The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-07-01

- 0AAA EaAE
PROPHECIES of the Precious
Blood.
Hymns, prayers. paintings,
and sculptures, depicting
angels gathering into chalices
the Blood flowing from
Chrlsts side, hands and feet,
and other representations
such as THE Fountain of
Salvation" and THE Mystical
Wine Press" were composed
during this period.
THERE r o ALSO an.
other factor that contributed
greatly to the spread of the
devotion to the Precious
Blood, namely. the Precious
Blood relics. These relics are
Of two classes; The first class
consists of remnants of
Chrlst's Blood not reassumed
into His body at the Resur-
rection, and the second class
consists of the relics of Blood
due to some miracle, for ex-
ample, the bleeding crucifix
or the bleeding Host.
These Precious Blood relics
occasioned two controversies
during the fifteenth and six
teenth centuries. The first of
these concerned the possibil-
ity of there being relics of
Christ's Blood. This was set
tied In the affirmative by the
University of Paris Theologi.
cal Faculty in 1448, and the
worship of the relics was APP
proved by Pope Nicholas ".
The other dealt with the ques-
hon of whether the Blood of
Christ, shed during the Pas
sion and destined to be re-
assumed at His Resurrection,
was united to His Divinity
during the three days of His
death.
SINCE THE TWELFTH and
thirteenth centuries these
relics have been the object
of special veneration and de-
votion In the localities which
possess them. Some of the
more famous places possess
ing relics of the first class
are Mantua, Italy; Bruges,
Belgium; Fecamp. e:
Reichenau and Weingarten,
Germany: and of the second
class: Quimper. France: VAN
bach. Holland, Ferrara and
Orvieto. Italy.
In spite of all this. Divine
Province seems to have re-
served for Rome and the nine
teenth century the privileged
role of shaping and spreading
the Precious ploca Devotion.
Through a relic of the Prec-
ious Blood, venerated in the
Church of st. Nicola in Car
cere. Italy, a sanity Father
Francesca Albertini acquired
a great devotion TO the Price
of our redemption.
This devotion Father ALI
bertini. later a Bishop, en-
couraged in a newly ordained
priest, GaSpar del Buffalo. In
honor of the Precious Blood,
he founded a pious aSsocia-
ton. which was later raised
to the dignity of an Arch.
confraternity. Gaspar del Buff
,alo. now a saint, became the
founder of a missionary So
ciety of the Most Precious
Blood (C.PP.S.) and also di-
reeted Saint Maria de Matthias
to found the Sisters Adorers
of the Most Precious Blood
lad PP.S.).
- CURING THE FOLLOW.
ING century twelve other con-
g~regstions of Sisters dedicat-
ed to the Precious Blood
were founded. In 1881, the
Precious Blood Fathers erect
ed a Plus Union of the Prec-
ious Blood. which has aggre~
gated to it over eight hundred
similar Plus Unions in all
parts of the world. In 1849 a
spiritual son and successor
of st. Gaspar del Buffalo, the
Venerable Giovanni Merlin,
was instrumental In prevailing
upon Pope Plus XI to extend
the feast of the Most Prec-
fous Blood to the universal
Church. This feast, which is
celebrated on July J., was
raised to the rank of a double
of the first class by Pope
Plus XII in commemoration
of the nineteenth centenary
of the Redemption, in order
"that the greater fruits of the
Precious Blood of Christ, the