Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-30
MAY.
Rev. Father verdaguer breaches
ON It's Celebration.

| ON It's Celebration.
Father Peter Verdaguer preached
yeste, day morning at the Church Of
Our Angels, taking for his subject the
Version of the Month of May" The
following is his address: Why is il
that the church has established sc
many devoticns in honor of the month
of May? The society of the world is
in continual combat with the society
of the church. In this mortal struggle
which began in the Garden of Eden
and continued to the threshold of the
heavenly Jerusalem Almighty God
| watches for his church, his dea
spouse, and for man his most beloved
son.
He is ever careful to give strength
sufficient for the attack, SO that victo-
ry always remains in favor of relig-
ion, that is in favor of truth and vir-
tue. We have thus seen in all past
centuries from the beginning of Chris
tianity that God has given a remedy
for every evil, but among all RENE
dies there is one superior to all others,
one which is applicable to every case.
Among the defenders of truth and
virtue there is one that surpasses all
others, one which is always ready, and
when in the fight is always victorious.
This remedy, this defender is Mary,
Mary who crushed the head of the old
serpent. Mary triumphed over all
heresies and all scandals. For this
reason during this month the church
has multiplied and established 80
many means to invoke Mary to OBJ
tain her help and protection. So we
see that the church in the earliest
days of her existence composes and
teaches the evangelical salutation, the
Hail Mary" Soon after the church
established the religious orders whose
principal duty is to pray day and
night, to obtain the assistance of her
whom it is known that no one ever
invoked in vain. Later we have the
great and important devotion of the
Rosary, and many others introduced
and practiced for many centuries. 1t
would be an endless task to enumer-
ate all the facts, which it could be
proved that the church in all her
dangers and tribulations has ever
placed in Mary. The church's prin-
cipal hope, to-day, when her neces-
stiles and dangers are 80 great,
lies in her power to devise
and establish new means for
drawing towards her the most merci-
full eyes Of the most powerful Queen of
Heaven. The Church acts like good
general who, when he sees that
great battle has to be fought and the
victory will be strongly disputed,
makes use of all his best means and
pref ares all his forces. Among the
many new practices that the Church
employs to draw toward her the spe-
cial protection of the Mother of God,
the first and the one that surpasses
all others is the month Of Mary.
This devotion had its beginning in
Italy. At the latter end of the last
century some pious souls, grieved at
seeing the many excesses that were
committed in the mast beautiful sea-
son of the year, spring, had the in
spiration to look for something to
obtain not only the forgiveness of the
crimes committed, but also to put
stop to such excesses and scandals
turned their eyes toward the virgin of
virgins, Mary, while the worldly went
to their country houses, embellished
with all the beauties of the month OF
May.
After many OF their criminal enjoy
ments, those chaste doves, those
afflicted souls, prostrated themselves
before the throne Of Mary, and ad-
dressed to her most humble and ferv-
ent prayers. This devotion, which
few years ago was known and prac-
ticed only by few persons privately
in some parts of Italy, in short time
took such marvellous increase that it
was made public and universal. Now
it may be said it is the favorite devo-
tion of all true Christians.
1t is not only now in Italy, where
the month of Mary is celebrated with
great splendor; it is not now in this
or that church alone where the glories
Ind praises of Mary resound during
this happy month. They are heard
everywhere-in the country and in
tLO CltlcS, Ill buO llOudotctlcS dlu
houses, in the churches and work
shops, in the palaces of kings and in
the most humble hamlets. The
same in every part of Europe
as in America, Asia and Africa.
Thus being fulfilled literally the cele
brated prophesy. The blessed Virgin
made of herself what she said, zone
who all the inhabitants of the earth
and all the nations of the world would
call blessed" Father Peter continued
to explain and illustrate to the con-
gregation the importance of having
devotion to the Mother Of God and of
invoking her at all times, and exhort-
ed the saithful to attend to the devo
tions which will be conducted every
day at P. M. during tie month Of
May.