The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-12-31

u
the spiritual wants of his people and of
the multftudes that in the course of
time came to him from all parts. until
! II o'clock at night. The ceiling of the
little edifice is about fifteen feet high:
the width of the nave about twenty,
With some ten or fifteen feet extra ON
either side under the clerestoris. where
are four side chapels: the length from
! door to sanctuary rail about forty feet
A little pulpit rises at the side of the
sanctuary about six feet from the floor.
/ This always attracts the attention of
priests, and makes them realize the eX-
IRENE modification of the cure. who.
! of course. suffered more from the thick
| atmosphere the higher he was raised in
| the crowded and i'll ventilated building
The sacristy off the left of the altar
is little room about eight feet square,
! and it was here that every day for
| forty years, from before dawn to near
/ midnight. he heard confessions. The
confessional is still to be seen. and he
must. have made it himself, for d
| palmer and more uncomfortable stool
of repentance cannot well be imag ined.
Those who knelt there verify began
their penance before cOnfessing their
sins, and the holy man himself suf-
fered as they did, and more. Yet the
highest intellects of Europe knelt here
before the shepherds son: the beauty
and culture of France, Italy, Ireland,
England. Spain, Germany, Poland,
Frustrated themselves here after hours
or even days of waiting to obtain the
boon of telling their sins and pouring
their troubles into the sympathetic,
merciful ear of the humble village pas
tor. l.s
Listen to the. testimony that some of
the visitors to AIRS give of their eX-
perience. 1t is taken from the life of
the cure by Father MOnnin. one of his
assistants when the increasing work
made it necessary for him to have
them. I'VE once heard writes the alb
be "a distinguished but somewhat
sceptical philosopher eXclaim in his en-
thusiasm: I do not believe anything
like this has been seen since the stable
at Bethlehem A celebrated poet was
s. overcome with emotion at the cures
presence that the words escaped him
unawares: I have never seen God so
rear Another distinguished pilgrim
said The cure of AIRS is the very
model of the childhood which Jesus
loved; therefore is it that God is with
him -
One CT the most famous painters of
France stayed about several days try
ing to get a perfect sketch of his fea
lures 1T Ilas been one of the great
blessings of my life" he said after
ward ito know the cure FATS; we
must have seen the saints to be able
to paint them what did | see at
Ars?" replied d prominent author TO
one who inquired of him. Il saw John
in the wilderness! l was one of the
so, 600 or so that went there last year.
People tell Me CT marvellous things
A.. not
power of God, ii is as great in the nine
teenth century as in the first days of
Christianity. am convinced that the
prayers of the holy priest can obtain
surprising and even miraculous cures;
but to reco ynize the presence of the
there / have no need of
ali this. The great miracle of AIRS is
the lab0rious and penitential life of its
cure. That 4 man can do what he does
and do it every day without growing
weary or sinking under it is what sur
passes my compTehension; this is TO
me the miracle of miracles"
The cure was born in 1856 and died
in 1859. He was declared venerable
in 1872, aud. now. forty-five years after
his DEATH whcn,all danger of undue |
influence has been removed by the |
deaths of hose who knew and might !
be disposed % favor him excessively, |
he is to be raised TO the altar on the |
cold record only of his virtues. In |
spite of all has ascetic habits in what |
eating. drinking, sleeping ana |
exercise in the open air, he lived In |!
almost uninterrupted. men
tai and bodily activity to the age of %,
and full of days and works departed to |
the Lord. His life has been written by |
Father Monnin. as, have said, and also
" an English Protestant lady, Geral-
line --. Both the books make de-
Iightf1l reading. Indeed. there is no
-eadiug more delightful than the dives
Of those real heroes and admira bic men |
and women, friends and favored chill
iren OF God, the saints.
l will not anticipate further the
profit and pleasure in store for those
who procure one of the lives of the
,ure with its account of his plain food,
Door lodging and attire ana utter sim
3licity. nay hard poverty; Of his long
.areer. of his Wondrous influence for
GOOD and the marveis that God worked
n his favor but viii close my letter
With this statement: | visited the
house in which the cure lived and died,
md saw some of his blood preserved in
small vial. It was perfectly liquid,
Is one perceived when the vessel was
moved. and had the rich dark look,
With the bubbles, ] noticed in that
which St Januarius shed 1.500 years
lgo for the truth, and which liquif1ss
annually in Naples on the 18th of Sep
ember My visit to AIRS was on the
lrst Sunday of October, 1850, twenty
he years after the cures death.