Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-21
MEN CROWD CHURCH AS MISSION
ATST. PATRICK'S COMES TO CLOSE

how lighted the candle held by the per-
son seated at the end of each pew, who
in turn lighted the candle OF the person
sitting next and so on until, in an in
credibiy short time, hundreds OF lights
were glowing the other lights, were then
turned off, and in response to Father
Kirby's request the great body of men,
standing, responded in clear, decisive
voices to the vows proposed by the mis-
sion father, pledging allegiance to God,
and renouncing the devil, and all MS
works and pomps as had been promised
for each by his sponsors when, an infant.
he had been baptized. Father Kirby also
gave the papal benediction.
The evenings sermon was by Father
Cotter. its subject The Catholic Church. |
Yesterday. Today and Forever. The |
preacher briefly reviewed the changes of |
the years. the dwindling of nations, the |
crumbling of thrones, the downfall of |
empires. yet amid all the upheaval and !
destruction the vigor of one institution
that has come forth unscathed, unnarm-
ed her glory untarnished. her fair name
before the wrold unstained- This, he de-
clared, is the Catholic church-the only
church that Jesus Christ established. Fer
nineteen hundred years the Catholic
church has defied the world, and because
| it Is of God it exists today-it is destined
to last until the church militant on earth
| is lost in the church triumphant in
! heaven.
The twelve fishermen who went forth
| from the Cenacle on the first Pentecost,
| to bring the nations of the world under
| the standard of the cross, faced a gigan-
tic task; but they were not without hope
since they relied on the words of Him
who said, Behold, 1 am with you all
days even to the contamination of the
world" The growth the progress, the
| wondrous development, the unceasing ex-
pansion of the Catholic church since this
humble beginning was traced by the
preacher, who paid an affectionate tribute
othe great head of this great church.
the representative, in unbroken success
sion, of st. Peter, the present holy father,
| Benedict XIV.
Although like so many of his predeces-
sors he is in Rome a virtual prisoner in
the Vatican, robbed of the papal states,
deprived of his liberty through the machi-
nations of a robber king, who sits in the
Quirinal, for centuries the home of the
popeS, nevertheless, though robbed Of his
temporal power, his is spiritual empire
which includes the earth The pope is
what he has ever been in history, the
greatest moral power in the world, so
that every nation wants the prestige of
his influence. During the recent war he
was the one power in Europe that stood
out against brute force and party strife
| The pope preserved an absolute neutrah-
ty, because his horizon stops not with
national boundary. but goes beyond; for
he has spiritual children in every land,
and under every form of government His
was the only voice to which the nations
condescended to listen, for all knew that
he was above suspicion of partisanship,
4 and that his kingdom was not OF this
, world
: On coming to the throne of ST. Peter,
he caught up the dying words of Piux X.
Pray for peace. Return again to those
principles of Christianity which alone
Ca nsave Europe and the world" What
Benedict XIV did during the recent war
: to better the condition of soldiers, to
t sWeeten the sad lot of prisoners, to bring
r joy and sunshine into the stricken falni-
: lies of Europe, will stand out in letters
n OF god whe nthe history of the war is
. | written.
t The services ended with benediction of
e the blessed sacrament. given by Father
4 Kirby.
e In impressing the necessity of perse-
: Verance upon those attending the mis-
sion, the fathers incidentally asked each
o person in the great congregation to pray
:, for them and the success of their work
|, whether in this country or in the foreign
e held. Each expressed appreciation of the
r Kindness and courtesies of Father Ma,
y and his assistants, assured, the people
4 that their faithful attendance and yea
: had edited an inspired them in theil
t work, gratefully referred to the assist
It ance of organist, choir, ushers, those il
g charge of the religious articles and 9th
e ers who had combined to make the mis-
Son such signal success
e From Norwich, Fathers Kirby ant
d Conon will return to Hartford, Fathe
d Cotter going to Meriden to open a mis-
h sion.