Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-07
HONOR MEMORY OF
FATHER STAFFORD
Impressive Funeral Services
at St. PaEiCk's Church.
CARDINAL IN ATTENDANCE
Vice President and Speaker Cannon
Among the Laymen.
OUTPOURING OF POPULACE
Interment of the Remains in Mount
olivet Cemetery-Substance
of the Sermon.
CARDINAL IN ATTENDANCE
OUTPOURING OF PoPULACE

OF the Sermon.
The last solemn rites of the church over
which he presided so ably for many years
were pronounced today over the remains
OF Rev. DIR. Denis ]. Stafford. late pastor
of st. Patrick's Church, 10th and G streets
northwest. The body was inferred in
Mount Olivet cemetery. Outside, while the
services were in progress. the storm king
reisned supreme, and it seemed that the
very elements were in sympathy with the
mourning congregation as they followed
the casket from the structure and stood
with heads uncovered and with eyes tear
dimmeG, watching the remains of their
beloved pastor borne to his last resting
place.
Never in the history of this city has
such great outpouring of the populace
and gathering of the clergy contributed to
a more impressive funeral for a priest
ard rot only the congregation of his
church, but members of other Catholic
churches and of churches of other denomi-
nations assembled to do honor to the
memory of Father Stafford. All entrances
TO st. Patrick's were heavily draped In
crepe, and the interior of the editice like
wise indicated deep mourning. all of the
long columns supporting the roof of the
auditorium being covered with black. Tho
altar was heavily draped. and long bands
of the somber material were looped from
window to window and around the gallery
and The organ loft.
Admission by Card.
Men prominent in affairs of state, and
priests and ministers foremost in the con-
duct of the church, were in attendance at
10 o'clock when the opening chant was
sung by the choir. In anticipation of a
great crowd the committee which made
the final arrangements for the funeral de-
cided that admission should be by card
only and members of the various Catholic
societies were designated to distribute the
tickets, Events of today proved the. pre-
caution wise. because hundreds of persons
sought admission, to be denied because
they did not possess cards. Afterward they
remained standing outside the structure
until the body was borne to the hearse.
Every seat in the church was taken, and
all the afsles were crowded.
The service was begun promptly at 10
O'Clock, and the solemn requiem mass and
attendant ceremonies were not completed
~1lntil noon. President Roosevelt sent
SYreat wreath of carnations and lilies of
Me\valley from the White House con-
Aery}tory. and it was the only floral piece
MT1he chu1c 1t was placed in front of
sthA casketJ and later laid on the top of
thel bier as the pallbearers carried the
BON out.
pmand Gumprecht. organist and direc
Tor of the choir, had charge of the music
for the service, and 1t was of simple
but impressive character. AT the opening
of the service the choir sang Lead Kind
ly IEtkht." and as the long procession of
sftar boys. followed by the priests carry
ing the casket. moved slowly down the
wide center aisle. the choir sang Nearer
My God. to Thee.
The serxtDo vas opened by the chanters.
They were Rev. J. d. Marr of the Inn
maculate Conception. Washington; Rev.
Francis Dwory of Elkridge. Md: Rev.
Charles r. Hogue, s. S.. of st. Charles
College. Maryland. and Rev. William I.
Russell of the Baltimore Cathedral. The
entire body of clergy in attendance as
: n3Gte6fat this feature of the ceremony.
6nedinal Gibbons. vested in mis- full
roIle of office. presided. He arrived in
this city at $50 o'clock this morning. and
proceeded Immediately to the rectory of
St Patrick's. and. with Mgr. DiOmede
Falconio. the papal delegate. entered the
church as soon as the chanting was COM
pleted. The prelates occupied thrones at
either side of the altar and ranged about
the sanctuary were the clergy. nearly
every priest in the diocese of Maryland
and the District of Columbia being pres
ent.
The officers of the solemn requiem mass
were: Rev. Charles Bart of ST. Teresa's,
celebrant; Rev. Daniel OCcnne.- Toledo
Ohio, deacon: Rev. Philip OConnell. SUBJ
deacon; Albert Ridgeway. master of cere-
monies and Rev. George Dougnerty, mas
ter of ceremonies to the cardinal.
Sermon by Rev. DR.. Fletcher.
Rev. DR.. William A. Fletcher, rector of
ST. Marys Cathedral Baltimore, prea ched
the sermon. He is regarded as one Of the
most eloquent men In the Baltimore dio-
cese DR.. Fletcher said of the deceased
churchman:
"IIe lives, he dies: he is here. he is gone
this Is all man. His symbol is the flower
which today is clothed with glory and to-
morrow changes lifeless on the STEM Nor
Is the language of inspiration and proph-
ecy different. and that is, All flesh is
grass and all the glory thereof as the
flower of the field-the grass is withered
and the flower is gone AT times he flashes
on the view like the flaming meteor on
the mist of the night. His coming COM
pels attention inspires love. reverence or
awe: but hardly has he begun to shine and
TO attract when he is swallowed up in the
darkness of oblivion.
Again his course of existence is meas
ured and slow. but with him progress is
decay. and advance is toward the goal
where the grave yawns to receive him
AMI his ambitions alike. Nor is this merely
the exercise of idle fancy. For so did He
once speak whom we all adore, Consider
the lilies of the field. how they grow: they
labor not. neither do they spin; and | say
10 you that not even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed as one of these
But today they are and tomorrow they are
cast into the oyen. So it. is with man
He cometh forth as flower and is de
stroyed. He f1eeth as a shadow and never
continueth in the same state But. he
whose mortal remains lie before us was
not mere mamie was a priest of the
most high God.
Born in the capital of the nation some
forty-seven years ago he inherited from
pjOus parents that love of God and deem
devotion to Catholic ideals which mrs,
penr his steps toward the sanctuary
This disposition was fostered and
strengthened by the kindly influences OF
the religious home until. at the dawn
or reason. he was called upon to invest
II with the dignity and majesty of a
deliberate purpose. On the one hand the
world appealed to him with the witehery
of its vanities. but his soul had long
fconfinued an Fifteenth pa De