Evening star., 1927-05-23
CATHOLICS HONOR
VIRGIN IN SERVICES
May PROFESSIONS Are Held at
Five Churches, With Chill
dren Participating.

Five Catholic churches Yesterday
raid public honor to the Blessed Nir
gin Mary when the children, with the
adult organiza tions Of the parishes,
marched in the annual May process
siOns.
Boys bands acompa MED two Of the
devotional marches while choral sing.
ing of hymns in honor of the Virgin
Mary marked the others. One pro-
cession was May farewell to it's
building, for by next year that church
will have moved into its new edifice,
and the remaining four were the an
nual, and now traditional, May devo-
tions, with no particular motive save
public honor to the Virgin.
Downtown Washington was the
parade grounds for the procession at
st. Patrick's Church, in which 400
little children took part. Leaving Car
roll Hall, on G street the file of youth
full worshippers circled the business
block bounded by G, Eleventh, f and
Tenth streets before coming to rest
within the Church of st. Patrick for
the sermon and benedicton of the Bles-
sed Sacrament.
Receive First Communion.
Mgr Cornelius F. Thomas. pastor,
preached the sermon and was the
celebrant at benedection. He was as
sisted by Rev. John X. Cartwright
and Rev, l.. ]. Shehan of st. Pat.
rick's.
Miss Edith Coates was May Queen
and her maids of honor were Miss
Marian McLaren and Miss Mary
Haltigan. Included in the processions
ranks were the children of st. Josephs s
Home and School and those of the
st. Vincent's Home and School. There
were also 80 little children, who earlier
in the day, had received their first
holy communion from Mgr. Thomas.
A color guard Of United States serv-
ice men lent martial air to the pro-
cession at st. Stephens Church, in
which 600 men, women and children
took part. Headed by the Indepen-
dent Boys Band of Washington $50
children marched with $50 members
of the parish's Holy Name Society
and 100 women of the Sodality of
the Blessed Virgin. Miss Margaret
Burns, as Queen of May, crowned the
statue of the Blessed Virgin with a
wreath Of flowers. In~the coronation,
Miss Burns was attended by a court
of honor including Miss Catherine
Craven, Miss Eugenia Dilger, Miss
nington. Her pages were Robert
Caldwell, Francis INLAND and Francis
Stanton. A guard of honor-a con-
tingent of the cadets of st. John s
College-completed the procession.
RI Farewell to Church.
Rev. James c. Murphy of st. Peters
Church, preached the sermon and was
the celebrapt at the solemn benedic-
ton which concluded the devotion.
Rev., Arthur w. Murphy and Rev.
Francis Hill, assisted Father Murphy
at benediction
Fifty.f1ve children of st. Stephens
Church made their first communion
Yesterday morning when Rev. Vincent
Fitzgerald of that church administer.
ed the sacrament to them.
The May procession at the Shrine
OF the Most Blessed Sacrament yes.
terday was a May farewell to the
present building of that church, for
next years procession will be con-
Quoted in the parish's new building.
Five hundred persons, men, women
and children. marched yesterday. Miss
Margaret Higgins was May Queen
and she read the act of conservation,
after which she placed a wreath of
flowers upon the head Of the Blessed
virgins statue. Rev. Thomas G.
Smyth, pastor, preached the sermon,
while Rev. James Hogan. assistant
pastor, celebrated benediction of the
blessed sacrament. Father Murphy
administered first communion to 60
children at the o'clock mass.
Father Hart breaches.
The Holy Name Boys Rand headed
the procession of $50 children at Holy
Name Church, where Little Rosemary
Nealon, 7 years old. crowned the
statue of the Blessed Virgin, Rev.
John ]. Bowling. pastor. preached the
sermon and at the early mass he ad-
ministered first communion to 105
little children. Benediction was cele.
brated after the procession by Rev.
Thomas A. Calnan.
Two hundred children marched In
the procession at the Church of the
Nativity. Miss Winifred Huck was
May Queen and she crowned the Vir.
gins statue after reading the act of
conservation. Rev. Charles Hart of
the Catholic University, preached the
sermon and celebrated benediction at
the close of the devotions. Rev.
Francis y. Bischof, pastor of the
Church of the Nativity, and Rev.
Benedict j. Hannemann, his assistant.
had plaPeS in the sapet,orx, Jur;~rv ~