The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-11-07
SERMON PREACHED BY ARCH
BISHOP GLENNON AT THE
DEDICATION OF THE NEW
CATHEDRAL OF ST. LOUIS.

CATHEDRAL OF ST. LOUIS.
In the course of his sermon at the
dedication of the new Cathedral of
st. Louis, Archbishop Glennon said:
The building of Cathedral is more
than an ordinary enterprise. A Cathe-
dral is church, and more than a
church. 1t is a church in the sense
that it serves parish; and it is
more than q church in the sense that
it serves diocese. 1t thus becomes
a mother of churches-a center with
er should turn the devotion and rev.
erence of a people, and whence should
radiate paternal care, guidance and
government. Consequently, it has to
be a structure preserving all the
meaning and sanctities of a church,
and withal, growing into ampler
lines, and representing in more
forceful manner the stability, the
unity and the beauty of the church
at large. We can see in the history
of the Church the spirit that prompt
ed, and the sacrifices that were made
in great Cathedral building of the
past. First, the idea long lodged in
the soul of the community, gradually,
under the fostering care of Bishop
or ruler, sought expression in plans
presented by the architect; then
came their revision and their adop-
ton; then, the pilgrimage to the
quarry in whose depths they would
find material suitable to lay deep
and broad the foundations of the
building. Out from the quarry came
the blocks of stone or granite, which
of all that nature has is nearest to the
indestructible. The patient oxen
pulled it to where the Cathedral would
be. The workman guild would set
the stone in place and give voice and
prayer and work all in solemn conse.
Grafton to the blessed Master Work.
man who builded temple not made
by hands.
The Builders of Old.
'The building of the Cathedral was
long, but not a weary work, for
they who builded it did work in the
spirit Of faith, and conservation all
their own. They struggled collective
ly as the children of God to build for
Him monument. They did not work
for their own emolument Their cry
was Not for us, not to us, but to
Thy name give glory
1T is Ruskin who says:
{" In the days of the Middle Ages
Christians were seen to quit their
country in order to devote themselves
to a Cathedral rising on the banks OF
a foreign stream; satisfied with their
day because it had been useful, they
observed in the evening how much
the work had risen toward God; and
when after twenty or thirty years OF
obscure labor, the cross shone on the
summit of the sanctuary built up by
their hands, they cast last look on
it and with their children and their
memories, they went away without
leaving their name, to die in peace
in the blessed thought of having done
something for God.
"'All else for which the builders
sacrificed has passed away. All their
living interests and aims and achieve
ments. We know not for what they
labored and we see no evidence OF
reward. Victory, wealth, authority
happiness-all have departed, though
bought by many a bitter sacrifice
But of them and their life and their
toll upon earth, one reward, one evi
dence is left us in these gray heaps
of deep-wrought stone. They have
taken with them to the grave their
powers, their honors and their errors
but they have left us their alteration.
Silent Witnesses of Faiths Existence
sand how proudly and how brave
ly, through all these centuries, have
stood these pillared towers of Chris
tendon. They have witnessed the
Kings coronation and the revolution
that marked his fall. Silently they
stood. Empires rose and fiourisheG
and declined. They have watched the
coming of the army of the invader
they have seen the city walls crumble
and sometimes, too, in roof or tower
the cannon ball did wantonly break
the line or mar the beauty of the
stately structure. Yet, few days
more and the army had departed. The
broken arch was built again, and roo
and tower restored, while within the
TIE Deum' of their delivery was
chanted. They have seen around
them surge the blood-red tide of rev
olution, which, sweeping within theil
walls, brought dissertation to shrine
and altar. Soon the tidal wave
passed by, and the Cathedral, purified
remained to bless the city and the
nation-a shrine to the crusader re
turning, home for the sinner who
| is penitent, protection for the veal
and lowly and promise and proph
ecy to those who trust in God. The
nation may default as Christian ma
tons sometimes do, the Cathedra
may pass into the hands of The
enemy, the schismatic may occupy i
and employ it's sacredness as an apol
ogy and protection for his schism
yet, builded once for Christ and tn
faith He established, as such, they re
main silent witnesses to that faitht
existence and undying and unchang
ing character. The years of spiritua
default will end, the schisms be heal