THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

New Zealand Tablet, 24 August 1911, Page 1647

THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

STRIKING AND IMPRESSIVE SCENES

From the London Tablet to hand we are able to supplement the necessarily brief account of the proceedings of the Eucharistic Congress at Madrid, which appeared in our last issue:

: „ The first general meeting was held on Monday morning, June 26, in the Church of San Francisco. The attendance was everything that could be desired, and the singing of . the ‘ Yeni Creator ’ formed, a striking opening to the proceedings. The Cardinal Legate presided. Monsignor Bruchesi, Archbishop of Montreal, who delivered the first address, had an enthusiastic reception. He sketched the features of last year’s Congress at Montreal; and stated that it had left behind many desirable and gratifying results. He paid a warm tribute to the Pope, who by his two decrees on Frequent Communion and the Communion of children had replaced the Christian life on its proper foundation Eucharist. Children were the future ; put Christ in their hearts, and Christ would guard them. His Grace also paid a high encomium to British liberality, and expressed the hope that one day England would return to the Catholic faith.

The Archbishop of Potosi, who was the next speaker, dealt with the question of admitting to Holy Communion children of seven and eight years of age. Monsignor Enrique Almaraz, the eloquent Archbishop of Seville, followed with a telling discourse on the duties of parents and teachers in regard to the children. The difficulties of the present day made recourse to the Eucharist more than ever necessary to the Church and her children. Parents should accompany their children and teachers their scholars to the altar rails, to strengthen them by example as well as precept. We lacked men because of ignorance of divine things and because of lack of character. The Eucharist was enlightenment to the mind and a strengthening food. The Archbishop concluded by calling upon the press, which was nowadays such a power in the land, to aid in the good work by acting as the true pedagogue of the world.

The last address dealt with the Eucharistic miracles which had taken place at Lourdes. Before the meeting closed Cardinal Aguirre read the reply that had been received through the Cardinal Secretary of State to the telegram of loyalty sent by him on behalf of the Congress. The Pope, congratulated the Legate on the reception that had been accorded to him by the Royal Family, the public authorities, and the people. He lovingly imparted the Apostolic Benediction, and granted a plenary indulgence to the children who were to take part in the General Communion. 1 The afternoon was devoted to sectional meetings, and among these , the French Section was remarkable fox the liveliness of its discussions and the thronged attendance of French, Swiss, Belgians, and Canadians which greatly exceeded the accommodation of the room placed at their disposal. In the evening there was a literary, artistic, and musical gathering at the Theatre Royal in connection with various Eucharistic works. There was singing and orchestral music, the little dancers of Seville gave an exhibition of their curious local dance before the Eucharist, and colored reproductions of pictures by the great masters were shown upon the screen by lantern.

The Holy Father’s Message. From the first it was apparent that the success of the Congress was assured, but as the days passed the spirit of the gathering beqjpSe more and more widely intensified. The second general meeting was held on Tuesday, and when the Pope’s telegram in reply to. the loyal message of Cardinal Aguirre was again read, there was a striking outburst of enthusiasm. The text of the Holy Father’s message, which was sent ‘ through the Cardinal Secretary of State, was as follows: ‘The Holy Father, Pius X., has heard with the most lively pleasure of the solemn opening of the Eucharistic Con-

gress attended by the Infante Don Carlos, representing his Majesty, numerous prelates and delegates of the public authorities, the army, the nobility, the academies, and the military orders. Touched by the noble homage of your filial sentiments, he sends with all the warmth of his heart, to your Eminence and to all who surround you so worthily, the Apostolic Benediction. He hopes and prays that the labors of the Congress, inspired by love of the Blessed Sacrament, may turn to the spiritual profit of all who attend it, and that the present Eucharistic solemnities may redound to the glory and prosperity of the Church, and be fruitful in

