The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-02-04
CATHOLIC CHURCH
WILL celebrate
Sixteenth Centenary of Establish
ment of Christianity by
Edict of Constantine
Elaborate Features of the Pro-
gram to Be Followed in
the Eternal City

Beginning in the middle of March
and extending to the festival of the
Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, the
Catholic Church will have continual
ton of the sixteenth centenary of the
establishment of Christianity by the
operation of the famous edict of Con-
stantine the Great. Outside of Rome
the character and extent of the ce1e-
brationS have been left, by order of
the Pope, to the discretion of the
archbishops and bishops, excepting
such special ceremonies as a public
mass of Thanksgiving, which has been
ordered for every diocese. In this
country the archbishops and bishops
will have local celebrations. Cardin-
al O'Connen is already preparing for
an extraordinary ceremony and, it is
| intin1ated, may issue official state
ment on the significance of the COM
mem Grafton. There will be a nation
al ceremony in Washington, at st.
Patrick's under the direction of the
Apostolic Delegate, who will say the
mass. Cardinal Gibbons will preach.
When he returns from Bermuda
Cardinal Farley will fix day for the
New York celebration. But as is
usual in such. times, the Catholics
throughout the world will focus their
attention on Rome. The pilgrimages
this year will be larger than hereto
fore. There are five to leave this
that left last Thursday on the Ca
roma. The program of the nine
n onths' celebration in Rome has been
made public. The permanent memoir
ial will be the Church of the Holy
Martyrs, now in course of erection
near Mtlvian Bridge, now known as
Ponte Noble, at which point Max
entius, on Oct %, 312, was driven into
! the Tiber by the forces of his col
league, Constantine. It was this VIC
4 tory over the Roman chief that prac-
tfca1ly assured the official recogni-
ton of the Christians, though the doc
ument that made Christianity a legal
entity was not issued until the spring
of 313. This document is historically
named the Edict of Milan.
According to the program made
public yesterday the festivities will be-
gin on March 80 with a procession
from the catacombs of st. Domittlla,
proceed along the catacombs on the
Applan Way to the Basilica. of st. Sc
| bastiano, where a TIE Deum will be
chanted. From April to Is there
will be an extraordinary service every
| day in the Pope's Cathedral Church,
st. John Lateran. Every evening some
| visiting bishop will preach Archbish-
op Keane, Archbishop Glennon and
1 bishop 7O'Connell will be the chief rep
resentatives of the American hierar-
chy in Rome during the Postmaster
/ perior Bishop O'Connel of Rich
mond is to deliver the English SER
mon in the Church of San Silvestro
in Capite.
On the second Sunday after Easter
| there will be a solemn pontif1ca1 mass
| in the Greek rite. The following
Sunday Cardinal Respighi, the Pope's
vicar, Will be the celebrant. This
function will be the official one for
the diplomats accredited to the Holy
See and all the orders of the clergy.
There will be sermons in English.
French and Italian. Cardinal Cas-
tsetta will give the benedtction in the
Iafternoon.
On April 20 will occur solemn
commemoration by the Chapter of St
lPeter's Cathedral. The mass will be
l'said at the tomb of the Apostle. April
l27 the celebration Will be centred up
on the Basi1ica of st, Paul, on the
I Ostian E@ay. During the month of
May the Basi1ica of the Holy Cross
i will be the principal point of wor-
ship and on the last day of that
month a great cross that is to be
erected on Mount Cave, twenty miles
tout 5 of Rome, will be illuminated
During Pentecost week the Vatican,
st. Peters, the Lateran Church and St.
/ Mary Major will be Illuminated in ev-
cry part, including the belfries, tur-
i rets and the town of Latiunl. The
4 Catholics of Rome have been asked
4 to illuminate their houses during that
week Similar celebrations will be
i held in all the suburban dioceses to
i which are attached the cardinal bish-
ops resident in Rome as counseHors
i to the Pope.
The final series will be inaugurated
on Dec. g at ST. Mary Majors, and
will close in that edifce, by order of
the Pope, on Dec. 8. At the same
be thanksgivings in churches and ca
tn edrals