The Catholic bulletin. [volume], May 30, 1914, Image 17

About The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
THE CORNERSTONE LAYING
CEREMONY.
The ceremony of laying the corner
stone of the new Pro-Cathedral,
which took place on May 31, 1908,
was an event unparalleled in the
history of the Northwest, except
by that of the Cathedral of St. Paul
itself. It will not soon be forgotten.
Impressive and solemn as it was, it
demonstrated the spirit in which the
Catholic people had undertaken the
work of building a church that would
not only serve those of their own
faith in the future, but would be a
source of pride to the city and the
commonwealth.
Dignity and grandeur were lent to
the occasion by the presence of the
representative of the Holy Father, His
Excellency, the Most Reverend Dio
mede Falconio, Apostolic Delegate
three Archbishops several bishops
and hundreds of clergy. Gathered to
gether from the parishes of the state
were thousands of men and women
who had come either to take part in
the parade, which was preliminary to
the cornerstone laying, or at least to
catch a glimpse of the great spectacle
that was about to be presented. In
the numbers that assembled about the
foundation of the new church to see
the cornerstone put in place, the na
tions and creeds of the world were
well represented. And well they
might be, for never before was there
seen in Minneapolis such a parade as
the one in which the thirty thousand
Catholics of the diocese marched that
day never before had so many church
dignitaries gathered within it at one
time.
Interest Wi deep read.
Months in advance the date for the
laying of the cornerstone had been
fixed. Months were required to ar
range the details of the mammoth un
dertaking. The papers had published
accounts of the plans as they were
formed and the people were kept in
touch with what was taking place. To
the Catholics of Minneapolis the event
was especially important. The new
edifice was to be a testimony to their
faith and zeal. They prepared accord
ingly to make a showing that would
be remembered. But the Catholics of
the city were not the only ones to be
interested. It meant much to the
Catholics of the state as well, and to
*11 the people of Minneapolis, irre
spective of creed, because of its civic
importance. A new edifice, a dream
in architecture, was to be added to
the city's buildings.
Accordingly, on Sunday, May 31,
1908, the whole population of Minne
apolis awoke with one thought—the
cornerstone of the flew Pro-Cathedral
of St. Mary was that day to be laid.
Thousands of visitors had come to the
city. Parishes in all parts of the dio
cese had sent delegations to take part
in the parade. Thousands of others
were attracted by curiosity to be eye
witnesses of the great event where so
many distinguished clergymen and
statesmen were to be seen and heard.
The churches were crowded to the
doors at the early Masses, everyone
planning to be down-town in time to
see the parade form for the march to
the Pro-Cathedral grounds. Marshals
hustled about getting their sections in
order, marchers bearing the papal coU
ors and the Stars and Stripes, hustled
about as anxiously to obey commands.
The Great Column Starts.
The courthouse chimes rang out the
hour of two, Grand Marshal Mathias
Baldwin gave the command and the
movement of the thirty thousand peo
ple, representative of the Catholic par
ishes of Minneapolis, St. Paul and the
state, was begun. The music of fifty
bands filled the air, banners waved and
fluttered in the breeze and thousands on
thousands of watchers from sidewalk,
roof and window craned their necks
followed by details of ten men each
to see the sons of many nations and
of one faith march shoulder to shoul
der in the memorable procession that
Having tip (Eonwrafam* of
led to the new Pro-Cathedral grounds.
It was an impressive column that
moved down Nicollet avenue to Third
street, across to Hennepin avenue and
thence out Hennepin to Sixteenth
street.
The parade was divided into three
sections. First came St. Paul and the
representatives of parishes outside the
Archdiocese next came the state and,
bringing up the rear were the Minne
apolis organizations, 15,000 strong.
The representation from the churches
of St. Paul came close to 12,000.
Every parish and Catholic society of
the city was represented in the line
of march. A striking feature was the
log cabin float of the Cathedral par
ish. It was drawn by six white horses
and marked, "Minnesota's First Ca
thedral, 1841."
The platoon of mounted police was
from Morgan Post, Grand Army, and
Company F, National Guard, acting as
an escort to the flag. Next came the
Grand Marshal and his chief of staff,
Frank Kroll, and general aides, An
ton Chouinard, John Kennedy and
George Kozlowski, all mounted. The
members of the Pro-Cathedral build
ing committee, dressed in silk hats
and frock coats, were next in line.
The College of St. Thomas Cadet
Corps, 500 strong, impressive in ap
pearance and soldierly in their full
dress uniform, led the St. Paul sec
tion. Colonel John H. Mears was in
command of the eleven cadet com
panies.
The state section of the parade is
six divisions, came next. It was not
so large as the other sections, but
nevertheless made an excellent show
ing.
The Minneapolis section, largest in
numbers, and including the women's
Catholic organizations, as well as the
men's, brought up the rear. The Papal
colors and the Stars and Stripes
mingled over the marching throng.
Floats, original in their design and
recalling the incidents connected with
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, MAY 30, 1914.
Bt.
IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY —IMPORTANT EVENT
Second Church of the Immaculate Conception
Dedicated January 1, 1873
Harg 0 fro-tohp^ral
the early history of the Church in
the Northwest, lent a gala effect to
the scene. There was a float bearing
the name of Father Hennepin which
strikingly illustrated the arrival of
that pioneer standard-bearer of the
faith at the Falls of St. Anthony in
1680. Another, in the form of a canoe,
mounted on a wagon and drawn by
white horses represented the humble
craft in which Father Hennepin and
his five Indian companions made their
way along the Mississippi. In the canoe
were five chiefs from the White Earth
Indian Reservation and a grandson of
the present chief of the tribe of Crow
Indians. In the bow was stationed a
living likeness of the pioneer priest
guiding the frail bark on its course of
exploration. Following the float were
twenty braves and several squaws in
native costume and painted as their
forefathers were wont to be, in the
days when they were the lords of this
territory.
The boys from De La Salle Insti
tute formed one of the most interest
ing divisions in the parade. They
were arranged in classes according to
age and dressed in white caps and
trousers with blue shirt waists. Some
of the older students were mounted
on well drilled horses that pranced
along nervously. The different par
ishes of Minneapolis were well repre
sented in the line of march.
THE BLESSING OF THE CORNER*
i STONE.
The ceremony of blessing the cor
nerstone was performed by the Most
Rev. Diomede Falconio, assisted by
the Rev. James O'Reilly, deacon, the
Rev. Othmar Erren, O. S. B., subdea
con, and Rev. Dr. F. Schaefer, master
of ceremonies. The other prelates,
with Uieir chaplains, taking part in
the functions were: The Most Rev.
John Ireland, St. Paul, Minn. the
Most Rev. John J. Glennon, St. Louis,
Mo. the Most Rev. Alexander Chris­
7
tie, Portland, Ore. Rt. Rev. S. Or
tynsky, Bishop of the Ruthenian Rite
Rt. Reverend Richard Scannell, Oma
ha, Neb. Rt. Rev. Thomas Bonacum,
Lincoln, Neb. Rt. Rev. James Trobec,
St. Cloud, Minn. Rt. Rev. John J.
Hennessey, Wichita, Kan. Rt. Rev.
James McGolrick, Duluth, Minn. Rt.
Rev. Joseph B. Cotter, Winona, Minn.
Rt. Rev. James Schwebach, La Crosse,
Wis. Rt. Rev. John. Stariha, Lead,
S. D. Rt. Rev. Philip J. Garrigan,
Sioux City, Iowa Rt. Rev. James Da
vis, Davenport, Iowa Rt. Rev. Thom
as F. Lillis, Leavenworth, Kan. Rt.
Rev. Peter Engel, O. S. B., St. John's
Abbey, Collegeville, Minn.
TRANSLATION OF THE MANU­
SCRIPT DEPOSITED IN THE
CORNERSTONE OF THE PRO
CATHEDRAL.
The cornerstone of this Pro-Cathe
dral, dedicated to Mary Immaculate,
Mother of God, was well and duly
laid amid the plaudits of a mighty
throng by Diomede Falconio, Arch
bishop of Larissa and Delegate Apos
tolic, on the thirty-first day of May
in the year of Our Lord nineteen hun.
dred and eight, being the one hundred
and thirty-second of American inde
pendence, the fiftieth of the statehood
of Minnesota, and the fifty-second of
the incorporation of the city of Minne
apolis. On this auspicious date Pius
the Tenth was Pope of Rome, and
Theodore Roosevelt President of the
United States, James Cardinal Gib
bons filled the primatial See of Balti
more and John Ireland the metro
politan See of St. Paul, with Anatole
Oster, domestic prelate, as his Vicar
General whilst John A. Johnson was
for the second time Governor of Min
nesota, and James C. Haynes Mayor
of Minneapolis.
No sooner was the cornerstone of
the new Cathedral of St. Paul laid
than the Catholic body of the Twin
City grew active upon the question of
a temple of their own that would
emulate in piety, though not in mas
siveness, the sacred edifice of the
metropolis. Today both cities, rivals
as they are and have been in growth
and resources, engage in kindly con
test over the material as well as spirit
ual upbuilding of religion. Such a
stage of development has Minnesota
reached, so well established are the
claims of Catholicity therein, that the
sweet burden of erecting temples
more worthy of the Christian faith
has been adjudged to be neither ill
timed nor ill-proportioned.
Wonderful indeed has been the
progress from the day when Louis
Hennepin, the first Christian explorer
of these regions, immortalized the
falling waters hard by the city of the
future with the sacred name of An
thony of Padua. Long since have
free-born citizens taken the place of
Red Indian the gory ambuscade has
yielded to the arts of peace, and
savagery to civilization. For hither,
through the trend of events or the
shifting changes of circumstances,
men of enterprise, stoutness and cour
age made their way. These pioneers
were of different origin, indeed, but
soon foregathered on a footing of
equality under a system of fair play
and freedom nor has the stream of
settlers within living memory ceased
to flow.
No longer over wilds, but among
tilths rich in harvest and in men, the
Upper Mississippi seaward flows, glid
ing past the Twin Cities in its course,
whose very nickname points to a
destined union in the future, whence
the Northern Star of Minnesota, like
the twin constellation of the Tyn
darids, will quiver more effulgent on
the spangled banner of the American
Union. With even brighter light has
this fair day shone on those for whom
not only were the exploring footsteps
of Hennepin a dutiful recollection, but
the palpable evidences of spiritual