The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-29
BLESSING TIE AGN|S DEL
INTERESTING CEREMONY CONDUCT
ED ny POPE LEO XIII. DESCRIBE
ED BY ROME CORRESPONDENTS.
NEWS OF THE ETERNAL CITY
The Struggle Between the Ciericals
and Advanced Elements in Italy
-ArchbishOp Keane's APP
pOintment.

perform the junction or blessing the wa
tablets known as "agnus der in the frs
year of his respective pontifcate, and es
pecially on Wednesday, Thursday an
Friday Of Easter week. repeating the Ger
emory every seventh year of his reign
writes the Rome correspondent of tn
Brooklyn Eagle, under date of July Z
The like function takes place in ever.
recurring universal jubilee or holy year
on which occasion the agnus deis are dis
tributed to the pilgrims who flock to tn,
Eternal City. Leo Kill, who hitherto
had never performed the function In ques
ton, took the opportunity of the present
holy year to carry out that interesting
ceremonial on Sunday, June II, at D
m, in the consistorial hall of the Vatican
palace, assisted by Cardinals Mocenni, OF
the Order of Bishops, and Cretoni, of the
Order Of Priests. by the papal sacris tan,
the. Augustinian Fathers connected with
the papal sacristy, the project and mas
tiers of pontifical ceremonies and O. her dig
nitaries of his court and household, to-
gether with four Cistercian monks. To
this religious order, from time lmmemori-
al, belongs the right of manipulation and
fabrication of the so-called "agnus dei'
L,
bear dual impression; some showing the
effigy of Christ the Redeemer, encircled
by the words composed by the holy father
himself NIL sit dulce magnis guam
corde Quiescere Jesu.-Leo XIII, P. NJ"
on one side, and on the reverse the SYM
bohc lamb, surrounded by the legend:
"Ecce agnus del qui TOLLS peccata mundi
Leo AIlI, Pont, Max. Ammo MDCCCC.
Pont KILL" and beneath the pontifical
escutcheon. Other tablets bear on the
diverse the holy door of St Peter en-
clrcled by the words: "Haec porta Dam
I'M, iusu intrabunt In eam.-Leo XIII. p
M. on either side Ammo Iubilei" and
underneath, the word Roma" On tn,
reverse appears the Indispensable SYMBOL
ical Lamb of God. The benediction ter
minated, his holiness distributed the new
ly blessed agnus deis to some of the high
er dlgn1taries beside him, impaired the
apostolic benediction and quilted the hall
about $50 p. m. Among others present
on the OCCASION were a group of white
fathers and white sisters" of Cardinal
Lavigerie, who have since departed for
the interior Of Africa, near Lake Tangan-
tka to evangelize those barbarous. regions
bearing with them the paternal blessing
Of the pope.
The custom of blessing the agnus deis
II.
some writers attributing the first in.
stances thereof to Popes IS. Melchiaf1es
ana Sylvester, under Constantine tbe
Great In the fourth century; others with
more probability to the fifth century. ac-
cordlng to the tradition that Pope St.
Zozomus, a Greek from Cesarea. elected
aug ~, AZ, conceded to the various par
lshes the faculty of thus utilizing the re-
mains Of the paschal candle of the
previous extraordinarily permitted SOLELY
10 the major basilicas-hold this to have
given rise to the agnus deis. or blessed
tapIels OF diverse shapes, stars. ovals
spheres and even lambs, impressed with
the hSqre of the precursor, ST. John the
bapust, with the lamb and dandrol to-
eeIler with the words; 'Agnus del qui
TOLLS peccad mundi." But Paei insists
the use Of blessing and distributing agnus
oels to be coeval with the birth of the
primitive church. and wont to take nlaoa
on Holy Saturday, since on that dav
breaking up the paschal candle of the
previous year, symbol of the risen Re
ueemer, the divine Lamb, some bits of it
were distributed to the faithful as care
tuIly preserved, protection of their
houses, fields and families from m1shane
ana scourges. Baronius and other ecclc
sldStlcal authorities state the blessing Of
the agnus deis and their distribution AT
the mass of Low Sunday after com.
Ihuhloh, TO nave continued until the ninth
century, after which the charge of STAMP
!"S the SAID tablets belonged exclusively
10 the papal sacristan, ere Clement WIN
Aldobrandini conferred the privilege of
furnishing the sacred wax upon the CHS
terclan Monks attached to the basiiica of
st Croce in Jerusalem, which moaopolv
confirmed by Popes Leo XII and Paul v
mas continued in vigor until the present
day.
Treating of their mystic Specification,
Cardinal stephen Borgia writes: '"Theso
Agnus Deis are of virgin wax DIV which
material is demonstrated the human
nature of Christ. They bear IMPRESSED
the figure of the lamb, as a symbol of
that immaculate Lamb who was saorifio,>1
on the cross for the salvation of th4
human race, and are immersed in water
uuly blessed for the purpose, that being
an element made use of by God in tho
old and in the new law to work many
Prodlgles. Balsam is mingled Herewith
10 signify the good odOr of Christ. which
believers should themselves snraad
lround. The chrism likewise poured
therein typifes charity
Pope Plus TX performed the ceremony.
m 1867, on occasion of the ceIebra ton in
the Eternal City of the eighteenth cen
tennlaI of the martyrdom of st. Peter
me prince of the apostles Since thai
late the function of blessing the Agnns
Del has always been carried out nv tbe
Papal sacristan in the basilica of s C,roce
N Jerusalem.
PILGRIMAGE IN ROME.
On June 20 his holiness received IN +bo
Hall of the Qualifications above The
etrlum of the vatican basilica. the nil
Prlmage from Umbria; 800 from Orvieto
led by the bishop of that see and COO
from Narni and TERM, under their re-
BpectlVe bishop and vicar general the
bishop of TERM being slightly indisnosed
Numerous French and English visitors
assisted at the audience. This is the
hfth pilgrimage from that picturesque
OnpFlan region, so dear to the children
OF ST Francis of Assisium A pilgrimaee
from SlaVonia, 400 strong, reached Rome
thursday last; Brazilian pilgrimage is
announced Tor early in July; likewise the
second brooklyn pilgrimage, led by Rev.
T. h Porcile Others are in prepara-
ton for the month of August esneciaI1,
one from Sardinia; sixth Umbrian pill
grlnage is set for September next while
Inc contraternity of the Archangel Mich
ael or Vienna has arranged a second
grand pilgrimage Romewards for tha
hrst week in October in order that the
pilgrims may take part in the feasts of
the qualification of Ven Crescentia Di
hautbeuren. A second large French pill
grlnage Is under organization for some
time IN September
PILGRIMAGES DISPLEASE LIRER-
AIS
Meanwhile this constant concourse of
pllsrimages from all countries has APP
parently rather irritated the nerves of
the Grand Orient of Italian Freema
sorry, who in his recent tour of lodge