The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-01-23
TO-DAY WE CELEBRATE.
Barsolona Celebrates Festival of IT
Miraele.Workina Saint.

WV OThinS odlnIs
This Is the festival day of St. Ray.
mund Of Pennafort and 1t will be OBJ
served with curious rites by the pious
people Of the island of Maiorea, in
the Mediterranean. and by the catho.
lie citizens Of the Spanish city OF
Barcelona. An ancient chapel on the
Barcelona waterfront is the center OF
the st. Raymund Day observance.
This old building commentaries one
of the most astonishing miracles ever
attributed to any saint. for 1t is said.
to mark the spot where st. Raymund
landed after passing over sixty
leagues of water, from Majoroa to
Barcelona, with his cloak as a YES
sci!
st. Raymund was born in the twelfth
century. and entered the order Of st.
Dominic. He was one of the found.
ers of the Order Of Our Lady of Ran.
som for the Redemption of captives.
He first attained prominence by
preaching a crusade against the
Moors, who then held a large part Of
Spain, and was successful in restor.
ing many thousands to Christianity.
Toward the close OF his life the saint
accompanied King James Of Aragon
to the island OF Maiorca, and con-
verted many of the pagan inhabitants
to Christianity. The Kings immok
atty so shocked the saint, however,
that he expressed a desire to return
to Spain, unless the monarch woulo
give up his evil practices. The king
refused permission for the saint to
leave, and threatened with death any
person who assisted him to escape.
OF the miracle which is still com.
memorated by the spaniards, Butler.
says:
1.-THE saint. full of confidence in God.
said to his companion, "a king of the
earth e%ndeavors to deprive us of the
means OF retiring, but the King Of
Heaven will supply them He then
his cloak upon them, tied up one cor.
ner OF 1t for a sail, and having made
the sign OF the cross, stepped upon it
walked boldly to the waters, spread
without fear, whilst his timorous COM
panion stood trembling and wondering
on shore. On this new kind Of vessel
the saint was waited with such rap
idity that in six hours he reached the
harbor Of Barcelona, sixty leagues dis
tant from Majorca. Those who saw
him arrive in this manner met him
with reclamation. But he, gathering
up his cloak dry. put 1t on, stole
through the crowd. and entered his
monastery. A chapel and a tower,
built on the place where he landed,
have transmitted the memory Of this
miracle to ~posterity. This relation is
taken from the bull Of his canoniza-
ton, and the earliest historians of his
life"
Another saint whose fame iscom.
memorated today is Eusebius, who
lived in the fourth century and who
was an abbot Of a monastery in AS
syria. Eusebius was noted for his
extreme austerity, of life, and it is re-
corded of him that he took food only
once in four days throughout his ma:
ture life. While Eusebius flourished
on this limited diet, he apparently did
not believe that his regimen was suit:
able for general adoption, for no re-
quired his monks to eat every sec.
ond day.
One hundred years ago today. New
Orleans observed a Thanksgiving Day
and a solemn TIE Deum because OF
Jackson's victoy over the British
army Of invasion. AT that time Gen.
Lambert, who had succeeded Paken-
ham In command, had about CONF
pleted preparations for the re3em-
barkation OF his men. The days and
weeks Of anxiety which preceded the
battle Of New Orleans were followed
by a popular demonstration of graft
tude for relief from the threatened
disaster. After tho solemn religious
services, the Crescent City, then
largely French, gave itself over to
merrymaking and rejoicing.
Money Well, Foresone.