The Bismarck tribune., 1933-03-14
1000 FOLLOW BODY
OF FATHER Stag TO
LAST RESTING PLACE
WelI-Loved Priest Buried At st.
: Mary's Cemetery After
Service At Church
CROWD STANDS IN Street
Are Unable to Find Standing
Room in Procathedrai
For Final Rites
CROWD STANDS IN STREET

For Final Rites
Friends Of his own and other faith.
to the number Of 1000 followed thu
body Of Very Rev. John A. Stag to 1t.
final resting place in st. Mary.
cemetery Tuesday morning.
Hundreds were unable to get inside
the church for the Pontifical requiem
High Mass which was celebrated al
st. Marys Procathedral at $50 q. m.
by Rt. Rev. Vincent wehrle. bishop o1
Bismarck. These stood In the street
outside and later joined the process
sion to the cemetery.
Several hundred others. unable ia
find seats inside the church, stood In
the aisles throughout the long cere-
mony. There wasn't even standing
room left inside the church long be-
fore the services began.
The silvered-steel casket was placed
inside the church sanctuary through
out the service and was surrounded by
many priests Of the Bismarck diocese
With whom he had labored during his
period Of service here. A choir o1
priests sang special music.
Inside the sanctuary, also, were q
number Of laymen representing other
parishes, placed their because there
was insufficient room for them in the
church auditorium.
Clergymen Of many Of Bismarck.
protestant churches were seated II
the church auditorium, come to pa,
their last respects to a fellow worke,
In the field Of The Lord.
Bishop Wehrle preached the fun.
eral sermon, asserting that the proof
Of Father Slag's devotion to duty Lies
In the spiritual advances made by hi
parishioners under his direction.
Vicar General Assists
Assisting priest at the mass was
Rev. ]. j. Raith, Minot, vicar general
Of the diocese. Father Hake Of Beach
was deacon with Father Wiger Of Un-
derwood rs sub-deacon. Father Pa
trick O'Neill of Williston was deacon
Of honor to the Bishop with Father
John Halloran Of Ray as sub-deacon
to the Bishop. Father Joseph OFT.
Noxholm. was master Of ceremonies.
Serving boys at the Mass were VIII
liam Dolan, Eugene Mcdonald. Paul
Mcdonald. Paul Becker, Donald
Crane and Urban Hagen. All stud
ents at st. Mary's school of which
Father Stag was superintendent.
Because Of the tremendous crowd
at the church. it was almost half IN
hour before the funeral procession
could leave for the cemetery.
Services at the grave, which had
been dug near the foot Of the huge
cross In the center Of the burial
ground, were conducted by Father
Raith. Grouped BEND him were ap-
70 clergymen Of the do
cese. On the south side were the
sisters from st. Mary's school and St.
Alexius hospital, headed by the ven-
erable Sister Boniface, hospital super
On the east and north
sides were civic notables and honorary
among them Governor
william LANCER. the justices Of the
supreme court. former Governors
George r. Shafer and Walter J. Mad
dock. Mayor A. p. Lenhart and other
state officers. together with repre-
sentatives Of the Boy Scouts, In which
Father Stag was an active leader.
Kneel At Grave
Active pallbearers were J. p. Wag-
ner. ]. D. Healow, J. M. Roherty, Fred
Peterson, g. ]. Mergens and A. J.
Weinberger. Members Of the fourth
degree, Knights Of Columbus, formed
. guard Of honor for the body, both
at the church and at the grave.
The west side, near the driveway
the grave, was occupied
BY the friends Of the dead priest.
Catholic and non Catholic.
A bitter wind blew from the north
Is those Of the Catholic faith knelt ct
the grave and recited the prayers Of
the Catholic ritual for committing
The dead to earth. Others stood With
bowed heads.
AS this part Of the service closed
With the words "Requiescat In PACK"
may he rest in peace) Many priests
filed by the grave and blessed the
casket with holy water.
Then they filed away and left him
there to lie forever In . cemetery
which he had done much to make =
thing Of beauty.
In ! resolution made public Tues
day, the city park board, Of which
Father Stag was q member. said:
I'VE have lost . good friend and
4 devoted civic worker. Father John
Continued on Page eeven)