Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1922-04-07
81 The az
holy Week
in the
City
I. NsIs e; - !

10 AWAY thOWu
st. Peters on Palm Sunday and as
early as eight o'clock the people begin
to assemble. The ceremonial Itself
lasts about three hours and I'm order
to see II many visitors stand for five
or six hours. Ladies' alone are IA
vored with seats, and only then II they
are In dark dresses and with black
wells over their heads. instead of hats
and bonnets. One of the rapal regi-
ments Is always on duty within the
sacred precincts to be replaced by the
mobile guard" Of the pope when the
latter enters the church. During the
service the chief sacristan brings forth
an armful of so-called palms and
places them on the high altar. These
are stalks about three feet long re-
sembling walking cane dressed up
with wisps of yellow straw. In reality
they are sticks to which artificial palm
leaves had been glued.
His holiness the pope. who dresses
plainly for the occasion on account
Of the fact that the church is still In
mourning during the Lenten seasoa,
enters the church IN his chair Of state.
He advances NJ the nave; be gives
his blessing TO the assembled multi
tudes until he finally reaches the
throne az the further end Of the
church.
Blessing the Palms.
After some music the pope proceeds
10 bless the palms which are brought
to him from the altar. The blessing
Is effected by reading certain prayers
and the lncensing Of the palms three
times. An embroidered apron Is now
placed upon the pope's knee and the
cardinals advance to his holiness. re-
ceive palm from MIN, kissing his
right hand, his kJee and the palm.
The mitred abbots. who are next to
receive the palms. kiss the pope's foot
instead Of his knee. There g some
more music and then low mass Is said,
after which the pope Is carried back
with the same gravity TO the small
chapel whence he came, which con-
meets by passage with the Vatlcon.
The great event In Rome on We'd
nesday in holy week Is the singing Of
the Miserere I'm the Sistine chapel.
The service which Is also called Tene-
brae from the darkness In which It
Is held begins at half-past four. The
whole office Is finely finished musical
composition which is performed by the
organ and sung by voices of what
Is probably the finest choir In the
world. During the singing Of the serv-
ice all the candles on the altar are ex-
tinguished one by one. with the excep-
ton Of the topmost candle which Is
concealed behind the high altar, a
symbol of deaths of all the prophets
before the coming of the Savior and
OF the resurrection OF the Christ
The Sacred Oils.
On Thursday, the ceremony of bless
Ing the oils takes pace IN St Peters
during mass. There are three varieties
of oils to be blessed and the ritual
surrounding heatiiicntion Is some
what complex. The first Is the
oil Of the cAtechumens used In
blessings, baptism, in consecrating
churches or ordaining priests and
In blessing and browning SOW
ereigns. The second Is the oil used
In extreme JUNCTION administered to
those who are dying while the third
or sacred chrism composed of oil OF
the balm of Gllead Is used In confirma-
ton, in the conservation of bishops
and In the blessing of bells. The bish-
ops are attended by at least twelve
priests with seven deacOns and seven
subdeacons all ROBBED in white, and
the ceremony is most Impressive Ia
the members OF the Catholic church.
All the bells in Rome are mute from
half past eleven on Thursday morning
until Saturday evening and such II the
force OF custom that In many OF the
hotels handbells are employed to an,
a..