IRISH TO THE FORE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1074, 13 March 1911, Page 6

IRISH TO THE FORE.

LEADERS OF THE FAITH, I • ■ MONSIGNOR POWDER ON ST. PATRICK, • One of the leaders ," of the Roman Catholic Church in America, the Right Rcv.MoDsignor Powlcr (of Sioux City, United S'tatos), preached'last evening in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Hill Street. Ho grips his hearers with r.n American directness -of .thought, and speech, and ho is also an eloquent and .fluent preacher.; His subject, last evening was- a panegyric ..'of St. Patrick. There was an' intensity in the heart of all of us, he said,'when wo heard tho sounds of praise to those who. had won honour for their Church, their country, .or their homes. There were many generals of. great renown, who liad done great things for their country, whose monuments were now crumbling away, and whose names were not of ton. .heard. But the heroes of God lived on for ever. The sons who had done great-Ihings for the Mather Church would-live arid last until tho crack of doom; for Christ's Church and Christ's Church alone would live for ever. Amongst the sons-of tho Church was one who would always remain great, •because his children were scattered over every country in tho world. For go where you would you found the ' Sons of St. Patrick there; and when onco a year the feast of the Saint came round they gathered together, and spoke out. in tones of no uncertainty, telling the-Saint that they were keeping .still his memory and the Paitli he planted in their country. It was a sweet privilege to speak in the name of St. Patrick.' There was r.o Catholic in any nationality who did not know' of the Apostlo of the Emerald Isle. St. Patrick accomplished what no other man had ever clone—he converted a whole nation. Certainly they were prepared for his coming, but it was he who had changed them from Druids-' into Christians. It was generally supposed St. Patrick was born in Prance, of noble parentage. At the age of 1G he was captured and for six' years he lived as a slave. In his captivity his heart was stirred with the dark ignorance of his captors, and he prayed that they might have light. He escaped; and then became a pupil of devout men, until finally he went to Ireland to convert tho heathen there. He won the island over to Christianity. The result of his teaching had been farther reaching than that of any other Apostle, i His children had never fallen away from faith. In spite of all the terrible things they had had to go through the Irish had never given up their religion. To-day they were acknowledged to be the firmest of Catholics. The words Irishman and Catholic were synonymous. There wore some few of Irish name who had betrayed their faith. Some had done so through mixed marriages; but they were exceptions. The sufferings of the children of St. Patrick had been for the good of the world. None had endured torture and persecution as they had and como through' scathlcss. It might bo asked wliv, if they were so loyal, did the Lord 'God-allow them to be so persecuted. He would answer by "asking the question: Why did the .lord'-God permit His own loved Son to suffer on the.Cross? What England had done to stamp, out Ireland's religion and to. compel the disuse of: her own lnngungo was a blot on the history of 'that country. But what had been the outcome? This deed had returned like a boomerang, and had wounded the hand that threw it. The Irish, forced by the oppression to leave their, homes, had become scattered abroad throughout, the world, and they had carried their faith with '.them. Why was the Church of : Rome .strong in tho United States? Because the Irish people went abroad, nnd.because tliey went fully equipped and speaking the English tongue, the tongue that had been forced upon them.. What the English had thought the worst they could do against their religion liad proved the best- Ho would, say here, that he saw no reason no,\v .for..the. reviyal of. tho, native Irish tongue. The English language forced upon them had .been the. means of making them great, and he could'not seo why they should revive that which God had permitted to die. Tho Irish, proceeded the M'dnsignor, had taken their place as leaders from tho beginning. .Everywhere Irishmen went they were heard of.' With their talents th'eV forced themselves to the fore. And they were now, in .the forefront through the providence of God'arid the prayers of St. Patrick. In every country where thev were tho best statesmen and soldiers were the children of St. Patrick. The Ipreacher. instanced the great Irish soldiers who had fought England's battles. They had'been'loyal to England in the .South African war. They had gono forth io wage, war-for. her-and. keep, her tho .great nation sho was. In that war they fought tho best. They had, however, to remember that w.herc thero was a hi»h calling thero was. .great responsibility. Noblesse oblige. If they had one- drop of Irish blood in their veins let them livo up to their calling. The .world looked to them to be the leaders of their Faith. In the Irishwomen they found personification of virtue and they found heroism in tho lush gentlemen; He made seafhin" reference tn renejrados from the PaiUi." Sneaking of the future, the Monsignor said there never was a time in the history of Ireland since her norsecutions that things looked so bright for her, England seemed about to do her iustice. England had been just to New Zealand and"-Yiis. tralm, and Canada, but not to Ireland her neighbour., She seemed now.about to given what she 'd have- bfen conceded long ago—Homo Rule, the rijjht to govern ,her own country. On (his, tho eve'of the feast of St. Patrick, he would say bo good, devoted, loval. Catholics. Fe snoke nf the tenacity of tho Trish for their taith, and said let thorn give gratitude to God for it, and to St. Patrick.

HIBERNIAN GATHERING. At St. Mary of the Angels, Boulcott Street, yesterday, morning, the' members ot the various branches of tho H.A.Cb. Society, consisting of H.A.C.B.S. No. 9s, & 'i 3 /v r J!- s ( /' acl,es) B ™m=h. St. Anne's ami Wellington South and Sacred Heart' Thermion, attended Mass in a body After Mass the members, to tho number'of about liO .men and 30 ladies, -formed a procession, and marched to tho Marist Brothers' School, Boulcott Street, where the annual breakfast was held. Brief addresses, were given by the acting-presi-dent Mr. J L. Burke (in tho absence of the presHlent, Mr. W. J. Fenuio)the Rev. lather Yenning (the chaplain to the society), the \ery Rov. Dean Regnau t?' Messrs. M. Kennedy, J. J. W. Callagh",' and A, H. Casey- (president of the Cat'ho AU-srs. J. E. Fitzgerald past president) M. Bohan one of the oldest members of tho society). Brothers Justiau and Ong.l.usfof the Marist Brothers), and Sister BranS (prCsitlont St ' Ws