The San Francisco call., 1897-06-26
DEVOTION OF
SACRED HEART
Description Of the historic
Shrine Of Paray-le-
Monial.
Rev. Father Caraher Explains
the Origin Of a World Wide
Devotion.
Shrine Covered With Gems Visited by
Pilgrims From All Parts of
the Earth.

Rev. Fsther Caraher preached an in
teresting sermon last night at the services
of the Sacred Heart at ST. Francis Church.
He called attention to the fact that the
Sacred Heart of the Savior Was the center
of devotion among Catholics to-day all
over the world. Ever since it was pierced
by the spear of the Roman soldier Lon
ginus, while the Savior was lying dead
upon the cross, the eyes OF saints had been
turned toward it, but it was only in the
second half of the seventeenth century
that the devotion of the Sacred Heart be-
came public and that it was STAN ped with
the seal OF the church.
The propagator of this devotion was
nun of the Visitation order. named Mar
garet Mary, in Paray-le- MORTAL in the prov
ince of Burgundy in the southeastern part
of France. For years the speaker had cher
ished an ever-increasing desire to visit
this historic spot, and his desire was graft
fed in the month of September, 1894. The
place was reached by the speaker in two
days after leaving Rouen, the scene of the
burning of Joan of Arc at the stake. The
French sentence Paray-le-Monial means
THE monk appear" for in the tenth
century the Benedictine monks from
Cluny appeared in that village and found
ed an abbey there. The town contains
1000 inhabitants, not one of whom is a
Protestant.
The peace and quietness of this town
impress the visitor most favorably, and
this peace is undisturbed even when the
place is filled with pilgrims and tourists.
There are several orders of nuns In the
place and hotel called the Colum biere
House, which takes its name from Colum-
blere, the Jesuit whose remains are en-
tombed within it.
Within the center of the chapel of the
Visitation Nuns there lies upon a rich
shrine a waxen figure which contains
nearly all the bones OF the saint. This fig
ure Of wax is fac-simile of the saint
which 1t represents. 1t shows her as
above the average size of woman. but Of
delicate frame. 1t is covered with pre-
cious stones and cost about $4,000 in our
money, which is equal 10 four times that
amount in the money of the country.
This shrine stands upon the spot where
Margaret Mary knelt in ecstacy before the
altar, and where the Savior appeared TO
her on several occasions. Upon that altar
IL was the speakers rare privilege to cele-
brate mass twice.
He hesitated TO attempt to describe his
feelings during its cele bration. Never be-
fore had he realized so foreibly the Divine
presence. Be felt as though he had com.
ary our Lord appeared on various occa.
sions to blessed Margaret Mary, showing
her his sacred heart all on fire for love of
mankind. On each occasion 1t was encir-
cled with crown of thorns, and the
wound made by the spear of Longinus
was perfectly visible. It was surmounted
by the cross. The most remark Bile thing
was the manner in which the Redeemer
complained bitterly of the ingratitude of
man, and he impressed upon her the ne
cessity of using all her efforts 10 inaugu-
rate the festival of the Sacred Heart. He
promised to bestow upoa her and upon
all partaking IN that festival the greatest
blessing.
In June and August, 16S9 the Savior re-
appeared 10 Margaret Mary and requested
her 10 ask King Louis XIV of France to
establish the devotion of the Sacred
Heart, and TO have the image Of the heart
painted upon the standard of France and
10 have 1t engraved on the French arms,
so that benceforth they might be vic.
torious in battle, but Louis was sur
rounded by ministers and courtiers who
induced him to disregard the wish of the
Savior and the earnest entreaty of the
saint, but strange TO say after the lapse
OF two centuries majestic basilica has
been erected on the highest hill in Paris
in honor of the Sacrel Heart
In the beginning Margaret Mary en-.
couniered the greatest opposition in
securing the adoption of this devotion
principally among the nuns of her own
convent, who regarded her as visionary.
but after some time all the opposition dis
appeared, and when she came to die at
the age of 43 she had the satisfaction of
seeing this devotion established in many