The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-14
CEREMONY ATST.PETERS|
sEnyrCr OF ORDINATION T0MoR-
 now AT CATHOLIC CHURCH.
MT. Patrick Costello VIII Be Ordained suh Deacon and Deacon by Bish-
 op Allen on Friday and Saturday.


 St. Peters Catholic Church will be the scene of a novel and impressive ceremony tomorrow morning az ! o'clock when Rt. Rev. F. P.< Allen. D. D., bishop of the Catholic diocese oi this State. will confer the sacrament of Holy orders on Mir. Patrick T. Cos tello, a resident of Montgomery.
 Mir. Costello is well known here. lie Is a young man of rare talents. the preparatory stages of whose oRaa
 ton will be gladly witnessed py ms many friends. The long course of ar duous studies required of her priests by the Catholic Church was brilliantly pursued by Mir. Costello at Cullman College, and Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, Maryland, one of the oldest and most famous of the educational centres Tn America.
 Mir. Costello will be raised to the sub-deaconate Friday and on saturday to the deaconate. His elevation to the priesthood will take place later on. The subsdeaconate. deaconate and priesthood constitute what are called
 in Catholic theology Major orders" in contradistinction to minor orders"
 which, while they entail the perform
 ance of certain appropriate duties, do
 not nevertheless imply any special ob-
 ligations of the priest.
 With the assumption of major" or ders candidates who aspire to the min- istry are bound by strict and invfo- l liable ties and vows. whose solution death alone can vindicate. The imror-
 tance of the step the young men take is never rlinimized: its seriousness Is constantly placed before them and this fact coupled with the impressive nature of the ceremonies makes a Catholic or dlnation unusually solemn and inspir- ing to a degree.
 The ccnferring If the iub-deaconate and deaconate Is of course not so form al or sublime as that of priesthood, but yet its character is so interesting and commanding as to leave lasting im- pression on beholders. Each order after an immediate introduction to the office of the sanctuary by what Is called the Tonsure. presupposes an existing rite of comparatively lesser dignity eliminating finally in the magnificent, plenitudo of the priethood. Ecclesiast- ical law demands canonical interstices. that is, proper intervals of time, be- tween the orders. leading thereby as- plrants by successive grades to the moral end intellectual fitness demand ed by the responsibilities of the priest hood. The sacrament of Holy Orders is justly regarded by Catholicity as e sacrament, possessing all the qualities Of one--the outward sign. institution by Christ and the conferring of grace. From the earliest days of the church's existence it has been regarded in this light. The oldest liturgies. even those not in harmony with the unity of the church, and the most ilIustrious fathers of early days, such as St. Augustine, St Jerome. St. Chrysostom and St. Leo speak of Holy Orders as Sacrament. As an instance sof traditional belief 1t is remarked that in the fourth cen tury holy man, Martyrius, afraid of the responsible cares of the ministry, refused toAbe ordained deacon. address ing Nectarius, Patriarch of Constanti-' neple, lately baptized and ordained In those remarkable words. you have just been purified and sanctifed by two sacraments, namely Baptism and Or- ders." This belief was only in accord ance with the well-known practice of the apostle. who ordained both priests and deacons, and with the admonitIon of St. Paul to Timothy. neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy. with imposition of the hands of the priesthood 4Is4st4): I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God. which Is in thee by the imposition of my hands," (2:1:6)..
 Catholic practice therefore reason ably regards Holy Orders as a Sacra- ment. The comforting of the Sacrament has been always attended with great ceremony and pomp. and today it re- calls many touching and striking fea- lures of the early struggling church.
 A very cordial invitation IS extended to the public generally to witness the interesting rite on the mornings, of Fri day and Saturday.
 Rt. Rev. Bishop Allen will reach Montgomery this morning. remaining until Saturday, when he leaves for Bir- mingham to dedicate Our Lady of Sor- rows Church, recently erected there for the convenience of the Southside Cath olics.