Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-29

faith by which we profess allegiance to
God through the church built by Jesus
Christ His Divine Son. Belief In that
visible church, in its necessity in our
lives, leads us to sacrifice and causes
us to call upon architecture and art to
design for us beauty of structure in
which to worship the one true and living
God and Jesus Christ, His Divine Son,
according to the teachings which have
come to us through the apostolic church.
True, God dwells in the rudest hut, un-
der the cover of which His holy sacrifice
is offered by His anointed children;
true, God seeks the gold of the heart and
the Jewels of service, but at the sams
time, how beautiful to think that from
out of the abundance with which God
has blessed us we build according to our
means a fitting resting place for His
altar and His sacrifice, fitting gather
ing place in which His people may re-
ceive through the sacraments, the fruits
of redemption. Just as the rude hut may
be the best that the children of the
forest can offer as temple, so the beau
tifully decorated and elegantly furnished
temple of the city expresses the generos-
ity of the people upon whom God has
bestowed an abundance of material
things. The earth and all its treasures
belong to God, and the building of
church, whether rich or poor, is but the
expression through SOu 6lltS VI u pSO-
pies belief in Him.
Of Gothic Type
This church is dedicated today in all
the splendid ceremonial of the Catholic
church,
"It is a noble type of Gothic architec-
ture and commands our admiration for
its artistic lines in it's beauty of design
and in the perfection of its art 1t is
10 cto Hn,-n llNyt thn tCh
way in the midst of a prosperous COM
munity, to call aloud upon the people to
pay their tribute to religion to the AL
mighty Father and to Jesus Christ. His
Eternal Son. From it's pulpit will re-
sound the old doctrines of Christianity
as they have been preserved through
the ages by the church of God, the holy
Catholic church. Bound to the great
center of Christian unity in the person
of our Holy Father, Plus X, its authority
Is guaranteed and it's doctrines are safe
guarded.
This church is dedicated to the SER
vice of God under the title of st. Agnes, J
the beautiful Roman maiden. virgin mar !
tyr of the early church, one of the noblest
types of true womanhood st. Agnes is |
the guardian saint of this parish, exem-
p.ifying in the highest form the devotion |
of Christian womanhood to God and to
virtue. From her comes a great lesson
o.. personal sanctity, bidding us guard
sacredly in home and society as price,
less jewel of Christian virtue, the purity !
OF spotless womanhood.
Our congratulations go forth today in /
abundance and in all the sincerity of a
grateful heart to the devoted pastor of
ST. Agnes and TO his equally devoted con-
gregation. We are justly proud of this
splendid monument of Christian faith with
its twin spires pointing to heaven and its
joyous chimes ringing out the glad It'd
ings Of redemption through Christ our
Lord. We congratulate the city and the
diocese on this magnificent expression of
Christian art, designed in the providence
OF God to be an ornament to the city and
a joy to al the people. May the Blessed
Agnes watch over it and may che today
ir the name Of all the people give thanks
to God for all His inerciss and blessings
to US
AS Lives Should Be
May this church be as type Of what
our lives should be- consecrated to the
service Of God and full of sacrifices and
in His service. May it in
spire all who look upon it, who visit it
and pray within its walls, to greater love
TOR the good God and Jesus Christ, His
Divine Son. May it lead the children of
the church to greater devotion and more
constant fidelity in Cod's service. May /
Il suggest to those who are not of our
faith that 1t bears a message of redemp- /.