The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-29
POPE SENDS
 HIS BLESSING Big Day With New York
 Catholics. CARDINAL GIBBONS BREACHES St. Patrick's Cathedral Was Filled
 to 0verflowing. Fully six Thousand Persons Were Turned Away, Being Unable to Gain Entrance-RooseveIt
 Csngratuiafcs.
CARDINAL GIBBONS BREACHES

o'clock this morning. shundreds of priests and dignitaries and thousands of men, women and children were on the way to St. Patrick'E Cathedral to join in the imposing thanksgiving ser- vices In honor of the completion of a hundred years of Catholic progress in New York.
 While the services did not begin un- til II o'clock. the cathedral was filled to .overhowing Long before l0. Seats were reserved for numerous public off, dcials and the members of the general committee of laymen. Before the ser vice began. there were fully 5000 per- sons gatheSed in the beautiful ediice and as many more on the outside. Headed by deacon bearing aloft a processfonal cross. the clergy and pre- Iates who participated In the ceremony. marched in solemn procession from the cathedral college in Madison Avenue. to the main entrance of the cathedral in Fifth Avenue and thence up the long aisle into the spacious sanctuary. First in line were the leaders of the Church In America: Archbishops Ireland of St. Paul. Glennon of St. Louis Keane of Dubuque, Moeller of Cincinnati, O'Con- nell of Boston. Blenk of New Orleans, Ryan of Philadelphia, Quigley of Chi- cago and Farley of New York. They were followed by their head and America's representative in the sacred college. Cardinal Gibbons. The very last and the chief parsonage In the cel- ebrat ton, since he was eelebrant of the mass. was Cardinal Logue. Prtmate of | Ireland.
 The mass began promptly at II o'clock. Cardinal Gibbons preached a long sermon. in which he reviewed the | history of the Catholic Church In New | York from its earliest days until the l present A message was received from Pope Plus X. congratulatinE Arch- bishop Farley and the Catholics of New York.
 | The Pope's Message. l The Pope's message follows: | "To Our Venerable Brother, John M.
 Farley, Arichbishop of New York.
 s'venerabie Brothers--Health and apostolic benediction;
 The recurrence of memertable events in the history of any dioces Is at all times an occasion of joy, and the one hundredth anniversary of the | foundation of the archdiocese of New York, whose development has been ex- 1 traordinary. must call forth unusual | rejoicing because the constant increase | in the harvests of a hundred years bears ample testimony that the high est expectations have been abundantiy | fulfilled.
 Tt seems proper. in view of these | consolinR results, that on the solemn | celebration of the See of New York 1 we should renew our fervent supplt- cation to God. that He may vouchsafe | to 1t a more plentiful supply of His | celestial gifts and more copious re- sources to accomplish things even more laudable.
 | "For these reasons, and as mark of special honor it affords us great pleas | ure to tender to you and to your de- voted flock our heartfelt congratula- tions. For assuredly and your loyal l brethren have rendered many disttn- l 1A n | the State, and we cherish the hope that | these. our works may be an incentive l to persevere in that vigilance and zeal l of which you have thus far given such signal proof and thus bring glory to | America and stand as an example TOT the entire world.
 .As an augury of heavenly favor ! and an evidence of our good will we l most lovingly impart to you and to your faithful people the Apostolic Ben-
 Given at St. Peters. Rome. the ninth day of April. 1908. in the fifth year of our Pontificate.
 seores of communications reached the archbishops from ministers and laymen of all denominations. including Bishcp Greer, Rabbi Silverman and Rev. Dr. c. l.. Jefferson.
 President Roosevelt wrote as fol- lows:
 My dear Archbishop:
 sI,et me take occasion, on the ceie- bration of the one hundreAth anniver- sary of the diocese of New York, to | extend to you my hearty eongratula- tIons and my earnest good wishes for the future of yourself and of your dio- cese.
 Sincerely yours,
 (SiEned) Theodore hooseVen.
 Al the close of the mass MonSignor FaIeonIo. who represented the Vatican. imparted the papal blessing. There were pontincal vespers this aIternoon Tbe clergy of the archdiocese gave dinner this afternoon to the visiting prelates.