Villanova Digital Library - Printed Pamphlet, "Martinelli Supplement," January 10, 1897.

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Full Title	Printed Pamphlet, "Martinelli Supplement," January 10, 1897.
Date Added	11 January 2014
Language	English
Publish Date	1897-01-10
Source	Father Thomas C. Middleton Papers
Topic	Martinelli, Sebastian, O.S.A., Cardinal.
About	More Details Permanent Link
Disclaimers	Disclaimer of Liability Disclaimer of Endorsement

OCR — THE CLOSING CEREMONIES. Religious Exercises Bring to an End Mer. Martinelli’s Visit. Pontifical Mass Celebrated by the Archbishop —A Solemn and Magnificent Service—Full Text of .Rev. Fr. Joyce’s Sermon on ‘The Divine Authority of the Church.’’ The closing ceremonies in honor of the Papal Ablegate, Archbishop Mar- tinelli consisted of a Solemn Pontifi- cial High Mass in St. Mary’s church. The church was tastefully decorated with evergreen and the papal colors, The main altar was brilliantly lighted with candles and colored lights, and overhead was a gaslight arrangement . reading “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” The other altars were also beauti- fully decorated, and with the rich robes worn by the clergy afforded a gorgeous and solemn pageant, such as was never witnessed here before. A procession from the parochial residence preceded by altar boys, dressed in black, purple and scarlet gowns, marked the preliminaries of the service. In the procession were most of the Augustinian clergymen of Lawrence, There were thousands of spectators and the church was crowded long be- fore the hour for the service came. The service commenced at 10.40 when a procession of alien boys es- corted the clergymen the altar. At the end was the tlelewate who was to be’ the celebrant of the mass. Its other officers were: Assistant priest, “Very Rev. C. M. eon, O. S. A. provincial; deacons of honor, Frs. Murphy and Whalen; deacons of the mass, F Fleming and O'Mahoney; master of ceremonies, Fr. McCranor. The Archbishop was vested by his as- sistants, and shortly before 11 the solemn ceremony began, and it moved with dignity and impressiveness till the end, nearly two hours later. The music which consisted of the choir, sted by the Columbian Orchestra, is very fine; in fact, it was said to be the best ever heard in St. Mary's. Very appropriately Lavallee’s “Tu es Petrus” was the offertory selection. and the exceedingly beautiful sopran¢g solo was exquisitely sung by Cath erine White. Other soloists were Miss Margaret murphy, Mr. George Duhamel and Mr. William Morris, After the gospel the preacher, Rey. William D. Joyce, O. M. L, pastor of ‘The church is God’s mouthpiece. “the pillar and the ground of truth.” Our Lord made the churc. ‘.-e witne: guarwan and interpreter of his word. The preacher continued: Today, you are honored by the pre- scnee of the representative of the Vi- ezi of Christ, the Supreme Pontiff and ever, Holy Mother Church. And we of the spindle City, while congia‘ulat- ing you on the honor done yourselves and your city’ by the: distinguished visit, hope that, at no dstant day, we the 50,000 Catholics of Lowell, may en- joy a similar privilege, Fr. Joyce then consdered the im- possibility, humanly speaking of es- tablishing. the church, and concluded thus: The religion of Christ seemed to be an obstacle to its acceptance and prog- ress, Its teachings were beyond hu- man comprehension; they had no foundation in the then popular, philo- sophical and religious tenets. They were announced ‘in the nafe of one who said he was the Son of God, but whom the Jews has crucified. The new religion would give men a rigid code of morality, commanded them to love, poverty and to despise riches, to forgive injuries, to love their enemies. Its preachers were poor and unlettered men, only Jews. Yet, so audacious are they, that no hirg short of the world’s converson will satisfy them. Armed with the cross, they preached Christ and ucified throughout the known world; they entered Rome, Rey. William D. Joyce, O. M. I. the church of the I Concep- tion Lowell, approached the Arch- bishop, received his blessing and was escorted to the pulpit, Fr. Joyce wore the simple cassock of his order, with the crucifix in his belt. Rev. Fr. Joyce's theme was ‘The Divine Authority of the Church.” His postulate was, no authority, noc.ureh. His text was St. Matthew XXVIII 18. “All power is given to me in heaven and on earth.” He began by saying that among the evils of this epoch is the generally weakening of authori- ty. This is seen in the family, and in the political and religious society out- side the Catholic church. Within the church there is authority, to which all Catholics are subjéct. matters of faith and morals the authority of the church is supreme, because divine. head of the church. His Excellency, the apostolic delegate, is invested wita