The sea coast echo., 1908-05-02


An event of very general interest to
the Catholics throughout the State was
celebrated at Jackson Tuesday morning
being the silver jubilee of the local pas
tor of St. Peters Catholic Church, the
Rev. Father C. A. Oliver, who has just
completed the 18th year of his ministry
in the priesthood of the church. The
occasion is all the more interesting be-
cause Of the fact that Father OliYer is
the first native Mississippian who was
eyer ordained priest of the Catholic
Church.
Rev. Father Prendergast, of Bay ST.
Louis, preached the sermon OF the day,
after which dinner was served by Father
Oliver to the visiting clergy.
The occasion was honored by the bish-
op of the diocese and by many visiting
ciergymen, friends of Father Oliver,
and also by a number of friends among
the laity from all parts of the State.
During the evening there was recep-
ton at Knights Hall, near the church.
Bishop Heslin delivered an address deal
ing with the event of the day, followed
by Mr.. Henry Kernaghan, of this city,
in short address, presenting the father
with an appropriate token of the esteem
of his parishioners, and Father Oliver
accepted in a short response, full of deep
feeling and appreciation.
The jubilee sermon was delivered by
Father J. M. Prendergast, who spoke in
part as follows:
"We have foregathered this day to do
honor to a man and his sacred office.
The office is that of ambassador of
! Christ, the man whose intellect and
heart have made US all securely his
| friends. Because of happy relations
| with him, an old pupil of his has been
chosen to speak on this occasion, an oc-
casion calling for far more eloquence
and ability than are mine.
"In the Holy Writ we read the solemn
words of the Psalmist. The hord has
sworn, and He will not repent; thou art
priest forever according to the order
! of Melehisidect. s~
"The priest who is priest forever is
a mystery to many. The average man
sees him ondRhe streets and turns to look
at him again. He has heard of him as
the devoted attendant of the Catholic
| people. Even students of social and re-
lligious ideas are puzzled to account for
him. He appears to them first in his
training as Levite under able teachers,
| making studies and preparations which
will fit him for ordination. They see all
the tremendous exactness of the ordina-
| ton, its real beauty and power. They
follow him among the people, watching
him baptizing, hearing confessions, Of
fering up the mass, feeding the people
with the divine bread, worrying, anoint-
ing, preaching with authority, admon-
shing, warning, condemning. They
see him also a part of an immense and
unconquerable system, beginning with
| the Pope and ending with the subdeacon,
bound by vows never to be recalled,
pledged to a work which in theory can
never end. They see him multiplied and
varied to suit ali conditions and all sorts
| of men, all needs, all times, all place s.
Finally, his type seems to be imperish-
aole. as no means of destroying him,
though thousand have been tried, has
yet been discovered.
"That he is mysterious to the world is
only the result of the excellence Of his
office. The plane upon which he lives
| is the supernatural. Christ has placed
him there. What wonder, then, that
his people regard him with the deepest
hope and love. He is the rallying point
in all danger for them. Before they can
be robbed of their faith he must be de-
stroved or deceived. 1t is to win the
people from him that clevermen have
invented the word tpries tcraft'', and
pretend to pity the victi ms Of his cum
Ining. Both within and without the
| church every effort is made to separate
him from the people, either to destroy
him Oh to enslave him. That the at
tempt is not altogether foolish the his
| tory of individual nations makes certain.
In several countries of Europe the
priesthood disappeared for time before
cunning persecution, bloody enough,
indeed, but marked more by the tyranny
of king and noble than by blood. As
out of the individual heart can go all OF
the respect for priest, SO can it go out
OF a nations heart. But out OF the
world the priest will not go until the
, second coming of the Master. Nor even
/, out of nation while his vocation rules
his life, let laws, tyrants, schemers,
work as they viii. For the place OF the
true priest is the love of his people
which neither king nor legislature can
destroy.
ssThe first, last and tenderest memo
ries of the people are connected with
the priest. 1t was he who poured the
SAYING waters on the little head whose
pillow is now in the city of the dead
His eonsecrated hands led the little ont
to the confessional and to the altar O
the first communion. His voice frs
Istirred the innocent heart to the con.
scious love of Jesus. He blessed ths
lovers entering the married state AM