New Britain herald., 1918-04-15
DEDICATE FLAGS At
ST. MARY'S CHURCH
Patriotic Exercises Held With
Record Crowd Attending

Impressive patriotic exercises were
carried out at st. Mary's church yes
terday afternoon in connection with
the dedication and blessing of an
American flag, Red Cross flag and
a service flag. Thousands were in
attendance. all seats in the church
being occupied and many being scat
ed on the altar The occasion was
noteworthy as bringing together one
of the largest Catholic and non-Cath-
Ollie assemblies in the history of st.
Mary's parish. Many leading men
and women of other religions were
present to lend their support and en-
thuStasn1.
Previous to the exercises in the
church, the children Of St Mary's
parochial school marched from tho
school to the church, carrying the
three flags. The girls were CARRIED
as Red Cross nurses and the boys
carried War Savings Stamps en-
blems
Rev. John r. Winters opened the
exercises by explaining the purpose of
the occasion. He also described what
the boys and the girls of the school
had done to foster patriotism and
aid the country in more practical
ways, through the saving of money.
Addresses were also given by Su-
perintendent Stanley II. Holmes Of
the public schools and Arthur T. J.
Reilly, editor Of the Herald. Pa
triotic and religious hymns were sung
and later the flags were formally
raised in front OF the church and in
the yard connected with the parish
residence.
The address by Mr.. Reilly follows:
The ceremony of blessing the flags,
which we have Just witnessed, is
memorable and a solemn occasion in
the history Of st. Mary's church. I
say memorable. because this occasion
gives added lustre to the glorious
parish escutcheon which has long re-
Elected with dazzling brilliancy tho
loyalty and Amerjcanism of its NOM
bers, who have ever regarded deVo-
ton to country as their most sacred
duty, after devotion to God. 1t is a
solemn occasion because, though we
are gathered here In peaceful assem-
BY on the Lords day. we are re-
minded by these very flags of the ter
rible tragedy even now being enacted
on the battlefields of France and
Flanders. 1t is especially solemn for
those Of YOU whose dear ones at this
very moment may be engaging the
enemy III a gigantic struggle, and for
you the geographical distance which
separates us from that scene of car
mage is annihilated by the thought Of
your lads over there. 1t is they who
are supreme in your thoughts and in
the thoughts of all of us, and it is
VIII i,, tlo1
blessing of flags which indicates by
its stars the number of men from this
parish who are fighting the cause Of
democracy.
IT is fitting indeed that these three
flags should be unfurled in church,
the history Of which is SO closely
identified with that for which these
emb1ems stand. The service flag has
indeed a red border, but we know that
that red is not the red of anarchy or
revolution. 1t has field of white, but
that white is neither truce nor defeat.
No, my friends, the red in that service
flag is the blood of our young men;
the white is the purity Of their love of
country; and the blue stars, they
are stars of hope and confidence that
victory will be theirs and that they
will all come back to us from the fray
into which their love of country has
sent them. This service flag repre-
sents our country militant, and the
same spirit of righteous militancy
which emboldened the church Of old
will inspire her sons today in their
struggle against an oppressive tyrant
1.-The Red Cross flag typifies our
country suffering. It bears a cross
even as the founder Of the church
bore his cross. It is the symbol OF
sacrifice which we must undergo to-
day whether we will or not We are
not free to choose. We must sacrifice
just as nobly here at home as though
we were with our boys over there.
And in the same spirit as Christ and
his church suffered, so must we We
are obliged to do it. 1t Is our duty.
There is no home in this city, aye, in
this country, where the spirit of sacri-
flee symbo1ized by that flag has not
made itself felt. Your presence here
today, my friends, is a. guarantee of
your belief in the principles at stake
In the life of our nation at this mo-
ment. Our country is dependent upon
our spirit of sacrifice
without this spirit the nation would
perish, for the nation is made up of
states, the states Of families, and the
families of individuals who must be
willing to undergo every sacrifice If
their country is to survive. Even as
the history Of the church Is made up
of epochs of sacrifice, so IS the his
tory Of our country. 1t was in toll
and sacrifice that our forefathers laid
the foundation OF this land of Freedom
and sacrifice has been the cardinal
virtue Of her greatest men
And what shall say Of that third
flag, that most glorious emblem of
all, the Stars and Stripes? If the ser
vice flag represents the country mill
liant, and If the Red Cross flag sym
bolizes the country suffering, then the