The Irish standard., 1895-10-12
REPORTERS BLUNDERs.

The New York Tribune takes It's Chi
cago namesake to task upon church re-
porting in the following manner
"Monsignor Satolli's visit to Chicago
last week was marked by some stirring
and unique incidents, II we trust the re
ports in the papers. He went to Chicago
on the invitation Of Archbishop Feehan
to celebrate Pontifcal High Mass in the
Cathedral Of the Holy Name. Now 9
Ponttfcal High Mass is tolerably well
known function in the Catholic church.
It is simply the regular mass Of the Cath
|folic ritual, celebrated by q bishop, with
few additional ceremonies due to that
fact, infinitely prescribed In the rubics.
But if we are to believe the reports of the
function in the Chicago papers and It
would be scarcely courteous to disbelieve
thern-no such Pontifcial Mass was ever
before celebrated in this or any other
country. Whether the Sacred Congre-
cation at Rome has recently put forth
new and revised ritual of the mass or
whether the distinguished apostolic dele
gate decided to honor Chicago by giving
it mass Of It's own we shall not under
take to- say. We shall simply contine
ourselves to brief notice of this remark
able ceremony.
t.The Chicago Tribune, which gives an
especially full report of the proceedings,
dwells with pardonable junction on the
high rank Of Mgr. satolli. But for some
inscrutable reason 1t gives him the infer
ior rank Of sAblegate' which he bore pre-
vious. to his being made an Apostolic Del
egate, a little more than a year ago.
Doubtless however this little mistake will
be rectified when the facts reach Chicago,
as they probably will in few months.
But in regard to the ceremony itself
there can surely be no mistake; for the
reporters saw the whole thing. Natur-
ally Archbishop Feehan, who is deserved
" popular, in Chicago, comes in for an
appreciative notice; and so we are in
formed that he sat on his throne clad IN
surplice and 'Cossack.' Where he got
the .cossack' and how he wore him with
out serious discomfort we are not in
formed. But 1t must have been NOV
ing sight; and if, as IS likely, the Co.'S
sack was member Of the Greek church,
the incident was a striking illustration
Of Christian unity.
sIn the matter Of garnitnre, however,
MGR. Satolli might almost be said to give
the archbishop points; for we are told
that he wore golden canopy Whether
it was the canopy of a couch or that OF
the high altar Is not stated; and there is
also strange reticence as to- how the dis
tinguished delegate bestowed the poles
of the canopy about his person. But
probably the reticence is merely the wise
reserve that Chicago recognizes as due to
an honored guest. We could have wished
that the Tribune had shown the same re-
serve in regard to another matter, for 1t
causes a SLIGHT shock to be informed that
the delegate tdisrobed on his throne at
a certain point in the service. Maybe 1t
is all right; doubtless 1t is; but we believe
it is not customary for archbishops In
the east to mount their thrones and dis
robe. We notice also another variation
from the ordinary Ritual Romanum' in
the Chicago function. We are told that
the most striking and worshipful part
Of the Mass the celebrant and deacons
were on the altar Hereabouts this would
be an extraordinary, not to say sacrileg-
ious proceeding, but it is mentioned in the
Tribune as though it were done every
day. Possibly it is a settled custom in
Chicago, for we recall reading ii 9 Chica-
20 paper a few years ago how two Metho-
dist bishops in that city stood on an altar
all through an anniversary service, and
on another occasion Chicago paper said
that in ritualistic Episcopal church the
priest after giving his tonsure tosan acol-
yte to hold saluted a gorgeous chasuble
that was standing on the altar.
ttThere were other remarkable features
in This Chicago Pontifical Mass, but we
have no space to notice them in detail.
ssuffice it to say that Chicago has had a
Catholic ceremonial the like OF which has
not been seen even in st. Peters church
IN Rome
& : Z q