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Vol. xxvir, No. 7 TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, JULY 27, 1946
ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
Thousands Throng St. Peter’s in Rome for
Solemn Canonization of Mother Cabrini
FIRST U. S. CITIZEN SAINT
Sixteen Cardinals and Some Seventy Bishops, Among Them Bishop Gerald P. O’Hara of Sa-
vannah-Atlanta, Participate in Impressive Ceremony at Which Ilis Holiness Pope Pius XU
Proclaimed Foundress of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a Saint
By KATHERINE McKlEVER
(Staff Correspondent, N. C. W. C.
News Service)
ROME. — (Radio) — Mother
Frances Xavier Cabrini was ele
vated to the ranks of the sainted,
elect of God. The ceremonies, an
cient but ever-new, solemn, but
colorful, were conducted in the
great Bascilica of St. Peter- but
the glory of it was reflected
throughout the length and breadth
of the United States—the adopted
country of the new Saint.
The ritual which gave (he Unit
ed States its first citizen-Saint
lasted four hours, in a shortened
form. Omitted were the triple
postulations introduced into the
ceremony of canonization toward
the close of the 16th Century by
Pope Sixtus V.
Thirty thousand persons were
in the vast Basilica to hear His
Holiness Pope Pius XII solemnly
proclaim the Foundress of the Mis
sionary Sisters of the Sacred
Heart a Saint. The Holy Father
announced December 22—the date
of her death in Chicago in 1917—
as her feast day.
The immediate environs of the
Basilica were jammed with many
other thousands, many of whom
had congregated as early as 6 a. m.
when the solemn and colorful pro
cession which opened the cere
monies wended its way to the vast
church.
Sixteen Cardinals and some 70
Bishops took part in the brilliant
ceremonies. Heading-the pilgrims
who came from various sections of
the United States were Ilis Excel
lency Archbishop Amleto Giovanni
Cicognani. Apostolic Delegate in
Washington: Bishop Gerald P.
O’Hara of Savannah-Atlanla, Bi
shop Aloisius J. Muench of Fargo,
who is enroute to Germany where
he will serve as a liaison official
between- the Catholic Church
authorities and the American
Military Government: Bishop
Charles Pascal Greco of Alexan
dria. La., and Bishop Bernard J.
Sh'eil. Auxiliary of Chicago, who
arrived in Rome by plane only the
day before. Also present were some
50 Catholic Chaplains from the
European Theater of Operations.
American priests who came to
the Eternal City for this historic
occasion were signalled out for
extraordinary honors. Monsignors
John J. Bingham of New York,
Edward C. Pendcrgrasl of New Or
leans and Maurice J. Bourgeois of
Lafayette, La., helped to carry the
canopy beneath which the Holy
Father was borne into the basilica
on the gestatorial chair.
The Rev. Salvador Burgoi, C. M..
postulator of the cause for beati
fication of Mother Elizabeth Seton,
foundress of the Daughters ot
Charity of St. Vincent dc Paul in
the United States, had a place
near the Pope's throne through
out the ceremonies. Msgr. