Evening journal., 1907-08-05
LAY STONE OF
TEMPLE TO GOD
Father Birmingham, at HaVre
de Grace, Declares ReIi-
giOn to b. a Necessity
CHURCH A FRIEND TO MAN

this city who preached the sermon;
the Rev. r. p Arnd of Elkton and the
Rev. Fathers Holden, Murray and
Kenny Of Baltimore Many Whining
tonians were present. the church being
OF the local diocese.
Bishop Curtis addressed the large
audience and Father Birmingham
preached the formal sermon. He said
In these days when religion seems
fast becoming a whim, a caprice; when
faith seems to be fast yielding TO opin-
ions when the material would remove
from the earth all things spiritual, it is
refreshing to the Christian to witness
the erection Of a new temple to God;
to see another cross rising by the way
side, warning men that religion Is not a
whim nor sentiment, but life necessity
demanded by his own nature and un-
derlying happiness and giving body to
the best thought Of humanity
we live in an age of increasing in
difference to creeds and church, which
are the external expression. The at
mosphere is laden with the ridloule of
the unbeliever who never tires OF de-
claiming against the eXtravagances OF
churches while parading the beauty Of
the palace Of men. The most cherished
traditions that bind men to God we cast
aside as beneath intelligence and be-
longing TO superstition and ignorance
Science and nature are the gods of the
new revelation, and man is proclaimed
the author of so-called religion.
ITO the Catholic Christian in this
maze Of religious opinion, far and above
all conflicting thoughts, there stands a
cross and on that cross. the dead form.
covered with wounds and from those
wounds stream of blood. To him that
cross Is the emblem of his redemption,
that from Il the God Redeemer and the
blood is the ransom paid to his Creator
for the sins Of the world.
Significance Of the Cross.
THAT cross stands for all ages, and
its truths are for all men. Christ pro-
claimed to the world that it was 10
redeem and save men. He lived, lie
taught, He suffered and He arose from
the dead and ascended into Heaven,
thus spending a brief period of years to
the personal application Of redemption
to the souls Of men. How were all
men to know redemption? He GER
tainly established some means by which
His mission might last until the end of
time. There the cross is plainly evil
dent of itself of the establishment of
an organized body by Christ himself
He gave to it His power; placed In
its case the sacred deposit Of truth and
Invested It with His own authority and
commissioned il TO go to all nations
and continue His mission for all time
viii give to thee the keys Of the
Kingdom of Heaven The same de-
posit Of faith you will find in this Cath.
olic Church of Havre de Grace thai
was with St. Paul at Athens, with the
early Christians in the catacombs; Will
the church civilizing barbarians, will
St Patrick in Ireland. with St Boni-
face in Germany, with St Martin ir
Gual, with Xaxier in the East Indie.
and the early missionaries to the In.
dians of North America. on this truti
you lay the corner stone this day. and
in this church the very authority ol
Christ will be asserted and obedience
to it demanded. From this altar sacri,
fice will ascend, and from this pulpit
doctrines will be taught, not draw
out OF the brain of man, not theories
not opinions, but fixed Catholic truths
Must Accept Church Doctrines.
You will be told in your new church
as you were told in your Old tha
Christ is your God and redeemer; tina
there is no opinion In salvation; tina
you must believe or be condemned an,
that the moment you reject a singh
doctrine of the church. whether prizes
or layman; king or beggar you will b.
cut of from your communion with tn
Catholic church. 1t is not TO be won
dered in this very age I'm which we live
that, as a consequence of the rejection
OF authority OF the church, moralit
is fast losing its hold upon the people
The right of believing as you pleas
implies doing as you please.
You. right reverend bishop, hav
stamped today, on this church, III
, character which belongs TO the churc
Of Jesus Christ and that character /
authority. Here is retreat where me
may retire and rest their souls, wear
OF earth and its trials. Here you wi
find a teacher to whom you may g
and from whom you may learn trut
with certainty. They may call her
foe Of progress and freedom but wit
cross she has taught men true pro
gress and true freedom by teachin
them the lessons Of Jesus Christ. Sh
is foe to atheism and irreligion an
a friend to true knowledge and tru
: freedom"
Church Sixty Years Old.
The cornerstone Of the new churc
bears the dates "iS47-1s07." the formt
] being the year when the old structur
r was built. The laying of the corner
stone Of the new church marks the six
s tieth anniversary of the edifce whic
I will be abandoned.
t The new building. which is 81 by
feet, is located at the corner of Con
q gress avenue and Stokes street. 1t wi
!, be constructed Of Port Deposit granit
, with Cleveland sandstone trimming
The cornerstone is OF Rhode islam
granite The church will have two tow
y ers the one on the Congress avenu
corner being 10 feet high. y feet
be OF solid masonry.
The church when completed and fur
nished will cost about $4,000.
. Thomas c. Kennedy, OF Baltimore,
e the architect; the contractor IS Joh
c f. Healy, of Wilmington, and the sui
r contractors for the stonework al
p Messrs Weber & Mcknight, Of Bait
more.
!, Back to Their Old Home.
Mr. and Mrs. Angus O'Hanley,