St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-20
AS BRIDES OF CHRIST.
An Impressive Ceremonial
Witness ed at st. Joseph's
Yesterday.
Sixteen Young Girls Forsake
Life for the Veil Of
Purity.
Two Valuable Works OF Art
Thrown Open to Public
Inspection.
Two Score and Five Pupils
Who Won in the High
School Contest.

Three tiny bridesmaids, clad in virgin
white, and bearing each in her baby
hands dainty rose as white as her
robes, marched to the solemn strains of
the organ down the central aisle at st.
Joseph's chapel yesterday. Behind
them came, with measured tread. s tx
teen young girls, ranging in age from
seventeen to twenty years. Slowly the y
filed to their seats before the brilliantly
lighted altar, with eyes downcast as
become brides so young and
fair. Costumed alike in regal
white with flowing wells and trains.
decked with natures fairest floral gems.
they knelt in prayer. In the rear of the
chapel half hundred sisters, with their
bright, happy faces shining out rom
the somber black wells, knelt with theta.
The occasion was the bestoWal of the
habit upon sixteen young aspirants to
the sisterhood of st. Joseph, and the
spacious chapel was packed to the doors
with friends of those about to renOunce
the world and its follieS forever. and 9th
ers curious to witness a ceremony at once
interesting and impressive. Mass was
celebrated by Rev. Father Dolphin,
after which Archbishop Ireland took his
place before the altar, accompanied by
Fathers Byrne, Dutfey, Hurley, Raleigh,
COSgrove, O'Hara and Koering, and the
Dominican Fathers Bloomer, Egan and
Quinn. Behind the noviceS knelt seven
Sis ers, applicants for the cross, their
black robes contrasting strangely with
the white ones of those IN front. The
address to the young aspirants by Arch
bishop Ireland was most solemn aud
impressive one. He showed them the
sacredness of the life they had chosen
to adopt, and explained that In the
SiSterho0d they must not be con-
tent to be merely good sisters, there
were thousands of good sisters; they
must strive to be higher and better each
day of their lives as befitted those reSid-
ing so near to God. There was no more
nobler existence, he said, than that of a
sister, and they had chosen wisely. The
service preceding the bestoWal of the
habit is series of questions by the eel
ebrant and answers by the novices as to
the sincerity of their desire to adopt the
holy robes. After the receipt of pro-
teStations of desire for admission to the
ranks the celebrant says;
II am satisfied. my children, and wish
Mother Superior to receive you into the
congregation, to retrench this super
fluffy of hair and divest you OF the van
ity of your worldly dress in order to
clothe you with the poor habit you long
for with such ardOr, and at the same
time to clothe you with Jesus Christ.
Go then, my children, to receive this
holy habit"
The applicants retraeed their steps
I'D the aisle and were taken away by
the sisters, who assisted them in don
ming the black robes which in future
they will wear. In the interim the be-
stowal of the cross on Sisters Cecilia,
Justina, Levrentia, Gregoria, Leonilda,
i ,renice and Ludvilla was pro-
ceeded with. The sisters knelt before
the archbishop in tWos, and as the
cross was bestowed on each the cele-,
brant responded:
s'Receive, my child, the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to which you are
affixed with him 10y the three vows as
by so many nails; wear it openly against
your breast as most sure defense
against all attacks of the enemy, and
especially endeavor to carry 1t faith
fully in your heart by loving it tenderly
and by bearing with sweet delight and
humility this sweet burden, that faith
fully living and dying in the love of the
cross with Jesus, you may also triumph
with him in glory"
The professed sisters were then
blessed by the archbishop, and
pealed forth its solemn tones the little
bridesmaids again ushered in the nov
ices, who had forsaken their gay trap
pings for those of the order they had
chosen to espouse. AS they again took
their places before the altar, strangely
contrasting IN their new dress with the
costume so recently worn, the celebrant
exclaimed:
"BehOld. now you are dead to the
world! My children, are you satisfied?
You have reason TO be satisfied. AT this
moment, by special favor of God, you
begin to have, in most particular man.
ner, st. Joseph for your father, the most
blessed virgin for your mother. and Je-
sus Christ for your spouse"
The ceremonies concluded with the
bestcwal on the new sister of the names
they had chosen to adopt by the arch
bishop and the singing of the TIE Deum,
after which the nOviceS were taken in
charge by the sisters and conducted to
their places in the house. The names
of the young women taking the habit,
together with the names by which they
Will Ill IuluTo W hHOWL, dIe given Uc-
low:
Miss Rose Anna Lemay, Sister Agnes Teresa
Miss Evangeline Beaudet, Sister Louise Jo-
seph; Miss Eveline Coulombe, Sister Anna
Catherine; Miss Eleonore de Langis, Sister
Mary Emma; Miss Henrietta Monfette, Sister
Mary Lumina Miss Julie Tousignant, Sister
Mary Octayia: Miss Anna Beaumier, Sister
Mary Paula; Miss Mary Broderick, Sister
Maty Alphonsus; Miss Johanna Broderick,
Sis er Mary Anselm; Miss Anna Downs, Sis
ter Mary Florentia Miss Margaret Cronin,
Sister Mary Cyprian; Miss Bridget McGrath,
Sister Mary Josephine: Miss Mary O'Connor,
Sister Mary Anthony: Miss Catherine Nc
Gree, Sister Mary Innocentia; Miss Bridget
McGree Sister Margaret Mary; Miss Bridge
Derham, Sister Rose Cecilia.
The ceremony lasted about two houIs,
and was an extremely intereS ting one,
even for those among the spectators
who we're not Catholics.