Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1908-12-19
Angels Sang the First Joyful Greet
ings i'm Honor of the
Christ Child.
Many Masses Celebrated i'm Louisville
Churches On Great
Day.
CHARITABLE SPIRIT PREVAILS

Next Friday will be Christmas!
What flood of memory that brings
upon all, young and old, the grave
and the gay, the priest and the lay
man, the society butterfly and the
nun! How have we spent the year?
Since the last Christmas nave we
prepared for the coming one? Have
we remembered the old folks at
home? Have we been charitable to
our neighbor? Even the most
callous pause to ponder over
thoughts like these at this season.
The show windows are filled with
toys and gaudy trinkets, with rich
apparel and costly jewelry, and 1t
suddenly dawns upon man and
woman that Christmas is at hand,
and for the many the size of the
purse is not in proportion to the
size of the well of charity that
swells up in the heart at this time.
Many in their eXuberance would
like to make everybody happy on
Christmas day. They forget that
they have made many unhappy dur
ing the twelve months past. and yet
this desire to give is indicative of
inherent charity in the human soul.
Some will ask: "Whence came this
custom of presenting gifts at Christ
mas? Whence came the custom of
wishing friends and acquaintances
a merry Christmas and happy
New Year."
The first Christmas greeting came
from the angels to the shepherds
watching in the fields near Bethle-
hem 1900 years ago. "Glory to God
on high and peace on earth to met
of good will" they sang. The first
gifts were not brought to the infant
Saviour by his own people, but by
men of strange races. The Three
Wise Men of the East, who followed
his star to the stable at Bethlehem.
bore gifts of gold, frankinceuse and
myrrh.
Since then the Christians in all
ages have presented gifts to those
employees and to the needy, the in
firm and the orphan, during Christ
mas.
churches are decorated with holly
and evergreens. myriads of lights
illumne the affairs and sanctuaries,
the choirs sing their most gladstone
melodies and all to do honor TO the
Christ child. Only on this day of
all the year is priest permitted to
celebrate three masses, and while
it is not obligatory there are few
priests who fail to take advantage
of the opportunity, and compare
lively few Catholics who do not APP
proach holy communion and hear at
least three masses.
Here in Louisville, with at least
thirty-five churches, there can be no
excuse for an able-bodied Catholic
missing mass on Christmas day. The
first masses in all the churches will
be celebrated at 5 o'clock. Usually
il is a high mass and wherever there
are three or more priests it is sol
emn high. In the larger churches,
where there are five, six or more
priests, the masses follow in rapid
succession from o'clock until
nearly noon, and as rule the
churches are crowded at each mass.
Whether it is sung in childish
treble. in the rich voice of the
trained soprano, or the magnificent
deep bass of the mature man, there
is no sweeter music to the ear of a
Catholic than the "Adeste Fidelis" on
Christmas morning. To some 1T
recalls memories of their early
Christmas days in Ireland. Germany
or other lands far distant. To 9TH
ers it recalls the days of their youth,
when fond parents, now dead, were
want to lavish. their gifts on their
little ones. 1t brings tender
thoughts to every mind, but there
are many who forget these sweet
and pleasant memories in the gaities
that follow during the day.