The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-12-30
THE SACRED HEART.
CONSIDERATION OF THE DIOCESE
OF RICHMOND.
Impressive Ceremonies OF st. Peters
Cathedral and other Catholic
Churches.
The Feast Of the Holy Hnnocents
United to the Devotion or
Paray -Monial.
SERMON OF RIGHT REV. BISHOP GROSS.
The solemn Prayer of Gonsccratsos,
GRAND MUSIC-THE CATHEDRAL FAIRLY
PACKED, ETC, ETC.

Throughout the North, the various diocescs
have joined in this solemn devotion, and to-
day we have to chronicle similar act Of re-
ligiOus fervor oa the part Of the Catholics of
the diocese Of Richmond and vicariate of
North Carolina. Sunday-the Feast Of the
Holy InuocentS was chosen as 4 fitting time
for the act of conservation, and in all the
churches high-mass was celebrated and the
solemn prayer ordered by the bishop offered
up to the throne Of the Most High.
The apostle Of the devotions to the Sacred
Heart was weak, timid, humble little nun
Margaret Mary Alacoque-hidden from the
world in cloister in small town in the
south Of France. She belonged to the Con-
vent Of the Visitation in Paray-.e- MoniaI, in
the diocese Of Auton and province Of Bur
sundy. Her first vision Of the Sacred Heart
took plsce in the year 1914, in the twenty
seventh year Of her age and the second Of
her religious profession. At the command
Of her confessor, Father Rolin, S. j., she said
that on the Feast Of st. Join the Evangelist
she was favored with "the vision Of the
Divine Heart Of Jesus as On throne of fire
and flames, shedding rays on every side
brighter than the sun and transparent as
crystal. The wound which lie received
upon the cross appeared there viSibly. Il
tiuN IL vi tiOt lis cHCliticu LIS bIf 1S-li,
aud it WAS surnountcd by u c-oss." In the
year following, the nun had revelation CON-
manding her 10 establish the Feast Of The
Sacred Heart on the first Friday after the
octave Of Corpus Christi. in which, after
many trials and contradictions, crosses and
humiiationS, she succeeded. The present
wear has brought around an uneXampled re-
vival Of this pious devotion.
The divine attribute Of love, with which
This devotion 10 the Sacred Heart is so in
tim .tcly connected, is best expressed i'll the
words OF Rev Frederick William Fahcr:
:" 1t brought down from heaven the Person
| Of the Eternal Word and united il to human
nature. that 80 it might redeem the world
with the mayrcls- almost incredible maryel>--
of Il truly Divine redemption. Why, thel!,
does God love us! We must answer, Be-
cause he created Us. This would then make
mercy the reason OF His love. But why aid
He create us 4! Because He loved It's. We
are cn:angled in this circle, and do not see
how to escape from it. But it is i fair pri'
son. We can rest in it while We are on
earth. and if We are never 70 knew anything
more, then we will make our home in ii for
eternity. Who would tire Of such cap
tirity?"
Tie celebration OF the Feas. of the Holy
IauOCtUlS WIS uUlleu Iii liG -
of the Catholic congregations with tie
solemn act OF conservation 10 the Sacred
Heart, aud rarely has such fervent spirit OF
devotion been manifested in these latter
practical days OF woridIiness and ungod!i-
ness.
At St. Peters Cathedral
the ceremonies were Of the most impressive
kind. At half.past 10 O'Clock a. NJ. solemn
pon:itica Mass was sung by Right Rev
Bishop Gibbons, assisted by Rev. +. Jaus-
sens is assistant priest, Rev. Fathers Charles
Van Ouakelberye and ). Van DeFyVer as
deacon and sut-deacop, Messrs. BeDJlmln
J. Kelley and John Tiernan as dcacons OF
honor, and Mr. John O'ConDor as master OF
ceremonies, When the deep tones Of the or
Gan were first heard the PROCESSION OF AGO.
lytes, priests, and attendants, together with
Bishop Gibbons and the Right Rev. Bishop
VIM. Gross, Of Savannah, entered tle sane
tuary; and after the officiating bishop had
Dut on his vestments the mass begun.
After the reading Of the gospel, HiSht
Rev. Bishop Gross ascended the pulpit and
delivered
THE SERMON OF THE DAY.
The discourse was one OF the most elo'
uuent and soul-stirring that has ever Deen
delivered within the walls OF the cathedral
and il it were possible it should be pre-
sented in full to our readers, but want OF
space, not of inclination, prevents it; there
| fore we will confue ourselves to brief con.
densatiop. He said: Our own being is full
of mysteries. The union of our soul with
the body is q mystery. From the heart
flows the blood to the extreme portions ol
| the body. From this little centre OF life the
tide of blood flows through the wonderful
channels prepared for it in the body by the
Almighty. This stream pervades the other
members Of the body, and gives Il EN- life
strength, and health. Other members of the
| body may become diseased, and even lost to
| the body, and still the body will retain life
But take away the heart, and instantly
all life In the body ceases. But we have
a higher life than the mere animal life OF our
BODY. There are charms and beauties which
can adoru us other than the beauties OF the
BODY; for what beauty Of body can equal the
| charm bestowed by meekness, purity, hu.
mility, and charity? Or what pleasures o
the sense can equal the holy joys which flow
from the love of God and pure charity to-
| wards ones neighbor: The centre, how
| ever, of this most beautiful and captivating
| part Of our being,
OF SOBLER AND HIGHER J,YS,
| i. the heayt The voice Of all nations and al
| ages has ascribed to the heart, the fountain
head of the tender charity, the unstaineo
purity and other gifts which have adorned
their possession more than any jewels which
this world can bes.oW. God himself re
peatedIy endorses in Holy Writ this same
idea in ascribing the source whence virtues
oryices enianate to the heart. No greater gift
ne offered tnlI
our heart. The child will tell its parents that
they have its healt. Great men in dying haSe
be1,seathed their heart, which grateful peo.
pies have relgiously kept in shrines of gold
and silver. Even God, in return tor all theta
yors and blessings laylshed by Hin on us,
asks our heart
nMy soN. GIVE NE THY HEARF."
You will understand, therefore, why the
Holy Church points us, her children, 10 the
Sacred Heart Of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ
was true God and true man. He was God
in all things equal to his Father. And he
was man, having body and soul in all re-
spccts like ours-sin alone excepted. There
were i'm Christ two distinct natures-thc di-
zine and the huinan-but one only person.
the person OF the Word OF God. The lnl-
man nature never for moment existed sep
urate from the divine, for even when lie
hung stark and dead on the cross that
sacred body was united TO the di-
yinity, and was worshipped by myriads
of unseen angels. What shalt We say OF the
Heart OF JesusY It was the centre whence
flowed the life of Christ during his mortal
career. The Heart Of Jesus--.it was the "a.
cred fountain .head whence flowed that adora'