Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-10
The Feast Of the Immaculate Concep-
ton Of the blessed Virgin Mary.

The Feast Of the Immaculate Concep- |
ton Of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sunday LASH. the 9Th Of December, being |
the Festival of Americas Virgin Patroness,
dawned cloudy, chilly, damp, and threaten |
ing rain; yet even long before the street |
lamps were extinguished, many .devout |
Catholics were vending their way to the |
Cathedral to assist at the early Mass Of the |
day. While this was in progress, hundreds |
of girls and young ladies were assembling |
at St. Demands Convent, while still other
hundreds were congregating at ST. Mary's |
school house on Viue street, the place des-
icnated for lhe various societies of gentle
men-young, old, and middle-aged-to
meet.
At fifteen minutes to S O'Clock, Master
It. j. Foley, (the young gentleman who
brought home so many costly premiums
from Notre Dame Cs:lege), bearing the
cross. led the procession from the Convent
to the Cathedral, followed by the Ac-
oIytes, Sixteen or eighteen in num-
ber). and the "Guardiau Angel" and
"Children of Mary" Sodalities, the Presi-
dentof the latter, Miss Mary Ann Donavan,
carrying the banner, with two little angels as
tsssal bearers. Next came the St. Aloysius
Society, followed by the members of st.
Vincent ie Paul Society and the st. Mary's
Orphan Association, Master W. L. Smith
carrying the st. Aloysius' banner, assisted
bv two of the junior members. After these
followed St.Joseph's Total Abstinence Soci
ETY., their beautiful banner borne by Mr..
Jas. Broderick. The cold and threatening
aspect Of the morning detracted somewh bat
from the brillancy of the procession, but
Notwithstanding, the beautiful banners,
the elegant badges and bue capes Of the
voung ladies; the red rosettes and silver
medals of the little boys; the scarles and
gold collars, with silver crosses, and gold
bullion tassels, of the senior St. Aloyslus,
and the green and gold and silver regaa of
ST. Joseph's, were quite attractive enough
to cause the looker-on 10 admire the spec
tacla, and to consider himself FORUM ate in
having lived 10 see this the first strictly re-
lgious procession ever witnessed IN Nash
vile.
The Girls and young ladies marched four
abreast to the church door, when they sep
arated, thu two to the right going up the
south aisle, and those on the left passing
| through the north aisle, meeting, in admir-
| able order, at the head of the middle aisle,
down which they passed, filing the peWs
down to the door. st. Aloysius Society,
| st. Vincent de Paul Society, and st. Mary's
| Orphan Association, occupied the peSs on
the South side of the north aisle, while 81.
| Joseph's Society occupied the pews on the
north side of the south aisle. The remain
| ing pews were crowded with the general
public. The beautiful banner Of "Fhe
Children of Mary" occupied position to
the right Of the main altar, while those OF
| S.. Joseph aud St. Aloysius faced each 9TH
er on their respective sides. Further than
this we need only say that so large num-
| Der of persons were never before known to
| have recsived Holy CommunioD, on any one
| day, in Nashville before; it seemed to the
writer as if nearly One-half OF the entire
Cathole population had been inspired with
a feeling OF special devotion on this oc-
| casion.
| Mass being over, Fhe societies marched
to their respective places of meeting.
At espers, only the Junior Societies fg-
ured prominently. The procession to the
| church was the same as in the morning.
! At the close of the usual vesper services,
the Bishop addressed the congregation on
| the subject of the Gospel of the day-the
saIutation of the angel to the Virgin Mary
-aHail, full Of Grace"-and in his usual,
f.licitous subsequently, when addressing
Young people-encouraged the members OF
these societies to the practice Of virtue,
ursiDg them to follow the example OF the
Blessed Virgin, and presenting the youthful
Saint Aloysius as bright and shining ex-
ample for the young gentlemen. :
At the conclusion OF tha address, some
ffty or sixty members of the Sodality OF
The "Cbildren of Nary" each bearing g
lighted taper, received their diplomas from
the hands of the Bishop, when Miss Mary
Dolore Connors read the Act of Consecra-
ton fer herself aud associates, IS follows:
"ACr OF CONSIDERATION.
"Holy Mother, Immaculate Virgin,
Mother Of God, l, --, choose thee
this day for my mother, queen, patroness,
and advocate, and firmly resolve never to
depart, in word or action, from the duty L
owe thee. or suffer those committed to my
charge 10 say or do anything against the
honor and the respect to which thou art En-
titled. Receive me then, forever, as thy
servant and CHI IL. Assist me in all my
necessities, and forsake me not a. the nouI
Of my death. AnteR.
81 subscribe With mine own hand, this
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, IN the
year of Our Lord, one thousand eight bull
dred and seventy two.
MARY DOLORE CONNObSs
Miss Mary was accompanied 60 the aISar-
rail by Misses Annie Dolin and Annie
Ready, vino also waited upon Miss Flora
Hammond, while the latter recited the fol-
lowing exquisite poem:
Look! Virgin full of grace; rose!
| A sweet white rose for YOU
| Its odOrous leaves all sparkling yet
| With starry drops OF dew.
The dsv when this sweet rose was born
Upon the parent stem, ~
| The garden smiled with JOY TO tnlnK
'TWould grace your diadem.
The sun each morning sent with haste
His first bright rays TO seek
| The little bud, and waken 1t
With kisses on its cheek,
And in the darkness of the night
4 careful watch was kept
By silver moon and twinklIng stars,
To guard it while 1t slept.
And as it grew, the flowers would send
Their perfume on the breeze,
To greet the bud and keep 1t free
From all impurities.
The heart,s-eas7 and the hyacinth,
And star of Bethlehem,
| AVID many more that would name
Could remember them.
| They gazed with love upon this rose
In all it's beauty clad,
| Yet not one flower did envyt
The destiny it had.
But all cried out, "what joyl whatjoyi
To us the boon is given
To rear flower child that blooms
For Mary, Queen of Heaven!"
Then each one prayed TO live, until
| Should dawn the happy morn
When we would give the child to you,
| a Rose without q thorn!