EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 222, 19 September 1928, Page 8

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS.

HOST CARRIED THROUGH STREETS.

SYDNEY'S GORGEOUS PAGEANT UNIQUE CEREMONY AT THE HEADS. SOUTHERN SBAS BLESSED BY CARDINAL. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, September 14. Sconce of unparalleled enthusiasm nnd rontons fervour were witnessed on Sunday lust when the cod elusion and culmination Df the.Euclmristic Congress which had been held in Sydney all last week came, in the carrying of the Host across Sydney Harbour and through'the streets of the riiy by the Papal Legate, Cardinal Ceretti. • The hnilftarit procession passed through hundreds of thousands of pcopTp and. as it went by, hundreds ktielt In the dust of the roadwaf in attendee of'deep dovotjon and religious 1 zeal. Tho ceremony, marked th* finale of a week of nios't impressive and' brilliant functions which were ma.rv«»la of organisation and. religious pageantry. Addrcewes were' given ton Saturday by many of the visiting prelates to the Congress tb various societies and sects of the church. . - . Prior Hogan, of Melbourne, addressing a big gathering on the attitude of the Catholic Church to the Virgin Mary said that tho Chureli recognised from the beginning the unique position Our Lady omipipd ■in God's designs and plans. "It is. recognised,"he said, "thjat she. was the only human tie that bound tlic word of God with the race of Man," A tremendous crowd endeavoured to obtain admission to the lecture, but thougih the hall in which it was held was opened for an hour "before the address commenced, the doom had to be closed 15 minoitee before the lecture started. Bwhop Whyte's sermon on "Christian given to a huge gathering of Roman Catholic women at the Showground on Saturday morning lagt, was ono of the "outstanding addres&es' of (he Congress.. . "I would express," eaid Bishop Whyte, "the abhorrence by bishops -;ind prieete of the Roman Catho}i<j Church the world. over when they fled Catholic men chobejng non-Catholic women to bis their life , partners and to become, tho mothers and educators of their children. Surely our Catholic girls are numerous enough and virtuous enough to warrant better treatment. "Catholic mothere," he added, "are exposed to the dangers of what is falsely styled 'advanced thought,' and they may easily fall a prey to pernicious ideas and practices." Referring to the increasing ease with which divorces are obtained, Bishop Whyte said that these false teachers were always trying to make the way to the divorce court sweet and pleasant by advocating such pernicious doctrines as birth control and eugenics. , , Hβ said that CathoMc mothers, of the future would do well to model themselves on t lie Virgin . Mary. .-,■•.« "Ma-ry is the model for virgins, fpr wives, for mothers, for widows," he said in conclusion. __ . The Procession. . ' Though alight ehoWers of raji| -felt, early on SxinSiay morning the fetfenoon was warm, and by the time the aion was timed , to leave MdnJ^ifcere , .' was not a clcnid in £hd ttfey. - •.' ' Pontifical HigV Mftee* Was neM \k the grounds of St. Patrick's College at. Manly during the morning, and a glimpse of the splendour which was to be part of the- procession in the after* noon was seen, when Cardinal Ceretti and a crowd of visiting and local prelates attended. Overlooking a long stretch of the northern coast line of New South Wales, St. Patrick's College is one of the landmarks of the harbour and the spectacle as the- open-air Mass was celebrated in the brilliant sunshine of Sunday forenoon was Inspiring to Pro- | testant and Catholic. Huge crowds collected in the college grounds and took part in the ceremony. ' Foreign prelates almost outshone Cardinal Ceretti in the brilliant and ornateness of their robes and vestments. Jewels flashed and embroidery glistened as, their robea waved and flapped in the breeze high up on the college steps. Below a devout silence reigned 'and the big gathering followed every word of the prieste celebrating the Mass. .The «er-γ-ico was . broadcast and amplified throughout' the grounds by loud speakers.

