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2
in one of the minor theatres of Madrid,
and to her I paid the value of the sap
phire ring, which thus became my pro
perty with her full consent.”
“And what became of M. de Gondrc
court?” I asked.
“He entered the army, but resigned
when the civil war in America broke out.
lie joined the Confederates, was made
a Colonel, and finally a general; but af
ter some years of hard lighting, fore
seeing, probably, the failure of the Con
federacy, he left the United Strtcs and
went to Mexico to proffer his services to
the Emperor Maximilian* I believe he
holds quite an elevated position among
the military chieftains of the Imperial
army, and he may some day become
one of the greatest dignitaries of the new
empire.”
In he at'umn of 1867 I r c jived a
letter from M. de Sicyeres (with whom I
constantly correspond), which contained
tlu,* following paragraph: “Do you rc
meiiibrr my sapphire ring, and the his
tory of the danseuse and of Gaston de
Gondrecouif? I have just beard of the
sad fate of the latter. He refused to
quit Mexico with the French troops,
preferring to remain and share the for
tunes of his ill-fated master. lie was
captured at Querctaro and two days af
ter the execution of Maximilian was shot
by order of Juarez. His last words, ad
dressed to his executioners, were—“ You
bring me a boon which for years I have
sought in vain—death!”
THE PRELATES RETURN
AKCOBIS HOP McCLSKEY ON THE
VATICAN COUNCIL AND THE
DOGMA OF INFALIBILITY.
IMPOSING RECEPTION AT ST,
PATRICK’S {CATHEDRAL.
SOLEMN" ECCLESTICAL PAGEANT.
A solemn ecclesiastical reception was
yesterday accorded to the Most Reverend
Archbishop McCloskey on the occasion of
his return from the Holy City. A more
imposing religious pageant has seldom
been witnessed within the hallowed walls
of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The sacred
edifice was crowded to the very doors;
and, while the feelings’ of the immense
assemblage devoutly harmonized with
the object and the surrounding circum
stances which marked the event, the
welcome was unmistakably sincere. It
will be rembered that Archbishop
McCloskey, in attending- the Ecumenical
Council took a somewhat prominent part
in the various discussions and attracted
considerable attention by his profound
aod erudite theological views on the sub
jects brought forward. His return to
New York had been anxiously awaited
for some time. Prior to his arrival
meetings were held in the different
parishes throughout the city, and it was
unanimously resolved to give him a grand
reception in the cathedral. That the most
sanguine expectations of the prelate’s
ardent and affectionate admirers were
completely realized the magnificent dis
lay of yesterday thoroughly demonstrat
ed. Characterized by all the grandeur
and religious pomp which ever mark the
ceremonies peculiar to the Roman Catho
lic Church, the reception to the Arch
bishop yesterday was an event that could
not have failed to make a lasting im
pression upon those who attended it. Ad
mission was by ticket, and although
the hour named for the reception was
twelve o’clock, the Cathedral was filled
fully two hours before that time. The
interior of the edifice presented quite a
brilliant appearance, and when all the
the seats had been occupied the mass of
people in the rear moved up the aisles,
or, more properly speaking, were com
pelled to make advance, owing to the
pressure of the dense throng. The altar
was handsomely decorated, aqd my
riads of lights burned on the hijfh altar.
Among those occupying seats in its
vinicity were Mayor Hall, Matthew T.
Brennan, Sheriff O’Brien, Judge Gun
ning S. Bedford, Judge Joseph F. Daly,
Judge Dowling, Judge Quinn, Dr. Mc-
Sweeny, J. J. Cummins, Denis Carolin,
J edge Sbandley and others. Then a
splendid array of beautiful toilets, and,
in fine, the appearance of the cathedral
in every aspect was such as to inspire
feelings of solemnity and admiration.
Shortly after twelve o’clock the gran
organ pealed forth, and in conjunctio
with a splendid orchestra, played
Te Deum march, and almost simulta
neously with the first strains of music
the doors of the sacrisitv were thrown
open and the procession "issued forth in
following order:—
Acolyte.
Acolyte—Cross Bearer—Acolyte.
Acolytes, two and two.
Clergy, two and two, in surplices, cas
socks and barettas.
Incense Bearers with censers.
