The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-08-19

81
listen to the prayers of an alien faith,
these stones which have been dewed
by ST. Patricks tears will never hear
aught but the prayers of st. Patrick's S
children"
Mass At the Foot of the Mount.
Away down in the valley at West
port, the Archbishop of Tuam cele-
brated Mass for all those pilgrims
who were too weak and aged to make
the toilsome journey to the summit
of the mountain, many of whom had
often done it in past years. His
Grace preached an eloquent dis
course on the spirit of the faith which
inspired to prayer and penance. On
the previous evening the Archbishop
had consecrated the very beautiful
and ornate chalice which the en-
ployes of the Midland and West of
Ireland Railway Companies have pre-
sented for use in st. Patrick's oratory
at the top of the mountain. Though
towards the end of the morning the
rain came down in torrents, and
soaked returning pilgrims through
and through, no one seemed to mind,
and not a single word of discomfort
such as is often heard on our British
pilgrimages could be distinguished.
These souls were STEPPED in the calm
of prayer, they had realized in most
perfect manner one of the loveliest
and grandest, aye and truest, of all
the Royal Psalmist's sayings, 81 will
turn mine eyes unto the hills, from
whence cometh my hope"
Annecy, the Home of St. Francis de
Sales.
And in quiet hillside town in dis
tant France this same week another
band of faithful Catholics some sixty
thousand strong gathered from all
parts of the earth, to honor the men,
ory of Saint of God. Here in An
necy the very triumph of the au-
thorities has ended-like the world s
victory ended on Calvary-in defeat.
The sweet old town with it's quaint
houses and gardens of oleanders,
with it's hills wreathed in luxuriant
southern foliage to the very summit,
it's quiet market-place, it's fountains,
it's quaint and tiny first house of the
Visitation Nuns, the old chateau
where st. Francis de Sales used to
live, the buildings of the Florimon-
tame Academy,-the first literary
Academy in France,-all these bathed
in the sunlight of a lovely summer
morning looked their best under the
flags and arches of flowers with which
they we're adorned. Word had gone
forth that no religious professions
were allowed in the streets, just as
all religious holidays are to be taboo
in Savoy in future. But this was the
triumph of Saint and as well try
to stay swollen torrent, or Roman
triumph, as stop this great crowd OF
religious enthusiasts who had over
whelmed Annecy and meant to have
their pious will. Annecy has seen
great days before. In 1862 sixty
thousand persons gathered here to
celebrate the raising of st. Francis
to the Church's affairs; four years
later followed his canonization, and
nearly century after, ST. Jane Fran.
ces de Chantal, who is SO intimately
associated with the great Church.
man, was also raised to the dignity
of Saint and there was another
gorgeous fete about the scenes of her
earthly pilgrimage. Then in 1866 the
town was en- fete again for the bi
centenary of st. Francis, while in
1888 the Church of the first Monas
terry of the Visitation was restored to
pious uses once more and the relics
of saints, profaned in the Revolution
were enclosed within its affairs. Hating
the triumph of religion at Annecy
the old convent has now been taken
by the municipality to become a post
Office.
Bearing the Relics in Procession.
But the daughters of st. Jane Fran
ces who guard the holy trust of the
bodies of the two friends who are
together in death were not to bs
banished from the place of theil
spiritual birth. A noble convent ha.
been built for them by charitable
friends of the Order on the slopes o
Semnoz, just outside Annecy, ant
thither the relics of their hol,
Founder and st. Francis himself wer,
carried on Wednesday. A grea
novena of devotions was preached b.
Monsignor Rumeau in the chapel o
the Visitation, and every day the dis
tinguished orator saw his audienc'
grow in numbers, as he discoursed o.
the beauty and triumph of Christian
sacrifice. The night before the pre-
cession was observed as one of noe
turnal alteration, and the church wa
packed with devout men, while tn
altar rails were literally besieged i
J the morning. Contingents of fou
hundred Canadians, and a thousan
Austrians arrived early on Wednes
lday morning with a great Uilpriruap o,