Special Divine Protection for Catholic Spain.’ The rising of the Bishop of Beja., who was one of the principal speakers at this meeting, was the signal for a great outburst of sympathy, which was partly personal to his Lordship’s distinguished., services and his position as a persecuted Bishop, and partly directed to the much-tried Church of Portugal, of which he is so 9 illustrious a representative. After having asked how it was possible for him, the victim of a Masonic Government, to appear before such an assembly, he proceeded, in an eloquent address, to pass in retrospect what Portugal had. done in happier days for the glory of God. In words trembling with patriotic feeling, he deplored the persecution by which religion was oppressed, but expressed his confidence that the country would be redeemed by the Eucharist. His concluding word was > addressed to the journalists and to the readers of newspapers . let the evil and gutter press be confronted and opposed by a good press; and truth would prevail. The Congressists received a warm welcome from the Bishop of Lugo. Another of the speakers was Senor A. Pidal, President of the Academy, who gave an eloquent exposition of the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas on the Eucharist. His peroration was a tour de force, in which all the glories of Spain were offered to the God of the Eucharist, and it was received with

Repeated and Enthusiastic Plaudits.

If would, of course, be almost impossible to give any idea of the work performed at the* sectional meetings; but the earnestness and vivacity of the women’s gatherings must not pass without a word of mention They were conducted unser the direction of the International Council of the Federation of Catholic Women’s Leagues, which was holding its second annual gathering Last year’s meeting was held at Brussels, and during the twelve months that have intervened the Federation has seen a most promising development by the affiliation of a number of, new leagues. To the leagues of Germany England, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, h ranee, Lorraine, Portugal, Switzerland, and Uruguay some seven or eight others have now been added— Canada, Hungary, Poland, Luxembourg, and the Argentine, besides a Society of Catholic Women in New ork, and the Catholic Women’s League of Boston 9 non e n t nn er r! l ll federation represents an army of some 2,000,000 Catholic women. The second sitting of The Committee was presided over by Monsignor Kreuzwald who represented the Cardinal-Archbishop of Cologne’ and by Monsignor Odelin, who represented Monsignor Amette, Archbishop of Paris. 6 \ It may be added that during the Congress the Count Vay de Vasa, Abbot of St. Martin’s, who is well known in England for his work among emigrants, brought forward an important proposition for the organisation of services on board' ocean-going steamers. He pointed out that there are over half' a million Italian emigrants and over 300,000 Austrians and lunganans, nearly all Catholics, travelling yearly for America,’ and during their long journey there was no 1 ehgious consolation. It is only by chance that sometimes a priest is on board, and very often he has no permission to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice. It was most important, therefore, that all nations should Tak* proper measures that moral help for emigrants and the divine service on board the steamers should be organised.

The Irish Section of the Congress which was held in the hall of the Circulo doles Luises was presided over by Dr. O’Doherty, till lately PreS dent of the Irish College at Salamanca, and now Bishop-

elect of the new diocese of Mindando, in the Philippines. He was accompanied on the platform by General O’Donnell, Duke of Tetuan, a grandee of Spain, and Don Martos O’Neill. The Bishop read a paper on the Irish College, and speeches were afterwards made by Father Coleman, 0.P., and Father O’Bryne, P.P.

General Communion of Children.

The most striking feature of Wednesday was the General Communion of the children, which took place in the Retiro Park. It was emphatically the children’s day. The cultivated beauty of the site needed little in the way of decoration beyond the erection of the numerous altars necessary for the function. Around these were ranged some 25,000 children. It was a moving spectacle, and it was rendered all the more moving by the silence which reigned over all. Thus there was nothing to distract the little ones from the great act in which they were taking part. But great as was the concourse of children in the Retiro Park, there were other smaller gatherings in the churches, where Masses were simultaneously said on their behalf and where the altar rails were crowded time after time by long lines of children. In the Cathedral the Archbishop of Grenada delivered a thrilling address to the young communicants; there was a similar ceremony at San Millan and at Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, where none of the children were over eight years of age. In the private chapel of the Countess of Asalto the Papal Legate administered First Communion to two little girls and afterwards communicated the Countess in her own room, where she was confined to a bed of sickness.

It may here be mentioned that there was also a General Communion of women during the Congress organised by the women of Madrid in order to set an example of devotion and obedience to the directions of the Holy Father.

