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EFBRUARY 29, 1936 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION Of’ UEUKUlA i nin i noLiN Holy Father s 14 Years of Pontificate His Holiness Pope Pius XI on Feb. 12, began ihe 15th year of his pontificate, gloriously reigning in Vatican City, (1) the Papal State revived by the signing of the Lateran Treaty,, Feb. 11, 1929: (2) Photo taken in late January 1932, of the Archbishop of Milan, Achilles Ratti, one week before his election to the Papacy: (3) Pope Pius XI, ' The Pope cf Science, photographed in the garden at the inauguration of the Vatican's hydraulic plant, in 1933; (4) The Holy Father. ‘The Pope of Missions,” absorbed in prayer, in the chapel of tile new home of Propaganda Fide, which he consecrated, in 1929; (5) The Sovereign Pontiff, “The Pope of Catholic Action,” wearing the triple tiara, raising his hand in blessing, a scene which occurred often .during the Holy Year of Jubilee and on the many occasions of Beatification, Canonizations and the elevation of new Cardinals. , Achievements Make Pius XI Greatest Figure of the Age His Settlement of Roman Question Would in Itself Make His Place in History Secure, But It Is Only One of Numerous Distinguished Accomplishments (Continued from Page One) dies, and especially the clergy, to a most careful and accurate study of Oriental discipline in the intention of opening more easily the ways for return of the separated brethren of the Orient to unity with the true Church; Mens Nostra of December 20, 1929, recommending Retreats,Quin- quagesimo Anno of December 23, 1929, marking the 50th anniversary of his ordination; Divinis Iflius Magistri of December 31. 1929. on the Chris tian education of children; Casti Ccn- nubii of December 31, 1930, on Chris tian marriage; Quadragesimo Anno of May 15, 1931, with which the social doctrine of Leo XIII was repeated, confirmed and related to the prob lems of the moment; Non abbiamo bisogno of June 29, 1931, on Catholic Action; Nova impendent of October 2, D- reflected not only by his remarkable Encyclical and other pronounce ments on this subject, but also by his sponsorship of the Missionary Expo sition at the Vatican, and later, the establishment of the Latteran Mis sionary Museum; his zeal for the pro motion of native clergy; his conse cration of six native Chinese Bishops at the Vatican in October, 1926: his consecration of the first native Japa nese Bishop at the Vatican in Octo ber, 1927. Parish Publications in Vatican Exhibit CI O- DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS A The Lateran Treaties, signalizing the settlement of the Roman Ques tion, were signed on February 11, 1929, almost seven years to the day from the coronation of Pius XI as Pope. Previous to this, the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI had seen the conclu sion of Concordats with Latvia in 1922, with Bavaria in 1924, with Po land in 1925, and with Lithuania in "1927. Subsequently Concordats were concluded with Roumania and Prus sia in 1929, with the Grand Duchey of Baden in 1932, with Germany in 1933, with Austria in 1934, and with Jugo slavia in 1935. In addition, two conventions were f ifned with France in 1926, two in ’ortugal in 1928 and 1929, a modus vivendi with Czechoslovakia in 1928, and a convention with Roumania in 1932. In all 19 diplomatic pacts were con cluded in the first 14 years of Pope Pius XI’s Pontificate. This appears to be a rcord, since history reveals that even in the long reign of Pope Pius IX—32 years—only 18 diplomatic pacts were signed. £ ON CATHOLIC ACTION -n His zeal for the spread of “Catho lic Action” has been a mark of Pope Pius XI’s Pontificate. He gave it decided impetus, defining it in his first Encyclical as the participation of the laity in the Apostolate of the Hierarchy. He expressed the wish that it be spread in every land, and brought about that it was recognized and sanctioned by the civil authori ties in Concordats concluded with the various nations. His Holiness made it emphatic that “Catholic Ac tion” is detached from dependencies of a political nature, but under the strict and immediate dependency of the Bishops and restricted to the field of activity of spiritual interests. Pope Pius XI’s great interest in Catholic Missions has been strikingly □ | CANONIZATIONS ! u — □ It has been said that no other Pon tificate has been as rich as that of Pope Pius XI in Beatifications and Canonizations. Among the Saints canonized by His Holiness are: St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, the Little Flower of Lisieux; St. Peter Canisius, Jesuit, who at the same time was declared a Doctor of the Church; St. Margaret Postel. Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy; St. Madeleine So phia Barat, Foundress of the S’sters of the Sacred Heart; St. Joseph Bap tist Mary Vianney, Parish priest of Ars: St. John Eudes, Founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary; St. Catherine Thomas, Augustinian Sis ter; St. Lucy Filippini, Foundress of the Religious Teachers; Sts. John de Brebceuf and Companions, American Martyrs: St. Robert Bellarmine, S. J., Cardinal, who was proclaimed a Doc tor of the Church; St. Theophilus of Corte, Friar Minor; St. Albert the Great, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church; St. Andrew Hubert Fournet, Founder of the Daughters of the Cross; St. Bernadette Soubirous, to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared at Lourdes; St. Joan Antide Thouret, Foundress of the Sisters of Charity; St. Louise de Marillac, Foundress of the Daughters of Charity; St. Mary Michaela of the Blessed Sacrament, Spanish Foundress of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration; St. Theresa Margaret Redi, a Carmelite nun; St. Pompilius Maria Pirrotti, of the Reli gious Teachers; St. Joseph Cotto- lengo, St. John Bosco, Founder of the Salesians; St. Conrad of Parzham, Capuchin, and Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, English Martyrs. Pope Pius XI has paralleled a deep and practical interest in science with a staunch patronage of the arts. His constant promotion of the Pontifical Academy of Science, his erection and personal use of the Vatican City radio station, his transfer to Castelgandolfo and re-equipment of the Vatican Ob servatory, and his numerous other advancements of technical know ledge, have been matched by the building renovation of Vatican City, his restoration of the Papal Villa at Castelgandolfo, his construction of the new Vatican Art Gallery, his splendid renovation of the entrance to the Museums, the re-equipment and recataloguing of the famous Vatican Library, and other artistic monuments of his inspiration. Remarkable also have ben the Holy .. The International Exhibition of the Catholic Press to be held in Rome in May will include a display of parish publications, and parishes having publicatiens and wishing them en tered in the exh'bit are requested to send them to The Bulletin which will forward them to Charles H. Rid- dcr of The Catholic News, New York, secretary-treasurer. The Most Rev. Hugh C. Boyle, D. D., Bishop of Pitts burgh, and chairman of the Depart ment of Press of the National Catholic Welare Conference, is honorary chairman of the United States Com mitte, Joseph J. Quinn, editor of The Southwest Courier and president of the Crthol'c Press Association is chairman, and Frank A. Hall, direc tor of the N. C. W. C. News Service and Richard Reid, editor of The Bul letin. with Mr. Bidder, are the other members. Holy Father as Vigorous at 79 as in His Earlier Days Rumors of His 111 Health Amuse Him—He Never Com plains of Fatigue and Ne ver Loses His Majestic Calm and His Fatherly Kindline ss Jacksonville Scouts Entertain Knights Pope Pius XI has completed 14 years of his Pontificate without ap pearing hi the least to feel exhaus tion despite the extraordinarily hard work he* has done. To convince one self that his 14 years of labors have been anything but slight, it is suf ficient to reflect on the unusual con ditions of the world agitated by for midable post-war problems and by the dangers and the anguish of new wars, and on the three Jubilees (Holy Year 1925, Jubilee Year of his priesthood of 1929-30, and the Holy Year of the Jubilee of the Redemp tion 1933-34) which Pius XI cele brated and which have never before occurred in any one Pontificate. (Special To The Bulletin) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Troop 41, Boy Scouts of America of St. Paul’s Church presented “Time Versus Boy Scouts of America” before Father Maher Council at the Carling Hotel Ballroom recently, adding a new tri umph to the achievements of the troop. Father's labors for the intensifica tion and extension of the Hierarchi cal, disciplinary and scientific gov ernment of the Church; his establish ment of new ecclesiastical provinces; his interest in the field of ecclesias tical studies and education, a monu ment to which is the Apostolic Con stitution Deus Scientiarum Dominus; his establishment of a half-dozen colleges in Rome; his erection of splendid new quarters for old and and established colleges; his multi plication of seminaries throughout Italy; his erection of new Apostolic Nunciatures and Delegations; the numerous royal personages and heads of States that have visited him at the Vatican; his appeal to the charity of the world, early in his Pontificate, for the starving people of Russia; his expedition of help sent to that coun try, although the anti-religious sen timents of the Soviet Government were well known. No review of the last 14 years, how ever cursory, could overlook three other events outstanding in the Pon tificate of His Holiness Pope Pius XI. These were the Holy Year of Jubilee of 1925, the twenty-third in the his tory of the Church, which brought hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the Vatican; the celebration in 1929 of the fiftieth anniversary of the Holy Father’s ordination to the priesthood, and the Extraordinary Holy Year of Jubilee which began in 1933 to com memorate the Nineteenth Centtnary of the Redemption. Pope Pius XI’s Pontificate is aptly