Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1921-12-16
FROM THE LAND OF THE
ARK" AND THE DOVE.

The following, from the pen
Of Rev. Father p. j. Bradley,
pastor of St. Mary's Catholic
Church, Newport, appeared in a
recent issue OF the Catholic
Review
To give expression to the
feelings and sentiments Of the
faithful in Southern Maryland
on the occasion of the Installa-
ton of our Archbishop is a priv
ilege of love for me. For it gives
me an opportunity Of paying a
well deserved tribute of graft
tude to the kindness aud courte-
sy and loyalty of the people
among whom | have labored for
the past few years. A stranger
from far-off land i came amongst
them and they received me with
a friendliness that was balm to
the heart of an exile fIom Erin
And with the passing of years my
love and admiration for them
have grown apace.
In view of these facts l have
no hesitancy in extending to our
beloved Archbishop the whole
hearted felicitation Of his devo-
ted children in these parts, and
assuring him of their unbounded
loyalty and willingness to cor.
diidly Cooperate with him in all
his undertakings for the welfare
of that part of Gods vineyard
oyer which he has, in the course
81 Divine royidence, been APP
pointed to rule.
The people Of Southern Mary
land are heirs to a grand tradi-
ton that makes the Catholic heart
throb with enthusiasm. For
Southern Maryland was the era
die of Catholicity in the old col
onial days To her shores, al
most three centuries ago, came
the Ark and the Dove, having
on board the sanity Apostle of
Maryland, Father White. On
her soil the first Mass was cele-
brated on the Feast of the An
nunciation, March 25th, 1854,
and the Cross, the symbol of re-
demption, was erected. The lit
tie village of st. Mary's where
the devoted hand of Catholic
pioneers. made their home has
gained world wide fame as being
the place whence issued the inn
mortal Charter of Civil and Re
ligious Freedom. As the great
historian, Bancroft, says sRe-
ligious liberty obtained a home,
its only home in the wide world, at
the humble village which bore the
name of st. Mary. In later
days when America broke the
shaekles that bound her to Eng
land the principle Of federation
which the Catholic Founders of
Maryland had proclaimed the
fundamental law of the colony,
was adopted in the Declaration
of Independence. Today, alas,
in the picturesque village of st.
Mary's few vestiges Of the Cath
Ollie occupation remain, but cold
is he who can stand on that hal
lowed soil and whose heart is not
thrilled and his emotion of piety
not set on fire by the haunting
memories that cling to the spot
of the events that happened there
in the days that have passed
away.
Lack Of space prevents me
from going into detail about the
heroic labor of the early mission
aries among the Indians, who, in
those days, were lords of the
soil in Southern Maryland.
Their wonderful work in st.
Mary's County and at Port To
bacco and Piscataway fills a
bright page in the annals of his
tory. Suffice it to say that the
grain of mustard seed planted
By Father White on st. Clements
Island, March twenty fifth, 1884, ,,
has in the intervening years
grown into a mighty tree whose
branches extend all over South
ern Maryland. Strong in num-
bers and strong in faith the
Catholics Of Southern Maryland
are true to the glorious heritage
handed down to them by their
forefathers.
On this happy occasion, with
filial devotion they tender to you
their beloved Archbishop, their
love, loyalty and affection; they
wish you happiness and length
Of days and they fervently pray
that God will grant you abundant
graces to enable you to worthily
discharge the great reSDOnSlDill-