The Closing Meeting. The crescendo of enthusiasm reached its height at the last of the mass meetings of the Congress, which was held on Wednesday at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. For the throne prepared in the choir of the church, San Francisco el Grande, showed that against all expectation, the King, who was at La Granja, was to attend. In the nave the representatives of the four military orders were drawn up. After the Papal Legate had taken his place in the chair, the Armenian Patriarch offered to the Congress the welcome of the East in a striking speech delivered in French. Then was read a pesonal telegram from the Pope to Cardinal Aguirre, in which his Holiness said : ‘ I beg your Eminence to invite in my name the Congressists assembled at Madrid to offer to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament a special and fervent prayer as an act of reparation for the unfortunate Portuguese nation, which has deserved so well of the Catholic Church, and is so dear to me. I pray God to sustain and console the worthy and beloved Portuguese Bishops and their clergy and people, who are to-day persecuted and wounded in their belief and rights, and that heaven may not permit the Portuguese people to be despoiled of their ancient faith and their holy and glorious traditions. X. Pope.’ The principal speaker at the meeting was Monsignor Calpena, of the Chapel Royal, who said that all were there united in a kingdom which had charity for its standard and brotherhood, for its weapon. Christ had achieved the unity which paganism had failed to compass, and he then proceeded to sketch the glories of the religious and national history of Spain, protesting finally that the country had no hostility against the Church or the religious Orders, but was, as ever, the land of faith and of the Eucharist. He sat down amidst a wonderful scene of enthusiasm.

Dr. Weber, Professor of Theology at Cassel, who was the next speaker, dealt with the practice of daily Communion. He was followed by Pere Vaudon, who described the life and work of Mile. Tamisia, and considered the origin and future of the Eucharistic Congress.

Then, suddenly about seven o’clock the strains of the Royal March were heard and the whole assembly

rose to welcome the King and Queen as they walked up the nave accompanied by the Cardinal Legate and the Nuncio-Apostolic, who had gone to the great doors to receive them. Their Majesties having taken their places, • the Abbe Thellier de Poncheville pointed out that France and Spain were sister nations and explained the benefits to peace to be derived from international congresses. He was followed by the Bishop of Plotsk; who spoke in Latin. !

The King’s Speech.

At length the King rose amid the hushed expectation of the great gathering, and in a clear voice which penetrated every part of the building read a speech which contained a right royal profession of faith. Addressing the Cardinal Legate, his Majesty said ‘ Most Eminent Lord, —At the beginning of the labors of this Congress, I appointed the Infante Don Carlos as my representative and commissioned him to communicate to you the feelings which filled my heart and that of the Queen on this solemn occasion. Today, at the close of the Congress, we come in person to tell you of the great joy with which we have followed its labors, and how our believing hearts have been gladdened by seeing the multitudes of people who have gathered together, differing in their history, language, and customs, but all united like one flock in the burning crucible of love of the Eucharist—the sublime food of faith and love. And now, gentlemen, who have travelled to us from afar, we come to say that, as we welcomed you on your arrival and expressed our hope that your visit would be a pleasant one, so now we bid you farewell and thank you for your attendance in such numbers. In doing so we pray you, on returning home to your respective countries, not to forget our beloved Spain, to speak of her and describe her to your fellowcountrymen as she is and as you have seen —a land of faith, of affability and hospitality—and not grim and dark as her enemies pretend. Our last word is to you, my Lord, the representative of the Roman Pontiff, the Universal Pastor of Catholic people. Tell his Holiness, the Queen and I hope and pray that he may live many years to be the tireless apostle of love for Christ in the Eucharist. Tell him, too, that in thus offering the witness of our filial and reverent affection, we beg the Apostolic Benediction for ourselves, for our family, for Spain, and for all the peoples who are here represented.’

This speech was the Signal for a fresh outburst of enthusiasm from the whole assembly. The Cardinal Legate said a few words of thanks to the King and to all concerned in the Congress, and imparted the Apostolic Benediction as the Pope had directed. Then, for the last time was sung the Congress hymn. The meeting broke up and the Royal party, the Cardinal Legate, and the Bishops drove away amid repeated and resounding cheers.

