The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-10-24
HIS WORKS PRAISE HIM IN THE GATES.

The public and splendid manifestation oftgrat
tude, veneraton and love which the people of San
Francisco gave last week to Archbishop Riordan
constitutes an epoch in the history of the diocese
Custom has made the twenty-ffth anniversary of
a priests ordination or a bishops conservation a
time of jubilee and thanksgiving, and time when
1t is permitted to the people to publicly show their
love and admiration for pastor who for a quarter
of a century wore the white lily of spotess life"
1t is time of orations and panegyries when by the
voice of their orators the people give tongue to
their admiration of righteousness justice and char
ity tabernacled in him whom they honor and pro
claim worthy to be praised. The celebration of the
Silver Jubilee of the conservation of Archbishop
Riordan was popular canonization and was per
haps the greatest demonstration of admiration and
affection ever shown to any one man in the United
States west of the Missouri
If any proof were demanded of the mmeasur-
able work wrought by the Archbishop in California,
this uprising of the city of San Francisco, armed
with gratitude and affection, would be enough.
Who could doubt that the great multitude of his
personal friends, the great multitude of those who
had been instructed consoed and won to God by the
unequaled beauty of his character and the irrisis
table persuasion of his speech who could doubt that
the completion of his twenty-five years of be-
nign and prudent government they would fail to
pour out the love and gratitude of their hearts
But that the public voice of California political
and religious, in all its diversities should for once
unite in love and admiration for a man, and that
all maevoence should pass into good will is indeed
one of the social marves of our time and country.
If this be a noble testimony to great Christian
life it is also a noble proof of the justice equity
and uprightness of the people of California. In
generating and paying homage to the great Arch
bishop the state has unconsciously honored, itself
1t is too soon to measure the work wrought by the
Archbishop of San Francisco The penetrating in
fuence of his delightful personality has pervaded
all classes After he has passed to his reward there
will be those who will record the history of his great
life and all that he has done for his people
His works praise him in the gates" Institu-
lions of learning and charity schools churches col
eges and orphanages the increasing Christianity III
his diocese, all proclaim his fidelity to the duties
of his exalted Office Bound to his priests by ties
stronger than those of human kindred, knowing the
sacrifices they have made of human love and human
ambition, and all that the world holds DEAR his pa
ternal heart has always gone out to them even as
the heart of our Divine Lord went out to the young
man of the gospel "Whom when he say" writes the |
che loved.' Hence his priests were so !
deeply devoted to him that that day of Jubilee
they rejoiced and prayed that God might leave him
with them for many years.
The history of California will hereafter record
the of Patrick William Riordan among the
greatest of its people, as confessor for the faith
a great teacher of men, preacher of justice, of
pety, of compassion.