Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-20
CORNER-yTONE d
NEW CHURCH LAID
REEO..E BIG CROWD
Bishop O'ConnOr Conducts Cere-
mOny for ST. Charles
BOrrOmeO Parish.

The cornerstone of the new Roman
Catholic church of st. Charles BOZ
romeo, which is in the process of con
struction at Custer and Peshine ave
nues. was laid yesterday afternoon by
Bishop John j. O'Connor. Fully Lot
people attended the ceremony. \ parade
Of the Holy Name Society members ano
a body OF the Knights of Columbus
preceded the laying Of the stone.
Assisting the bishop were Chancellor
Charles A.. Smith and the rector of the
church. the Rev. Frederic c. O'Nelll
The Rev. Thomas A. Walsh, of ST
Michaers Church, in Belleville avenue
delivered the He said in part
1--WE have assembled here today to
witness the solemn placing of the cor
ner-stone in the Church of st. Charles
Borromeo and to encourage ouI
friend. Father ONeill, in his Jealous
efforts. to erect another sacred edifce
to the glory of God III the salvation
Of immortal souls. For this end, name
~. the glory of the Almighty and tbs
salvation OF souls, in all ages temples
have been erected, bishops have been
eonsecrated and priests ordained TO
the divine service. and for this end tbs
pious children of the Catholic church
never cease to work and pray. There
fore. it ma be profitable to us to con-
slider for a short time this afternoon
the necessity OF religion.
religion is the sum of the relations
chip which exists between God and
nian-God creating, preserving, saneti-
fving and saving man, with mans
duties, on the other hand, of reverins,
loving and serving God in this life, with
The positive assurance by so doing OF
Being happy with Him forever in the
nhxt. There is no man, as the scrip
lures say, except the fool, who Will
dare say in his heart there is no God.
The beauty. the order, the harmony or
this universe, the tiniest flower that
grows in the garden, with its wonder
full formation, clearly proves to n
reasonable mind the existence OF God.
ION the other hand, the souls kpowl-
edge of it's own intellectual nature, the
fact thai it can think and reason. and
the Unborn longing for everlasting hap
piness which we all crave for, and
which can never be satisfied in this
life. loudly proclaim man TO be spiritual
and immortal. Now between these two
Hkings. God and man, the connecting
link, the bond of union is religion.
Whether YOU win or no, whether you
recognize it or not, such a bond sure
II exists, For though man at his crea-
ton becomes a distinct individual, dit
fGing from every other in some way
on another, still not evensGod Himself,
f..oa Is Of tho 1p,froIfoffp xtf,iaIas II 10
deuld make mar independent OF his
creator. But ALAS what God refuses to
do, what God is unable to do, man.,
foolish and ungrateful. is not slow to
attempt. For the mar without religion,
the man who forsakes or neglects his
religion, practically says, Away with
God, l will nave none OF Him. l am
Independent even Of Him, absolutely
self-sufiicient.' The founding cruelty
renounces his generous b~enefactor; the
son disowns the most loving of fathers.
in some this rebellious spirit takes
the form of contempt for everything
sacred; in others it is the bitter opposi-
ton to some particular creed; in the
majority it is downright Indifference.
And although the cases of the scoffer
and the religious fanatic are, God
knows, deplorable enough, still there is
in them an activity, an interest, a
partial belief, If you will, which may,
God willing, lead to something better.
Blu the case of the Indifferent is the
most hopeless of all. He is neither hot
nor cold, and therefore disgusting to
God, i would says the Holy Spirit,
speaking to the indifferent, thou were
cold or hot, but because thou are luke
warm and neither cold nor hot, 1 will
begin to vomit thee out of my mouth
Dear friends, the causes of fire.
ligion in the world are threefold. First
Of all, ignorant pride, sometimes a lit
tie pride and great ignorance, some
times less ignorance and great pride;
but Invariably ignorant pride is the
first great cause of irreligion in the
world today. How many men you will
ind, not knowing even how to read or
write, who will sneer at those eternal
truths, in the presence of which the
worlds greatest minds have bowed in
humble assent, How many men there
are with q stock of learning, little
enough to be dangerous, great enough
to fill them with infinite conceit, who
will produce, as their own, objections
to religion as old as history, as I'M
a~nswerable, objections refuted thou
sands of times, feeble arguments to de-
strey that religion which the saints
professed, and hosts of Christian
martyrs defended with their lives. How
many men there are who in the pride
Of their hearts because they have
learned much, except to recognize after
all how little they know. do not hesi-
a to pass judgment on religion, as
did Pontius PLATE on our Saviour and
treat it as he did Christ-as a fool and
an impostor. Ignorant pride is the
FIRST cause of ir~religion, therefore, in
The world today.
"Pride and ignorance are mental de-
aects, but human respect, which is the
second cause, is a disease of the will,
a lack of mora courage. the misfortune
0f those who are ashamed TO profess of