THE MAID OF ORLEANS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 486, 20 April 1909, Page 5

THE MAID OF ORLEANS.

! % —: —rr-: 7—77? V; .; ; ■. \ v c-\ ; j , BEATIFICATION OF JOAN OF ARC. &>Y TILBORAPHT-PBESS A SSOCIATION—COPT RIGHT.) . .... . (Rec;,April: 19/11.50 p.m.) ' Rome, April 19. , . Thirty thousand French pilgrims were proBent, yesterday at the Beatification of Joan of Arc at Saint Peter's Cathedral THE CEREMONY DESCRIBED. : ..; Beatification is one of the steps- towards mak-ing-a- samt. ,Joan-of, Arc will now lie callcd ■ and' perhaps ten . Jews hence,-if>thc/Church so decrees-, .may become "Saint Joan." ' ; .. v . The process of making a saraf is an mterest- • ing ; one,(says the "Daily ■Mail"), andi there fire 'ah'ajtf'-a feW "namesfinder 'consideration. . Por instance,! the .clailns of IX STe now being considered, and wfthin'the next few . ..... years-it is possible .that; the''-'process,": as it us callcd, .will have-been carried'-through, and/ho also Ivill .bo beatified. or. canonised. -. The "pro- ' cess " may bo called: a serics.of trials at which . all Knoivn details of the life of the person' are - .;; discussed.As. a-rule, .It&isjthe : bishop , of„ tho . town m which tho person! was born who makes the,- first move. He obtains the. support of■- a • number of,other,bi,"shops; who, signa petition to tho Pope asking, permission for the " trial " If V r : -V= : ' v^yea;.'hi^;OTrictioij; ; ;the;.moving bishop i '; P al j s .' a meeting .of inflpeiitial'dignifaries,' priests ■, and laymen,/who-)uay.-hnvo special knowledge, i: ' i J? first : meeting'methods niay,be .disoussed •• i°r obtaining the- necessary .evidence. • In the case. of.iJoaii jof': Arc..-toiir years -were spent; in , f gathering, tho facts,. m nil oases an inuncnso .:. amount of .information nm'at ,be collected. In tho courso of time a report, is prepared which .t? %!P o ' is,:considered by the body called the Congregation' of Rites." Itore delay will ocour here, Possibly tho report may be referred back to the makers for more mtormation; bnt oven, if \this.is not.necessary, the Congregation _of, Ritas keep it 'under consideration for four or five years.'.;- They ;may . decide that the>life of ,the person was'a . very ■worthy and; -very;-holy. < one,; ;but. they .require much more than that, It must,be proved to ■• .■ kcir satisfaction • that. imraoles "■' havo Iw&n ■ ■ ; performed. -The Congregation of Rites requires , ... ~ cvidenco of not fewer than three, miracles- In f® cas A , , \" !irn c«lans cures'' it mus t bo ■ .■ Mown that doctors have. pronounced; the, cases , Jiopcloss, or that diseases have "been cured ... whiph . doctors call lnoureible. Usually the re- ; port , contains, particulars ;of a number of "mir- : . acle?, from w-hich'tho Congregation of Rites may mako, a selection. •.-The.three chosen among those attributed to Joan of Aro relate to the . curing, of,: nuns belonging .to .different- commumties, who are said> to have obtained relief from their diseases by her intension. One of those nuns , had suffered for yean | from oancar, and was on the.point of death, when, it was claimed, she wag instantly cured by n prayer to Joan of Aro , : AVhon the Congregation of Rites has. beon ■V - eatisfied.-. as -to iths authenticity of '.'.'-'three . miraoles ihey;prepare their-report, whioh -j> •submitted to the.Pope, who considers it. There is then a:-gathering at the. Vatican t ) which the public aro ,admitted. Cardinals and bishops are present, , and a lawyoi: of the Papal Court . reads out the decision. After this the ceremony &J:- O.'P .beatification generally;! takes ''place /.within a months. It is heldrat St. Peter's at about . or' 10 0 clock ,'in vthe I ;'morning j'in ' the pro. ■; 6ence of the,Congregation'of Rite 3 and,nunicr. oui otnei; .aigiiitaries; '.', The. ceremony.-is per. ' '..formed before/the .altar, 'ease of Jflat of Arc it was expected that over sixty Frenot -. bishops■.would;!be.;present; besides^mahy.thou- .. ' sands ; of,'laymen; ;who would' travel: to Rom< - ;;:;-;espraal!y;for, the. ccrcmbny; :'The'actiial dccre( of,beatification is read out bv the -"Notarv 1 : : It ; coutains n brief.account of the'"trial," am ' ' f? SO it, short history, of' the life, and r announce' thai.tho Holy-I'atiier declares that this'persoi Isi -worthy-of;the;Viorship (in.,the'eofreot' tebh v-" : , • s'cal; sense) of .the •Chinch, and that hence forth tho Moid "Beataf (bles-crt) will bi S laced before.the name.:-A big picture of "thi laid", is placed in front of the altar.- Thi . -is, siirrouhded I ',by"{floweii', and; 'electric, lights and covered with the decree ha been : road- It is then unveiled. In the, after noon .of'the same day, |ha I'opo goes'to pra* before the pioture and assists at the bcnedic ■ tion of the Blessed-Sacrtiiuont. which will bi given bv one of'the bishops.; The flowers, th Cardinals ~ in-reJ,. bislipps in . 'violot "... ' imposiiig scehe'/in the- : .magnificen , ; ... ?? t,,6( [ ra '; It must be understood that al though the ■ process ; described seemVso' "elabo t'ie first in .the. ltiaking.o VV'- t* S ? ln ,t\' ,P?. r hap3: ten or fiftcou years henc .;. -. Joan .of'Aro. may he icanoaise'dj'.but, before thi , .can_ be .done all- the ,old must bo pnssei '; ••S"? n i ; .;iJfore 'evidence' 1 of: holiness' will be re . >:•■! quired, .thrc9 i mora .mimolos of the first orde (making six.in ail) must be proved, and mor . .elaborate reports, mnst ho prepared. At th ■: nnal cereraony _of canoniiiatiori tho Pope wil , nrewnt,'• and;.'th'e' entire."service will prol: v ?}? y; dr. five hours. Then, and no till then, will Joan of Arc he a Saint; and b ;:- ' .publicly venerated as.such'by Roman Catholics