The Irish standard., 1898-05-28
PILGRIMAGE TO HOLY HILL.


Grotto for Relief From bodily Ills.
A dispatch to the Chicago Tribune
from Hartford. Wis, and dated May %,
says:
The season Of pilgrimage to Holy IIiiI
VIII open Tuesday next, en- which the
titular feast-St. Mary's Help of Christ
lans-will DO celebrated. The shrine Of
Worship promises to be more attractive
than ever, largely due to the new grotto
which was erected late last season and
is representation of tho grotto Of
Massabiclle at Lourdes in the Pyrenean
Mountains, between Spain and France.
Tho original grotto was erected in
1864 under the supervision of Bernadctte
Soubris, the peasant and shepherd girl
to whom the Virgin, 1t is said, appeared
eighteen times, and when asked to give
sign of her virginity told the child to
dig up sand on the spot where she stood
and Immediately water glrgled forth
which has continued to flow ever since.
The water has curative attributes and
thousands come from France and Spain
annually to the shrine, to seek relief.
The grotto at Holy Hill is the best
and most expensive representation of
the original, and Tuesday many hun
dreds will throng to the summit, where
it is erected on the southern slope of the
hill, thirty feet from the chapel. The
ascent to the hill is nearly 1000 feet
and there are fourteen stations where
pilgrims supplicate and sing songs of
praise.
The last point of worship and where
great deal of time is spent in silent
alteration is at the grotto, which has
caye-like appearance. 1t is built Of
huge, common field stones, arranged
tastefully, and is twenty feet In length
and ten feet in height, with miniature
fountain in the foreground. The repre-
sentation is inspiring and hundreds of
flowers are strewn about it at every pill
grimage, while PROSTATE forms and
fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and
children, all gather about to do homage
to the Virgin.
Some take water from the fountain
and have the priests bless it and then
take it home to loved ones who are all
ing, and some claim it has miraculous
power to heal, especially eyes, although
in itself 1t has no merits Of it's own.
Bernadette. the shepherd girl, is rep
resented by statue. three feet high,
and is to the left Of the 4srotto. She is
on her KEGS, with staff in hand, looking
to the Virgin, who is represented by a
statue, which stands on the right The
latter is expensive, highly finished, and
is model Of art. Both statues were
made in New York, and tho expense,
together with the erection of the grotto,
was betrayed by Chicago man who re-
ceived permanent relief at the hill, but
desires to have his name withheld.
a special excursion train will be run
from Chicago and Milwaukee.
The following feast days will be OBJ
served this season:
May 24.-The Feast of St. Mary's
Help Of Christians. June 1.-THE
Feast Of Sacred Heart of Jesus. July
2.-The Feast OF Visitation of the Bless
ed Virgin. Aug. 15.-The Feast of AS
sumption. Sept. 8.-The Feast of Ma
tivity. Oct. 1.-The Feast of the HOLY
Rosary.
A dispatch dated the Gath, says: Over
5000 pilgrims from Chicago, Milwaukee
and other points today made the Pilgrim
age to Holy Hill. The halt, the lame,
and the blind from almost every point
In Wisconsin were here to have their
ailments cured by the miraculous power
OF the famous shrine at the summit cf
the hill. Many of the pilgrims who are
here today have been on the way for
several days, some of them have walked
all the way from Milwaukee, and near
ly all of them have walked the seven
miles intervening between this city, or
Schlesingerville, and the hill.
This was the opening pilgrimage Of
tho year, and there will be many others
during the summer. Among the pill
grims there were a large number OF
Catholic priests, and, beginning at sun
rise, there were masses said in the little
chapel continuously until noon. At 1890
o'clock Father Mccarthy celebrated high
mass, Father l-citner, of Maplcton de-
livered a sermon in German, and Father
Bowe in English.
This afternoon the pilgrims made tho
way of the cross before the stations,
which line the ascent of the steep hill
Thousands of WOrshipers knclt along tn,
hill and earnestly prayed for relief from
tho infirmities and physical weaknesses
from which they suffer. No reports of
any cures which were affected today
have been received here as yet. Many
of the pilgrims will remain at tho hill
for several days.