The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-09-11
FUPE FOR SIX YEARS;
HIS WONDERFUL RECORD

nome saturday, Aug IA, 1909.
i-ast MONDAY marked the sixth ami
eIsary OF the coronation of his holi-
ness rus X. Another eventful wear of
- 80 poiIIncate has passed into the his
oo OF the papacy. 1t began on Aug.
L'oo, py the publication of that Elk
r IoI I'd .Ioh TO the clergy which was de-
TridIt 70 De vademecum for every
pieSt and seminarist throughout the
world land which, strangely enough no
PuullsHer mas yet given in convenient
IoIil TO the priests of the English
Speaklng-World). A month later ON
% 49, his holiness completed the
nltIelh year Of his priesthood amid the
teJoIeIhSS OF all Christendom and the
.appy event was commemorated i'm
november by one of those marvellous
ceremonies in st. Peters which reflect
80 SIIlhlngly the majesty of the Catho-
nv cIurch. In that same month the
| ecclesiastical world awoke one morn
ing to find a new and thorougbIv sys-
Ielnatlzed Roman Curia. the Roman
congregations revolving in perfect or
CSr around the pope each with it's def
iIlely appointed functions. with new
laws regulating the selection of its
! members, great part of the Catholic
| world transferred from the status Of
missionary countries to that OF perfect
y OoliSuIuleu parts of the church uni
eeFsaL with two Roman courts in per
! rect working order for the settlement
OF all ecclesiastical litigation, and with
an official organ for the pronunciation
OF all the important acts of The Holy
see Almost at the same time the world
was oInclalIy informed of one of the
nIst great acts of the present pontifi-
cate: that by which Plus Y abolished
! .oIeNer the scandalous but inveterate
interference of civil powers in the cleo
llon OF the popes. inficting the pains
OF accommodation even on any prince
OF the church who should dare for the
future to become an agent in such in
reference.
The old year closed and the new year
opened with disaster which afflicted
the holy father beyond words. when
he knew for a terrible certainty that
an earthquake had destroyed Messina
and Reggie and a score of smaller
towns, killing over a hundred thousand
OF his flock, and leaving the survivors.
including thousands of wounded. with
out food or homes or churches The
first act of the holy father was to
send all the money he had available
for the relief of his stricken people to
throw open the doors of his hospice of
santa Marta to the wounded, to send
a special commission to investigate the
situation and make plans for affording
the most practical succor. and then to
distribute personally and in the most
effective way the immense sums.
amounting to nearly seven millions of
franc, which the whole Catholic world
We'd in sending him. Never was Cath
Ole generosity more spontaneous, more
welcome. or more admira bly, fruitful.
for it made the pope the father of the
orphan and the CONSIDER of the afflicted !
and it enabled him to supply some hun
dreds Of churches to the devastated re-
gions.
And not the least striking of the great
events of the fifth year of the potffi- |
cate of Plus X was the splendid series |
of concentrations and Qualifications of
which the Basilica of the Prince of the |
Apostles was the scene and the holy |
father himself the central figure Even |
the non-CathOlic world was thrilled by |
the accounts of that wonderful sight |
when Plus Y in the midst of over forty |
thousand pilgrims knelt before the pic |
ture of his own Beata, Joan of Arc |
and in the eloquent words of the bishop |
Of Orleans held her up in his hands |
the little child of the good Cod with |
the radiance of the prophets on her !
DIOW anu Oll lGT shoulders Tile purple |
Of her blood, held her up on his vati-
can, the highest place in the whole |
world, for the admiration of ALL" And |
with the Blessed Joan was whole |
galaxy of new Saints and new Beati: |
st. Clement Hofbauer, the great mis-
sionary, light of the Congregation of |
the Holy Redeemer. st. Joseph Oriol, |
new model for secular priests, found
ers of religious orders, martyrs for the
faith, bishops, priests and humble cate
chists.
x x x
Plus x has belied his prophets in all |
respects but one-for he was to have
been merely "a religious pope and this
he has been assuredly, but he has been
a great deal more even during this one
year of his pontif1cate which came to
a close last Monday. For last March
he inaugurated the splendid new gall
Iery for the vatican collection which
has won the encomiums of all the art
lists and art lovers, showing how re-
ligious pope may also be a Maccenas of
the arts: and only a couple of months
ago by his apostolic letter Vinea Electa
he founded that Biblical institute which
is destined to be a focus of scrtptual
scence for the future. Surely a great
record for such a brief space, and an
other reason for all Catholics to con-
tinue their prayers that the Lord may
preserve him and give him life.
ROME from Exchange.