The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-01-11

I. Why do Catholics celebrate the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
so shortly before Christmas? Was the
Blessed Virgin conceived but one
month? 2. II this is such a great
feast day why is there no fast the
day previous as before Christmas and
New Year? 8. Is any one allowed to
90 to a dance who wears an Agnus
Del? What prayers must be said to
wear an Agnus Dei7 4. When and
how should the rosary of the Blessed
Sacrament be said? Is there any spe-
ciaI blessings to be derived from this
devotion?
l. The Feast of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
is celebrated on the eighth of Deem
Der, the day on which, in the year 1854,
His Holiness Pope Plus TX promul-
gated the doctrine as a dogma of Cath
Ollie faith to be believed by all. The
second part of your question shows
that you misunderstood completely
what is meant by the Immaculate Con-
,ception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It
is unfortunate that so many Catholics
fail to understand the meaning of this
doctrine and hence give entirely erron-
eous explanations of it to non-Cath-
olics. The Immaculate Conception of
the Blessed Virgin Mary means that
the soul of the Blessed Virgin was
never stained with original sin, that
from the time of her conception or, in
other words, from the very first mo-
ment when she began to exist as a
human being in the womb of her
mother, she was preserved from
that sin with which every other
child of Adam is tainted. This
privilege of immaculate purity from
the very first moment of her
conception was granted to her by
Almighty God, not because of any in
trinsic merit which she possessed, or
any right which she had to this pr1vi-
lege; but in view of the merits OF her
Divine Son Who was to pay the penalty
for sin. Hence the Immaculate Con-
ception does not mean that the
Blessed Virgin Mary conceived our
Lord without sin. 1t deals with her
own conception and, there is no rea-
son why it cannot be celebrated dur
ing the month in which is commend
rated the birth of the Christ-Child.
2. You are mistaken in regard to the
fast on the vigil of New Years.
There is no fast on this day. There
are only four holydays preceded by
days of fast and abstinence, namely,
Pentecost, the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, All Saints Day
and Christmas Day. There is no fast
on the vigil of the feast of the I'M
maculate Conception. 8. The wearing
of an Agnus Del does not prohibit any
one from dancing, if they wish to do
So, any more than does the wearing
of scapular, the carrying of pair
of beads or any other religious badge.
No mention is made of any special
prayers to be said by those who
wear an Agnus Del 4. The beads OF
the Blessed Sacrament consist of a
medal and thirty-three beads on each
of which is made the invocation:
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have
mercy on us" For each invocation
an indulgence of forty days is
granted. One does not have to say
the whole beads in order to gain II
but may tell as many of the beads
as time permits or inclination wills
and gain the indulgence for each in
vocation. The thirty-three beads rep
resent the thirty-three years of oul
Lords life. On the medal one makes
a Spiritual Communion. The purpose
of the beads is to honor our Lore
in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar
which is the primary devotion of the
Church and the center round which
all other devotions circulate. Hence
the recitation of the beads can b.
made of great spiritual value fol
those who say them with the proper
intention and devotion. For full par
ticulars in regard to this devotion
write to "The Eucharistic Propa
ganda," 1889 F Street Northwest
washington, D. C.
Being a weekly reader of Tn,
Catholic Bulletin | notice that you
write very much against the use o
liquor. Now | would like some ex
PLANTATION on the following points: I
How will the priests obtain thei
wine for use at Mass it no more coult
be made? 2. If no more could b,
made would that not press the priests
to break the law In order to obtain
Mass wine?
The verdict of scientific investiga
ton, as we'll as of experience, is tina
the use of liquor is not to be com
mended. Every one admits that tn,
abuse of it is wrong and dangerous
but those who have studied the ques
ton carefully have come to the con
clusion that its use even in moderat
quantities is harmful, not merely be
cause of the effect which it has upol
the system, but especially because o
the danger that those who begin b,
using it at all, even in the most mod
crate quantities, may be led to over
step the bounds of moderation. TIL
questions asked in the foregoing ind
Gates that the writer is laboring unde
a misrepresentation. We believe Their
is no danger that the manufacture O
wine for sacramento and medicine
use will ever be prohibited. Eve