An Interesting- Ceremony.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 22, 29 May 1902, Page 15

An Interesting- Ceremony.

The Church of St. Agnes outside the walls of Rome (sayg the correspondent of the London Tabht) was filled to its utmost limits by a large crowd, eager to witness the ceremony of the blowing- of the lambs. At the concision of the High Mass the little lambs were brought in and laid upon the altar. They rested on damask cushions in separate baskets with their tiny limbs tied up in red and blue ribbons. Their equanimity is usually disturbed by the ordeal of passing through the crowd to the altar, and they bleat a plaintive remonstrance again*t the rough u u age to which they are subjected. Fragments of their gay ribbons are torn away and portions of their Bnowy fleece rudely plucked out by people anxious to carry away a souvenir of their benediction. This year, however, the crowd were more merciful and the little creatures were gently stroked as they were borne pa<*t. After the blessing the abbot delivered the lambs to the first master of ceremonies of the Lateran Basilica, who, as soon as the ceremony was over, took them to thei Vatican to present them to his Holiness. The Holy Father sent them immediately to the dean of the Sacra Rota, who in turn handed them over to the nuns of the monastery of St. Cecily in the Trastevere. They become the property of the nuns. About Easter they are shorn of their beautiful white fleece, which is given to the Pope, His Holiness commissions his prefect of ceremonies to have the wool woven into pal Hums which are blessed on the Vigil of the feast of SS. Peter and Paul and then placed in an urn in the confession of St. Peter's Brtpcilicii over the body of the apostle. They are sent 'de corpore St. Petri,' the first shepherd of the Universal church, to metropolitans to be worn as a symbol of their share in the plenary jurisdiction of the chief shepherd over the whole flock of Christ.