Feast of Immaculate Conception at the Basilica of Saint Mary's

 

Remarks by Charles V. McPhillips

Friday, December 8, 2006

Imagine, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: the tears that must have poured from the sleepy eyes of the parishioners and pastor of Saint Patrick's Church as the sun rose on the morning of December 8, 1856, to reveal the full destruction wrought by arson.

Tears of anguish. Tears of fear. Tears of despair, as they beheld their beautiful Church, smoldering in the ashes, with only her outside stone walls still standing. Imagine the pain their hearts must have suffered, the tears they must have shed, as they picked through the charred remains of the familiar pews, the valuable paintings and the outstanding pipe organ that had been consumed in the flames.

But imagine too the tears of joy, the tears of thanksgiving, the tears of relief, that must have mixed with those tears of pain when the news spread among them that a priceless piece of wood had miraculously survived the fire. It was the most beautiful crucifix they ever saw, and we may ever see.

I am sure too that some of these tears boiled in rage at the hateful crime which had just occurred. Some of them surely whispered about forming a squad to retaliate against the Know-Nothings and their ilk who had harassed and abused them over the prior months -- those who had demanded of their pastor, Father O'Keefe, that he cease to welcome black folks to worship at Saint Patrick's, who had spewed venom against them because they were poor, from Ireland, and Catholic. They must have felt like burning their enemies' church. They must have been ready for a fight.

But you know the story. Led into battle by Father O'Keefe, they retaliated all right -- by building this magnificent Church, and by dedicating it to our Blessed Mother of the Immaculate Conception, whose feast day had been so desecrated on that bleak morning 150 years ago today.

Out of the ashes of old Saint Patrick's rose this sublime reply to hatred. I ask all of you, all these years later, who won the fight?

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We are reminded that we are dust and to dust we will return -- but for the fact that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and for our sake was crucified and suffered and died upon the cross, as so reverently and poignantly captured in that crucifix which, by the grace of God, you children saw today when you entered St. Mary's.

And by the graceful hand of our friend and most talented artisan, Jim Brockman, our school children from the new Saint Patrick's will be reminded every day they come to school of the love, the courage and the sacrifice given by their spiritual forebears from old Saint Patrick's -- as reborn here at St. Mary's, from which birthplace came Sacred Heart Parish, and from there Blessed Sacrament.

We pray then, that out of the ashes of St. Patrick Catholic Church, from December 8, 1856, our Saint Patrick Catholic School will be forever true to the example set by Father Matthew O'Keefe and all those priests, sisters and laity who over the years built the faith community to which we belong today, on December 8, 2006.

My brothers, Michael and Eddie, our sister, Jane, and I feel most honored to offer this artwork by Mr. Brockman (which we are about to unveil) as a tribute to those great men and women, and particularly in loving memory of two of them we hold most dear, our parents, Vinnie and Ann McPhillips.

We give thanks that the Jesus who rose again after His death on that cross, has raised them up, as He will all of us who believe in Him.