Evening star., 1942-11-26
Victory Theme
Of Thanksgiving
Sermons Here
Bishop Freemun Heord ;
Pun-Americun Mass
At St. Potriek's

Al St. TOtTlGk 5
Firm conviction that the forces
OF evil will be crushed In the
United Nations fight for freedom
keynoted Thanksgiving Day SER
mons today as District pulpits re-
sounded with the militant chal-
lenge for man to return to the ways
of God.
At Washington Cathedral, the
Right Rev. James E. Freeman,
Bishop of Washington, reminded his
congregation that this would be
forbidding and shadowy Thanks
giving Day did we not believe that
the mighty cause in which we have
enlisted all that we have Of strength
and power assure to us the fullest
victory for all that we desire and
hope for"
At st. Patrick's Church, where
Catholics observed American
mass, the Most Rev. John F. OHara,
military delegate in charge of
Catholic chaplains in the armed
forces, spoke of Thanksgiving Day
as "a symbol of the fundamental
Christian character of our Nation,
which thanks God in sorrow as in
joy, in rain as In sunshine, in war
as in peace"
Huge Crowd at St. Patrick's.
An overflow crowd of spectators
was present at st. Patricks S as dozens
OF Latin American diplomats filed
into the church. Each pew in the
front part of the newly-redecorated
church was marked with the flag of
an American republic to show the
Ambassadors and Attaches where to
sit. The only young people in the
group were Elena Garcia, niece of
the President of Cuba, who attended
with the Ambassador from Cuba,
and Juan Carlos, 8, and Marguerite,
10, children of the Ambassador from
Uruguay and Nine. de Blanco.
The mass was celebrated by the
led-robed apostolic delegate to the
United States, the Most Rev. Amleto
Giovanni Cicognani. Preceded by
Bishop O'Hara and the Most Rev.
Michael j. Curley, Archbishop of
Baltimore and Washington, the dele
gate marched from st. Patrick's
rectory through lines of 110 St.
Johns College cadets to the church
door.
A few among the crowd outside
were permitted to take the remain
ing seats in the church after all the
diplomats had arrived. The Presi-
dents special service at the White
House cut down the usual turnout
OF Supreme Court justices and
congressional leaders attending the
mass, .----.-----...-.. ------------,
Sense Of Humility.
Bishop Freeman told the gathering
at the Cathedral:
"Our Thanksgiving is touched with
sense OF humility and shame as we
reflect upon the days of our apos-
tasy, our self-confidence, our pride
in what the genius of this Nation
has produced of material wealth and
possessions.
The note of thankfulness grows
out OF the consciousness that, despite
all our faults and shortcomings. God
has, in ways beyond our deserving.
guided and directed us, even when
we were unworthy of His favor and
His protecting care.
This past year in our national
life has revealed to us our strength
and our weakness 1t has made us
conscious on the one hand of the
greatness Of our treasures; yes, and
Of our strength; and on the other
hand of our frailties and shortcom-
ings.
Let us believe that it has Deep
ened in us new sense of our de-
pendence upon God, and restored to
us way of life more in consonance
with His divine will"
Prayers for the armed forces and
Tor the Nation at war were offered
at the service.
Myron Taylor Quoted.
In answering the question whv
Christians should thank God for His
blessings at time when 100 900 900
OF the worlds best men have been
told to kill one another" Bishop
O.Hara cited statement OF Myron
Iaylor, presidential representative
to the Vatican, made on the morn
ing OF December Z, 1941, an hour
before the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor.
The forces that are loose in the
world today were not made by God:
they were made in defiance Of God.
and always in the history Of the
world God has in His own inscruta-
BILE way brought down those who
would defy him. Bishop OHara
quoted Mr.. Taylor.
Might may seem to make right,
but in the great drama force does
not for long triumph over reason
and that which is won by force soon
crumbles before a greater force.
The forces of that which is good
and just will overcome the forces of
evil. The power of justice is slow
moving, but is irrepressible. All
wars are in vain, but the peace
when 1t comes need not be in vain"
Bishop O'Hara said:
We may well thank God If in
this year of grace, 1912, we come
back through sorrow to the funda-
mentals that we must have If civili-
zation Is to endure.
War was not our choosing, but
1t Is here. Fight it we must and we
must win.
And, please God, we will"
nardon anae b + I.knu