The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-01
tanned against the barbarians. the lntidel.

tanned against the barbarians, the lnfdel-
tiles of his friends. of his mpanions. the
villalnous conspiracies, the Righteousness
of the envious. the calumnIes of the ira
ducers. the chains with which, after all,
though innocent. he was loaded. 1t was
inevitable that a man overwhelmed with q
burden of trials SO great and so intense
would have succumbed had he not sus-
tanned himself by the consciousness Of full
filing q very noble ENTERPRISE, which he
conlectured would be glorious for the
Christian name and salutary for an infiD-
ito multitude. And the enterprise car
ried out Is admirably illustrated by the
events of tbas time. In effect, Column bus
discovered America at about the period
when q great tempest as going to unchain
itself against the church. lnasmuch as
that it is permitted by the course of events
to appreciate the wants OF Divine Provl-
dence, 1t really seems that the man for
whom Liguria honors herself was destined
by a special plan of God 20 compensate
Catholicism for the injury which 1t was
going TO suffer IN Europe.
TO call the Indian race to Christianity.
this was without doubt the mission and
the work of the church. In this mission
commenced from the beginning, she con-
tInned to fulfill with an uninterrupted
course of charity, and she still continues it,
having advanced herself recently 80 far as
the extremities of Patagonia As to Co
lumbus he would not undertake any
thing of the kind. but under the shield of
when compelled by the Portuguese, by the
Genoese to leave without having obtained
any result. he went TO Spain. He matured
the grand plan of the projected discovery
the knowledge and with the advice of q
monk of the order of st. Francis
d'Assises. After seven years had revolved,
when at last he goes to dare the ocean, he
takes care that the expedition shall comply
with the acts of spiritual expiration. He
prays to the queen of heaven to assist the
enterprise and TO direct it's course. and be-
fore giving the order to make sail, he IN
vOkes the august Divine Trinity. Then
once fairly at sea, while the waters agitate
maintains. under Gods care, calm con-
stancy of mind.
Here, then. Is what Columbus aimed at,
and what he accomplished when he went
in search of regions up to that time unex-
plored and uncultivated. but whose CIVIL
ization. renown and riches were to rapidly
attain that immenset1evelopmen which We
see to-day. Iniall this, the magnitude of
the event the efficacy and the variety OF
the benefits which have resulted from 1t
tends assuredly to cele citrate him who was
the author of it by q grateful rememb rance
and by all sorts of testimonials of honor;
and venerate particularly the divine prof.
ect to which the dlscoverer of the new
world was subservlent, and which he
knowinly obeyed.
I'm order to celebrate worthily and in a
manner suitable to the truth of the facts
of solemn anniversary of Columbus the
sacredness of religion must be united to
the splendor of civil pomp. We decree to
this effect. that on the day OF Oct. IL, OF
the following Sund ay, if the respective di-
ocesan bishops judge it to be 0pp0rtune,
the solemn mass of the very Holy Trinity
shall be celebrated In the cathedrals and
churches of Spain. Italy and the two Amer
icas.
'In the meanwhile as pledge of the &C.
lestial fayors and in testimony of our fra
teral good will, we effectiOnately accord III
the Lord the apostolic benediction to you
venerable brothers to your clergy and t.
your people. Given at Rome, near st. Pet
ers, July 10. of the year 1892, the fifteenth
of our pontifcate. LEO XIII, Pope"