The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-09-07

u tribute 10 our dear pastor rather
which for me is melan-
,holy duty.
He was ordained priest the year
Of my birth and during the time since
has ever been a father to me. To him
made my first confession; served
my first mass in st. Raphael's in Du-
buque and went to his school. On the
day that was consecrated bishop he
stood next to me and since has follow
ed my career with JOY and with SYM
pathy. Yes, 1t is a great JOY for me to
speak my words of affection.
And what shall say? The first
thing that occurs to me is that he is
one of the first great priests Of Iowa.
He came to the state in 1865 and found
there forty priests. He bore the bur-
den of the day and gave all he had
to the state and Its people, for he had
consecrated his life to them. So COM
pletely did he give himself to the
people that he was compelled to forget
the people OF Ireland whom he had
left, and never was able to convince
himself that he could return for as
much as a few months visit.
"He spent himself for the ministry
and for the people of Iowa. He was
great missionary priest and has had
both the joys and sorrows of his work.
The priests of the state that then
1 numbered forty now number $40 and
instead of one diocese there are three.
And think of the progress of the
school of his time. When he came to
Dubuque there were no permanent
schools for the education of children
and not only that, but there was lax
ity among the people of that time.
Father O'Reilly found 1t necessary to
solicit money for the erection OF
schools for the education of the chill
dren and travelled on foot from Du-
buque to Sioux City to obtain money
to erect the first school in Dubuque,
and during the whole of his life 1t has
stood as monument to him and was
: known as Father O'Reilly's school.
. The building marked the beginning Of
: parochial schools in Iowa and of Amer
: lea and it was because of Father
O'Reilly's work that Archbishop Hen
messy took the aggressive attitude
which made him unpopular among
, many non-Catholics.
God bless that noble gospel of
:. Christian education and had he done
no more than his work in Christian
. education that work all one would have
. been sufficient monument to him.
You have only to look around in
Keokuk to see the work he has done
/ in the past thirty-four or thirty-five
years The grand church and the
r school building and the club home are
r monuments left in the city The su
preme lesson of his life has been Chris
: tian education
), HE felt that the church in this
n country could have only so muca as
II it had schools. He felt even in those
remote days that the divorce of reli
gion from education was the grand
est mistake ever made in the United
e States.
II In later years of his life it was
v great Joy for him to see that tht
% church had made a great progress IL
d the state. Yes, he was great schoo
n man and saw the results of his labor
II which meant everything not only fo
" church. but for the country God ough
n to bless men like Father O'Reilly VIII
O. give themselves to Christian educa
'e ton.
III THE cause of temperance was an
III other subject dear to Father O'Rei
Is ly. He taught it to them at every OF
TT casion. He was the enemy of the SO
loon, SO that in some communities /
I'D which he lived he had the whole Sc
IL loon element against him, He reali
ut ed that most of evil is attributed
at drink. He pleaded with our Caoaoli
ch boys and girls to take the pledge an
at keep it for life.
he "But at the same time he loved tn
he drunkards, he was their great frlen
ne in his great fatherly way, would urs
rs chem to give up drink and in this
nd achieved the most signal success.
as 'sBut he was not satisfied with Il
les work of Christian education and tel
nd perance: he went out among his pc
lat ple. The orphans he assisted. knc
est many of them who arc occupying he
it
rds tContinued on page 80