Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1931-11-19
"reminiscences of a European Tour
BY KATE NJ. FORBES

Noting a magnificent marble corridor,
fully block long, she sighed Gee,
mother, wouldn't this be a hot place
for my scooter2"- Marcia" chidded,
do you realize this place is semi
sacred-that 1t is the palace of the
Popc2" That's alright, mother" she
replied, "I'll betcha If was the Pope's
little girl he'd let me, he wouldn't
care" Maybe he wouldn't;
At any rate, a child is many times
the open Sesame" to conversations
that might not have taken place
otherwise, and that many times, in
our case, led to valuable experiences.
Msr. Caccia, judged, was past 80
and, in looking over the paper I had
presented from Msr. Burke, noted that
altho was a Protestant, my father
had been born and reared Catholic
and that his mother had bestowed
upon the church many benefactions.
He also took a great fancy to
Marcia, and asked me why had not
been Catholic making the remark,
had 1t been your mother, instead of
your father, you would have been
one" told him that as an adult I
had no belief in UNCONVENTIONAL re-
ligion-and that there were things in
Catholic doctrine could not reconcile
with logic or with my understanding.
Hoping, perhaps, to gain proselyte,
/, he said to me that, If wished to
have these things explained to me,
might call at his office times when he
was not engaged and he would will
ingly elucidate these points to me.
What an opportunity was reading
and studying assiduously, but to have
the chance of learning from such a
fount of wisdom was privilege as
incalculably valuable as 1t was rare.
On one of these visits, the talk was
about church relics" I had had ex-
planned to me the ceremonials in the
comforting of Sainthood on one whose
name had been brought before the
Pope for that honor.
In former times, the law was that
the person chosen must have been
dead at least 200 years. This has
been changed. The length of time de-
creed is now within the Judgment of
the Pope.
A court is Observation-Disclosures ap-
pointed for the purpose Of defense and
prosecution of evidence, similar to
legal action of our civil courts in a
jury trial. Before this body, sitting In
solemn and august session, every pur-
ported miracle and deed extraordinary
of the nominee is argued-for and
against vestige of evidence is
sifted as to verify and then for cor
roboration, before judgment is ar
rived at.
Ceremonials were being held and
this Ecclesiastical court was then in
session for comforting sainthood on
Sister Theresa" The Little Flower"
as she is known, who had been a
young French nun, whose later saint
hood has attracted more attention
through the world in general, than
any other in many generations.
I had attended ceremonial at
which the Pope officiated, singing the
High Mass in st. Peters, but few
days before this visit. From the start
to the finish, two years is consumed
In Investigations, ETC., before Saint
hood is conferred.
A relic is piece of bone from the
actual body OF one on whom sainthood
has been bestowed. The manner OF
obtaining it was explained to me by
| a Jesuit Friar at an actual burying
plot in the crypt of a church in Rome.
Not only in that city, but in many
others in Europe under Catholic
authority, it is a common practise and
one greatly desired by "religeuse" to
be buried in consecrated ground with
in some such crypt.
The body, clad in its usual vest
ments, is buried in quick lime in the
soil itself. This soon leaves but the
skeleton as the residue.
Portions of the bones are venerated
especially in a saints case-as hav-
ing, perhaps, or bestowing, through
prayer, unusual potency and signifi
canoe.
So far as personally know, the
Protestant churches do not make any
use of 'relics" in the same sense that
the Catholic church does l. eat
tributing to them miraculous healing
powers, etc. but there is an account
in the old Testament of an occurrence
whereby the bones Of the deceased