was willing to yield her life rather
than compromise her faith.
st. Agnes was a Roman girl of noble
blood, who was born toward the end of
the second century, beautiful of face
and simple of manner, a maiden whose
natural gifts gave opportunity for the
culture which made her an object of re-
spectful envy. Her hand was sought
in marriage by noble men of the en-
pire, but her Christian heart had al
ready learned from the teachings of
pious Christian parents to love the Di-
,,1a
her love. Her life was consecrated to
virginity and she lived for God alone.
The pagan world of the Romans did not
any more than the world of
our day, the meaning of girls conse-
Grafton to virginity; neither did it
fathom the spirit of the supernatural
life, which alone can lead to such an
act.
Christianity had come to teach that
some lives are called to rise above the
carnal and sensual and live the life of
the purely supernatural. Life to the
Christian had no real pleasure, death
no real fear The love of God was su-
preme happiness.
st. Agnes was destined to be a leader
in the long line of innocent maidens
who have felt the call to the higher life
of union with Christ. In the presence
of the mighty Roman emperor she bold
ly proclaimed her Christian character,
refused to offer incense to idols and
was accused, threatened and punished
All insults and promises to her were
unavailing. She grew stronger in her
devotion to Christ, to whom she had
vowed her young life. Sentenced to
death at thirteen years of age, this
young Roman maiden sealed with her
blood her faith in Christ. The tyrant
who condemned and martyred her is
known only by the fact of her martyr
dom, while st. Agnes is one of the most
beloved saints of the church, her name
enshrined on every Christian altar, her
of the Catholic world. She triumphed
over the power of the Roman tyrants.
Her death has made her immortal. Her
martyrdom is a proof of the divinity
of the church, for religion which can
produce a ST. Agnes must be divine.
We need such saints to tell us the
beauty of the spiritual, that soul is
greater than body and virtue more val
liable than gold. We need a child to
lead us to the conviction that it is bet
ter to have faith in Christ and live for
him than to be clothed in purple and
wear the imperial crown. The world is
material the spiritual has no place in
its calculations. The sense of sin seems
in many circles to be decaying and for
many the meanings of immortality and
soul and supernatural is lost; the pas
sions are in the saddle; religion fits
very loosely; the present the all-impor-
tant moment, the future a riddle. As
a result of these beliefs, doubt and err
ror and disregard of the religious life
are prominent elements i'm mems lives.
How beautiful is the pure life and
the noble womanhood which rises to
the control of self and VOWS its inno-
cence to the service of the Master. Pur-
ity is the key to faith and the safe
guard of all the virtues IL 1, the crou,n