Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-22
CATHOLICS THRONC {
CHICAGO STADIUM
AT Solemn MASS :

Chicago. June 81 (By The Associ-
ated Press)-Pilgrims from all the
earth met on the shores of Lake
Michigan today in the most impress
sive demonstrat ton of religious zeal
ever witnessed in America if not in
the world.
Defying threatening skies and a
wind which approached a gale. more
than 100000 worshippers pressed in
to the great memorial stadium eX-
tended along a half mile of Lake
front for the celebration of solemn
pontifical mass by John Cardinal
Bonzano, the legate of Pope Plus XI
, to the international eucharistic con-
sress. Police estimated that $4,000
persons thronged the area of two
square miles of which the stadium
Is the center.
A choir of $4,000 school children,
clad in white and papal gold and
/ seated in the vast green mall be-
tween the towering concrete stand,
sang the responses to the altar.
! The sermon of the mass was de-
, livered by Archbishop Curley Of
Baltimore.
! After the pontifcal blessing which
ended the mass, thousands of devout
poured into the field from the stands
and pressed forward through police
ground to the space near the out
door altar. Solidly banking the
hundred foot stairway leading to the
Il i,, xrsa,-
before the tabernacle of the euchar-
list, rendering it impossible to con-
tinue with the speaking program
, which had been arranged to follow
the rites Of worship.
So intent were the feryent throngs
upon approaching as nearly as pos
sible to the altar that the managers
of the ceremonies were forced to
appeal to the multitude over the
public address system to leave the
field at once. In the same manner.
warning was sounded that the
wooden elevation on which the altar
stood was endangered by the thous-
ands which mounted the steps.
The crowds moved out in solemn
order. only disappointed that they
could not kneel individually before
the altar crucifiX to pour out their
prayerful alteration of the eucharist.
More than two hours after the mass
ended. twenty or thirty thousand peo-
pie still were in the stands, some stu
pressing forward toward the altar.
AS early as 5 o'clock this morning,
thousands were in their places in the
stands, and at 10 o'clock, the sched-
.uled starting time, the sea Of human
ity which surged about all sides Of
the already packed stadium. block
ed the pat of the ecclesiastical pro-
cession for almost an hour, delaying
the mass and taxing the efforts of the
police to open a arrow lane for the
prelates.
AS the priests, bishops and cardin-
ais passed through the fervent null
titudes outside the field, hundreds
dropped to their knees for the bless
ing of the legate Inside the process
sion was greeted first with an enthu-
siastic outburst of handclapDing and
then with reverent silence and pray
er.
Their brilliant robes Thirled about
in the strong wind. the twelve car
dinals assembled the red-carpeted
steps of the sanctuary-more than
one hundred in number-to red vel
vet and plush thrones set in long
diagonals at either side of the altar.
Cardinal Bonzano was escorted to a
throne even more splendid. and high
er, at the right of the altar. Here he
vested for the mass, DOMINIC a set of
handmade silk ceremonials presented
to the congress by a Chinese deleca-
ton as a gift Of a group OF Shanghai
women and children.
The singing of the mass lasted an
| hour and a half, after which the
procession again formed for the exit
of the higher prelates. the several
/ thousand priests remaining in their
places about the foot of the altar.
Again the procession was halted by
the pressure of the thrones about the
! clergy gate, and it was more than an
hour before the last of the purple
robed bishops left the sanctuary.