Rev. Drs.yMcSwceny and McGeari.
Priests of the Cathedral.
Priest carrying cross.
Rev. Father Kearney, Master of Cere
monies.
Very Rev. William Starrs, D. D., V. G.,
in chasubule &c.
Attendant The Archbishop Attendant
Priest, with mitre and crozier, &e.
Priest.
Four Acolytes, bearing the train of the
Archbishop.
The procession moved slowly down
the southern aisle and crossed over io
the main entrance, where incense was
offered to the Archbishop by the Very
Rev, Dr. Stars, Y. G. Holy water was
then sprinkled around. The procession
subsequently went up the nrudle aisle,
and the clergy numbering about 150,
defiled to either sides of the altar, when
versicles were sung by the Vicar Gen
eral and responded to by the choir.
Prayers were then offered, and the
March from Athali •, by Mendeissohn,
was given in sple idid style. The Tc
Deum , by Lam’ elatt, in D major, in
cluding the Tc Gloriosi , soprano solo,
was also sung, with full orchestra 1 ac
companiment.
The Rev. Father Preston, of St. Ann’s,
then advanced to the foot of the altar
and delivered an address to the Areh
bistn p on behalf of the clergy. He
said:—lt. is with the utmost pleasure
mid gratitude to God that the clergymen
of your dioc< so to-day in this sacred
place welcome you home. They speak
in their own name, and in the name of
the faithful committed to their charge,
when they express the universal joy
which is felt by your flock at seeing you
once more among us, seated upon your
own episcopal throne. They come to
pay their homage of respect, love and
duty to a prelate whom they revere and
for whose health and length of days they
have offered many prayers. It has been
no ordinary call of duty which has for
one year separated us—the voice of Him
who rules the sheep of Christ from the
th rone of St. Peter, which called you to
the sessions of that memorable council,
whose acts will be written in the brigh
test pages of history. In your person
we have been represented in that august
assemblage, and you have spoken for us.
The faith and piety which animated the
Catholics of this metropolis of the New
World, in high honor which you have re
ceived from the Holy Father and the
important part assigned to you in the
deliberations of the great Council, we
have been honored. The clergy and
people of this district, ever distinguish
ed for loyalty to the Iloly See and fi
delity to the one faith, have cause to
thank you for your part in those glori
ous o institutions and decrees whic hhave
so deeply touched the heart of the Chris
tian world and which have aroused
again the echoes of Nice, of Florence
and of Trent, and have bound together
in new concord the souls that believe in the
divinity and redemption of Jesus Christ.
We confidently predict new triumphs to
the Church in her great mission of civilizing
and evangelizing mankind. Nation
may go against nation and kingdom
against kingdom, but no weapon drawn
against her can prosper. For ourselves
at homo wo can only say that during your
absence we have labored with more than
usual zeal, that the cause of Christ might
not suffer in our hands; pace and unity
have reigned among us without and with
in. We trust that your return will be
hailed by the evidences which are offer
ed you of our fidelity to the vineyard of
the Lord. The churches which have
been built, or are now in process of erec
tion, the increased efforts we have made
to give Christian education to the child
ren of our docks, on whom the future of
our beloved country depends, the offer
ings to the new cathedral, a monument
alike to our faith and charity, are to you
a sufficient proof that we have neither
been idle or toiled in vain. The earnest
sympathy and fatherly kindness which
you haye ever shown to us bind us to
gether; and to you, in these our works
and labor of love, the consolation which
we can give to you in the arduous res
ponsibilities of your office is no small
part of your reward. Permit us here,
then, to renew the assuuances of our
unalterable devotion to your office and
person. Through you are we bound to
that rock on which the Lord built His
Church, that lasting foundation against
whicli the gates of hell cannot prevail.
We are happy and proud to welcome
you as our father in Christ, as our leader
in the great mission intrusted to us.
We earnestly pray God to multiply upon
you His grace and blessings, to spare
you yet many years that the happy tie
which exists yet among us may be
long unbroken, for the confirmation of
many in the faith, for the honor of the
episcopate and the glory of our Lord and
Saviour.
ihe address was submitted on behalf
of the clergy and the names of the follow
ing reverend gentlemen were signed to
the document:— Y. iiliam Starrs, Y. S.,
D. D ; Thomas S. Preston, William 11.
Clowry and E award J. O’Reilly.
