The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-28
DOMINICAN MISSION
E OF SPIRITUAL
EXERCISES BEGIN.
Value of Work Described by Priest at
st. Antoninus's Church-First
Week for Women.

A two weeks mission was begun yes
terday at st. Antoninus's Church, called
the Domini an church, at South Orange
avenue and South Ninth street, of which
the Rev. Francis A. Gaffney is rector.
This week the mission is for women, and
next week it will be for men. The pro-
gram includes masses daily at S n s
O'clock in the morning, with services. each
evening at 7:20 o'clock. At the 5 o'clock
mass instruction will be given, and at
8 o'clock a mission sermon will be
preached.
The evening services will consist of
instruction on the rosary, recitation of
the rosary, a sermon and the benediction
of the Blessed Sacrament.
Only women will be admitted to the
church at the evening services this week,
but the morning masses are for men and
women. The hearing Of confession viii
begin tomorrow afternoon. and will be
continued morning, afternoon and night
The Rev. j. y. Wildenbcrg, o. P, and the
Rev. ]. M. Stanton, o. P, have charge OF
the mission.
A solemn high mass was sung at II
o'clock yesterday morning by the Rev. J.
d. Fowler O.. p, with the Rev. f. Feeley.
o. p, as deacon. and the Rev. D. I. Dona-
hue as sub-deacon. Father Wildenberg,
enc of the mission priests, first spoke from
the pulpit of the Importance to a parish Of
a mission. and later he preached a sermon.
He said a mission is an extraordinary
grace, for during it all the supernatural
agencies of the church were brought 10
bear on souls. The making or not making
Of a mission might be a question of eter-
nal life or eternal death to many n soul.
A mission was necessary for a good-living
Christian as well as those who had been
careless or Indifferent. For the latter the
mission was an absolute necessity, for 1t
might bring them back to God and faith
full observance Of religious duties, and good
Catholics were obliged to use the graees
given at a mission to strengthen them
against temptation.
Father Wildenberg said to do the mis-
sion right people should attend one of the
daily masses and every evening service. It
was their duty also to use their influence
with friends and %neighbors and relatives.
1t might be a son or a daughter, aye, even
a father or a mother, to get them to at
tend the mission. Some Catholics thought
it was their duty to look only after their
own spiritual welfare, but their duty to
God, to their families, their ~neighbors and
society required that they take an interest
in those who are careless of their religious
duties and try to make them better men
and women, better fathers and mothers,
better sons and daughters, better citizens.
They should do this by prayer and good
example and personal influence, and If
they did God would bless them for helping
to save immortal souls from perdition.
Father Wildenberg then preached a SER
mon on Grace" He related the story of
Jesus in travelling from Jericho to Jerusa-
lem, stopped at the charming village Of
Bethlehem, where he met His friends
Lazarus. Martha and Mary Magdalen-and
of Martha speaking of her sisters welfare,
when Jesus said she worried abou many
things except the one most important
thing.
Today. he said, people worried about
material things and gave little attention to
the one important thing, the salvation of
their souls. In the professions. and bust
ness. men bent all their energies to gain
success. and in many cases this was legiti-
mate. but 1t wac their duty also to work
for the salvation of their souls. That
was the main issue, and at the hour of
death it was the only one for us.
The preacher asked what was the object
and aim of our lives, and answered that 1t
was to honor, love and glorify God and
keep His commandments. God can be
glorlhed by people remaining in a state Of
grace. This was the great and important
question, because without divine grace
there could be no salvation of the soul.