The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-02
DEVOTIONS TO
BLESSED VIRGIN
IN CATHOLIC CHURCHES.
BEGAN YESTERDAY WITH ELAB'
CRATE CEREMONIES.

At st. Johns Cathedral Children of
Sundny-schOOI Opened DevOtiOns.
Beautiful Service Mt Sacred Heart
Church-1OO Little Girls, Clad in
White, Placed Bouquets Mt Shrine
of Virgin-Statue of Virgin
Crowned with wreath of White
Roses.
With elaborate services yesterday
the May Devotions in honor of the
Blessed Virgin Mary were commenced
in all the Catholic churches of Savan-
nah.
! The children of the Sunday-schools
opened the devotions with chants to
the Virgin, and at the Sacred Heart
Church her statue was crowned with a
wreath of roses.
| The services at the Cathedral of st.
! John the Baptist were held at s o'clock
at night. The children of the Sunday
school, more than 500 in number, form
ton of the lady teachers the procession
moved around to the main door of the
! church.
! Within the church the procession
formed in three divisions, one division
proceeding down each aisle. The head
of the procession, under the guidance
of one of the older scholars. moved
down the south aisle to the shrine of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, which had
been beautifully decorated with flow
ers
When the shrine of the Virgin was
reached the Sunday-school sang Hail
Virgin, Dearest Mary" At the conclu-
sion of the song the scholars filed into
their places in the center of the church.
Act of Dedication.
AS soon as the children had taken
! their seats they chanted the litany to
the Virgin. Immediately following,
Rev. Father Kennedy, rector of the
Cathedral. read the Act of the Dedi-
cation of the Children to the Blessed
Mother.
Rev. Father Goggin of Rochester,
N. Y. who is a guest at the Cathedral
recited the Rosary. The children of
the Sunday-school then sang Mother
Dear Oh Pray For Me-" after which
the Benediction of the Blessed Sacra-
ment was given.
The children then left their places
and formed in line for the occasional.
AS they retired from the church, under
the direction of the lady teachers, they
sang, wilt Thou Look Upon Me,
Mother" Especial services will be held,
in honor of the Blessed Virgin, every
day this month at the Cathedral, con-
vening at 6 o'clock in the evening.
Church of Sacred Heart.
The services at the church of the
Sacred Heart were held at 5 O'Clock in
the afternoon, and were beautiful and
| impressive. An eloquent sermon on the
Blessed Virgin was preached by Rev.
Father Aloysius, rector of the Sacred
Heart Church.
Immediately following the sermon
the solemn procession began. More
, than 100 children of the church, clad in
white dresses, and wearing blue bows
| in their hair and light blue Sashes,
formed in the center aisle. Each Of the
children wore on her hair a wreath CT
liltes-of- the-valley and carried in her
hands a large bouquet of roses and
lilies.
Under the leadership of one of the
older children the procession moved
down the center aisle and over to the
shrine of the Blessed Virgin. Here the
| leader stepped up to the shrine and
| lovingly crowned the statue of the Vir-
gin with a wreath of pure white roses.
The procession then turned and
passed along the front of the church to
the north aisle, proceeding down that
to the rear of the church, and thence
resuming its position in the center
aisle. The music for the service was
rendered by the boy choir, which
brought up the rear of the solemn pro-
cession.
The services closed with the benedic-
ton of the Blessed Sacrament. During
all this month there will be services,
consisting of special devotions to the
Blessed Virgin, at the Sacred Heart
Church every Wednesday and Friday
night.
st. Patrick's Church.
At St. Patrick's Church, on Liberty
and West Broad streets, services SINH
lar to those at the Cathedral were held.
The devotions at this church were
opened by the children of the Sunday
! school.
At the close of the service the bene-
diction of the Bles ed Sacrament was
given by Rev. Father Mccarthy, rec
tor of the church.