The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-30 00:00:00

PALM SUNDAY AT THE ROMAN•
CATHOLIC CHURCHES.

At the Pro-Cathedral in London, last Sunday, (and
also in other Roman Catholic churches, but not with
the same lengthened ceremonial in all) the right of
blessing palms and carrying them in procession took
place before High Mass. The blessing of palms oc-
cupied a considerable time. During the ceremony
the choir sang the " Hosanna Fail David," and
lessons were chanted from different parts of Holy
Scripture, including the account of our Lord's entry
into Jerusalem. The palms when blessed were distri-
buted to the congregation, the choir singing the
" Hosanna in Exceleds." A procession of clergy, bear-
ing the cross, lighted candles, and palms then followed,
during which numerous anthems were chanted. At the
lower part of the church all forming the procession
passed out, but soon a few re-entered and shut the door.
Those within then sang a "1-hymn of Praise," and at
the end of each verse those outside sang in reply the
words, "Gloria. bus et honor tibi sit. Rex Christe
Redemptor." This ceremony is symbolical of the
Church on earth joining with the celestial choirs in pay-
ing homage to Christ. After the hymn a priest knocked
at the door with the Croon, and the door was then flung
open, to indicate that by the Cross Heaven was opened to
mankind. The procession then passed up the church,
and the Maas commenced. During part of the Mass
the Passion, from the Gospel of St. Matthew, was
solemnly chanted by the clergy—one singing the narra-
tive part, another the words of the Saviour, a third
the words of others, and a fourth representing the cries
of the crowd. This occupied about an hour, but the
congregation could easily follow it, as the words in
Latin and English are in most Roman Catholic prayer.
books.

In the evening the Stabat Mater was sung in many of
the churche+, and between each ilivi.ion a short expla-
natory discourse was given by one of the meats.

A Correspondent of the Pally Telegraph gives the follow-
ing description of the above ceremony:—
- - -

- -
On Palm Sunday, then, is commemorated the entry
of Christ into Jerusalem, on the first day of the Pass-
over week, from Bethsay. On that occasion, the
Saczed Narrative informs us, the great crowds of those
who had come up for the annual festival hailed the
.Nazarene teacher with genuine popular enthusiasm,
and roused hopes in His followers that, at last, tie
time for actual Mesdahsliip. as they deemed it, had
Caine. "They took branches of palm trees and went
forth to meet Him, and cried ' Hosanna!'"
Having been informed that the Archbishop of West-
minster would officiate at the Benediction of the
Palms which still perpetuates the memory of this
striking incident, I went some time before the hour
appointed, which was half-past ten, to the Pro-Cathe-
dral, Kensington... A small ceng.regation was gathered
for Low KIM nearly every member being clothed in
black • and certainly nothing could be further removed
from the " sensational " than the whole tone of this
service. There was no music of any kind. The low.
monotonous sound of the priest's voice at the end, and
the occasional tinkle of a little bell at the more solemn
portions of the celebration, were all that broke the

