The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-12-31
The Last Christmas Services at Lsgan
Avenue Chapel

Inc LaSL OnrlSthl3S SERVICES At EAgan
Avenue Chapel.
1t was more than Christmas { Lo-
gan avenue chapel.
1t was a day of vastly deeper senti-
mont than the ordinary Christmas
spirit.
1t was sort OF a Christmas vaAedic-
tory that the congregation OF the ca
thedral wrote that day, without. stroke
of pen.
It was the last Christmas tilaf will
ever be celebrated in that simple little
chapel. which twenty years aga on
Christmas day was opened for the tenn
porary accom9no odation of a throng Of
dcvout Catholics.
Next year the splendid new cathedral
to which Protestant Denver points with
civic pride in a measure as great as
the devotion with which Catholic Den
yer looks upon the proud steeples, viii
be ready for service And the humble
chapel. the basement hail which has
served foT twenty years, viii be aban-
doaed.
Some time neE year. probably in the
late summer the new cathedral viii be
opened. BY Christmas the congrega4
ton viii have begun To feel at home
in it.
But it wasn't Of that that the people
thought as they knelt in prayer this
Christmas.
It wasn't of the commanding towers
four blocks away, IT wasn't of that
great pile OF stone and steel. IL was
on the chapel. where for twenty years
they had made their prisons, that the
devout ones thought There were those
who had been baptized in the sacrisey,
and are grown now to the verge OF
manhood and wolnanhood There were
fathers and mothers who had brought
these babes In thciI. arms to have the
waters OF baptism poured upon their
infant heads. There were other IA
thers and mothers whose marriage
VOWS had been taken there before that
altar and there were those who bad
gone sin-slck to those curtained CON
fessionals and come out strong IN the
determination to amend their lives.
Tt was a day Of reminiscence IN the
chapel
Visions of the men who had labored
there, Gods ministers, in the old days, |
TO build up the congregation; memories |
of those whom death had taken from |
the post of duty there; thoughts of |
those who had given of their best to |
the making of a splendid church ran |
rampant.
And of those good men who work |
today, there were Christmas thoughts |
There were prayers that the magnifi- |
cent energies that Father Hugh Z. Nc i
Menamin has brought to the rector |
ship of the cathedral might be spared |
There were grateful thoughts that it |
has been his to have capable assist /
ants to bear with him the brunt of the /
money-raising. a disagreeab1e thing at
best.
The old chapel never looked so pret-
ty so friendly, as it did on Christmas
morning. There vas q warmth in the |
red and green of the Christmas deco
rations that filled the souls Of those
who lnelt in prayer There was a fer
vor in the music of the choir There
was devotion in the piping voices Of |
the surpliced altar boys. who sang the /
time-honored 'Adeste Fidelis"
1t was the real spirit of Christmas.
and with it was linked the spirit of
thanksgiving for the handsome church
which is to be the house of worship
for these same people some time in the
new year
The first mass was. as usual. at 5
O'Clock. BY 4:30 o'clock every seat
in the chapel was filled, and by the
time the mass was begun 800 people
were standing. From the sacristy out 4
though the church and into the sane
tuary the altar boys went in process
sion, followed by the bishop and
priests. They sang the "Adeste FL
delis" along the way. and at the close
Of mass another hymn Of the Nativity. /
in which Father William Neenan had i
specially trained them. The choir. un-
der the direction of Mrs. John Schill- 1
ing, sang the new Silas Mass at this
high mass and at the late. one. Bishop
Matz was celebrant of the first mass.
and preached the sermon. Father
Hugh L. McMenamin was assistant
priest; Father J. F. McDonough was
deacon; Father Osthoff of st. Thomas
seminary sub-deacon: Father Neenan
master Of ceremonies, and William
Ryan and Raymond Hickey. clerics
from the seminary, deacons of honor
Mr.. Hickey belongs to the cathedral
parish, and both he and Mr. Ryan. who
is an easterner. are being educated for
this diocese. At the last mass Father
p. A Phillips. the chancellor of the
diocese, was celebrant, and Father
Neenan preached. Father McMena1nin
was master of ceremonies. and the dea-
con, sub-deacon and deacons OF honor
We're the same as at the O'Clock mass.
The same musical program, with or
chestTal accompaniment. was given.
~