The Great Procession.

The work of the Congress was now at an end, but there was still its crowning function to be performed the public procession of the Blessed Sacrament, which is a feature of these International Congresses. And a worthy crown it was to what had gone before. Thursday was a perfect day. The sun shone down from a cloudless sky, and the streets had decked themselves in the richest holiday attire. Wherever the eye rested there was a wealth of color and a mass of spectators and worshippers who were representatives of all Spain, and included the representatives of Catholics from many parts of the world. At two o’clock in the afternoon the streets along the route were lined with soldiers, behind whom the people massed themselves, whilst' the windows were crowded. The procession was organised in the Retiro Park, and its point of departure was from the neighboring Church of San Geronimo el Real, which stands close by the Picture Gallery. At half-past three the long line began to move upon its way. First came a body of drummers in uniform, then the royal squires, the members of the Catholic Young Men’s Society with their bannersthe huntsmen of the royal houses in their picturesque liveries. These were followed by a long line of workmen, amongst whom the Yalencians were especially notable with their banner

of flowers and accompanied by the Marquis of Comillas. They were followed by workmen from Aragon in the dress of their province. With the men who followed the standard of the Virgin del Pilar were the former Ministers, Senor Maura and Senor Lacierva. The sailors of the Trans-Atlantic Company also formed a picturesque group. Next came soldiers and the representatives of the Corps Diplomatique. The representatives of the confraternities and of the parishes of Madrid were very numerous, and carried *an amazing number of banners. Behind them passed the representatives of the great military orders, the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of St. John of Jerusalem and of Calatrava and Santiago in their rich medieval uniforms. Next came the Seminarists and the clergy of all orders and ranks it is estimated that the priests numbered at least 1000. They were followed by the Chamberlains of Cape and Sword, the Canons of the Cathedral, and the Bishops. The Blessed Sacrament was borne in a magnificent custode of massive silver surrounded by an escort of soldiers upon a carriage.. As it approached the word was passed along to the soldiers lining the route, and all bent the knee as the Holy Eucharist passed them. Behind the custode walked the Cardinal Legate, followed by a company of cuirassiers, and the Royal State carriage drawn by eight superbly caparisoned horses.

The of the Decorations

in the streets almost baffles description. And the decorations were continuous. Following the example of private persons, the corporation and the great business houses had lavished a wealth of care and taste upon the suitable adornment of their buildings. - In the Plaza'de Castellar before Guttierrcz’s splendid Fountain of Cybele a halt was called. An altar had been erected upon which the Cardinal Legate placed the Monstrance, whilst the Seises from Seville performed their wonderful dance to the accompaniment of their own chanting. After Benediction had been given, the procession moved on again till at last at half-past seven the Plaza in front of the Royal Palace, which had been adorned with rich tapestries, was reached. The King and Queen, Queen Christina, and the Royal Family, were in waiting at the entrance, and holding lighted tapers accompanied the Blessed Sacrament to the Throne Room, where a priest read the Consecration of Spain to the Holy Eucharist. The Cardinal Legate then proceeded with the Blessed Sacrament to the principal balcony, from which he gave Benediction to the kneeling crowds outside. It was a great and impressive moment from the profound silence which reigned and the unmistakable devotion displayed by all, and so a fitting conclusion to an International Eucharistic Congress held in the Capital of Spain, the country of the Blessed Sacrament.

As to the number of the men who took part in the procession, it was estimated at between 50,000 and 60,000. The lleraldo of Madrid sets down the number at 100,000. King Alfonso was so delighted and impressed with the Congress that he telegraphed to the Pope to express his satisfaction and to congratulate his Holiness upon the success of the demonstration, at the same time soliciting the Apostolic Benediction. In this connection it may be mentioned that Queen Victoria and the Infanta Luisa took part in the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament which was held in the Church of the Escurial, and received Holy Communion at the hands of the Cardinal Legate. His Eminence also telegraphed to the Pope to acquaint him with the wonderful success of the Congress, and especially of the procession.