The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-09-16
LETTER FROM OUR SPECIAL COR
RESPONDENT.
Honoring Our Lady at Werl, Bruges,
and Antwerp-Congress of Catho-
lie perantists-Louvain Hon.
ors Ex-Premier Schollaert-
Dearth of Priests in England
Cardinal VannutelIi and
Social Activity.
London, Sept. 2, 1911.

Social Activity.
London, Sept. 2, 1911.
August was a particularly active
month in the Catholic world. It's
early days saw the Newcastle National
Catholic Congress in Britain, and the
Mainz Congress in Germany. Round
the Feast Of the Assumption gathered
an immense number of professions
and pilgrimages amongst which one OF
the most interesting was that which
inundated the little town of Werl in
Westphalia with some sixty thousand
visitors who came, led by the Arch
bishop of Cologne, to see the croWning
of the miraculous statue of Our Bless
is Werrs greatest treasure. The
miraculous images were borne in pub
lie procession through the streets of
the little town which was en- fete, to
an altar garlanded with flowers and
lights erected in the market place.
Here the Archbishop placed upon the
head of each figure a beautiful and
ornate crown of gold set with precious
stones, and the vast throng of people
acclaimed the statues in the hearty
German way with immense enthu-
siasm, after which they were borne in
triumph back to the Lady Chapel in
the fine new church which has been
built to contain them. The crowns
were of much interest, for when it
was known that permission had been
received from Rome to crown the
images-a sign of their miraculous ma
ture-the great Catholic ladies of the
province We'd with each other in pre-
senting their most beautiful and cher
ished ornaments, many of them heir
looms of great antiquity, to be en-
bodied in Our Lady's diadem. Some
of the jewels date back to even the
sixth and seventh centuries and many
of them are of priceless value.
Bruges and Antwerp.
No country has taken a greater part
in the worldwide fetes in honor of
Our Lady than little Belgium. The
procession of the Assumption in
Bruges is only second in beauty and
size to that of the Precious Blood
which takes place early in May.
Bruges, with her quiet, dreamy water
ways, her flowers, her ancient build
ings and glorious churches, her silent
grass grown squares dedicated to IA
nous painters of the past, is an ideal
setting for the lovely parade Of maid
ems in f1ower-like robes of delicate
hue, many of them representing an
gels with huge soft rainbow wings
floating from their shoulders to their
heels. The children, the banners, the
statues, the dresses, the gay military
band, and the Benediction in the soft
summer air, from fiower-wreathed al
tars under the spreading trees of the
DIVER or on the Bridge of st. John
Nepomucene, or amidst those gems of
Gothic architecture which line the
Place de Bourg, is a memory never to
be effaced, and twined somehow with
the wonderful carlton of the old bel
fry which is forever conjuring visions
of the further past.
But if Bruges' homage to Our Lady
is beautiful, Antwerp's is magnificent.
1t takes place several days later on
the octave and is of more impressive
kind, since none but men are allowed
to walk in the procession. But to a
Britisher who is accustomed to a pre-
ponderance of the feminine element in
religious displays, this makes it all
the more remarkable. Imagine sixty
thousand men marching like soldiers,
all carrying lighted candles, many in
the robes of ancient confraternities
dating back to the time of the crusa-
ders, all fired with zeal for our Holy
Faith and devotion to Mary. 1t is
a great sight to witness. They escort
the statue of Our Lady of Antwerp
dressed in rich robes and covered with
a priceless lace veil, as is the custom
in Flanders, through the streets of the
great city, and they escort also her
Divine Son in the Blessed Sacrament
of the altar.
Catholic Esperantists Hold Congress
A notable feature of this years pro
cession was the presence of the Cath
olic Esperantists, who were holding 9
congress in the city at the time and
joined in the procession, representa-
tives of twenty different countries
walking behind a magnificent banner
This movement is taking quite q
Catholic turn, and gives promise of 9
new bond of union between the clergy
and laity of various countries. The
doctors have already formed them
selves into Guild under the patron