Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 3 APRIL 27, 1929 Marshal Foch’s Life Was Revelation of His Faith Victory Came from God Alone He Always Asserted World Notables Mourn Marshal Foch Virgin ,for Victory Visited Lourdes Summer After Armistice, to Thank Blessed (By N. C. W. C. News Service.) Paris.—All- that is being written about Marshal Ferdinand Foch in the French press since his death furnishes additional proof of his profound Catholic faith. Perhaps the most striking instance recently published is an account of a visit paid by Marshal Foch, the summer following the armistice, to Lourdes, where his godmother liv ed and where he often spent his va cations both as a schoolboy and as a young officer. This particular visit, however, - was made to the shrine of the Mother of God to ren der thanks for her protection during the war. A former military chaplain, Canon Belleney, recounts hdw the Marshal having noticed the Legion of Honor on his breast, approached him and asked about his service in the war. In the course of the conversation, the Marshal said: “When I took command of the Allied Armies, France was exhausted. However, I took the command with confidence. I won. Why? Bismarck has spoken of the imponderable factors. I have always thought they depended up on God alone. “I never doubted my destiny, the skill of my .generals or the valiance of our' marvelous soldiers, but I also always counted on the God of Armies and I always expected the victory to come from Him.” Cardinal Mercier, in a sermon de livered at Malines, recalled a con versation that he had had with Mar shal Foch at the Royal Palace at Brussels one day following the war. Foch had just been praised for his genius. “Bah!” he said to the Primate of Belgium, "it was not my genius. I simply did my duty and I was the instrument of Providence.” “Nevertheless,” remarked the Cardinal, “it is well known that Providence chooses His instrument.” “No, no,” replied the man of war, “I insist. I was merely the instru ment of Providence. I had to make decisions upon which depended thou sands and thousands of lives. I considered, I conferred, but in the gravest difficulties I could not reach a satisfactory solution of the prob lem presented. Was it beuer to launch into an offensive or wait longer? Launch the offensive right or left? There were things to be said for both. Then, having consid ered the means within my power, I made an Act of Faith in Providence and set forth.” This picture of the funeral procession of the late Marshal Fer dinand Foch shows some of the distinguished representatives of many countries who paid homage to the Catholic soldier who led the ar mies of the Allies to victory in the World War. In the foreground is General Pershing, who commanded the American forces in France. Walking directly behind the caisson is M. Painleve, the official chief mourner. The inset picture shows Mrs. Foch (center), widow of the late Generalissimo, and her daughters at the funeral. (P. & A. and International Newsreel.) The Crucifix which was placed on the breast of the deceased General issimo of the Allied Armies, clasped between his hands, contained a relic of the True Cross. The Christ there on, a beautiful work of art, was given to the Marshal by one who loved him as a son and was for a long period his co-worker—General Weygand, his Chief of Staff, the con queror of Warsaw. Upon receiving news of the death of Marshal Foch, Marshal Lautey wrote to the editor of the Petit Journal: “There can only be con templation and silence when the heart is bowed down with grief, when the eyes are veiled. He has gone, called back to the God whom he, accepted with a profound faith.’ General Debeney, Chief of Staff of the Army, in an article published in Excelsior, evoked an image of Foch, standing before the statue which was unveiled last July 7 on the Plain of Cassel, with these words “His lips were tightly closed, his shoulders trembled at times, but his face remained immobile, obstinately fixed on the horizon. Perhaps he looked beyond the cavalier of bronze on the immense plain of Flander’ and behold, his eye piercing eter nity, the divine compassion await ing his trusting soul.” These two quotations bear test! mony not only to the faith of Foch, but to that of the two great soldiers .Who wrote them. chs tha No Wh An important wireless station in Paris broadcasted a special program in memory of Marshal Foch. Father Lhande, S. J., well known radio preacher and confessor of the great soldier, was the speaker selected to deliver the memorial address. After reviewing the life of the Marshal, Father Lhande concluded With this appeal: “For us, my brothers, there re mains a last rite to perform for this man to whom no one remains indif ferent. As I have just hurled his praise into the universe, so also in to the universe I wish to hurl the chant of my prayer. Even larger than thousands upon thousands of Notre Dame de Paris is the temple Where my voice now resounds. It in this temple whose vastness can not be compared with any boundary erected by the hands of man that I cast to you my De Pro- fundis. Christians who hear me, on your knees! And you who do not partake