The morning call., 1893-10-23
A FRENCH FEAST.
A Procession, a High Mass
and a Sermon.
NOTRE DAME DEs VICTORIES.
Resume of Acts of Devotion of Kings
and People of France for the
Virgin Mary.

1t was high feast day yesterday at the
Church of Notre Dame des VICTORIES. The
floral decorations and the altars ablaZe
with light bore witness to the fact that
the French were celebrating the feast OF
their dearest patron.
AT 1880 A. NJ. procession entered the
church. The cross-bearer, Anthony Seitz,
was followed by the censor bearers.
Camille Lohanier and r. Henry, and the
acolytes, o. Therien and L. Faure. Next,
clad in red sOutanes with W bite surplce
and blue badges, came the little soldiers
of the Virgin, Ii. Escopier. l.. Koch, Il.
Erigon. E. Bertrand. j. Vassen, G. Series
and V. DaigneauX, after whom marched
the big soldiers in blue cassocks, white
surplices and blue badges. a. MuIrier
and G. Chevassus next bore an immense g
basket Of flowers, surrounded with flags,
followed by attendants in blue dresses,
red girdles and white badges, j. Lowe
carrying palm branches, j. Langier with
a cold heart. L. Brouchard will a gold
and silver key and E. Lahaner with a
crown of flowers. Immediately after
came the four pages of the Blessed Virgin,
Il. Blanchard, V. Lacoste, FL. Lavalle and
ii. Quinn. the Rev. Father Rousselon and
four altar boys with gold badges, A.
Faure, Z. Lowe, a. Brouchnrd, p. Mason
nette and the sub-deacon. K. t. Leonard,
of the Society of Picpus, the deacon and
the celebrant. Pere Audiffres.
AS the procession entered the sanctuary
the choir began the Kyrie, which was, as
we'll as the rest of the mass, the work of
Professor KnelI. the organist.
After the gospel Rev. Father Gente as
cended the pulpit and. quoting the words
OF ST. Bernard, "Regnum Galli8 regnum
Mari@" ithe kingdom of France is the
kingdom of Nary. began his discourse on
the ancient love Of the Virgin Mary for
France. and the love of ''la belle France"
for the Virgin Mary. In feeling terms the
preacher spoke of the antiquity of this
devotion. When St Denis first appeared
in Gaul he built chapel in honor of the
Virgin In Luleta, chapel which in later
days developed into the great cathedral of
N0tre Dame at Paris.
He passed in review the acts of piety of
the kings OF France and the monuments
they erected in honor of the virgin. After
the victory Of Tolbiac. Clovis built the
cathedral at StrasbOurg; ChidebeIt. his
son. enriched the sanctuary of Notre
Dame with marble columns and precious
vases. Clotalre built Notre Dame de
Bnulonge. Charlemagne. the conqueror
of the SaxOns, attributed all his success to
the Blessed Virgin and built the Church
of Notre Dame at Ax-la- Chapelle. Louis
le Debonnare used often to leave the
hunting field to pray before her sacred
image. Hugh Capet and Robert the
Plous built saDctuarles in her honor;
Louis VII loved her as mother:
Philip Augustus, after the victory of
Bouvines, impelled by gratitude founded
the church Of Notre Dame de la Victoire
at Senlis. Louis XIII in his will be-
queathed all his gold and all the precious
CTR in ia prp fnr aicoo hhaxv tot
honor of Notre Dame and Blanche
of Castillo. This great King built the
Sainte Chapelle and put the finis hing touch
TO the superb basillca of Notre Dame at
Paris. Philip le Bel attributed to the Holy
Virgin his victory at Mons-en- Pucele as
did Phlllp de Vaiois his success at Casse.
Lous Al made VOW to escape from the
English, and after his victory built the
sanctuary of Notre Dame at Clery.
Francis l made reparatlon for an outrage
perpetrated on one of her States; Louis
XIII consecrated France to Mary, and his
wife. Anne OF Austria, after twenty-five
years .of ~barrenness. gave birth to
desired, but hardly hoped for, child, Louis
XIV. During the reign of this child like
miracle came that long array of great
orators and poets, warriors aud statesmen,
whose conjunction made Of that time the
greatest intellectual era of humanity.
Then. in eloquent terms, the preacher
eoiu VI buc ueFOtiOH VI tHe FT6HcU people
10 the Blessed Virgin. More than forty
superb cathedrals attest it-Notre Dame
at Paris. with its magnificent towers;
NOtre Dame at Chartres and at Strasbourg,
with their aerial spires; Notre Dame of
Rheims, with lis wonderful porches;
Notre Dame of Bourges. of Lyons and of
Puy. The preacher told of the onfidence
of the people in the Blessed Virgin during
the wars with the Normans and with the
English. in the times of the crusades, DUR
ing the plaques that swept over Paris, and
during the time of the reformation.
The Blessed Virgin. too. has ever pro-
tected France, which even to-day has not
forgotten its ancient alliance with Mary.
Witness the enthusiasm with which the
declaration of The immaculate conception
was received, the numberless pilgrimages,
the erection Of the statue of Notre Dame
de Puy, of the Church of Fourvieres at
Lyons. of NOtre Dame de la Gardo at Mar
seilles, and hundreds of other shrines
raised in honor of Mary Twice has the
virgin mother appeared in France in our
own day, and the miracles at Lourdes are
known all the world over. The kingdom