Evening journal., 1915-03-18
CATHOLICS Will
PRAY FOR Peace
Bishop Monaghan Calls At
tentiOn TO the Pope'S
Desire
SUPPLICATION ON
PASSION SUNDAY

4 AOOlOlN OOlNOh
The Right Rev John J. Monaghan
Bishop of Wilmington. has addressed
the following letter to the churche,
throughout the diocese inviting Z
union of prayers on Passion Sunday
March u, for peace in Europe:
Bishops Residence.
. Wilmington, Del, March /, 1915.
Reverend and Dear Father: BY or
der OF His Holiness. Pope Bcnedicf
XIV, Passion Sunday. March 21. is I,
be observed in all the churches of thi.
country as a day of general commun
ion and special prayers for peace
From the following decree you vii
what is prescribed fol
that day. You are requested TO make
this announcement to your people OF
the two preceding Sundays. March tn,
7th and the 14th, and to urge them {,
enter heartily into the wishes of oui
Holy Father. the Pope, and TO joii
their prayers and supplications will
those of the universal church tha
our Heavenly Father may soon brini
TO an end the disastrous war from
which the whole world is suffering a
the present time.
His Holiness our Sovereign
Lord. Pope Benedict XV, in deep
affliction at the sight of a war
which destroys thousands Of
young lives, brings misery TO
families and cities, and rushes
hourishing nations to the brink
of ruin, yet bearing I'm mind that
Almighty God. Whose prerogative
il is to heal by chastisement and
through pardon to preserve. is
moved by the prayers which spring
from contrite and humble hearts,
desires ardently that above the
clang of arms may be heard the
voice of Faith, Hope and Char
ity, alone capable of welding to-
gether the hearts of men in one
mind and one spirit. Therefore,
while He eXhorts the clergy and
the faithful of the whole world TO
works of modification and piety
i'm expiation for the sins by which
We have called down upon our
selves the just wrath of God. the
Holy Father has ordained that
throughout the Catholic Church
solemn prayers shall be offered
in order to obtain from the mercy
of Almighty God the peace which
all desire
For this purpose it is hereby
decreed that in every Metropoli-
tan, Cathedral ParOchial and
Conventual Church in all Euro
pean countries, on the 9TH day
of February next (being the Sun
day called SeXagesima) and in all
H dioceses situated outside of Eu-
rope on the 2lst day of March (be-
ing Passion Sunday there shall
be celebrated special religious
functions in the following order:
In the morning Immediately
after the Conventual or Paroch-
ial Mass. the Most Blessed Sac
ramcnt shall be exposed with all
solemnity. and duly incensed; af-
ter which the Psalm Miserere
mel. Deus, (Ps. 50) shall be sung
with the Antiphon: Da pacem.
Donnie. i'm diebus nostris. quia
non est alius qui pugRet pro no
bis tu Deus noster. followed by
the,-Fiat pax in virtue. tua,-
Et abundantia in turribus tuis;
and the Collect Deus, a quo sane
ia desideria, etc.
The Most Blessed Sacrament
shall then remain exposed TO public
veneration till evening; and it is
desirable that arrangements be
made whereby children also
should take due part in the pub
lie alteration.
In the evening, previously to
the reposition of the Most Blessed
Sacrament. the third part of the
Rosary is to be recited followed
by the annexed prayer, expressly
composed by His Holiness i'm or
der to obtain the benefit of peace;
then the Litanies of the Saints,
according to the form prescribed
for the devotion of the Forty
Hours Prayer in the Rituale
Romanum of the year 1918. I'M
mediately after the Litanies shall
be sung the Parce, Domino, parce
populo tuo, ne in aeternum iras-
caris nobis with the versicles and
Prayer usually recited after the
Procession in quacumque tribu-
latione as in the Rituale Ro-
manum, with the addition of the
Collect Deus, a quo sancta de-
siberia. The sacred function shall
conclude with the Tantum Ergo
and Benediction of the Most
Blessed Sacrament, more solito.
In the hope that Almighty God
may pour forth in yet greater
abundance His Divine Grace, the
Sovereign Pontiff exhorts the
Faithful TO approach the Sacra-
ment Of Penance and to receive
Holy Communion. and grants to
az those who. after Confession
and Communion, shall assist at
one or other of the sacred func-
tions as above ordered or shall
pray for some time before the
Most Blessed Sacrament while
solemnly exposed, a Plenary In
diligence.
Peter Cardinal Gasparri,
Secretary of State.
From the Vatican, January 10th,
1915.
PRAYER.
Dismayed by the horrors of war
which is bringing ruin TO peoples
and nations. we turn. o Jesus, to
Thy most loving Heart as TO our
last hope. o God of Mercy. with
tears we invoke Thee TO end this
fearful scourge; o King of
Peace, we humbly implore the
peace for which We long. From
Thy sacred Heart Thou didst shed
forth over the world divine
Charity. SO that discord might end
and love alone might reign among