The Raymer enterprise., 1922-04-13
81 The M
Holy Week
in the
Eternal City

There ID always a large crowd ct
et. Peters on Palm Sunday ant a.
early a. eight o'clock the people 10 IN
to assemble. The ceremonial itself
lasts about three hours and In order
to see 1t many visitors stand for Ave
or six hours. Ladies alone are H.
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 papal 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 a 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 10 still In
mourning during the Lenten season,
enters the church In his chair Of state.
Ae advances up the nave; he gives
biz blessing to the assembled multi
tulss until be finally reaches the
throne at the further end Of the
church.
oIsselno tho Palms.
After some music the pope proceeds
to bless the palms which are brought
70 him from the altar. The blessing
b e6ectsd by reading certain prayers
and tho incensing Of the palms three
times. An embroidered apron Is now
placed upon the pops's knee and the
cardinals advance to his holiness, re-
csivs Z palm from him, kissing his
right hand, his knee and the palm.
The mitrsd abbots, who are next to
receive the palms, kiss the pope's foot
instead Of his knee. There h some
more music and then low mass ID said,
after which the pope ID carried back
with the same gravity TO the small
chapel whence he came. which con-
nscts By passage with the vatlcon.
The great event. In Rome on Wed.
nesday In holy week IL the singing Of
the Aiserere In the Histine chapel.
The service which IL also called Tene-
brae from the darkness In which It
b held begins At half-past four. The
whole ONCE % finely finished musical
composition which % performed BY the
organ and sung by voices Of what
Il probably the finest choir In the
world. During the singing Of the serv-
Ice al the candles on the altar are ex.
tinguished one BY one. with the excep-
tion Of the topmost candle which II
concealed behind the high altar. Z
symbol Of deaths Of all the prophets
before the coming Of the Savior and
Of the resurrection Of the Christ.
The saersd 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 beatihcation 10 some
what complex. The nrst IL the
oil Of the catechumens used In
blessings, baptism, In consecrating
churches Of ordaining priests and
In blessing and crowning SOY.
ereigns. The second b the oil used
IN extreme unction administered to
those who are dying. while the third
Or sacred chrism composed Of oil Of
the balm Of GiIead ID used In confrma-
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
subdsacons all robed In white, and
the ceremony ID most impressive to
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 Il ~
force Of custom that In many Of ~
hotels handbells are employed to e,