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New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 26, 5 July 1923, Page 47

than 30,000 people, many of them pilgrims from distant lands. In the procession were seen the khaki uniforms of three members of the American Legion, Captain Hutfer and Sergeants Maire and Hum, who carried the American flag. ‘‘lt is a true prodigy,” said one of the newspapers in commenting upon the event, “that a frail young girl who entered the cloister at the age of 16 and died at the age of 24, after a life of isolation and humility unknown to the outside world, should be able, after her death, to inspire such a universal movement of affection and veneration.” Ihe body of the Little Flower was exhumed for the first time in 1917, and buried again in the cemetery of Lisieux in - a triple coffin l of ebony, lead and mahogany. On the occasion of the present exhumation the delegate ol the Holy See, Rev. Father Rodrigo, the postulator of the cause at Rome, the Bishop of Baycux and Lisieux, the members of the family of the young Carmelite and the civil authorities were all present to see that the coffin was intact. Ceremony at Grave. At the grave, which was marked by a simple cross of white wood, with black letters, Bishop Lemonnier received the depositions demanded by the Church. The caretaker of the cemetery, who has occupied his post for 20 years, and the sacristan of the Carmel both made oath on the Gospels that they recognised the grave and that they had been present at the various burials and exhumations. Then, when the grave had been opened and the coffin raised, Father Rodrigo observed that the seals placed over the screws of the lid' in 1917 were intact. The coffin was then placed on a white hearse drawn by four white horses richly caparisoned with trappings of the same color. On the right and left sides of the hearse were two panels containing portraits of the Little Flower, as tradition represents her, smiling with infinite sweetness. The coffin was covered with a magnificent cloth of gold, richly embroidered especially for the ceremony. * The procession moved slowly down the hill from the cemetery to the town, and all along the way the roadsides were lined with men and women who made the sign of the cross while tears of gratitude or hope filled their eyes. At the four corners of the hearse walked four Carmelite nuns with lowered veils. To the right and left marched a double line of officers, non-commissioned officeis, and private soldiers, in uniform; all veterans of the war, who had been cured or protected and who had come to thank the Little Flower for having interceded for them. The lines were headed by a Colonel and several battalion commanders. Behind the hearse came members of the families related to the Little Flower, and three sisters from the Visitation Convent of Caen, where one of the Sisters of the young Carmelite still lives. Next came delegations from the Catholic schools, clubs, and societies and a crowd of faithful making a line several kilometers long. City Decorated as Tribute. After reaching the city, the procession moved very slowly through the streets, which were splendidly decorated with garlands, flags, trees and triumphal arches. People from distant parts of the country waited for hours on the sidewalks, and the sloping roofs of the old Norman houses were lined with those who had come to witness the passing of “Little Sister Terese.” As the procession passed, the demeanor of the crowd was of touching respect. Not a word was heard; there was no pushing or craning, nothing but the motion of thousands of hands making the sign of the cross. , ( In front of the Carmelite chapel, the hearse stopped at last, and the coffin was borne into the illuminated choir, while a group of singers sang the hymn of Virgins to the accompaniment of a Handel choral, played on the new organ of the chapel, which was used for the first time. On the following day, the official recognition of the remains took place in the presence of two delegates of the Supreme Pontiff and two physicians. ■ Many pilgrims from the diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux are .preparing to go to Rome for the ceremony of the beatification. i