The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-02-10

men who have gone through life ridi-
cullng, scorning, even slanderlng, the
priesthood, yet they repented on their
deathbed. If we are frank with our
selves, we will acknowledge that when
We do, consider our last hour, the
priest invariably has his place in it.
There is no contradicting that Catho.
lies look to the priest to hurry to their
side when the certain and dreaded
hour has come.
Nor have priests ever failed in this
great duty. Such instances as Father
Damien are not uncommon, still not
OF everyday occurrence, for not every
priest is called upon to shut himself
up with the dying and dies with them
that he may be a consolation to them
IN their last hour Still, If priest
finds his duty shaping itself thus, he
VIII perform it even as hundreds OF his
vocation have done before and are
doing, and will continue to do to the
end of time. There are Father Da-
miens today. The proof is that Father
Damien's work on the Island OF Molo-
ka1 continues to be done even today.
If we are to treat or THIS matter
solely in so far as it relates to hero
ism of priests in the performance of
their duty, no more striking instances
could be recited than that Of the
Bishop and the priests of Nashville
in the terrible days of the seventies.
q
Most. Rev. P. A. Feehan, subsequently
Bishop of Chicago His appointment
to the See of Nashville followed the
close of the Civil War, during which
that city suffered from some of the
most dire tragedies that were the lot
had the worst ravages of the war been
repaired, when there came a period of
ten years during which the Tennessee
capital was smitten three times by
frlghtful plaques. In 1873, 1878 and
1879 pestilence broke out in Nashville,
and each time the Bishop called every
priest to his post. Terrible was the
danger that they would have to face
in bringing the last rites of religion
to the victims of the plague. Still, all
needed Bishop Feehan's call. They
answered with the same readiness that
had met his previous summons, when
they were but clerical students in the
seminaries of Ireland, and he had
urged them to come to his diocese to
rebuild it out of the ruins of the war.
Nor did the priests in those days min
lister solely to the spiritual wants of
the hundreds who were stricken.
Who could sit at dying mans side
and not ease the pillow on which rest
ed his fevered head or refuse to drop
cooling water between his parching
lips? That work of mercy, however,
took its toll; one after another the
priests sacrificed their lives in the per-
Torrance of their duty. But as each
fell, another leaped into his place.
Every few days there was a new
mound in the Nashville Catholic Gene
terry, where the latest priest victim of
the plague was buried. In all, twenty
two of Gods servants laid down their
lives in the fulfillment of their priestly
duties to the dyiag.
One wonders how anti-clericalism
can meet even with liberation when
American soil is the grave of such
heroes. Of course, every catastrophe
does not call upon the priest for such
sacrifices. Still, that is hardly the
question. Let death come, be it to one
or to a dozen or hundred, or even
to thousands, and the priest is there.
He will do his duty, no matter what
the obstacles and dangers may be.
He must then speak the words of alb
solution, be it either over an indi-
vidual who has confessed his sins, or
over a struggling mass of dying hui
mainly that in its last breath is call
ing on the mercy of God. And under
the circumstances such as last men
toned, he will raise his hand in the
Sign of the Cross and speak the effica-
cious words of general dissolution.
There are hundreds of incidents that
testify to the priests fulfillment of
this duty.
Survivors tell of the priest who
stood on the deck of the fast-sinking
Titanic and raised his hand in the Sign
of the Cross over those who were so
soon to join him in a watery grave.
All recall that when the Iroquois The
alter fire in Chicago took it's toll of six
hundred lives bishop forced his way
into the burning building to give gen
eral absolution to the victims. But
instances Of far more recent occur
renee can be cited. The past year Of
fers three such events, newspaper re-
ports of which lie before me. The first
deals with the terrible calamity in Chi
cago last July when the Eastland turn
ed on its side. Was it merely coin
cident, or Gods Providence, that at the
precise moment that the boat threw its
load of humanity into the Chicago
river, priest was standing on the
bridge; and he spoke the words of alb
solution. A few minutes later many
other priests from the churches in the
vicinity were in and on the death
ship and in the emergency hospitals
and morgues where the dead and dy.
ing were lying, administering baptism,
absolution and extreme JUNCTION.
Another modern instance occurred
in New York City, when the street be-
meath which subway was being con-