Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-04-08
Native of ~ Louisville Twenty
Five Years at the Altar
OF God.
SchOOlmates to Act as Assistants
and the Bishop Will Be
Present.
'EOPLE and CHILDREN OBSERVE


Thome, pastor of st. Vincent de
Paul church, will celebrate his silver
sacerdotal jubilee with a solemn
high mass on Easter Tuesday morn
ing, April IS. The Right Rev
Bishop O'Donaghue will grace the
occasion with his presence, and his
chaplains that morning will be the
Very Rev. James p. Cronin, V. c.,
and the Rev. B. II. Westermann,
pastor of st. Mary's church. The
jubilarian will be the celebrant of
the mass as a matter of course.
other officers of the mass win be
the Rev. DIR. George w. Schulz
mann, ID. D., pastor of st. Johns
church, deacon, and the Rev. Father
George Weiss, pastor of st. Georges
church, subdeacon. Fathers p. A. J.
Berresheim and James Assent will
be respectively the first and second
masters of ceremonies. The sermon
will be preached by the Rev. Father
Rudolph Charles Ruff, who is
Father Thome's assistant at st. Vim
cent de PauPs. Other exercises Incl
dent to the jubilee will be recep-
ton of the people of the parish in
Father Thome's honor on Easter
Sunday night, and the children's re-
ception on Easter Monday. A dinner
and reception for the priests will
follow the jubilee mass on Easter
Tuesday.
Father Thome was born in Louis
Vile on July 25, 1862. His parents,
long since deceased, were Peter and
N. .oI. ii
years ago the father was prominent.
shoe dealer in this city. At an early
age the future Levite attended the
parochial school of the Church of
the immaculate Conception at
Eighth and Grayson streets On ac-
count of his unusual brightness
Father Brandt became greatly in
terested in him and he and Father
Heising instructed him in the rudi-
ments of Latin, so that when young
Thome entered the preparatory col
lege of the Benedictine Fathers at
St. Meinrad, Ind, he was enabled to
enter the second Latin class After
four years of work he graduated
and entered the seminary depart
ment and took up his studies in
DullOSOpny. nc Adlc DlohOP M
Closkey thereupon called him home
and he entered Preston Park Semin-
ary, on the outskirts of Louisville.
There he made his course of theol-
ogy under the well known DIR.
Aemilian Sele, who now for many
years has been professor at Mt. st.
Marys Seminary of the West at
Cincinnati.
On April IS, 1886, Bishop Me-
Closkey ordained Rev. A. j, Thome
to the holy priesthood in the Cathe-
dral of the Assumption. The first
charge of the young priest was the
assistancy to his old pastor Father
Brandt, who was not able to look
after the then flourishing and grow
ing parish of the Immaculate Con-
ception. Here he remained from
April "a, 1886, until September II
of the same year, when he was APP
pointed to the pastorate OF Holy
Trinity church, st. Matthews, Jeffer-
son county. There at once he set TO
work paying off a good deal of the
indebtedness and also making sub
stantial improvements.
In the year 1888 the Franciscan
Fathers, who were then in charge
of st. Martins church. on Shelby and
Gray streets. we're recalled by their
Provincial and the church thereupon
was placed in charge of the late
Monsignor Francis Zabler. The lat
ter Immediately sought the services
OF Father Thome and the late Bishop
appointed the young priest first as
sistant. He reported for duty and
worked hard and faithfully until
the untimely death Of Monsignor
zabler in October, 1905. On October
"a Of the same year Father Thome
received his appointment as pastor
of ST. Vincent de Paufs church,
shelby and Oak streets. During his
seventeen years stay at st. Martins
church he showed himself a hard
worker. In the school his efforts
we're untlring. his zeal in attending
TO the spiritual wants OF the sick OF
the parish was of the greatest, his
ability as an orator OF the highest;
all who came In contact with him felt
the magnetism OF his personality.
Since his appointment 10 st. Vim
cent de Paurs church he has made
great improvements. The church
has been frescoed. a marble high
altar has been added with marble
sanctuary railing to match. electric
fixtures have been placed, a new
crib, sepulchre. Stations OF the
Cross, imported from Europe. Also
other church furniture has been
added, 80 that now 81. Vincent de
Paul's church Is one OF the prettiest
IN the city OF Louisville, This
amounted to an outlay OF about
$4,000. About year ago a large
plot OF ground was bought. upon
which is being erected new school
house. the estimated cost OF which
" <eo. 900. The building Is 10 be alb