Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-09-04
FORM OF CONSIDERATION
OF CATHOLIC CHURCHES
Three Bishops and Many Priests Will
Be in Attendance at the Ceremony
at St. Patriek's Church Sept. "a.

Three Bishops and Many Priests Will
Be in Attendance at the Ceremony
at ST. Pasrick's Church Sept. "a.
In the presence of three bishops and
| many priests of this and other do
| ceses, the conservation of ST. Patrick S
church of this city will take place Sun
day, Sept. "a. The Rt Rev. John j.
Milan, bishop of Connecticut, will per-
form the ceremony, and Bishop Beaver
| of Springfield, Mass, will celebrate the
| solemn pontifcal mass to follow the
| conservation ceremonies. The eonse-
Grafton sermon will be delivered. by
| Bishop Walsh of Portland, Me- In the
evening there will be solemn vespers.
with a sermon by Rev. Terrence J.
Sheahy. S. j, of New York city, who
| is at the head of the laymen's retreat
movement.
Before a church can be consecrated
entirely to the service of God it must
be free from all debt, and must re-
main so. st. Patrick's has the dis
tinction of being the only unencumber
ed Roman Catholic church in eastern
Connecticut. and will be the seventh
church OF the Hartford diocese to bear
the honors of conservation. The other
| six consecrated churches in Connecti-
cut are: st. Patrick's New Haven; ST.
| Joseph's cathedral and ST. Patrick's
church. Hartford; ST. Augustine's,
DI10SSpOit, 81 JOllil oiluuictOWIl anu
st. Mary's. Norwalk.
Separated to Sacred Use.
Conservation in general is an act by
which a thing is separated from a
common and profane to a sacred use,
or by which person or thing is dedi-
Gated to the service of God by prayers
rites and ceremonies.
The Catholic church disting uiShes
conservation from blessing, both in re-
gard to persons and to things. At a
, conservation the ceremonies are more
solemn and elaborate than at a bless !
ing. The ordinary minister at a con-
secration is a bishop, while the ordi-
nary minister at blessing is a priest.
At every conservation holy oils are
used. The new state which consecrates
persons or things is permanent and
the rite can never be repeated. The
PROCLAMATION of a consecrated person or
thing carries with it new species of
sin, namely sacrilege.
Essence of Conservation.
The essence of the conservation of a
church consists in the amounting of
the u crosses on the inner walls with
the form: "Sanctificetur eft conseeretur
hoe templum," etc. The church must
stand free on all sides. SO the bishop
can pass around it. On the walls in
side the church Il crosses must be
painted or eff they be made of stone
or metaD attached to the walls. These
crosses must not be of wood or of any
fragile material. They must never
be removed and documents falling
they serve to prove that the church
has been consecrated. Under each
cross a bracket holding candle is af-
fixed.
The conservation of a church may
take place on any da~ of the year, but
q Sunday or feast day is to be pre-
ferred. The consecrator and all who
ask for the conservation (the parish
toner's and clergy attached to the
parish) are obliged to observe the
day before the conservation as a day
of fasting and abstinence.
Beginning of Conservation
At the beginning of the conservation
the walls are lighted. While the bishop
is being vested the seven nenitential
psalms are recited, after which all pro-
coed to- the main entrance of the
church, where, remaining outside. the
bishop bIesses the water. The bishop
then goes three times round the out
side of the church, the first time
sprinkling the upper part of the walls,
the second time the lower part. and the
third time on level with his face.
After each circuit the bishop strikes
the door with the base of his crosier
and says: Lift UP your gates. We
princes. We everlasting doors, and the
King of Glory shall come in Three
times the deacon within the church
asks: who is this King of Glory %
Twice the bishop answers: s.The Lord
strong and mighty: the Lord mighty
in battle" and the third time he says:
The Lord of Armies. He is the King
of Glory This triple sprinkling and
circuit of the walls symbolizes the
triple immersion at holy baptism the
conservation Of the soul as the spirit
ual temple of God. to which the mate
rial bears certain analogy.
Ceremony Inside.
The bishop and his attendants now
enter the church. leaving the clergy
and people outside, and the door is
closed. The chanters sing ''Veni. Gre
ator Spiritus. and chant or recite the
Ilitany of the Saints. After this,
whilst the canticle ''Benedictus'' is be-
ing chanted, the bishop trac with the
point of his crosier in the ashes spread
upon the floor first the Greek alpha
bet. beginning at the left side of the
church door and proceeding to the
Epfstle corner Of the church. near the
altar, then the Latin alphabet begin
ming at the right side of the church
door and proceeding to the Gospel
corner of the church near the altar
This ceremony symboIizes the instruc-
ton given to the newly baptised in the
crossing of the two lines points to the
principal dogma of the Christian re-
ligion. The Greek and Latin Ian
guages represent the Jews and Gen
| tiles. respectively. The Greek alphabet
is written first because the Jews were
| first called tn the Christian faith The