The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-01-15
Continued from page IL
A Tribute to the late Bishop
of Omaha.

~ CKK1@k13s
and the bishop. The prime condition
OF vocation to the ecclesiastical
state is the virile sense of duty. The
responsibilities are many. and oner.
GUS and they are all-absorbing in
their exactions. They claim attention
at the cost Of every sacrifice. The
priest, or the bishop belongs neither
to himself, nor to other interests what.
soeYer save that of the souls com
mltted to his charge. Whole-hearted
must he be in the work of his minis
try: ceaslessly must he keep vigil:
arduously must he labor Bishop Scan
nell was prominently the gooG priest.
the good bishop. In his personal life
there shone the faith, the hope. the
charity, which he was missioned to
incuicate upon others. He was the
exemplar of the religion, he was ia. ex-
pound. His was tender conscience
lt took quick alarm at the nearness
OF Hnrighteousness: and when it is.
sued its mandates, he gave immediate
obedience
The lucid characteristic of Bishop
ScannelPs ministry, was that self was
completely wrapt up in it's folds, even
to absolute disappearance. The work
| was to be done: the doer was not to
be SEEN, or known. He cared nothing
for recognition, or eulogy: indeed, he
suffered, were eyes turned upon him,
or tongues echoed his praises. 1t was
the absolute forgetfulness of SELF
with the intent that the work be done.
the duty be fulfilled. Careless Of
praise, he was equally so of criticism.
The priest, the bishop is on the pin
nacle, to be observed, to be talked of
above all else to be criticized. His
motives fall easily under suspicion:
his words and acts are scrutinized, nut
under blame, if at all there is room
for blame. One would think that tim
orous and retiring as Bishop Scannell
surely was he would be sensitive to
criticism. Yet. not so in the least.
He had done what his conscience had
commanded: he had obeyed the voice
Of duty: he was satisfied. He was
| needless of criticism, as of praise. In
deed, tranquility of soul was his pc
culiar privilege. We all have our
ideas, our plans, our policies: and we
seek to bring them into fruition.
( Often failure follows, and there is dis
| tress, disbursement. Tt is a weak
ness of human nature, a conscious, or
unconscious return to self, forget
fulness that each one is only a small
particle in the general mass, and that
all that is asked from him is the per-
Torrance of duty within the limita-
tons of his limited sphere. Bishop
Scannell had the felicitious art of
throwing consequences upon the all
ruling Providence, taking no response
| bility to himself, so long as he had
done his duty. When things hap
pened differently from his plannings
and expectations, he refused to re-
| pine, or give way to saddening regret.
| He was contented with the will of
God, and calmly reached out his hand
towards the duty next within touch.
To him the Catholic Church was the
spiritual continuity of the Incarnation
of the Son of God-the authoritative
teacher of revealed truth, the dispen-
ser of divine grace She was the
bride of his soul. He loved her with
the might Of his heart; he served her
with the strength of his life. Her tri-
umphs were his joy: her tribulations,
his sorrow. In both triumphs and
tribulations he took l1eenest concern.
He was the diligent, the intelligent
| student of all questions bearing upon
the movements Of the Church
whether in his own diocese or country,
or upon the wider field which belongs
to her as the teacher of nations: and
one had always to note the soundness
of his judgments, the largeness of his
perspectives, the generosity of his
thoughts and affections. Always pru-
dent, never rash, always far-sighted,
never narrow or selfopinionated-h
was one near whom all, whoever they
were, could sit and listen with profit
and edifcation. One had always to
observe that the guiding-star of his
| judgments and decisions was the SUI
preme Pontiffcate of Rome. To Peter
| it was as to confirm his brethren: to
them to receive from him guidance
and counsel.
The Catholic in religious faith, in
citizenship he was the American. He
loved America: he loved her institu-
tions. An important theme Of his
studies was America. Well did he
know her history: well did he under
stand her spirit and her aims Scrup-
ulous he was, in his submission to her
laws, in his preachments of submits
sion by others. Well for America, il
the legions Of her people were as thor
oughly American in admiration and
love, as thoroughly devoted to the well
fare of America, as was Richard Scan
nell, the late Bishop Of Omaha. And
here again, we have to note his sound
ness of judgment: fads and fancies,
SO often peopling the air of America,
novelties and impracticable theories
SO often put forward as panaceas for
real or imaginary ills, received no
hearing from him. There was too
much at stake to risk experiments:
there was too much safety in old
time anchorages, to permit wander
IN rcv ~ov.~ry YrwAwsaI enoc