The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-19
DEDICATE CHURCH
 OF ST. BARNABAS Performed By Bishop
 E. P. Allen IS LOCATED AT EAST LAKE Bishop in Sermon Points Out That Elements of Religion Are as Po- tent in Small Church as
 In St. Petes's.
IS LOCATED AT EAST LAKE

Yesterday morning at 10:30 o'clock the church of St. Banabas at East Lake was solemnly dedicated by the Right Rev. Ed ward P. Allen, bishop of Mobile, assisted by the Rev Father Coyle, the Rev. Father Bratton, the Rev. Father Pierceall, the Rev. Father Klich and the Rev. Father Celestine. The ceremony was carried out according to the ritual of the Roman Catholic church and was very imposing and beautiful A large number of visitors from Birmingham were present. as were also about 20 of the children from the East Lake Orphans home. The altar was banked in flowers and ferns, among which lighted wax tapers shone like stars. The choir was made up of a number of young ladies from the Holy Angels acad- emy in Birmingham.
 The ceremony of dedication began by the vestng of the bishop in his cope and mitre. A procession was then formed, led by the cross-bearer, after whom came the priests in surplices and next the bishop, accompanied by the acoytes bear ing the holy water. The portals, founda- tions and corners of the church were each in turn blessed and sprinkled as the pro- cession passed around the exterior of the building, after which the procession en- tered the church and the blessing and sprinkling of the inside was done. Dur ing the procession the Aspergis was chanted by the clergy and was followed by the lltany of the saints and prayers.
 Standing in front of the altar Bishop Allen read the epistle and gospel for the day. and afterward delivered an eloquent sermon appropriate to the occasion. He said that ever since the dawn of Chris tianity it had been the custom for the faithful to assemble for divine worship in some particular place separate from the outside world, and that the catacombs in Rome were first used for that pur- pose. Coming down along from that time it had been the desire and ambition of men to erect temples of worship to the living God and that all that was grand and magnificent in art had been employed to express the love and worship of the faithful. The great cathedrals of Milan, Florence, Venice and Constantinople were simply tributes paid by men whose souls glowed with the fervor of Christianity, but the greatest and grandest of these and humblest on the altar of which the sacrifice of the mass was celebrated.
 Here in this little church you will find all the clements of your religion just as you would find them in St. Peters in Rome," said Bishop Allen. '"ro this church you will bring the infant to be baptized, at this altar rail; you will re- ceive in the holy eucharist the body and blood of Jesus Christ; here, from the hands of your bishop, you will receive the sacrament of confirmation to strengthen you in your faith; the young man and woman will be joined in mar riage and blessed as they set out on their life journey; from here the minister of God will go forth to administer the sac- rament of extreme junction to your sick dead will be taken to the grave still fol- lowed by the prayers of the faithful"
 Bishop Allen spoke very kindly of the many marks of friendship shown him by persons not members of the Catholic church, and said he hoped that good feel ing would increase among all Christians.
 Bishop Aliens sermon, being ended, the Rev. Father Bratton celebrated mass at thee onclusion of which the choir sang the TO Del1m