ADDRESS ( F ARCHBISHOP M CLOSKEY.
The M. st Reverend Archbishop Mc-
Closkoy then ascended the pulpit, and
adrnii the deepest si’enee spoke as fol
low. :—Venerable and respected breth
re and clergy, I should be too happy,
were it possible, to return anything like
adequate thanks for your kind and affec
tionate reception; but for this I fell my
self unequal, and I must simply throw
myself, without reserve, upon your gene
rosity. The words which have just been
uttered, the place in which I stand, the
spectacle which I here behold before my
eyes, kindle emotions which forbid ut
terance. This much, however I can
say, and this much from the very bottom of
my heart Ido say, that I am overjoyed—
ten and a hundred fold overjoyed to see
yon, overjoyed to lcok upon so many
friend’y, familiar faces, overjoyed to be
standing once more here among you,
and grateful beyond measure for tbo
warm and generous greeting which you
have accorded me. I rememder to have
said to you when on the eve of parting
that, deeply as I regretted the necessity
of even a temporary separation from you
and from my diocese, yet I could leave
without any serious disquietude concern
ing the welfare of you, my brethren, dur
ing my absence abroad. I knew that
the adnustration of its affairs was ensrust
ed to the prudent bands of one whose
fidelity and zeal hud in other times and
in the eyes of my illustrious predecessor,
been fully tested. I had confidence in
the zeal and devotedness of my clergy.
I was convinced that it would be with
you not simply a point of duty, but a
matter of sacred honor, to labor if pos
sible with even greater courage and
greater earnestness during my absence
than before; and in this I have not been
disappointed. You have observed, and
observed truly that it was not in
obedence to any mission of my own
not for any purpose of self-gratification,
that I went to Rome. It, was simply in obe
dience, ready and cheerful, to the voice
of that Father, whose voice is to all the
Catholics of the world, and the bishops of
the Church and its clergy more especially,
the voice of Christ, summoning me, hum
ble as I am, in common with all the other
prelates of the world, to the General
Council of the Vatican. I needed not
your assurance that your prayers accom
panied me. Your eyes and your hearts
instinctively—almost irresistibly—turn
ed to that Holy City whither so many
were journeying, and every day your
prayers and supplications were offered
up to heaven lor the success of that
great work which was being undertaken.
A General Council, beloved brethren,
you know is no new thing in the Church;
but in that Church’s eventful histoiy
there is no one thing, no one event or
circumstance, that has marked it sj
strongly, has shone forth more conspicu
ously or most rcsplendently through the
ages, has been more powerful in the
work us preserving the integrity’- of Di
vine revelation, of the deposit of faith as
it was first committed to the Apostles, of
arresting the progress of heresy, of heal
ing schisms, of promoting morality, of
conducing to the advancement of civiliza
tion, of giving true peace and happiness
to society and providing for the advance
ment of the troth and the salvation of
souls. Nothing, I say, like this in the
history of the Church can be compared
with that which has been done and ef
fected by its General Councils. I have
only to mention Nice, Constantinople,
Ephesus, Florence, Trent and so many
others with which you to-day are all so
familiar. Their saving and salutary in
fluences were not only for the day and
generation in which they were held, but
they have reached to our own times, deep
ening and widening in their course
through successive centuries, and now,
as has been so eloquently remarked at
the foot of this altar, “and now their Mori
ous and their sacred echoes re-echo in
the Council of the Vatican.” And among
these general councils—lD now in number
—I think I may with safety say there has
not been one of greater importance and
which, we trust, will be more productive
of beneficial results than that whose ses
sions are now in progress—important by
reason of the number of prelates who are
assembled therein, important by reason
of that glorious and divinely protected
PcntiCcite under which it is called, im
portant by reason of the magnitude of
the questions which have been consider
ed already and defined. There assembled
Bishops from every portion of the globe.