By 1 p.m. everything wag in readiness for the etart of the procession and precisely at the hour Cardinal Ceretti t-merged from the chapel at St. Patrick's College, bearing with him the Monstrance which contained tlio Hoet. Clutched to hie breast and held slightly aloft, the Cardinal carried the Monstrance, the very heart of the ceremony. In it was contained the wafer, which, according to the Roman Catholic belief, became, after being bleesett, the very Presence of Christ. The Mone* trance itself was an ornate and aweinspiring piece of workmanship. It was a great star of gold, studded, encriMted, almost built entirely of flashing jewels From a centre numerous ray.s spread to all point* ami on every ray were valuable jewels, which, when ii"?" °1 tQle sun «»«*t them, sparkled and scintillated and made the Mflnetrance appear a veritable living tiling. « It exerted a tnajrical influence on the crowds. As the Cardinal paseed alon* the Manly streets, women, children and men kneeled in the etreets and prayed and remained praying until long after th«> group of prelates and attendant* hnd passed. To the Manly ferry wharf the procession was a triumph. At the wharf a bodyguard of returned soldiers dreused alike in black s*jits and derby hats, formed up on each side of the Cardinal's cortege and escorted him alonz the pier to the waiting yacht. The yiu'ht, n, Manly ferry eteamef, which had been painted white and altered for the day, presented a spectacular appearance. The new paint glittered and fished and a broad gold band round tlu> centre of the hull added to the effectiveness of the picture. " Grouped round the funnel amidships were two huge white croeees edged- with gold. They were the outstanding feature of the yacht and attracted the attention of people (several miles away. In a special cabin built in the for- . ward part of the upper deck an altar on which the Hoet was placed had been I built and in thi.s cabin the Cardinal and hierarchy eat while the yacht eteamed I up the harbour. I *

Below on the main dock were massed ehbiraoTmen, women and children,'who, during the trip, sang and chanted the -age-«ld-hymns of the Roman Catholic Church. Blessing the Seas. Opposite the Heads, the Papal barge hove-to and a short service was held in the special cabin on the forepart of the yaoht, where the Host rested. Afterwards, Cardinal Ceretti blessed the waters of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. It is said that this is the iiret time that this ceremony has ever been performed in the Southern Hemisphere. Following this, the procession proceeded through a lane-way of small launches and the ferry boats moored at Circular Quay, where Cardinal Ceretti disembarked, carrying with him the Monstrance and the Host. Here the procession was joined by another section of priests and church dignitaries and the march proceeded up Macquarie Street. Opposite the Domain gates the main part of' the Catholic societies, which were to take part in the ceremonies, joined the Cardinal's, party and in this eeqtion there were 6000 Children of Mary, 3000 representatives of the Hibernian '-Australian Catholic Benefit Society, 2500 of the Men's Sacred Heart Sodalities,' 1300 boy scouts, 1600 returned soldiers, 1000 representatives of the Sti Vincent de Paul Society, 1500 of the Australian Holy Catholiq Guild and 1200 visitors. Throughout the progress through the city 'street*, many -instances of whole sections of the crowds going down on theirkneee tad praying aft the Host was carried past were 'noticed. So great Wjftre the crowds that a special force v©£ traffic • police were on duty and special ambulance stations and tent* were scattered "at points of the march. •, During • the, day- 70 women fainted And were treated by ambulance men. .. ■ ■■''. . - The-.grand finale came when Cardinal Ceratti mounted the steps of the cathedral, pronounced the Benediction and spoke a few words to the multitude. Then from the thousands of throats swelled the stirring hymn, "Faith of Our Fathers." It could be heard a mile away at the Central Railway Station and at Circular Quay. It was broadcast throughout the State. Thus ended the most brilliant pageant which Sydney has seen since the inception of the Commonwealth in 1901, when regiments from every nation in their brilliantly -coloured uniforay marched through the streets. Expressions of appreciation at the fine handling of the crowd by the police were madeby Cardinal Ceretti and other Congressofficiate.