silence.
Soon after half-past ten this congregation dispersed,
and that for High Mass iliSfiembled. It gradually
assumed vast propoitions ; end by the time the Arch-
bishop arrived the spacious elitice was full, without
being crowded. Or. 'Manning. on reaching the Sacra-
rium, proceeded at once to the archiepiscopal throne on
the north side of the chatter!, where he was joined by
Monsignor Cape!; and, after a short interval of silence,
during which he and his attend:gas remaiuel
secturemnely grouped at the throne, he proceeded
to vest himself. One by one the Archbishop as-
sumed the antic-c, girdle, stole, cope, and mitre; and,
when this was done, the choir and clergy of
the Cathedral entered, the former in black
cassock and surplice, the hater in rich purple
vestments, but all in solemn silence. Being seated, -by
the courtesy of a member of the congregation, imme-
diately in front of the high altar. I had ample oppor-
tunity of noticing all the details of the very striking
ceremony which took place. On the super-altar were
several very large branches of real palm, and on a table
at the north side huge bundles of the same. waiting for
benediction. I had previously inquired of the verger
what it was customary to substitute for palm, and was
toll by him that red palms were used at the high altar,
but box and other cheap substitutes were used for the
general congregation. In this, however, he was mis-
taken : none but real palms were used throughout;
and, as these are procured with some difficulty, and
every member of a very large congregation was sup-
plied with a good-sized branch, the expense must have
been very great.
The actual Benediction service, which precedes High
Mass, and is of much ;,7-eater length than I had antici-
pated, commences with the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel, which were read by the celebrant ar;cl his
assistant priests, the Archbishop still occupying his
throne. These were, of course, in Latin, and, on their
conelusion,the Archbishop commence•lthe Benediction
proper by reading a prayer commencing " Auge
trident, fee." Several prayers, special to the occasion,
followed, in one of which supplication is made
that "as the dove returning to the ark brought
the olive - branch . . . so wbosever receives
this creature of the olive-tree may find protection
of emu and body." The Archbishop then fumed the
bundles of palm branches with incense, sprinkled them
thrice with holy water, and proceeded to distribute
them to the clergy and choir. Many of these were of
gigantic nice; those held by the Archbishop himself
and Monsigner Capel could not have been less than
nine or ten feet high; anti by the time the whole large
body of priests and choristers were so provided the
effect was very striking indeed. Some of the palms
were quite yellow, and appeared to be dtied ; others
were fresh and green. One very email gentleman in
the choir ia rpectacles, who, of course, came in for
' one of the largest, accrued almost overweighted
with his treasure. The lady whose seat I occupied
told ms, with exultation, that the Archbishop
was going to give her his when the cerise
over. When each of the occupants of tee chan-
cel had received a branch, smaller portions of the same
were distributed to the whele coi•gr• gallon, who ad.
vanceel to the foot of the altar, as if for communion,
and received the branch from the officiating priests,
reverently kissing it as it was given. I had my little
child with me and of course, tiny heretic though she
was, nothing would do but she must have her palms
branch andi put the case fairly to the gentleman in a
surplice who was marshalling the long files of the con-
gregation to their places, and, I airs bound to any, he
acceded to her request as readily as though she hod
been of the number of the faithful; and the child's
s,oreen palm-branch now surmounts a portrait of the
Archbishop which has for many yenta hung in my
study.
After this distribution occurred by far the strangest,
and to me at first a scarcely intelligible, portion of the
ceremony. A procession was formed of all the oc-
cupants of the chancel, who, chanting a lugubrious
kind of anthem, passed to the west end of the church,
and right out of the great deers, whish were closed upon
them. Only two of the choir retnain• d ; ami in this
Position a hymn was sung antiphoually, the singers
left inside taking one verse and those eutside the other
in alternation. This hymn was written in ecclesiastical
—or, at least, certainly not claseical—elegiac couplets,
commencing as follows:-"
Gloria, 1-ins, et honor GM sit, Rex, Chaste, Redemptor
Cal puerile decirs nronapsit Bosoms plum.
Israel es to Rex Rivkin., et inciyta proles.
Noninie gni is Dentin', Ikea benedicte, welds.
To this was responded :
Debut in exceisis to latudat retells smuts,
Rt moctalta bonus, et sancta create
MR% were a gteat many couplets of this kind, and
the effect of the large berly of voice without, responded
to by the duet inside, was remarkable in the extreme.
At last the cross-bearer outside knocked with the foot
of the croesat the door, which was thereepon opened,
sad the proceesion re entered and passed again to
the chancel. A Catholic Manual of Devotion for
Holy Week explained this proceeding, as follows
inr ewprheisnein t sweo”tinritepritutaf itth" lis.hismoretalereinaen?
pro-
mises of God with the blessed in Heaven, and live in
hopes that the gates thereof will be opened through
the merits of the Mall of CM ist." A' ter thii the
reonlar Fli, h Maas proceeded es usnal ; but, although
th•est was no se: men, the service lasted until nearly
two o'clock. the Benediction of the Palms not besot
over until after twelve.
m•••••••• 11111••••
A cordial welcome to Rome has been exp!rienced by
the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their Roya. Highnesses
started from Genoa on Friday night, and arrived In the If sly
City on iiaturday. The King of Denmark received them at
the railway station, with Sir A. Buchansn and wend
members of the Leptions