The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-05-07


VIRGIN-HoW AMERICA WAS
PLACED UNDER MARY,s PRO
TEcTIoN.
The choicest gift of Spain to the
New World was the devotion to the
Blessed Mother of God, particularly as
Mary Immaculate, writes Bishop Sha
han. From that August day in 1892
when Columbus quilted the port of
Palos on the tiny carayal Santa Maria
and that October day on which he
erected the first chapel to Mary I'M
maculate in the New World, down to
1850, when the Crown of Spain placed
all its American colonies under the
protection of the Spotless Queen of
Heaven, Spanish love of Mary illu-
inmates brightly the American annals
of that once mighty monarchy, though
with no more splendor than the SINH
lar faith of the children of Portugal.
In this respect, however, the annals
of Our Blessed Mother in North
America are no less interesting and
instructive, revealing as they do the
intimate relationship between the
preaching of the Gospel and the
growth of religion and piety in the
hearts of the faithful. The earliest
white settlement, Saint Augustine.
was solemnly founded on the feast of
the Nativity of Mary (September 8.
1861, and the great Spanish devotion
to the Immaculate Conception was
surely inaugurated in Florida on that
auspiCiOuS day In Canada French
zeal and piety created in 1912 the set,
tlement of Villemarie or Montreal, the
"City of Mary and solemnly conse-
Grated to God under her sweet name
the immemorial sacred hearths of the
Hurons as missionary center, burg
of safety and trading post.
First Center of Devotion.
It's founder, Paul de Chaumeday,
Seigneur of Maisonneuve, was a most
devout client of Mary, in whose hon
or he had taken a vow of perpetual
chastity and whose rosary and Little
Office he never Failed to fecfte daily
From that original American center
of chivalrous devotion to Mary has
radiated constantly through Canada
and the United States the tender de
votion to the Mother of God which the
Sulpicians brought with them from
France. Wonderfm women like Mad
emoiselle Nance and the, Venerable
Marguerite Bourgeoys began there
under the auspices of Mary, the high
est Christian life of charity and faith
exemplified also at Quebec in the life
of the Venerable Marie de fIncarna
ton. and continued ever since in a
countless series of Catholic Sister
hoods with their noble record of hos
pitfalls, schools and institutional serv
ice of every kind.
These sanity pioneers of American
devotion to Mary continued the pious
traditions of Champlain and his Fran
ciscans 1616). soon taken up most
gloriously by the, Jesuits of France
who brought to the conquest of the
savage soul all the pure and holy ar
dor of the Crusades. From their res
where a daily Mass was founded il
honor of the Mother of God, to thanh
her more worthily and invoke her more
efficaciously, they went forth into th'
vast and trackless domains of Canada
fishers of men and hunters of souls
until their annals of martyrdom wer'
as rich with praise as those of th'
Coliseum.
Through forest and valley, by lax
and river, across portages and il
mountain passes they sang joyousl
the "Salve Regina" and the Ave Ma
ris Stella" and departing, hlesse
every great natural site with the nam
of Mary until the whole land becam
vocal with her power and glory: The
mark on this continent and will eve
mark, the highest reach of spiritua
exaltation, of self-sacrifice for the e.
tension of the kingdom of God.
A Knight of Mary.
Their devotion to Mary Immaculat
found its highest expression in Fathe
James Marquette, whose mother ha
inspired him from youth with an il
tense love of Our Blessed Lady. A
know that to his consuming love {
the heather tribes sitting in NOR;
darkness we owe the discovery an
exploration of the Mississippi, but
is not so we'll known that he was
perfect knight of the Immaculate Co
ception, placed his great voyage undt
the protection of Mary Immaculat
and promised to give her name to tt
mighty flood when discovered. Ever
day as this. wonderful missional
fioated down the river, past the no
populous centers of Iowa, Missouri ar
Illinois, he sang the praise of Maj
Immaculate, and placed in her his e
tire confidence amid perils of evel
kind. 1t was under her glorious au
pices that Marquette preached,
structed, and baptized
Finally, on the banks of the Illino
he gave UP his brave spirit on the fea
of the Immaculate Conception t167!
amid the SHOWS and the winds OF wi
ter, his eyes on the crucifix and
his lips the prayer, Mother of &C
be mindful of me-" Surely no lal
was ever more completely placed i
der the protection of our Bless
Mother,