The Irish standard., 1912-11-16
SERMON
At GREAT EVENT
Delivered by Archbishop Glennon
of St. Louis at Dedication of
Denver Cathedral.
Takes the Sanctity of the Church
as his Theme and breaches
Grand Discourse.
The Moral System of the Church
Rises up Before Mankind for
Its Regeneration.

llS NcScllcIdllOll.
The sermon at the recent ucIica-
ton Of the new cathedral OF Denver
was delivered by Archbishop Glennon
Of ST. Louis, who spoke, in part, as
follows:
dedication Of churches is t'ken from
the Apocalypse of ST. John. 1t relates
the vision that the apostle SAW. the
vision of the Holy city, the New
Jerusalem descending from heaven.
from God prepared as the bride for
her wedding
Church of God, its origin and it's dis
tinguished qualities; it's origin being
from God, its qualities being those Of
the Holy City. unspottcd and fair as
the bride on her wedding day
This quality Of sanctity in the
church was oftcntimes emphasized by
our Blessed Lord. When He speaks
of the church, this quality is cm3ent-
| ly before His mind. 1t is His spouse,
as ST. Paul in his cpstle, to the lsphe-
slams says: Husbands, love your
wives as Christ loves His church. and
] delivered Himself for 1t, that He might
j present it unto Himself. not having
spot or a wrinhle, or any such
! things. but that it might be holy and
without hlcmish.
"And il YOU ask INC wherein lies
the sanctity Of the church, ! will an
| swer YOU that it's sanctity consists,
4 first of ALL in its founder, Jesus
| Christ, the Son of the Living God. AS
we look for the purity OF the water
, in the river to the springs, where the
river rises; as we look to the ripened
fruit of the autumn time in the fruit
! full tree that bears IT., SO also do we
look u the church's sanctity, to It's
source, which is the Sacred Heart OF
Christ, we regard 1t the fruit that is
borne on the heavenly vine. Christ
said, 4 am the vine, you are the
branches
"Now in such an audience as this,
and on such an occasion as this. do
not believe il is necessary to defend
the sanctity of Christ for, AS Christ is
divine, it is the holiness Of God Him
self. Nor do think 1t is necessary to
defend the primal note Of snnctity
that our Lord did pray and hope
should he in the church He founded.
But what | fear is that some will
claim that the church Of today and
Of later years has lost it's primal
sanctity, and has forgotten the Christ
that made it holy.
Long years have passed. they say,
since Christ established His church,
the church that He loved so well AS
to deliver Himself up for it. Grad
ually, they say, through the years the
church has dcfaulted from that primal
place beside the Lord and Master,
'"hc human i'm ii has conquered the
divine, until today its divinity and
consequently, its sanctity, has fled
Yes, they say we have forgotten
Christ. | ask when? Was it. in the
early years in apostolic times?
"Was ST. Peter one Of those who
; forgot his Master? st. Peter who
from the city of his later years, tho
Roma Actcrna' of them, and went out
in the early morning from that city
because, as his friends advised, II
would be better that the church's head
should be safcguarded by leaving tho
city while the persecution ragged
> Within When the Savior met him on
the way he asked whittier the LorG
was going. Quo vadis, domino" HI
e was answered by the BLESSED Savior
. I am going to the city which you have
:, deserted. am going to be crucifiet
. again Did st. Peter forget his Mas.
I ter tEcn, when listening to the ad
= monition? He returned to the city
e where the hoodtide Of persecution
i swept him into the vortex and set him
e, as his Master was set. on the cross.
G "Did they in the centuries later for
G get the Christ, they who in long pro
e ccssion were led forth to the arena o
the Coliseum while the multitud'