Widnes Examiner. — 1900-10-19 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

OUR LOCAL CHURCHES.  St. Edward's Catholic Church, Runcorn.  Last Sunday the annual sermons in cenneetion with the patronal festival were preached by the riev. Father Aloysius, C.P., St. Anne's Retreat, Sutton. At the morning service the preacher took for his text the words of St. Luke i. 7, and in the course of his remarks he said the story of the human race was a strange one. Historians and learned men divided it into t vo periods, that of the world before and that of the world since the cross. Both were like one another in some respeets and were very unlike in other respects. In each were the same tale of man's petty ambitions, his loves, and his hates. When they came to examine the last two thousand years and compare them with the last two theusands years before the cross they found a great difference. Toe pages of pagan history showed that the soldier was left on the battle field with no one to staunch the wounds from which his life's blood ebbed away. They also read that woman was the slave of man, the little children were regarded as a bar to human progress, ' and the blind, deaf, and afflicted ones were driven to despair and suicide. They could see to what depths of degradation humanity had fallen. In reading the pages that related the doings of the last thousand years they could perceive the marvellous crtange. 'foe soldier was no longer left on the battlefield to die of want. There were with him willing hands and loving hearts to make his last hours peaceful. Woman, toe, had been raised to the pedestal intended for her ; pubic opinion snatched the little ones from ttie hands of rile parents, and there was special hom-s set apart, for the blind, de if and afflicted. To whom and to what did they owe this change ? The answer was Jesus Christ and Christianity. Christianity V 7,1•1 a fact and Jesus Cnrist was the centre. Who then was Jesus Christ ? lie was the eternal answer to the appeal of humanity. Religion was the passion of the human race. Whether they read the Grecian philosophers or the histories of primeval savages they could see the longing of the heart of man to kaow something of the great wonder that existed. His heart told him there must be sonaeone greater than himself. The universe, with its mysteries, its wondrous order, and its variety, proclaimed to his intelligence the existence of some wondrous being. The human heart appealed for something that would bring that groat eternal being near to him. So the Eternal Father sent down his only Son, who was the keynote, the history of the world's hopes and desires. The musical portion of the service was performed by a band and chorus of over forty members. Signs of careful rehearsal were visible in every one of the musical items. The "Messe des Anges" was brilliantly executed, while "Ad te Levavi" received meritorious treatment. At the evening service his text was, "Behold all generations shall call me blessed," and he dealt with the immaculate conception of Mary the Mother of God. The following compositions of the late S. Moorat were given with excellent harm my and precision by the Runcorn Orchestral Society (leader Mr II Handley), and members of the choir. "Erculter, Omnium Turba," "Ave Maria" No 4, "Salve Regina" No 4, "0 Salutaris" No 24, "Ave Verum" No 2, "Tantum Ergo" No 5, "Et Vitam Venturi" ("Messe des Anges''), Mr P I Bate, Warrington, wielded the baton in a very capable manner, and sensibly influenced the musical portion of the service. The collections, in aid f the sehools, were very satisfactory. There were large congregations at bath services, in spite of the inclement weather.