The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-08-03
Five Thousand Persons Take Part
in Celebration of the Feast
of Portiuncula.
OBSERVED DAY FOR 40 YEARS.
Elderly Man Remembers Time
When He and Other Devotees
Walked All the Way to
the Shrine.

Conservativeiy estimated. 5000 persons
made pilgrimage to the Franciscan
Monks Church OF st. Anthony at Mera-
| mec and Compton avenues yesterday. TO
take part in the celebration Of the feast
of the Portiuncula.
The crowds began to arrive at an early
hour from all over tho city, and many
iabortng men visited the church on the
way to work. All of the early masses were
we'll attended and hundreds approached
holy communion.
The church was entirely too small to ac-
commodats the large number that sougn,
admission for the solemn high mass. which
was celebrated by the Reverend Father
Angelus at $50 o'clock. Those that could
not gain admission lined the walk and pa
tientiy waited for an opportunity to COM
ply with the requirements for the gaining
of the Indulgence. which. in addition to the
usual conditions of repentance and the
proper reception of the sacraments. obliged
one to visit a Franciscan church or R
privileged secular church. st. Bridgets.
St Aloysiuss, st. Teresa's and ST. Mary s
being among the latter in st. Louis.
One of the pilgrims was man bent with
age. who said that he had made the jour
ney to the church regularly for the last
forty years. and remembered the time
when. to fulfill his religious duties, he was
compelled to walk from Tenth and ORAL
Ion streets. For In those days" he said.
this was all prairie and there were no
cars"
a sermon In English was preached at
the mass by the Reverend Father Van Tu-
reIhaut and one in German by the Rev
erend Father Rabanus, o. F. N. Until sur
down, when the feast ended. a cortinuous
procession of old and young. men and
women. passed down the aisles to the altar
ana then out through a side door. recittrg
their beads and other prayers as they
passed along.
ORIGIN OF THE DEVOTION.
At o o'clock the austere. brown-robed
Fransciscans entered their choir and in
deep. sonorous tones began to chant tho
Office Of Compline. With the beginning Of
dulgence terminated and the crowds grad
ually diminished.
The other churches at which tho in
duigence could be gained were also largely
to all and ending their days devotions In
the Monks church.
Concerning the origin OF the devotion, the
lessons Of the Franciscan breviary recite
that the founder Of the order. st. Francis
Of Assist, who was noted for his love OF
the poor. was one day praying in a small
chapel commonly known as the Portiun-
cula near Assisi, Italy, when ne had q
vision of Christ accompanied by the Virgin
and a large number of angels.
At the time he made q request that
all who visited the church and were truly
repentant of their sins should be granted
the remission OF whatever temporal pun
ishment WAS still due The breviary states
that the request was granted by the Sa-
vior.
The monk then visited the Pope and ex-
planned his vision. Three years later in
i22s, Pope Honorius Ill promulgated the
indulgence, which at first was attached
to the little chapel In SDOletO. Two hum
dred years later, however. the privilege
was extended to all Franciscan churches
and converts and to numerous secular
churches throughout the world.