The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-28
OVERFLOW MEETING
AT ST. MCHAEL'S
Mission Conducted by Fathers Miller and
Harden Comes to Successful Close.

st. Michaers church was crowded to
the doors last night, with the huge au-
dience in attendance overlooking into
the sanctuary and vestibule, when the
two-weeks' mission which has been con-
Quoted by Rev. Fathers Miller and Har-
den. the eloquent Paulist missionaries,
was brought to a successful close by
Father Miller. whose subject was why
Am a Catholic"
Father Miller. in opening his sermon,
reviewed briefly the important facts
brought out in his previous lectures. each
OF which, he said. was a reason why he
is a Catholic. Besides these. however.
there are two reasons. he declared, that
he wished to emphasize in this lecture:
Christ and secondly, his acceptance of
the testimony OF history.
81 believe" continued the speaker,
that Christ born in Bethlehem and dead
upon the Cross of Calvary is indeed the
Son OF the Living God. That He is what
He claimed to be. One with the Faith
err have a true and keen sense of
His Divinity. His word. therefore. is
the word of God. His law is the law of
God And when Christ speaks. what
else shall I do but believe. He may
speak a mystery most profound. lie may
reveal a law most difficult. He may
utter sayings. strange and hard to me-
But know and believe that He is Christ
the Son of God, and to whom else shall
go, for He alone has the words of
eternal life. And so ! accept the mys-
terry, the law, the saying without ques
tioning, without discriminating.
Christ gave to the world a Gospel.
He commissioned His Apostles to carry
this Gospel to all mankind. Go we into
the whole world and preach the gospel
TO every creature. He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; he that be-
lieveth not shall he condemned. Our
salvation then is dependent upon our Rc-
ceptance of that same Gospel Yet how
am !. living centuries after the day Of
Christ to know that Gospel upon which
so much depends. Christ established n
church to teach all men. But that church
must necessarily teach even as Christ
Himself taught. with authority. with
finality. with absolute certainty. 1t must
be infallible in guiding my soul along
the path that leads to Christ. Again,
this true church of Christ must be the
historic church. the mother church. the
church that can trace it's origin back TO
the very days of Christ and His Apostles.
The church once established by Christ
could not fall into error. for did not
Christ, who was God, promise Behold
l am with you all days, even unto the
contamination of the world Did not
Christ, Who was God. promise that He
would send the Paraclete, the Spirit of
Truth, to teach it and to guide it? Did
not this Christ declare that the gates of
hell should not prevail against the
church?
Now the Catholic church is the only
institution that can satisfy my mind up
on these points. She is the historic. in
fallible church. She is the mother
church History tells me that she
alone can prove her claims in her pages.
She has been a historical fact all these
ages. Her presence has always been
felt, her influence always exercised.
Therefore, 1 belong to that historic
church"
Just before the sermon Father Miller
took occasion to thank the congregation
and all those who had assisted in making
the mission a success. He paid a spe-
cial tribute to the kindness of the pas
tor, Rev. Father Fullerton, for inviting
the Pauists to conduct the mission in
his parish. Nowhere, remarked the mis-
sionary, have they met with more whole
hearted response than in this city. And
he spoke a special word of appreciation
for the kindness of the press in giving
literally of it's space to mission ser
vices, sermons and activities. The PapaI
blessing was given and the mission
closed with benediction.
At the evening service Michael Di-
Lustro soloist for GOunod's Sane
tus." in which he was assisted by St
MichaeIs noted choir.