In the earlier councils of the East there
were few present other than Bishops
from the East. The west was represented
chiefly by the legates of the Holy Father
whom he invested with his authority and
in his name. In the great general coun
cils of the East,the Eastern Bishops pre
dominated and prevailed, and in common
with them were to be seen others, some
Bishops of Asia, some from Africa, and
of Europe. America had no place there
in. Australia had no place therein. They
had no place in those councils because
they then had no place on the map of
the Christian world. Three hundred
years have elapsed since the Council of
Trent, and since that period the Ameri
can Church has been planted and has
grown up, and taken in North and South,
and has presented within the walls of that
Vatican a body of prelates as numerous
and even more numerous than any other
nation of Christians. There were there
Bishops from China, Bishops from Japan
Bishops from Abyssinia, from the North
and from the South, from the islands of
the sea scattered throughout the ocean.
There were there venerable patriarchs
representing churches of the earliest
days of Christianity. There were there
prelates renowned for their learning, and
for their eloquence, for their piety, for
their devotion to the cause of Christ.
There were there doctors and confessors,
men who had suffered and bearing upon
their persons scars and wounds which
had been inflicted upon them. I might
mention one instance in the of the
Bishop of China who came to Rome. lie
had barely escaped from his residence,
which for weeks had been besieged by
the military, waiting for the moment
when he would be assassinated, according
to the edict of the Emperor to put him
to death. But he escaped from their
hands and took part with his brothers
in council. There were gathered there
from ail parts as children and brothers,
all performing one and the same unani
mous act of faith, officiating at the same
altar, in various liturgies, in various cos
tumes; but the same sacrifice, the same
consecration, the same adoration and
the same communion. It was a specta
cle inspired, a spectacle sublime and
beautiful beyond description, and such
as Rome, with all its traditions of glo
ries never, perhaps, had seen before, and
it may be destined never to see again.
So that it may be truly said there never
was a council more truly deserving the
name of general, the name of Ecumenical
Council of the Vatican. I have alluded
to the magnitude of the questions which
occupied its attention. I would -fain
dwell upon that, but I am warned that I
must not trespass upon your patience.
But there is one point when the name of
the Vatican is mentioned, comes up at
once to your minds, one that has received
a peculiar importance not only because
of that which intrinsically belongs to it
but because of the external attention
which has been drawn to it throughout
the world, and that is the doctrine of In
fallibility of the Pope. A great deal of
misreprsseutation, and, in consequence,
a great deal of misapprehension, exists
as to the meaning and the nature and the
intent of the infallibility of the Pope. It
is said by many, and it is believed by
many, that the Church and Vatican
Council has been creating anew doc
trine, has been imposing upon its Chris
tian people a belief which they never held
before; has been conferring upon the
Holy Father, or lias allowed the assump
tion by the Holy Father, of a prerogative
and of an authority which before had
never been recognized or received. That
it was, therefore, an oppression of the
consciences of the people, that it was a
disturbance of the peace and tranquility
of the Church, that it was an interference j
with political and civil society, and that]
it would make the Pope a sort of demi-!
god, authorizing him to teach and divine !
and declare whatever he pleased, and
that the motto would be—‘‘All right; the
Pope can do no harm—the Pope can do
no wrong.” Now, beloved brethren, let
me say that the Vatican Council has
made no new doctrine. It has given to
the Pope no authority or prerogative
which had not existed in him before;
that it has not oppressed the calmest
consciences; that it lias not interfered in
either civil or political society-; but, if
properly understood and*received, would
contribute to the good order, to the
strength of both, and to the peace and
welfare of the people; and that the Pope,
although infallible, is a man subject to
error. He is infallible as Pope and as
Vicar of Christ. Asa man—as a private
Bishop, if you will—he is subject to
error—subject as you are, except by the
assistance of God’s grace. The Church
does not, nor cannot create any new doc
trine. It declares and it divines what is
the truth that it has received, what is the
truth that lias been revealed by God, and
what is contained in that depository of
the revelations of which it is rhe divinely
appointed guardian. That which was be
lieved before and not divined, might not
always be, although a doctrine to be be
lieved. That which we call a dogma of
Catholic faith, we are bound to believe,
