The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-03-30
CARDINAL GIBBONS
DIED THURSDAY
Aged Prelate Passed Away at Balti.
moro mt Age of 81. Senior PreIate OF
Catholic Church In This Country.

Catholic Church In This Country.
Baltimore. Md, March 24.-James
Cardinal Gibbons, archbishop Of Bal
timore and senior prelate Of the Cath
Ole Church in the United States, died
at 1888 o'clock this morning, passing
away so quietly that even his nurse,
Bon Secours Nun, could not be sure
that 1t was the end. She had seen tho
change that betolpened it, but 1t was
slight, almost imperceptible, and five
minutes passed while she leaned above
the slight, still form, watching.
Then from the house whore he had
lived and worked. in the shadow of
the Cathedral of the Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. went forth
the news that he had died.
Hts grave will be a niche in the
crypt under the high altar OF the
Cathedral slab of marble carved
with an inscription in Latin in the
north wall Of the crypt will mark his
resting place.
Above this vault, behind whose
south wall lie the six archbishops of
Maryland who preceded him, Is the
saunctuary Of the Cathedral to which
cardinal Gibbons parents brought
him as baby to be baptized, where
ne was consecrated a bishop, where
he was later consecratcd an arch
bishop, and where on June 80, 1886. he
was invested with the robes OF the
cardinalate.
There too stands the throne Of the
cardinal, and above the throne, will
hang the cardinals hat, symbol of
princedom IN the Catholic hierarchy.
There 1t will hang as long as the
Cathedral stands.
The death Of the cardinal in the
midst Of Holy Week deyotions at the
Cathedral will not affect the services
there. Through Good Friday and
r1oly Saturday and the dawn of
Easter the body Of Cardinal Gibbons
Will lie In his own room where he
uled. On Easter night, 1T will be
moved to the Cathedral, to lie there
throughout the masses Of Monday
tuesday and Wednesday where his
people may see him for the last
time, through the high requiem mass
that VIII be his funeral on Thursday
and from there to be borne to it's
niche in the crypt.
Cardinal Gibbons was born in Balti-
more, July 23, 1894. His parents.
Thomas and Mary Gibbons, had como
to America from Ireland in 1929.
They returned to their native land
"hen the future cardinal was two
years old.
he got his early education in Ire
land and then, upon his fathers
death, returned with his mother to
america, making his home in New
orleans where, when II he clerked in
a grocery store.
He entered ST. Charles College at
h'llcott City, Md, and graduated in
1897. He then entered ST. Mary's
seminary in Baltimore and was or
dalned a priest by Archbishop Patrick
Ncndrick on June g. 1861.
Rev. Gibbons then became assist
ant at st. Patrick's church in Balti-
more and was shortly placed in charge
or ST Bridgets church in Canton. a
Baltimore suburb.
Archbishop Spalding then took him
to the cathedral as secretary and
made him chancellor. On August 16
1868, Rev. Gibbons was consccrated
a bishop i'll Baltimore cathedral and
was assigned to North Carolina by
Pope Plus TX.
Cardinal Gibbons as senior bisbon
OF the church. welded a strong in
nucnce outside as we'll as within the
United State. The confidant of three
! Dopos. he made several important
tours to Rome, the last in August,
] 1914, few days after the opcnine Of
The war, to elect the successor to
Plus X. He arrived too late. how
ever, to participate in the ceremony
| that elevated Benedict to the Ponti-
hcate.
Upon returning to the United
States he visited President Wilson, in
| formed the latter OF affairs in Eu
rope and discussed means to bring
about peace. The Cardinal was
strongly interested in the affairs Of
the church in Mexico during the trou-
blOuS timoS In that country and do