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Show j I P ' . "This is the ;j i 5 " I SL A - F y"? W victory which i h h Ls)urcl) linwtpsai n I J j . faith." ;j : CHURCH CALENDAR. I f Saturday, 1) 12 Our Lady of (Juadalupc. i i Sunday, Dor. 10 St. Lucy, V. J J M-udfly, Dec. H St. Nicholas and Comp., MM. ' I Tuesday, Dor. 1 St. Florence. Ab. i W.-dix'Mlay. Deo. JO St. Fusebius, B. L j , Thursday, Dec. 17 St. Olympias, W. Friday. Dc IS Export at ion of B. V. M". j Saturday, Deo. Jt St. Xeuicsion and' Comn., ; :i. ai." j m NEARING HOME. (By Mary Dolorosa.) " Th evening clouds are drifting to the West, I Whit- sails drift softly ov the radiant sea; i Si. lulled to peace with thoughts of coming- rest, ' I Ird. my soul is drilting nearer thee. j Th- storm is over and the night is past; All fear hath fled beneath thy guiding hand; f My spirit breathes, refreshed, th fragrant winds i:i'-vn from the green Fhores of the fatherland. i Thf night of life was long: the tempest wild I I I '.ore down in fury o"er my fragile bark; 5 My faint heart grieved- O Savior meek and mild! i And wept that I had lost thee in the dark. V ,: . f , Mint tbdu wort nearer nearer than I thought. i -"'1 the dark waves were lit with suddf-w flame f lieht. which trembled from thy sacred heart, I When 1, in anguish, called upon thy name. ' f Southern Messenger, f i I BROTHERS OF MISERICORDIA. I 'Hi" Brothers ..f ihe M isoricordia are one of I sights of Eloroiico. Thoy nro all men usually 'f u'd family, who devote their lives to the work 1 liuryins; the lead and earing for the injured in any .-iccidcnt, ir inking the sick to the hospitals. rl h"y wear long black habits with a hood over the lace having holes lo see through, and they look like gho-ts. They carry iho sick in a sort of blanket, j ,!!d 'be dead in a coffin covered with a black pall, I iheir shoulders. One walks in front, of them, I with his face uncovered. When they pass, the peo- I pie cross themselves and say a short prayer for j tin- sick u- dead. It is .-aid that the grand duke j vas a member of ibis brotherhood, and that when ilie cholera raged there he worked with the rest. Si 'me of the poorer people also join iho Miseri- I cordia. and the guide says 1 bat you can toll a gen- j tli iiian from a peasant by the fret. They do noble, I n ll'-sacrilicing work. i j HELPING THE PASTOR. ' I example is a good argument has long boon ' a tin-omo truini, but there is a freshness, at least, in the undertone of admiration which runs through ibe words from a recent sketch of Mary Anderson. Tb.y were written by a Protestant writer in a secu-' secu-' hi- "'irazino : "Mary Anderson's loyalty to iho Church of Iter f::r.U has always been one of her most prominent f-'.-.'l beautiful cbaracteristrcs. During all of last Miininer she attended iho little Catholic church at i Ar.-dvorn Wells at -arly mas. singing in the choir, I while h(.r husband sunnlied ibe ficcnmmiiimpiit mi ! ? tli" organ. Her talent for music, she explains, she iiie.uK to use in the future in small churches wher-l wher-l in her travels may lead." ; I hero is a lesson here which ought not to be ; J '-1 on our Catholic young women. Parish priests v painftdtv .aware that it is hard to '"keep up' a hy choir, and this from no lack of good voices. '.IJu rc .uro (ileniy of young won eu to take part in ; amalour ihoatricals held, for whatever purpose; i!ier' are plenty of good voices for the solos in pub- cjHicerls; but 'for the singing of the mass j viu.-ii j.,-. after the priest's office, the most honor-f honor-f :1b- position which a (liholic may enjoy the sup-j sup-j i- never adequate. HOLY MOUNTAIN OF IRELAND. I Ibe bind of Erin is rich in holy shrines and '- "1 pilgrimage. Tradition has well preserved glories ot tiie paT, for Erin's sons were wont in , vi ry- c. i:u;ry to give respect and veneration to tii- ''...iprints of Jicr saints. M nil i;iccs of pilgrimage in the veneration "' '''' l'"lt. Croagh Patrick rises in pre-emi-i '"'"-'-- Ji i- them the mountain of mountains. J'"' .""Iv'inai of Inland, for holy indeed should '"' ""' '""u"iiti on which Ireland's Apostle spent j l"u'1 ,v,',''i "doing violence to heaven." praying i -i,M",;r- w" i'i-iig ever till bis petitions were listened I " and g:-:i i, ;,.d. atid he received that glorious prom-! prom-! ':':i',lr,; ,J,; -'i1'' of faiib would ever abide with the ' 1 . ,,f the land lie lowd so well. Century aft- ' l;'U:.v-."Edi -jit y" has ever been the watchword ";. . ' '"1'i They lived in an atmosphere Tan I. which (.Ven in their darkest days illumined '"' ,!'; "'; ,"""":-:jn into bold relief the labors ond "'"V- ..t in,. iiii;s xvho walked among them, fixed -!' l ul menial ji-turos in the Celtic minds, and bi-tures with the glory of eternal ; ' ' H aiid jfiily has Davis written of the Irish ; 1 ; - 'b.-ii 'their -onsolati..ns were those of the i ?"n! "f'-'-'nh in the joys of another world j :!V' 'iiem hours when ihc.v serenely looked down j ' ' i.i iienal troubles, like the moon on a troubled ! a mi v wii a more glorii us example given of V" :i',Hl!' d" ibis description than on Aug. JO of 1 : -ar. lU'.r.). Kr weeks previous to that day the i ' ' Vi,s Rl"'Jiiy and ad in the extreme; the y-ru-i Pnisjiects looke.3 worse iban they had done -;;r :.'!: many prophesied a winter of sorrow and ' ' . ;ind yet from early morn thousands flocked h ( voali a trick, many walking across the moun- 'webty miles, all with the light of j0y on their I ' ''"l'!!''.!l,-lllcOs. i; ' Mi eyes were bright and Irish hearts were v iiji gladness because the welcome news had f ;': iorth i hot by order of His Craee the Arch-;r Arch-;r ; -h .;. ,,i Tuam. the one muchdoved pilgrimage ! : IfUoj-'of St. Patrick was to be restored, aud that ; ' - 1l o'chx-k on 1 hat day Holy Mass would be eele- . '" 'be summit of the mountain by the Bev. 'i:n:ni;irator of Westport, Fa titer McDonald. , :" thoughts instinctively turned to the glorious ; .when Patrick came to Erin: '! ' glorious hours." exclaims ibe great Domini- .ni i.j-ihe est, "O glorious hours among the ! when the sands of the Irish shore embraced h';;i.y ;,,id lovingly the beautiful footprints of him i v !,,, preached peav and good things, when Moses I Mn.""k '''l'' rock and the glistening waters of sal-t sal-t jii..n tlowe.l in the desert lan.l. when the Xante I ('. is above all names was first heard in the r ' '"uguo. and the Lord .Testis entering upon s w inheritance exclaimed: 'This is My rest- J'" 1'li.ee forever and ever; here shall 1 dwell be- I have chosen it."' j VJ'IP 1u'. l'h",0-r,'aP irin1ed in the Now York j "Uin s,,rve 1o give some idea of the scene. E roap;l"'1t wo sor a ,,uni'r of pilgrims who had TiJ""l ,,ne 'rnniit of the. mountain before mass r'fi1 f V"'V ar- "'HtcnI11!? w'ln faer eyes the as-pj as-pj Administrator, who comes on a mountain tho'1' H"'V a''wipa"ied by several priests and rou,'T-llds r-f p.ilffrinis from Wrstport and the sur-facef sur-facef t" Jlstr'c1?- l)oefi ot 'his picture of eager f y?v!rmS to omory 'he sad days when anxious a'loiijf'""'' 1np Pripst !1S lje came disguised ; r"'igp(vi"iln-r' on,,'y "'en, or wound his way up the I Holy j.1' 'p'!,s somo meuntain. to celebrate the i& futli' 8r1,u'mh it was a penal erimo for them 'Lfhti htxa, thank , passed away, yet not without leaving sweet memories mem-ories behind, the memories of our glorious martyrs red and white. According to St. Columbkille. the red martyrs were those who had shed their blood for holy faith, and the white martyrs they who for love of holy faith bore with Christian patience the sufferings and privations of this life. At 12 o'clock mass begins, and in the second illustration we see the kneeling congregation, as taken from one side of the cone. It was estimated that when mass began there were at least 7,000 persons per-sons present. At early morning we saw the great mountain standing out against a clear sky in its 'rugged loneliness; at noon we beheld its beautiful eathe-dral-like dome covered with a silent adoring multi-. tude. As lb? Holy Sacrifice began some white, misty clouds spread their wings over the congregation; congre-gation; but ere the elevation-bell rang out with solemn, gentle music, the sun burst forth in all its splendor and shone down on the celebrant as if to