The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-08-31

land water, and the distant green islets
Sdotting the horizon. My room. faced
the sea to the East The house is
surrounded, at some distance, with
hundreds of high, waving coco-palms
loaded with their huge nuts. There
ARE also many handsome mango-trees
just now in blossom. These with iron
trees and numbers Of pretty ornamen-
tai shrubs, give both shade and beauty.
Bishop 6Ianc's Conservation.
The day fixed for the conservation
of Bishop Blanc was the 29th of June,
Feast of IS. Peter and Paul. Both
Bishop Broyer, S. M. of Samoa, and
Bishop Vidal, S. M. of Sava (FijD.
were expected to be my assistants in
the conservation, but both were I'M
able to come, and so, in virtue of the
Papal Indult, had to make the con-
secration myself alone, assisted by two
priests. All the population, or nearly
mony. AS the cathedral can hold at
most only 700 persons, it was found
impossible to have the conservation
Mass and ceremony in the cathedral
Besides the heat would be almost I'M
bearable and the pungent sui generis
crowd would sorely offend our nostrils,
while only a fraction of the people
would be able to conveniently see all
the parts of the function. Hence We
contrived means to meet the diff
Guilty and give general satisfaction.
is broad and deep platform covered
in as a veranda, and raised several
feet so as to be visible on all sides
to the crowd. Having some additional
arches, it lent itself admirably to
decoration. Two affairs or chapels
were formed upon it, one for the con-
secrator and the other for the conse-
Grated. The place was cool and the
air sweet. Accordingly, the consecra-
ton took place there. To shorten the
public function the Bishop-elect made
his profession of faith, and took his
prescribed oath, at my hands, on the
eve of the day appointed for the cere-
mony Also his various episcopal in
sigma being already blessed, required
no blessing during the function, and
so time was again spared On June
28th, the eve of the great day, crowds
of natives flocked in by sea and land.
Numbers of them directed by the
priests and nuns tastefully decorated
the platform with green arches and
pillars festooned with bright stuffs of
various colors. A large awning of
native mating was extended to con-
siderable distance to cover the ground.
The two affairs were very pretty. The
Bishops coat-of-arms, and my own,
and those of the Bishops who had
been invited and could not come, COM
pleted the decorations. The little
steamer "Maroona" arrived from Vo-
van and other places bringing four
Marist priests and a number of ma
tives.
The fine chime of the cathedral
bells merrily rang in the great feast.
Seldom, if ever, did such excite
ment prevail in Muafaga. On the
goth, Bishop Blanc's conservation took
place in the presence of 5000 persons
of all classes and denominations. It
began at $3.50 a. m. and lasted about
two hours. The weather was ideal.
A good brass band headed the process
sion from the Bishops apartments,
and the sight of the crowd with it's
variety of coloring and it's general pic
turesqueness, was one never to be for
gotten. There was no sermon. At
certain moments, when possible, the
natives sang very well. The Mass
was low one. To sum up all in a
word, the whole sacred pageant was
an unqualified success and will do a
vast amount of good to the Catholic
cause in Tonga and all the group of
the Friendly Islands.
al