characterized by a phrase which the Holy Father adopted from a friend of his youth, a friend whom he later enrolled in the Calendar of Saints — Saint John Bosco. The phrase is this: “Always wish to be in the ad vance guard of progress.” As evidence of the freshness of strength and energy with which Pius XI has faced the formidable work of the last 14 years, one may refer to the daily chronicles which tell of the audiences, receptions, speeches, .cer emonies that the Pope holds, with out a moment of fatigue or truce. The Holy Year Extraordinary for the Nineteenth Centenary of the Re demption, for example, was though of and proclaimed exclusively by him, when no one expected it, and it was his desire that it should be car ried out with the same solemnity or the Holy Years,although he well knew from the experience of the Holy Year Ordinary of 1925, what he had to face. Those who have the fortune to live in Rome and frequent the Vat- can every day, at the hours of the audiences, see the Pope making the round of the large halls of the Pa pal Palace, always with the same majestic calm, always with the same fatherly smile, in the act of giving his right hand to be kissed by the innumerable crowds, or stopping to speak, to exhort, to encourage, to console, to bless. All have seen him indefatigable in this which is one of his practical daily occupations. No one has ever heard him mention fa tigue, or refuse to see his Children. One of the ordinary phrases of his discourses and generally the first with which he begins to speak, is that of the joy he feels as Common Father of the faithful. In 1922, a few months after Pius XI ascended to the Papal Throne, Monsignor Hermengild Pellegrinetti who had been his secretary and au ditor when he was Nuncio in Poland, was created Archbishop of Adana and sent as Apostolic Nuncio to Belgrade, a post that he still holds today. On coming to Rome for his consecration, the new Archbishop visited the Pope more than once and one day told a friend that on seeing Pius XI so absorbed and intent on work, he had respectfully asked him to moderate it, to reserve his strength. But the Pope in reply looked at him smiling calmly and said that from the moment of his election as Supreme Pontiff he had considered his life as ended and had resolved to give it all, without limi tation or restriction, to the new of fice to which God had called him; if Providence wished to grant him some more years of life, well; other wise he willingly sacrificed i; to the duties of his office. Many years after the conversation wiih Archbishop Pelligrinetti, and precisely at the conclusion of the twelfth year of his Pontificate, the Pope said to one of his daily collab orators, Mcnsignor Alfred Ottaviani, then Substitute cf the Secretariat of State and new Assessors of the Holy Office- “I must really thank Provi dence, Who, during these twelve years has never permitted me to be ill even for a day. Who has never obliged me to remain one day in bed. Yes, I must really thank Provi dence.” Now, two more years have again passed and Pius XI can repeat his words. Notwithstanding his age and work. Pius XI shews a vigor, a fresh ness, which many young men would not have. A few evenings ago, at five minutes to ten Engineer Castelli, Di rector General of the Technical Of fice of the Vatican City, was at the end of an audience with the Pope that had lasted more than two hours, and he felt really tired out. The Holy Fa ther perceived it and. dismissing him, said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world: “Yes, I also feel a little tired now towards evening.” "Notwithstanding this rumors of some imaginary illness of his continue being periodically spread. Those who work in the field of the press and have the possibility of seeing the Pope every day, are every now and then asked by telephone whether it be true that the Pope is ill? This newspaper or this agency has published news of the illness of the Pope, is it true? This has happened on days when we our selves have seen Pius XI at some ceremony, or have heard him speak. We have hard work to persuade our questioner that the Pope is really well and that his health seems to challenge the passing of the years without giv ing any sign of weakness. Once, dur ing the Holy Year of the redemption when there were two sanctifications (the longest and most fatiguing papal ceremony) within a week both per sonally presided over by Pius XI, an “Information Bureau” sent from Rome the news that the Pope was ill and that five doctors were at his bed side! “Pius XI knows all this and it is a subject of amusement for him. More than once he has said in his private conversations and sometimes also in his public ones that from all parts come to him advice on health, offers of services by doctors, packets of medicine and that all this touches him because it is a sign of the interest the world takes in the life of the Pope, but that, thanks to God, he has no need of any of it. His life and health he says, are first of all in the hands of divine Providence in which he so fully trusts.”