of our faith, stand! For you join with us at least in sin cere homage although you may be unfamiliar with this prayer. On your knees or stand, former combatants who served under the fanion of Mar shal Foch! “On your knees or stand, you who in the absence of man cared for the land and home, reserved the vital forces of the country! On your knees or stand, you widows and or phans ! And since the' voice which summons you from the North Sea to the Mediterranean is the same voice that spoke the last words, in tile name of God, into the ears of the great chief whom we mourn, join your voices with that same voice as it pronounces to the world the great prayer for the dead.” Father Lhande then recited the De Profundis in which were united mil lions of unknown voices, from the depths of populous cities, from cha teaus in great parks, or from ham lets' lost in the mountains. tomorrow.” But the morrow was too late. The news of his brother’s death was kept from Father Foch for a while because of his state of health. It was announced to him the fol lowing morning just after he had received Holy Communion. Accom panied by Father Lhande, he went to view the body of his beloved brother and to offer prayers for the repose of his soul. He is reported to have said, “What God has done is well done; blessed be His Holy Name.” In compliance with the Christian wishes of the deceased, the family of Marshal Foch refused to consent to his burial’ under the Arch of Tri umph beside the Unknown Soldier. They insisted that he rest in a con secrated spot in an atmosphere of prayer and meditation. BISHOP OF LAFAYETTE CONSECRATED 10 YEARS (Special to The Bulletin) Lafayette, La.—The current issue of St. Mary’s Voice is the “tenth anniversary edition” in honor of the tenth anniversary of the consecra tion of Rt. Rev. Jules H. Jeanmard, D. D., Bishop of Lafayette. Bishop Jeanmard is the first bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, which was erected in 1918. PEACE ESSAY CONTEST WON BY CATHOLC BOY (By N. C. W. C. News Service.) New Orleans, La.—Gerald McCur dy, a high school sophomore student of the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross, at Holy Cross Col lege, has just been notified that his essay is the winner of the Interna tional Peace Contest sponsored in this city by the Tulane-Y. M. C. A. essay contest committee. The greatest affection always bound Marshal Foch to his younger brother, Germain, the Jesuit priest. When the great soldier’s son was born (only to die on the field of battle in the first days of the war), he gave him the name of Germain. Throughout the terrible struggle, the Marshal corresponded assiduously with his brother at Montpellier. Tho^e who have been privileged to read those letters praise their vivid description, the wisdom of decisions, and their striking clearness of pre cision. After having been master of no vices for a long period, Father Ger main Foch retired to Montpellier about 15 years ago. He no longer teaches, but devotes much of his time to the confessional. Unfortu nately, he is now ill and infirm. With a great deal of difficulty he undertook the voyage to Paris to see his brother. A private car was provided for the trip by the railway company, but his state of fatigue was such that he could not go im mediately to visit his dying broth er. Told of the arrival of his broth er, the Marshal said quietly, “Let him rest first, then come to see me The mortal remains of the victor of the World War were therefore placed under the dome of the church of the Invalides, where Napoleon I also lies buried. The Hotel des Invalides, erected during the reign of Louis XIV as a shelter for aged soldiers wounded in the service of the King, contains a church dedicated to St. Louis. From the walls of tis church today there still hang banners captured during the wars of the Monarchy. In its tombs are interred the re mains of many illustrious warriors. The choir of the Church of St. Louis was part of the original construc tion, but the dome was not added until the 18th century. It is the work of the famous architect Har- douin Mansart and is the most per fect piece of architecture construct ed in France since the Renaissance. The interior beneath the dome is about 194 feet high. The golden cu pola has a high elevation, the cross at the top being 345 feet above the ground. Through a large opening in the center of the main floor may be seen the tomb of Napoleon in the crypt below. Five chapels about the circular space shelter the remains Of Joseph Bonaparte, King of Na ples, Jerome Bonaparte, Turenne and Vauban, and the heart of La Tour d’Auvergne. The sixth chapel, ded icated to St. Ambrose, was empty and it is there that Foch will be placed eventually. While the sepul chre is being prepared, the casket has been placed in a vcault of the i crypt. __ . i .. THOS S. GRAY, President. BOWDRE P. PHINIZY, Vice-President. R. M. RILEY, Cashier UNION SAVINGS BANK Augusta, Georgia COMMERCIAL AND SAVINGS ACCOUNTS SOLICITED. 31/2 PER CENT INTEREST “It takes warm water and soap to get a fellow clean.” —Recent Novel PLENTY OF HOT WATER Instantly When You Use A GAS WATER HEATER The Gas Light Co., of Augusta