Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-03-21
Bishop O'Donaghue breaches
Sermon and Explains Their
Meaning.
station Figures I'm High Relief
Are Realistic and True to
Life.
NAMES OF GENEROUS DONORS

Last sunday evening the Right
Rev. Denis O'Donaghue, Bishop of
Louisville, was present at the SOL
emn and impressive blessing of the
beautiful new stations lately erected
in st. Augustine's church, Thirteenth
and Broadway. The auditorium of
the church was throrged to its ut
most capacity by the congregation
and numerous friends from all parts
of the city of the pastor, Rev.
Francis Felten.
The stations of Rigalico stone
composition show exquisite work
manship in the Romanesque style,
the figures In high relief being real.
istic and true to life, the draperies
falling in graceful folds of rich col
orings while the blue sky of Jeru-
salem merges into opaline splendor
and the palm trees and antique
houses appear in the distance. The
frames of the stations, seemingly OF
stone, are embellished with gold.
With the Bishop and assisting in
the sanctuary were the Rev. Fathers
Patrick Monaghan, H. Jansen, Ro-
man Kremer, Charles P. Ratio,
Thomas White, George Weiss, Oscar
Ackermann and Francis Felten. A
splendid musical programme was
rendered during the evening. The
donors of the new stations are Jere-
miah Bacon, Phil Soden, Mary Pres
ton, c. A. Brown, Fred Erhardt
Samuel l.. Robertson, Gertrude
O'Connor, Edward O'Connor, p. Ban
non, Louisa Bannon, John Whallen,
these three in memoriam, and Mary
McSteen. The Rev. Francis Felten,
who is a priest of scholarly attain
ments, has labored arduously among
the people of his congregation for
their spiritual and temporal well
fare, and his master intellect de-
signed the architecture of the hand
some new church of st. Augustine,
the most imposing church edifice for
colored people in the South.
Bishop O'Donaghue preached the
sermon, saying in part that the Way
of the Cross recalls to mind the his
tory of the redemption of the hu-
man race By the Divine Master, and
also the scenes along the pathway
from the house of Pontius PLATE to
Calvary on Good Friday. Christ
was tried as criminal and a male
factor, condemned to carry the cross
and die an ignominious death. In
the fourth station He meets his
blessed mother, who when she sees
the bloodstained face of her Divine
Son falls upon her knees, and as she
extends her hands toward him He
speaks one word "Mother!" Weak
and exhausted from the heavy
weight of the cross, Jesus meets
Simon the Cyrenian, a good man,
who is coming home from his work
with his three children, and the
brutal soldiers force him to help our
dear Lord carry the cross for fear
He would die before his execution.
Divine grace illumined the face of
Simon as he lifts the heavy weight
from our Saviour. In another scene
the daughters of Jerusalem are weep
ing for their Master, but Christ says
to them, Weep not for me but for
yourselves and your children" Later
He is stripped of his garments; and
as the rude soldiers prepare Him
for death. the thought of every hui
man being is in his divine mind; and
the martyrdom that He suffers is for
you and for me. Therefore let us
ever remember that his passion and
death are the price of our redemp-
ton. After his crucifixion a good
and pious man, who had chiseled a
vault from stone, asked PLATE for
the privilege of burying Christ. On
Easter morn He rose glorious and
triumphant over sin and death.
Let us bear in mind that in max
ing the stations we walk over the
same roadway of Christ; and 1t is
necessary to say some prayers and
mediate upon these scenes in order
to gain the indulgence. Pious ira
ditions point out with tolerable ac-
curacy the path of Christ on Good
Friday, and many thousands Of pill
grims journey over this roadway
with deep religious feeling. These
new and beautiful stations are works
Of art, and | feel that they reflect
great credit upon the people and
pastor of the Church of st. Au-