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Show OGDEN NOTES. LARGEST CLASS ON RECORD. Right Rev. Bishop Scanlan Administers Admin-isters Confirmation at St. Joseph's Church. , Fitting it was that the month of May which was rendered sacred to so many by our BJessed Lord's first visit ! to their pure young souls: should also seal the graces received by "enduring them with power from on high," to equip and fortify them for the spiritual spiri-tual combat of life. It was with deep gratification that Right Reverend Bishop Scanlan imparted the sacrament sacra-ment of strengthening grace to the largest class he had yet confirmed and deeply imposing were the solemn ceremonies. When Reverend Father Cushnahan had finished the Holy Sacrifice, Right Reverend Bishop Scanlan ascended the altar and in his own forcible style ad-t ad-t dressed those present. Long shall his words ring not otdy in the hearts of those? awaiting strengthening grace at his hands, but also in those of every earnest listener in the hushed congregation. congre-gation. The bishop opened his sermon byreading the epistle for Sunday, which he said was peculiarly appropriate appro-priate to the occasion; and as his deep voice gave utterance to the words of Divine Wisdom, "Be ye doers of the law, not hearers only deceiving yourselves." your-selves." every one present instinctively felt that he was merely formulating the principle by which his own life has been ruled until he stands forth as an embodiment of the spiritual action, the epistle enforces. With all the eloquence that springs from conviction, the bishop sot forth the sublime beauty underlying the words of St. James, dwelling largely on the self-deception of any one who deems himself religious yet bridles not his tongue, and extolling in unmeasured un-measured terms the glory of charity which is the fulfilment of the law. Religion Re-ligion must be clean from top to bottom, bot-tom, so that no one either within or without the fold may be scandalized, for we are bound to edify those within as well as those without. We have to sustain a high standard of morality or our own well go bac k on us, God does not wish his creatures to suffer. The evils we see around us are the work of sin. Orphan asylums, work houses, reform schools are the effects of sin. and we are bound to help the fatherless ones and to assist w-v. v...,,6. Aue more civilization thev bave the more deserving are they of our sympthy. We must be real and sincere with no hypocrisy in the heart, but clean before God as well as man, then will charity abide in our hearts. In clear cut logic the bishop showed how the spirit of the age is opposed to the spirit of Christ, and how we all people, priests and bishops have departed de-parted from that divine spirit, and how- by a return to it will we have a religion clean and undefined before God and the Father, and keep ourselves unspotted un-spotted from the world. A religion v-ir.au dim undented cannot be resisted-the resisted-the world must yield to its force This is the religion with which the apostles went forth to do their work. This is the religion that will convert nations. ull of persuasiveness, power and unction were the words of the Rieht Reverend Bishop, and deeply did he impress in the hearts of all the force n-u ' subIirnp- God-like action The bishop gave expression to the joy he felt at the lar i. ur' 'h0 had that morning enrolled en-rolled themselves as soldiers of Christ He said that anyone who twentv-five SS,beTe W?U,d have Prophesied AUtUr fr 0frden's Catholicity w wa7i.been a dari"S P'ophet-but P'ophet-but that it is evident that God's blessing bles-sing rests on the congregation or it could not bring forth such fruits Reverend Hugh Cummiskey the vicar general of Wyoming, assisted Reverend Father Cushnahan in waiting wait-ing on the bishop. The May Procession. Who but the Mother of Fair Love could have been ,the inspiration of a scene so beautiful as that beheld last Sunday night by the residents of Ogden Og-den and especially by those assembled in St. Joseph's church to view the traditional tra-ditional May procession? For more than a score of years it "has been the custom here on the last Sunday of the month dedicated to May's honor to show by external marks of devotion, the fidelity and love of her children and particularly of those consecrated to her under the enviable title of Children of Mary. Nature seemed, on this occasion, to have donned her choicest garbs, as if to rival the sweet modesty of those fair maidens who graced the rank of sodal-ists. sodal-ists. Bird and blossom, leaf and sunset joined the orchestra of praise that reached beyond the silent "star depths, to where the "crowned queen of all creation" receiver) ihr invintr i,,v,.. of her youthful votaries. At seven p. m. about one hundred and eighty young ladies and children, in snow y robes and lace-like veils, formed in rank at Sacred Heart Academy and walked in double file to the church. Could an artist of brush or pen paint the picture formed by the grand old mountains, surely in the gallery of nature's gems a more beautiful sketch would not find place. Blue as the matchless sky was the fair banner which headed the procession with its lily-like emblems many times reflected in the pure faces of those who followed it until they reached the church entrance. There, within the sand now- the chaste statue of her whom their hearts would honor, stood upon a crescent cres-cent of lights and crowned with a star of the same radiant brilliancy. After making a circuit of the aisles, the sodalists arranged themselves, in the pews while two of their number, Misses B. McCarthy and K. Keck, advanced ad-vanced to crow n their Queen and Mother. Moth-er. Just at the appropriate words of the dear old May hymn, "we crown thee with flowers and prayers," they placed the immaculate blossoms on the brow of her who symbolizes "our tainted taint-ed nature's solitary boast." Then the reverend pastor, p. M. Cushnahan, explained to those as-Fembled as-Fembled the deep significance of the ceremony, refuting the assertions sometimes some-times made by those who do not understand under-stand Catholic devotion to the Mother of God. He proved by naturally convincing con-vincing statements that we but honor her whom God Himself deigned so to honor, giving thereby to earth an endless end-less Slav. |