The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-04-12
||I The Ii
Holy Week
in the
Eternal City

Esss ~%S S$S. "a $SsS< ~ sss< s
There is always large crowd at
ST. Petqr's on Palm Sunday and as
early rs eight o'clock the people begin
to assemble. The ceremonial itself
lasts about three hours and in order
to see 1t many visitors stand for five
or six hours. Ladies' alone are fa-
vored with seats and only then If TREY
are in dark dresses and with BLACK |
wells over their heads, instead of hats
and bonnets. One Of the papul feg-
ments is always on duty within the
sacred precincts to be replaced by the
"noble guard" Of the pope when the
latter enters the church. During the
service the chief sncristan brings forth
an armful of so-callcd palms and
places them on the high altar. These
are stalks about three fee; long re
scmbling Il 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 season,
enters the church in his chair of state.
He advances up the nave: he gives
his blessing TO the assembled multi
tudes until he finally reaches the
throne at the further end Of the
church.
Blessing the Palms.
After some music the pope proceeds
to bless the palms which are brought
to him from the altar. The blessing
Is effected by reading certain prayers
and the incensing Of the palms three
times. An embroidered apron is now
placed upon the pOpc's knee and the
cardinals advance to his holiness, re-
ceive palna from him, kissing his
right hand, his knee and the palm.
The mitred abbots, who ore next ia
receive the palms, kiss the pOpc's foot
instead of his knee. There IS Solao
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 holS week !s the singing OF
the Miscrcre in the Sistinc chapel
The service which is also called Tene
brae from the darkness in which II
is held begins at half-past four. The
whole office is q finely finished musica
composition which Is performed by tho
organ and sung by voices OF wha,
is probably the finest choir In the
world. During the singing Of the scrv
ice all the candles on the altar are eX
tinguished one by one, with the eXcep
tion OF the topmost candle which Il
concealed behind the high altar, 1
symbol of deaths of all the prophet
before the coming Of the Savior ant
Of the resurrection of the Christ.
The Sacred Oils.
On Thursday, the ceremony Of bless
ing the oils takes pace IN st. Peter
during mass. There are three varletie
OF oils to be blessed and the ritua
surrounding bea!ihcation Is some
what complex. The fist 'e ~
.otl Of the catechumens used ii
blessings, baptism, in consecratinl
churches or ord"'"'re rr'"r'" ""'
in blessing hi:1
ereigns. the second Is the OIL uset
In extreme JUNCTION administered t
those who are dying, while the thir'
or sacred chrism composed OF oil 0
the balm OF Gilead is used in, confirmn
tion, In the conservation Of bishop
and in the blessing Of bells. The bisl
ops are attended by Mt Least twclv
priests with seven deacons and seve
subdeacons oil robed in white, an
the ceremony Is most impressive t
the members Of the Catholic church.
All the bells in Rome are mute fror
+, half past eleven on Thursday moEnin
until Saturday evening and such Is tn
force OF custom that in many of III
hotels handbells are employed 10 al
nouncc che hour for dinner and eve