Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-03
F0R THE BONES
I. OF A SAINT
Bishop Br0ndel Wants to Bring
Them to Montana.
ST. JULIUS IS SELECTED
Believes That the Authorities Will
Grant His Petition--Writes to
Father Day.

ceived yesterday by Rev. Father Victor
Day, in charge of the diocese of Helena
during the bishops absence, writes that
he has concluded his business in Rome.
say the Independent. He expects to
visit a number of places in Europe, how
ever, before starting on his return trip
to Helena. Bishop Brondel wrote that
he hoped to secure for the diocese of Hell
n the relics of a saint. taken from the
catacombs of the Eternal City. He wrote
that he had made his report to the au-
thorities of the church. and that it had
been well received. In the course of his
letter, Bishop Brondel said:
"Ihave a moment of leisure to drop you
a few lines. My visit ad limina Ito
Romeo is completed. l obtained an au-
dience with the holy father, made the re-
port of the condition Of the diocese to
Cardinal Ledochowski. project of the sa-
cred congregation of the Propaganda, Ind
st. Paul. These as you know. are the
essential features of a bishops visit ad
limina. Cardinal LedochowSki told me
to-day he was very much pleased with
my report and asked me whether nom
Catholics received. the faith in our coun-
try. I told him of the number received
into the church at Helena in 1897 n 1895.
II am now striving to obtain the re-
mains of a holy martyr Of the Catholic
church to endOW our new diocese OF He'll
ena with a special protector in heaven.
This afternoon l went to ask for the re-
mains of st. Julius and I lave reason to
believe that the authorities will grant my
petition. It requires a great deal of
work, but I will be amply repaid if the
devotion toward this friend of God will
spread amongst us and obtain graces
from heave for those of our diocese.
II am talking Italian now, but when
ever we meet Americans. Irish, Scotch or
English, it is all English, you know. In
this hotel We have people whs are French
guests, and then we have to talk in this
language Of La Belle France. We a
three Hungarian bishops here. With
them 1t was either German or Laith, for
l have never tried the Hungarian, which
is altogether different from any language
l know, whether ancient or modern, civil
lied tongue or savage.
"Ihis morning l gave a conference, or
lecture, to the students of the American
college. They all appeared very much
interested in hearing about the north
west: The students in this institution
number 80. 1 began at 1885. and talked
until 1920, forgetting all about dinner.
but none appeared to be sorry.
II do not know whether I told you
that l heard Don Perosi's oratorio, 1.-The
in the Church of the Holy Apostles, st.
choir numbering 300. To see that young
priest hardly % years ord direct such a
choir, executing his own composition in
the presence of the elite of the Eternal
City with all simplicity, is a thing to be
seen n heard but once in a lifetime"
Rev. Father Day was much elated yes
terday over the prospect of securing a
relic of a saint.
1.-The remains of these martyrs are
taken as a rule from the catacombs of
Rome" he said yesterday. 1T is those
underground galleries that the first
Christians worshipped during the time of
the prosecutions of Nero, DOmitian, Ira
jan. Marcus Aurelius. septimus Severus,
and Diocletian.
There are hundreds OF the remains of
these martyrs, as all people know, in the
catacoanbs. Not all the bodies of the
martyrs were preserved, many of them
having been thrown into the Tiber. other.
having been burned and in other ways
disposed of by non-Christian hands. New
are being made in the cata-
combs from time to time. Many of the
bodies aid away there We're of Christ
1ans, but not OF martyrs who had died
because of their faith, and these latter
are distinguished from the others by the
markings placed before the torrbs.
Wherever a vessel showing evidences of
having contained blood is found before
a tomb. it is known that thai place
marks all that is mortal of one who was
prosecuted and suffered death for his re-
iigion. Besides this there is often a
marble slab on which is engraved the
name of the martyr and giving some of
the particulars as to how he met death
and at whose hands.
When the authorities of the church
endow a diocese, college or other insti-
tuition with the remains of orie of these
martyrs, the bones are encased In way
by artists who aim to give Them the
the body had in life. The |
figure is then dressed In robes OF siIlr