The Irish standard., 1916-02-19

he had prepared the ground for the
one that would come after him. how
he had finished what he had begun
and how richly God had blessed his
work. Fathers, have you ever real
lied how good God has been to the
Church in Chicago; how it has become
one of the choice spots in this country?
When count the hundreds of churches
scattered throughout our city, when l
review the great army of children in
our schools, when consider the splen-
did equipment to care for the sick,
the orphans and the destitute, when |
number the homes of the religious
leaders so many nurseries of the more
perfect life, when l see you, my priests,
the captains of a mighty host, almost
too numerous to count, gathered to-.
gether from many countries and many
climes and speaking many tongues,
then do my eyes see the vision of the
Epiphany and to my lips rise the
words of the prophet, Arise, be en-
lightened, for thy light is come and the
glory of God is risen upon thee. Lift
up thy eyes round about and see all
there are gathered together; they are
come to thee; thy sons shall come
from afar and thy daughters shall rise
up at thy side. Then shalt thou see
and abound and thy heart shall wonder
and be enlarged"
Fathers, this is more than a vision.
this is a picture of our glorious here
after, yours and mine. Never was
greater opportunity given for the
spread of Gods kingdom; nevar was
there better chance to work for His
glory; never was there a brighter out.
look for harvest of souls than you
and l have here in Chicago. What
fools we would be to let sordid ambi.
tion, to let a lack of unity, to let a
spirit of neglect and Indifference blight
the wonderful harvest that is prepar.
ing before our eyes. My life and yours
count for little where Gods glory is
concerned; were l to spend my
strength and energy in a few years
what small price it would be to pay
for the fruits can gather. So come
to you, even as came my predecessor,
to give the best that is in me, my
strength, my youth, my energy, my
life, to lay them all on Gods altar this
morning for the Church of Chicago;
ad sacrificandum Domino veni.. But
without you am powerless, my work
would be sterile efforts, lifeless.
need you. l need all of you and |
need you so much; l want you to stand
behind me; to hold up my hand, to
cover with the mantles of your charity
my faults and my shortcomings. When
you render to me your obedience, let
1t be with the promise exacted from
you in your ordination. To you has
been given a people than whom there
is none more loyal, none more gener.
Gus, none more willing. Whether they
have come from the green hills of
Ireland, from the clean little towns
of Germany or France, from the now
war-scarred plains of Poland or wheth
er they first opened their eyes in this
land of the free they form here. this
great city, the obedient sons and
daughters of Mother Church and the
best element of our citizenship. You
the 800 priests of this diocese, are
their guardians. Keep them, do not
lose them. Fathers, do not let them
i become estranged because of any fault
OF your own, because of neglect in
teaching or default in good example
Ii we do, God will surely ask their
souls of our hands at the judgment
seat.
And you, my people, who today be-
come my sons and daughters, children
of the great family committed to my
care! The Divine Spirit sent me to
you to be the pastor of your souls
The Lord has placed heavy cross on
willing but weak shoulders. Some day
perhaps not far distant, this city will
be in mourning, these churches dark.
ened, and before this altar will rest
all that is mortal of the Third Arch.
bishop of Chicago. Then will his spirit
have passed before the scrutinizing eye
of the Almighty and the accounting
he must then give will be for million
and quarter souls. From the mo.
ment that the word came to me that
l must go to you this picture has never
been far distant from my mind. It is
the last thought to leave me at night,
the first to greet me in the morning.
Oh, If you only knew what a crushing
weight this awful responsibility is,
how unbearable 1t would be for a poor,
weak man, were it not for the con-
sciousness that your prayers never
cease to tighten the burden. 1t is the
supplications of hundreds of conse-
Grated virgins that move the Sacred
Heart of the Master to pity his humble
servant. 1t is the pleadings of the
poor, the sick, the orphaned, the peni-
tent that cry to the Great Good Sheph-
erd that He might comfort their pro-
tector; it is the lisping prayers of
more than one hundred thousand little
children that pierce the clouds and
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