authority by the successor of St. Peter, our Holy Father, Leo XIII. Thorough- out the length and breadth o. the land his authority is acknowledge and_re- spected, but by none more than by you, the Catho..cs o. Lawrence. Arch- bishop Martinelli visits your city in his twofold capacity of apostolic dele- gate and prior general of tue Au- gustinians. He comes to witness and to bless the noble work of his spiritual children, the Augustinian Fathers. He comes to encourage you in the love and practice of your religion. I have every confidence that this visit of His Excellency to Lawrence will result in much good to its Catholic citizens en- dearing to them, if possib‘e, more than planted there the cross of Christ, and began to hold "Rome and the world for the church and her Divine Founder. Thirty-one years after Christ, the pa- gan historian Tacitus (who cannot be accused of partiality) declarea that Christians abounded in Rome itself. At the beginning of the second cen- tury Tertullian wrote: “We are of yesterday and already we fill your em- pire your cities, islands, fortresses, camps, councils, palace, aye and the Senate. . Were we to retire the soli- tude would affright you.” How did all this come to pass? It is God's work, my brethren. He was with His church and the “ gates of hell could noc prevail against him. She triumphed because of her divinity. From the day of Pentecost down to the victory of Constantine the Great over Maxentius, embracing a period of about 280 years, the church underwent a series’ of ten persecutions unparal- leled for atrocity in the annale of his- tory. Paganism sought to efface every vestige of Christianity, and ut- terly failed in doing so. The popular ery was, “The Christians to the lions.” Twelve million of -hem died for the faith. Here, my friends, is a truly supernatural fact; experience at- tests it; man loves life and recoils from suffering even for truth and jus- tice. Pride and ambition may have more martyrs, but merely natural vir- tue never made a martyr to truth and justice. Tere is a doctrine, a re‘igion for which millions of various ages and of both sexes gladly sacrafice every- thing life itself. ently the “fin- ger of God is here;” this is His work and that of the religion of His Divine Son. The martyrs died for the church, because of her divinity. And the church changed the world. Where Plato and Socrates had failed, she- succeeded, cnanging and reform- ing human hearts. The apostles and their successors preached the Gospel of ~hrist, and renewed the face of the earth. They were the ambassadors of Christ, and they wrestled with and conquered tue duped followers of Bacchus and Venus and Mars. At their preaching men and women left home and country, to become the will- ing victims of penance and charity. Tnis change has been wrough. by the Most High, an.. is it not another testi- mony to the divini.y of the church? The most authentic seal o. God's work are miracles. God has been prodigal with em to commend His church to all men. How enumerate them, from the healing of the palsied man at the Temple Gate by St. Peter down to the marvels of Lourdes and Paray le Monial? ‘The dead raised to life; the sick cured; natural means dispensed with. But the greatest mir- acle, the ‘most striking, my brethren, is the indestructibility and perpetuity of the church. She has seen the be- ginning and the end of kingdoms and empires. Constantly assailed, from the first Pentecost Day till now she has been combating enemies powerful and desperate. Her warfare has been both foreign and domestic. She be- gan with Jews and pagans, and then came heretics and schismatics. Now my friends, calmly survey the field, after the din and smoke of battle have passed away. Examine the condition of the old church now emerging from deadliest conflicts. Numerically stronger today than at any previous period of her history, the losses sus- tained in the old world are more than compensated by her. acquisitions in the new. ‘The religion of 250,000,000 adherents is not exactly an effete in- stitution. No, today the church is more vigorous than at any preious period of her history. From time to time, certain men rant about her ruin; “the wish is father to the thought.” She has seen the beginning- and: the end of all uprisings against her au- thority, and she emerges from tribu- lation stronger and more determined than ever. She fulfills her God-given mission, along the course of ages, always sounding in the ears of hu- manity the immortal “credo” whose depository she is, bearing on her brow the indelible character of divine au- thority, and adding to her testimony by the miracle of perpetuity a mighty convincing power. Men, learned and illustrious have fought and are today doing battle for for truth and justice. Men have made extraordinary sacrifices to brace the church, but they hesitated in not me,