under pain of sin, and it would be contu
macy itself in not believing, under pain
of heresy. Such lias been the doctrine
of infallibility of the Pope which has been
believed by the Christian world since the
days of the Apostles until now. "The
Church has always believed that the
Popes of Rome are the successors of S
Peter, are the inheritors of the promises
which Christ made to him, and are also
the inheritors cf his prerogatives and of
his supreme apostolic authority. Chris 4
said to Peter, “Thou art the rock, and
upon this rock I will build my Church
and the gates of hell will never prevail
agaiust you.” The Church was to en
dure forever, and how forever if the
rock did not endure forever; and how
would the rock endure forever if the
of hell were to prevail against it? And
if the gates could not prevail against it
then Peter, who is the rock, and his suc
cessors, who inherit the promises which
I say are likewise the rock, must be rmht
and neither against the rock nor against
the successors of Peter will the gates of
hell ever bo able to prevail. If i n t ] Je
discharge qf their cilice as Vicars of
Christ, as the head of his Church, thus
divinely appointed to rule and govern
the universal flock, they can teach error:
if they can give in place of nourishing
food the poisoned food of error; if they
can teach declines as revelations wh'ch
had never been revealed, and thereby
impose as duties in morality; duties
which were never contained in the Gos
pel, never in the apostolic teachings or
traditions of the Church, then the prom
ises would have failed and the gates of
hell would have prevailed. Feed my
sheep and feed rny flock, and teach the
Bishops of the Church as well as the faith
ful people. This was the text of the
Vicar of Christ. When wo say he is in
fallible, we mean that when in the exer
cise of that office, when in the exercise of
its duties as Vicar of Christ, as head of
the Church, as the organ of that Church,
as the pastor and the teacher of that
Church, he divines as a dogma of faith,
and ho is, in virtue of his promises which
have been made to Peter, and to him
through Peter, protected from error. He
has the promises of the Holy Ghost made
to protect him. By his office he is called
up m to decide when discussions spring
up; when schisms threaten, when con
sciences are disturbed, when doubts vex
men’s minds, the Catholic heart instinct
ively turn towards the See of Peter to
demand and to hear from him the words
and the teaching of truth, and when he
spoke it was the mouth of Peter, the
mouth of Christ —vox Lei. lie was
e tiled upon to decide between the true
and the untrue, to define errors and pro
tect the people from the wrath of those
against them; and would m>t-—wt; s>y it
reverently—would not God have been
wanting to Ilis Church if he had failed
t > provide, when General Councils could
not convene; when Bishops could n;t
come together ? He spoke with that
voice that spoke by right and by authori
ty, un i, having the assistance of the Holy
Ghost, he spoke the truth. And now,
my brethren, that the Church has spokeD,
we, as Catholics, bow down in obedience
to its decrees. You have beard < f the
dissensions, you have read much of the
agitations, even among the Bishops them
selves. True, never was there a question
more fully and more freely discussed;
never was greater liberty granted to any
body of men, I will say, either of ‘ho
Church or State, to speak out freely hoc
sentiments of their heart and the convic
tions us their mind, than was given on
this and every other question that arose
in this AAtican Council. They did speax
freely whatever they spoke upon, never
forgetting their digoity as Bishops, newer
willfully, or, I may say, unwillfuliy, of
fending the most delicate sensibility ot
any brother. Nothing, that was calcina
ted to excite animosity, was aroused.
They spoke warmly, earnestly, fervently,
it might be, to one another, but
grasping one another’s hand in
the same friendship, the same
fraternal love, at the close of the Giscu—
sions that they did at the beginning, I
may say, as far as my own knowledge ex
tends, I really" do no not know ol a sin
gle bishop of the Vatican Council wh o
was willing to or did boldly deny tic
truth of the doctrine. They mignt nut
have wished for prudential reasons, or
for other reasons, that it should come n : >
fore the world as a dogma of the Catho
lic faith; but the agitations that a:w-\
whether through the fault of one or w
another, the disturbances of Cath-.m
consciences, the doubts which began . -
arise in the minds of many who me
never doubted before, rendered it imp r j‘
five that the Church should speak t -
ly, in a manner intelligible to ail, tmu
consciences might be tranquilized,
men should know without dcubt,wnai •' -
the teaching of the Church. If w v y
the infallibility of the Pope we deny Me
infallibility of the Church itself. 1-
1 say, though there might nave y ll 1
difference in some points, yet uie au.
trine was received, and I know, 1 y ■ g
own knowledge, that two hours hmy
passed since ihe grand and triun:.