AN ARCHBISHOP'S TOUR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 81, 30 December 1920, Page 6

AN ARCHBISHOP'S TOUR

DR. REDWOOD'S EXPERIENCES IN ITALy AND FRANCE

CANONISATION OF JOAN OF

ARC DESCRIBED

Interesting delails of his recent visit to Rome and to the bnltleiiolds of Europe are given by Archbishop Eedwood, in the course of a letter published in "Blue and White," the annual magazine of St. Patrick's College, Wellington. Inter alia, hii states'

"1 assisted at the magnificent ceremonies and pageants in connection with the Canonisations and Beatifications—the Canonisations of St. Mary Margaret and St. Joan of Arc, and the Beatification of the glorious Irish martyr, Blessed Oliver Plunket. No words of mine, in this brief letter, can give any adequate idea nf the splendour of those grand functions Tho most triumphant of all was the Canonisation of St- Joan of Arc. tit. Peter's was full with fifty thousand people of all descriptions. There wore over forty cardinals, four hundred bishops, large gatherings of every roligious order, thousands of French pilgrims, with many most distinguished representatives of the French Parii;impnt7 Army, and Navy. St. l'eter's, with the varied colouring of its Immense crowd, with tho electric illumination of all its most conspicuous parts in dome, nave, aisles, and galleries, was a sight never to be forgotten. A kinema lilm was taken of tno grand procession from the Vatican halls, which took an hour to reach the spacious Basilica and locate itself for the coming function. The Sovereign Pontiff, Bonediet XV, pontificated solomnly on the great occasion. It was the second time he did so, Bince the beginning of his Pontificate-the great war, having suspended such soleriin functions in fct. Peter's. Tho papal choir furnished the majestic and appropriate singing, and, at the proper moments, the far-famed and unforgettablo silver trumpets added a unique charm and an indescribable effect to the impressiveness of the ceremony. Before tho actual declaration or the Canonisation, solemn and fervent prayers, three times in succession, by the Popo's order, were addressed to God for light and guidance, by the prostrate clergy and faithful. Then the nre\ot.able decree of Canonisation was read from a portable pulpit. The moment tho reading ceased, the To Dcum of thanksgiving was entoned by tlfe Pope. It was taken up by the papal choir and the cardinals and prelates, to end in the triumphant roar of tho myriad voices throughout the vast, expanse of tho glorious temple. The elfeet was overwhelming, and ircslstibly tears of emotion were shed.

In France. "After spending . thirty-two days In Rome, I went to France, in order to visit several, very flourishing Marist colleges, taught by "the Marist Fathers .and an assistant stnff, among them being the institutions of Toulon, La Soyne, and St. Chamond, and I spent some delightful days with old school-fellows in various parts of France. For instance, 1 had a most pleasant week with my schoolmate of many years, sixty years ago, Archbishop Germain of Toulouse. But my most enjoyable visit was to St. Mary's College, St. Chamond-, Loire, about thirty miles from Lyons, where I finished my classical course over sixty years ago. Here, as an 'old boy,' I presided at the grand feast of the Tenth July—the special feast of the college—which originated in 1849, after a great miracle occurred. . . . Every year, on the .Tenth of July, the commemorative feast is celebrated, and a part of the 'Chant Lyrique' is performed in the chapel, but, on every tenth year, the feast is most solemn and the whole of the "Chant Lyrique' executed with suitable accompaniment. It has its solos, its duets, and quartets and capital choruses. Also, on every tontli year, a particularly largo gathering of 'old boys' or former students, attend the festivities, and, if unable to attend personally, they 6end telegraphic messages from France and foreign countries. Well, as an 'old boy' who had left the college sixty years ago, I had the honour to preside at the festival this year. There was a general communion of tho students at my early Mass, and, at the) lhter High Slass which I attended in Canonicals, a part of the r Chant Lyrique' was capitally sung, while tho remainder was reserved for tho solemn evening service, comprising a splendid procession and tho solemn Benediction of tlin Blessod Sacrament. In my student days the accompaniment of tho Cantata was orchestral, anril in the> orchestra I used to play first violin. This year the accompaniment was fho organ played by a very artistic master of the noble instrument. For the procession, the colloge and beautifully planted collogo grounds were brilliantly illuminated. As tho procession advanced, appropriate hymns and tho Litany bf tho Blessed Virgin wero chanted by tho collego students, and tho large attendant crowd from the town. All ended by tho solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacramont at which I was oelobrant. Death had reaped a sad harvest in tho ranks of tho students of my time, so that very few weie present who had boon my contemporaries. Flatterers asserted that I looked the youngest of that email but venerable band. On the Batiflsfields,

"But I must bring this letter to an end.- How many lungs of interest I might still relate! How I visited tho great battlefields of France on the Sotnme, Aisne, and Marne; how I saw them, ill the company of a Marigt chaplain who hail for years gone through the very thickest, of the war; how I visited with great care, Verdun and Reims; how I admired in tho Somino Valley the fine concrete monument just erected near the spot where the Anzacs wrought their feats of heroism; how I was pleased at the honours given to the dead in the beautiful cemeteries of tho several Allies; how I 6aw soldiers' bones unearthed before my face, ill remoto spots of tho battlefields, put into decent ooffina, and transported to a general graveyard, where a chapel is to bo erected, or has already ■ been erected, so that Masse? for all time may 1)0 celebrated for the souls of the departed heroes; how I spent a delightful hour with the Cardinal Archbishop of Reims and his auxiliary bishop, in his temporary new palace; and how proud I felt at seeing the grand old cathedral, hit by 6000 bombs, still standing in all its majesty, defying tho barbarism of men. It can and will 1)0 repaired in time, as a memorial of the Christian civilisation saved by the world-war. I' said Mass in a part of it which was well preserved from ruin.'