Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-12-14
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER IA, 1854.
ROmanist Ceremonies.


| CHURCH.--On Sunday morning last, accord
ing to notice, the interesting ceremony of re-
! cclving a novice into the religious ORDER was
observed at St. Mary's Church, in this city, by
the Rev. VIM O'Reilly, Vicar General of this
| city.
| The house here is a branch of the order of
| st. Bridget, which was established in Ireland,
| in 1854. The object of the institution is to
educate the female children of the Church.
AS the ceremony of reception was about to
take place, Vicar General, vested in
cope and other insignia, and the attending
Priest, in surplice, being in the Sanctuary,
(the space between the altar and the rail in
closing it, twelve girls (angels) in white,
entered, with wreaths upon their heads, one
of them bearing a cruc6x elevated upon
staff, and the others bearing lighted candles.
They were succeeded by the Lady Superior,
in the full habit of the order-black veil and
robe, with broad white linen collar, who led
the postulant, bridget McMahon) in a secu-
lar dress of white with white veil and wreath.
Kneehng before the Superioress, the postu-
liant asked her blessing, and the name to be
given to her in religion. The blessing and
name, "Mary Magdalen, were bestowed.
The choir then sung" 0 Gloriosa Virgnum;"
Glorious Virgin, high throned above the
stars, thou didst nourish fro ~ thy breasts Him
who created thee, became little child" &c.
The singing was very well performed by the
choir of st. Mary's.
The celebrant, Vicar General OReilly,
then repeated the versicle, "Pray for her, Holy
Mother of God" The attendant, Father Me
Evoy, answered, THAT she be made worthy
the promises of God" A wax candle was
then blessed and laid upon the altar, and
afterward incense having been placed in the
thurible and blessed, the candle was sprinkled
with holy water and incensed, and presented
lighted to the postulant, with the in junction:
Receive, dearly beloved this corporal
light, as an emblem of the inward light, to dis
pei all the darkness of ignorance and error,
that, Illuminated with the light of divine wis.,
dom, with the fervor of the Holy Ghost, thou
mayest deserve to be eternally united with Je-
sus Christ, the spouse of the Church, who
liyeth and reigneth with God the Father, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without
end. Amen
Father McEvoy, priest of the parish of st.
Mary's, then assembled the pulpit and preached
discourse from the following text: Apoca-
lypse, XlX-l-8.
The sermon being concluded, the Lady Su-
perior conducted the postulant to the CRATE,
when, kneeling, she was Intercepted as fol-
lows
Ce1cbrant, (sjtting IN his chair. My child,
what do you demand?
Post,tlGnt-The mercy of God, and the Holy
Habit of Religion.
Celebrant-Is it with your own free will
you demand the Holy Habit of Religiona
Posteslaat-Yes Reverend Sir
Celebram 60 the ioress)-Reverend
Mother, have you made the necessary inquiry,
and are you satisfied:
Lady Superioy-Yes Reverend Sir.
CeleBrant-My child, have you firm in.
tention to persevere i'll religion to the end of
your lile-and do you hope to have sufficient
strength to carry constantly the sweet yoke of
our Lord Jesus Christ, solely for the love and
fear Of God
Postulaat-Relyin on the mercy of God,
hope to he able to do so.
The eelebrant, rising, then said: What God
has commenced in you, may be perfect. The
postulant answers, Amen. The celebrant
says May the Lord Danish from you the old
man and his works. The postulant says
Amen.
The postuant then rose and retired, to put
off her secular dress, the choir meantime sing
ing, /" In exitu Israeli The celebrant pro-
ceeded to bless the habit, which the Sacristan
carried to the postulant, who soon after reen-
tered the sanctuary, wearing the black habit,
Cwithout cincture,) the CAMP, veil, &c.
The choir, as she approached, sung the fol-
lowing antiphon
''Who is she that cometh up from the des-
ert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her
beloveds Thou art fair; my beloved, meek
and beautiful. Come, my spouse, from Liba-
nus; come from Libanus come, thou shalt
be crowned
The novice made the usual genuhection and
knelt while the celebrant made the sign of
the cross over her and the remainder of the
habit, repeating the prescribed formula and
prayer. The superioress directed the novice
to rise, and took her candle. The cincture
was presented and placed upon the novice, by
the superioress, the celebrant saying "When
thou vast younger, thou dids't GRID myself
and didst walk where thou woulds't, but
when thou shalt be DID,. another shall grid
thee. In the name of the Father, &c.
Amen"
The white vail was then placed upon her
head, the celebrant saying =" Receive the
white vail, the emblem of inward purity, that
thou mayest follow the Lamb without spot,
and walk with Him in white, in the name of
the Father, sc, Amen" She was then in
vested with the white cloak of the Church,
the celebrant saying, May the Lord restore
to thee the robe Of Immortality, which thou
didst lose in the prevarication of thy first pa
rents" sc.
The novice being clothed in the full habit,
kneeling, was sprinkled with holy water by
the celebrant, who extended his hands over
her and repeated the prescribed prayer, and
the attendant priest also repeated a sentence,
when the novice sang, "My heart hath utter
ed good word; | speak my words to the
King" &c. Then prostrating herself. the
choir sang tsVesi, Creator" the priests kneel-
ing. After prayer, the novice, still PROSTATE,
was snrinkled with holv wafer She then