The Irish standard., 1915-01-23
BISHOP PRAISES WORK Of A. 0. /.
Bishop Shahan Thanks A. o. H. and Ladies Auxiliary for
Gifts Declares Order is One of Greatest
Props of Religion.

has something less than 100000 memb-
ers. of which 10000 are women. Dur
ing the past two years this organiza-
ton has collected and spent nearly
$1,500.000 in mutual charity. This vast
sum has been collected from people of
modest means. people of simplicity
and sincerity. And this vast sum of
money does not represent the kind
ness, sweetness. helpfulness and good
will that has gone forth. These can
not be measured by any mercenary
'ception, can have no conception of
balance. The human mind has no con.
this value. It is a quality that is di.
vine. and its value can only be DETER
mined in heaven.
This organization has risen to a
high level of usefulness in public
works, that are aside from the person
al or temporal interests of members.
We are conserned with patriotic pub
lie works of benevolence, and one of
these will refer to. Our organiza-
tion established Gaelic chair in the
Catholic University in 1895 at cost
of $4,000. This endowment has re-
suited in the establishment Of Gae-
lie center in these United States. Here
are taught the Irish, Welsh, Breton,
Manx, Cornish and kindred languages,
under professor of distinction. DR..
Joseph A. Dunn, son of an old-time
Hibernian in New Haven. With the
assistance Of DR.. Leonard, DR.. Dunn
has prepared work that will soon be
given to the public at a cost of one
dollar. It will contain thirty articles
on Irish topics. written by specialists.
You have reason to rejoice that
through your efforts, the language Of
st. Patrick, used in converting Ire
land, is coming into it's own again. Not
only here, but all over the world, all
of which is due to you.
The third gift that received on the
occasion Of my consecration was 4
silver chalice. received from priestly
relatives in England. It was first used
by my great grand uncle, Father
Thady Shahan, and the date of its use
was in 1910. Father Thady shahan
used that chalice for fifty years and
then gave it to his nephew, Rev. Cor.
nelius shahan, on the day Of his ordi.
nation. Rev. Cornelius Shahan used
it for sixty years. I used it in cele.
brating my first Mass as Bishop, and
the thought came to me, that in times
Of persecution, in the days Of the pen.
al laws, an Irish priest in England
held that chalice up daily implorine
heaven to mitigate the misery and suf.
fering Of his people, in days when the
Irish In England were looked at as.
kance, when their enemies thought
that the best thing they could dc
would be to Jump into the sea, to die
or exile themselves to the new world
What grieved me most was that met
some relatives of Rev. Thady Shahan
who knew little of their sainted pre-
decessor who bore their name. This IL
a weakness Of the younger generation
The children of the Irish know next
to nothing Of their ancestors, Of the
land they sprang from, or its history
The principal object Of the Ancient
Order Of Hibernians is to disseminate
such information, to stimulate such
study, to preserve the ideals of a re
ligious race than whom there has not
been another such among nations, 9
people with the highest concept oI
duty since the days of the Apostles
la people who have stood for the best
things. I have been teaching church
history for twenty years and know
, the deep religious sentiment Of thu
Irish people toward Church and
, priest. l know that our ancestors, ths
people Of Ireland, stood for. and If {
noble family in England, France o.
J. Germany had endured what the people
, Of ireland have, it would be covered
with glory. The people Of 1relant
, have been sorely tried, various at
tempts have been made to have then
: abandon their religion, but all such at
tempts have been failures.
, The great, immediate need Of ou
, Organization to-day, the great object o
} Iour striving should be Catholic edu
, cation. Irish men and women VIII
/ should prove now the training tina
!. will be 30 essential to the well-beinl
l of the Irish men and women Of the fl
4 ka.s "a h