typify the glorious blessing of God's own presence pres-ence among them. Who will say that Treland has lost its love for the saints of old ? It may appear so here and there, but in such places it is only dormant, not dead. ! (Jive the people opportunities such as they have I today, give them the holy literature of the land, and , love and veneration will burst forth in all its great I Celtic strength as it has done today. The Kev. Administrator addressed the people after Mass, and hearts throbbed with pleasure when it was announced lhat the blessing of the Holy rather had been given to the pilgrims and that each year for the future they should have Holy Mass there. The love for "the White Father' of Christendom" planted in Ireland by St. Patrick has lived without, even one break through every century, cen-tury, and the injunction of the Apostle himself: "As ye are Christians, so be ye Romans," has been fulfilled to the latter. It is said that the Archbishop of Tuam contemplates con-templates placing a cross on the summit of the Holy Mountain of Ireland, and a shrine for Holy Mass lower down. "God speed the day!" will surely ! be the wish of every Celtic heart that throbs with gratitude for the glorious gift of faith which was placed by God in Patrick's hands for the people of E rin. May the "Sign of tho Cross" be soon raised high on Croagh Patrick, the sign that the great Apostle loved so well may it be placed there in imperishable granite to withstand the storms that sweep along ihe western coast, just as Ireland's, Ire-land's, faith braved for fifteen hundred years the storm of persecution! And mav a shrine for IIolv M ass be erected there also, where Celtic pilgrim priests from all lands may offer up the Holy Sacrifice Sacri-fice and the returning exiles of Erin may pray where Patrick prayed for them ages ago! Patrick's intercession will restore to many a wounded and. sorrowing heart the light, the true light, that a material ma-terial world may have well nigh extinguished, hut that will shine forth again with all its Celtic glory. Let the Patricks and the lover of St. Patrick all i the world over do this of their own volition let j Them send their offerings for the shrine to the Arch-j Arch-j bishop of Tuam. Ireland, remembering that the smallest gift will help the work. Thus the cross and the shrine and the restored pilgrimage will be an everlasting memorial of Ireland's "Fidelity." j v . CHURCH MUSIC. ' An old and valued friend in speaking of church music the other day remarked that he remembered the time when at high mass the priest remained at the altar during the whole of the ceremony. "He did not take a seat in the sanctuary," said this sturdy old Catholic, "and give the choir a chance to dissipate what devotion there was in the congregation."., congre-gation."., i As our memory did not run so -far back we took our old friend's word for it but we heaved a sigh for the days of olden time. Some years ago iri old St. Matthew's church on a Sunday, Father Chapelle (now 'Archbishop of Xew Orleans. and Apostolic Delegate to Cuba and Porto Rico), read to the congregation the yearly statement of receipts and expenditures of the parish. par-ish. Among the items of expense was $2,000 S'or the ehoir, and Father Chapelle remarked that the amount was excessive and out of all proportion to the importance of lhat institution. He reminded the people that the altar, the sacrifice and the priest were the essential elements in the divine service then came the congregation and lastly the choir which he said might be dispensed with entirely. en-tirely. The ordinary Catholic does not go to mass to hear a concert or a grand opera he goes there from proper motives. And very frequently the performances per-formances in the ehoir loft are an offense to his sense of propriety. It has often been commented upon, too, that the poorer ihe ehoir, the higher is the class of music it attempts. It in painful at times to listen to the bleating of the tenors, the bellowing of the bassos and the other noises that greet a congregation which goes to high mass in j the performance of a sacred duty. i |
