Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-10-11
GIVES POPFS BLESSING
An Ambassador OF The Church
Brings From Rome The
PapaI BenedictiOn
A LARGE CONGREGATION
ST. Marv'S Church Filled With Worship.
pers- Congregational Singing In.
spring Churchman Tells OF
The Church Enemies

Last evening St. Mary's Church
was filled to its utmost capacity with
worshippers. They had assembled
to receive the Pope's blessing, and a
message of good will conveyed by
the Most Reverend Peter Murray.
Superior General of the Redemptorist
Order. After the recitation of the
Rosary and the Litany the congre-
cation was addressed by the emf
nent priest.
The church, one of the most beau
tiful in Annapolis, never looked
better than last evening. The altar
was ablaze with lights. both can
dies and electric lights. being used
to advantage. A profusion of flow
ers lent additional charm to an al
ready pretty setting. With the ad-
vent of Father Klauder, as rector, he
introduced an innovation in the way
of congregational singing, and those
assembled, by the earnestness with
which they joined in this form of
worship, showed their appreciation of
his efforts.
This was especially noticeable
when the congregation sang "Holy
God We Praise Thy Name Every
one seemed to feel that in this hymn
they had found vent for their fervor
and the church echoed with about five
hundred people singing in unison.
The Reverend General said, in part,
as follows:
In company with others before [
left Rome, we visited the Holy Father
and told him of our purpose. He was
more than interested and showed his
enthusiasm when he gave me the
privilege of bestowing the Papal
Blessing on all those / addressed.
The Holy Father is now very old and
feeble, and the increasing cares
which have fallen on him of late,
have only increased his responsible
tiles. The trouble in France and in
Portugal have been a source of worry
to him. As you all know, the three
things that the church has to contend
with are the devil, the flesh and the
world. In France our property was
confscated, but only for avarice, as
one case that came to our knowledge,
although, no doubt, there are others.
Zone of our monasteries was con-
fiscated, and the Official having it in
charge made report to- the gov
ernment, that it was only worth
one franc, in other words, it was
worth nothing. At the trial it
came out that this same official had
rented this same monastery to mer-
chants for the sum of ten thousand
francs a year. The government
has not gained anything by the
driving out of religious orders, but
those who fight the church for money
have. The Roman Empire, the great
est the world has ever known, fought
the church. Each succeeding Emper-
or made more and more Christian
martyrs, but the blood of martyrs is
only the.seed of Christianity. The Ro-
man Empire perished, and so will all
other nations, as God has said the
gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.
Christ had his enemies and battles
as we'll as we," said the Superior
General. "The three greatest are
the world, the flesh and the devil.
The devil is the greatest enemy of
man. This enemy bribes man; he
uses the passions of man as the or
ganist uses the keys of his organ.
Judas had the passion of avarice; the
Pharisees had the passion of jealousy
and envy. These same passions are
those of the present day. and the
crime of Judas is the crime of men
against the church"
The Most Reverend Superior General
admonished the congregation again to
be faithful in the October Devotions
which, he said, were instituted by
Pope Leo XIII. He said the war
against the church tells on the health
of His Holiness Pope Plus X. for
whom be asked the prayers of st.
Mary's.
The Reverend General then, as the
congregation knelt, pronounced the
Pope's Blessing upon them. In his
manner of speech he impressed one
of Cardinal Gibbons. His language
is so simple and transformations that
all could understand him. He uses
words mostly of two and three sylla-
bles, and is a forcible and eloquent
| speaker, and man whose personality
at once attracts inspires and invites
/ revorcpca