The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-05-04

morning for their first Mass in the
Eternal City which was said by the
Superior General of the Assumption
| lists at the altar of the Chair of st.
| Peter in the great Basilica itself. On
| the choir benches were ranged the lit
| tie pilgrims, while behind them sat
the priests, parents, and other pill
grims, and on the front benches were
the Committee of Notre Dame de Sal
| ut. The General Communion was es-
pecially moving, the long train of chill
dren occupying twenty minutes in ap-
preaching the altar rails, though four
priests were administering the Blessed
Sacrament At the conclusion of the
Mass the General of the Assumption
lists, Father Bailey. addressed the
children congratulating them on hav-
ing come, in the name of youthful
France to thank the Holy Father for
admitting them to the most glorious
Sacrament of the altar, and he ad-
iured them in glowing terms to be
faithful all their lives to Our Lord,
our Blessed Lady, and the Holy Fa-
Their. After the morning ceremonies,
the young Fathers of the Assumption
were told off to act as guides to the
little pilgrims in the Eternal City.
The children spent most of the morn
ing in the Vatican gardens, and in the
evening, after visit to st. Paul's out
side the walls and the Catacombs of
st. Callixtus, they attended Benedic-
ton at the Church of st. Louis de
France. The children filed the choir,
the rest of the pilgrims crowded the
Church. Benediction was given by
Monsignor Marty, Bishop of Montau-
ban.
At st. Mary Major.
One of the greatest events of the
pilgrimage was the visit to st. Mary
Major. Cardinal Vannutelli, Arch
priest of the Basilica and patron of
the Society of Notre Dame de salut
which organized the pilgrimage, cele-
brated Mass at the Papal altar by per-
mission of the Holy Father, who also
OTu0I0u LuS OApOS1IAOA I'll SAAO ASAAS0 "
the Crib. The children were again
placed in the choir, while fifty little
Romans, pages of the Blessed Sacra-
ment, in the picturesque costume OF
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, surrounded the
altar carrying miniature banners. The
children again rendered the canticles
during the Mass in very charming
fashion, and the strains of the Adeste
Fidelis, sung before the relics OF the
Crib, moved all the pilgrims very
deeply. Several French Bishops, in
Rome for their visit ad limina, were
present, as also Colonel Keller, who
proposed the pilgrimage, M. Feron
Vrou, M. Ballande, deputy of Bordeaux,
and many others. After the Gospel,
the Cardinal wearing his Mitre and
full pontificals, gave the children a
wonderful discourse. He said this act
of theirs would bring down divine
blessings on France, and hoped they
would form the nucleus of new elite
of the Church who should bring back
their land to her fealty of old. His
Eminence himself distributed Com
munion to the little ones, the five first
of whom were making their first Com
munion. After the Mass a procession
was formed which proceeded to the
Borghese Chapel, where the little Ro-
man pages followed the time-honored
custom of presenting flowers, each
paying graceful compliment in Ital-
ian to the little French children. A
boy of eleven years responded for the
latter, in high clear treble and made
q very graceful little speech. After
the pilgrims had prayed for the Pope
and the Sacred College, solemn bene-
diction closed the memorable visit.
Received by the Holy Father.
The third day of their stay in Rome
was the red letter day of the pilgrim
age, for the Holy Father received
the 1000 pilgrims in the Sistine chap
ell. His Holiness had chosen this for
the reception, because the Hall OF
Consistory would not contain all the
pilgrims at the same moment After
the Pope had received the Committee,
he took his place upon the throne, at
tended by Cardinal Vannutelli and
Pere Bailey. Around His Holiness
were the Swiss Guard and the Ponti.
fical Gendarmes, Immediately in front
of him were the children, girls in
white on one side, boys on the other
Behind stretched the innumerable
rows of pilgrims, while the French
Bishops were grouped around the Pap
al throne. After Cardinal Vannutell1
had presented the pilgrimage, little
Louis Bire, a boy of eleven from Paris
advanced and having knelt before the
Pope read in a clear voice little ex.
preston of love and loyalty from the
children. Then he presented four vol
umes, bound in white and ornamented
with the Papal arms, containing the
T.,