Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-15
EARLY SUNDAY MASS
SERVICE FOR BENEFIT OF THE
NIGHT WORKERS.

ole Church, in a sermon In his Lenten
| course on Belief and Unbelief," dwelt at
| length on what he called the unfortunate
| tendency of the times that made 1t neces-
| tary for men to forego regular churchgoing.
He referred, of course. to the vast army Of
men and women in every city who work at
night, and Tor whom attendance on divine
services Sunday morning works a decided
hardship. Approaching the difficulties I'M
der which such workers labor. he has come
| to the conclusion that the churches should.
If possible, make arrangements to meet the
toilers Of the night on their own ground.
and SO has In prospect a special mass for
such Catholics of Washington
DR.. Stafford hopes to arrange for a mass
about or o'clock every Sunday morning
In the year, and, providing a SUFFICIENT num-
Der can be found to attend such mass in
this city, he proposes to start It at an early
date. In order to put the matter on
working basis, it will be necessary for all
those Catholics who interested in
names to the rectory of st. Patrick's stat
Ing the most convenient hour for their sew
erai interests. when DR.. Stafford will take
such steps as are necessary in order to have
mass at the unusual hour AS was
planned in The Sunday Star recently, the
hours of mass in the Catholic Church are
regulated as matter of discipline and in
conformity to the usage of ages back, and
1t would therefore be necessary, as in the
cases of former masses celebrated outside
OF the prescribed periods set down, for the
pope to be appealed to for a dispensation.
Large Number Of Night Toilers.
Those interested in the movement explain
that it will probably surprise the residents
OF Washington to know even approximately
how many people here earn their livings by
the light of the incandescent bulb and gas
Jet. This. too. In view of the fact that
washington is not possessed of great man
ufacturtng concerns and other large places
of industrial activity, as is the case with
y7nira nif of thA
large number of Catholics stated to
make up goodly proportion of these post
sunset clerks, artisans, students and pro-
fessional men who burn generously of the
midnight oil. many of whom, 1t is claimed,
stay abed of Sunday mornings instead of
attending church. 1t is to facilitate the
churchgong of the enforced night workers.
and incidentally reach such individual cases
as are thought to exist, that DR.. Stafford
intends to make this innovation.
such move, 1t is said. has never before
been made In Catholic church in this city,
and the communications received by DR..
Stafford will be looked for with interest by
the Catholics already known to desire such
an arrangement.
History Of Movement in East.
While this innovation by St. Patricks
rector is in the formative stage it win be
Of interest to know the history of such
movements among the Catholic churches
OF the east Rev. FIR. L. ]. EverS. pastor OF
st. Andrews Church. City Hall place, New
York, Is credited with being the originator
of the movement in that city, and in fact,
In this section of the country After few
years as rector of st. Andrews Church.
which is in the heart of the publishing dis
trict of the big New York dailies the rec
tor found that the reporters. printers and
other employees of the journals in his yicin-
ity were neglected as regards their spir-
itual affairs, and 1t was thought that these
knights of the pen and stick would make
an honest effort toward churchgoing, pro-
vided the church made overtures
Father Evers decided to do So He is
said to have been scoffed at. The idea that
printers. reporters and others of the daily
newspapers In New York would go to
church, even at a convenient hour, was
considered to be baseless. However. Fa-
Their Evers gathered his data, started the
agitation. and in the course of a few
months the archbishop of the New York
diocese wrote the facts to Rome. and Pope
Leo XIII granted the dispensation.
The hour for the service was set at
o clock, and the first mass in st. Andrews
for the Catholic night workers of New York
continued without interruption ever since.
There Is said to be night workers congre-
cation of from 500 to 700 men. and it Is
stated that a large proportion of the con-
gregation is made up of printers. of whom
there are naturally great many employed
in that parish
Since the Inauguration of the special SER
vice at st. Andrews another Catholic
church in New York tSt Francis) has
taken up the work, while churches in Bos-
ton. Chicago. Pittsburg and Philadelphia
toilers of the night.