The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
PONT|F|CAL MASS FOR FATHER 0'GRADy
Impressive Ceremonies At St. .Pauls Conducted By
 Bishop Allen of Mobile

Yesterday at 9 o'clock a solemn pontifi-
 cal mass of requiem was celebrated at
 St Paurs church by the Right Rev. Edw
 P. Allen, D. D.. bishop of Mobile. for
 the repose of the soul of the late Father
 IT. E. OGrady, dean of the north Ala
 bama district. The spacious church was
 well filled, the front pews being reserved
 for the Catholic societies of St. Catherine
 church at Pratt City, Father O'Grady's
 latest charge The ceremonies were very
 impressive Assisting the bishop were
 all the priests of the Birmingham district
 and many visiting fathers.
 Before the mass the office of the dead
 was recited The body of Father O'Grady
 lay in state in a beautiful casket before the high altar. It was dressed in purple vestments, the hands, holding rosary, were clasped, and on the casket lay the priests beretta.
 The officers of the mass were: Cele- brant the Right Rev. Bishop Allen, the cathedral. Mobile; assistant priest, the Rev. James E. Coyle, St. Paufs church, R,rmingham: deacons of honor, Father Boniface, O. s. B., St. Bernard monastery, Cullman, and Father Turner, Church Of | the Blessed Sacrament. Birmingham; deacon of the mass, the Rev. otto Dus, | St. Catherine's church, Pratt City; sub
 deacon of the mass, the Rev. Robert J. McGuillen. St. Anthony's church, Ensley : first master of ceremonies. the Rev. Philip Mccormack, East Lake orphanage; sec end master of ceremonies. the Rev. Eugene L. Sands. St. Paurs church, Bir- mingham The minor officers of the mass were: Bishops book bearer. Master John | Carney: bishops acolyte, Master Wend- worth Dillon; acoytes for the mass, Mas ters Raymond McCaffrey and Dudley Con nolly: thurifer Master Frances Radford; boat bearer, Master Joseph Murphy; mitre bearer, Master Joseph Brady.
 After the mass the body was solemnly blessed by the right reverend bishop, the choir singing the responses, and this was followed by a touching discourse by the bishop. Taking for his text the words or the Apocalypse: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" he reminded the congregation assembled to pay the last sad tribute of respect to a priest of God of all that the word priest implies. He showed that the true priest is man set apart to guide and teach and point out the way of salvation, and that to do ths
 work well. the priest, with the ideal of tho Master before him, must be in very truth, an alter Christus' us'-anotner Christ The bishop then briefly sketched the work performed by Father OGrady ever since his first coming into the diocese, some 27 years ago. He showed how he was selected to take the place or that saintly man, Father Serra, who spent himself in bringing the cancellations of
 the faith to the scattered Catholics bor- dering on the Mexican gulf. He showed how well Father O'Grady. for 10 long years, fulfilled that task, and how even today his name is held in benediction along the coast, where now, instead of the weak, scattered Catholic families that then existed, there are fourishing Catholic communities. The bishop showed, too, how, for some years. he did good work in Huntsville, out how all the time he was anxious to return to missionary life, for which he seemed to have a special aptitude Being re- leased from parish duties he then went all over the diocese to the most remote and distant places, spreading knowl- edge of the faith. and by his geniality and unifirm kindness to all people, re- moving mountains of dfstrust and pre1u- dice so that only God alone knows the good he did in this work, that Is so llaborious, and, from human viewpoint, so thankless. His health broke down, and he went north in vain endeavor to regain it. Returning somewhat improved 1 he was assigned to St. Catherines, Pratt City, and there labored till last Octo- Der, when a serious breakdown forced
 him to resign, and leave the manage ment of parish affairs in more vigorous hands.
 | The bishop, after this tribute to the departed priest, reminded the people who had benefited by his ministrations, to remember him, now that he was gone, to show their appreciation by invoking Gods mercy on his soul, and by pray i ing the God of love to receive him into the heavenly mansions and to give him eternal rest and light and peace, in the Kingdom of the blessed, with the dead who die in the Lord.
 Present in the sanctuary in addition to
 the officers of the mass. were the fol- lowing priests: The Rev. Charles s. Reil- Fly, Our Lady Immaculate. Birmingham:
 the Rev. John A Bratton, St. Clements' church, Woodlawn; the Rev. John B. iCanepa, St. Marks church, East Thomas;
 the Rev. Thomas P. Cassidy, the Ca- thedral, Mobile; the Rev. James s. J.
 Downs, St. vincent's hospital. Birmins. ham; the Rev. Malachi E. Kitrich, St. 1 Aloysuis church, Bessemer; the Rev. Joseph l.. McDermott. St. Annis' church,
 New Decatur; the Rev. John J. OKelly. Our Lady of Sorrf s- Birmingham; the iRev. Ben J. Platt Marks church.