The Irish standard., 1910-09-10
"REMINISCENCES OF
FATHER BURKE
His Name is Household Word
Wherever an Irishman is to
Be Found
The Great Dominican Was Born in
Galway, City of the Tribes"
in 1880.
His Visit to America in 1871 Was
the Crowning Part of
His Life

More than a quarter of Il century
ago. on the morning of July 9 1883
there died In the historic village of
'rallaght, County Dublin. Ireland. at the
comparatively early age of hfty-two,
one who's" name was at the time a
household word wherever irish men and
women were I" u" found. says a COR
respondent. zone Who Knew Him." in
the Rosary Magazine.
The Champion of the Irish Race.
Father Tom Burke, the great Domin-
lean, who by his clnquence i'm the pull
pit and on the platform had in various
parts of two continents enthralled, as
nationality, in social position and in
mental culture, was no more. Great
were the lamentations Of the Irish race
all the world over when the news Of
his death became known. And no won-
der. for Father Burke was not only a
great preacher. one of whom on that
be proud. but, moreover. he had been
the champion of our people when an
unScrupulous emissary of England en-
deavored to besmirch their fair fame.
] d" not intend in the limited space
at my disposal to write life of Fa ther
Burke. Even had I the opportunity
Of doing so. ] should be slow to take
up such work. for it would be hard to
do him justice. The world knew him
as the great orator. the wit. the racon-
teur. but comparatively few knew the
wonderful patience of the man under
excruciating sufferngs arising from an
incurab BILE disease from which he suf-
fered for many years. Few knew his
spirit of childliltc obedience to super
iors. and his profound humility which
was his safeguard in the midst of his
great triumphs.
Born in Historic Galway.
GALWAY the "City of the Tribes" has
the hon,,.' Of having been the birth
place of Father Burke. He was born
on Sept. S. 1880, and cew days after
he received the name of Nicholas An
| thony in baptism. He used sometimes
to say, laughingly that if he lived to,
hc old people might speak of him a.
"Old Nick" 1t was when he got the
| habit of st. Dominic that. according to
the custom of some religious ordeRs,
he took the name he is so well knows
by, that of Thomas, after the great
Aquinas the Priifce OF Theologians
His early years were like those Of
most Irish hoys OF that period. full Of
frolic and cscapades. Over and over
again he was chastised, not only for
his own childish deeds but very often
also for those of others, which were
wrongly charged to him on the prln-
ciple that once a dog has a bad name
you may safely suppose him guilty.
even though you have no proof, of the
delinquencies of others.
Received Minor Orders from tho Futurs
Leo XIII.
On Dec. 20, 1S47, he was clothed with
the habit of the F'riars Preachers in
the convent Of Perugia, Italy 1t is
worthy OF note that the Archbishop Of
that See at the time was he who years
after, under the name of Leo XIII, sat
upon the Chair of Peter More than
once the Archbishop, knowing that
young Burke spoke French fuently
even at that early age, sent for the
young Irish novice" and the future
Pope and he whose fame as a preacher
was to be world wide used to con-
verse in that language. Before the end
of his stay Of two years in Perugia
the young Irish student received minor
orders at the hands of Archbishop
| Pecci. qast
He then went to Rome, where he
j continued his studies in the Convent
of the Minerva, about this time Father
Burke met Cardinal Wiseman, who,
when speaking of him to others said:
"That young man has wondrous pow
er of inspiring affections; he will be a
great priest one day." So great was
the opinion entertained by his Super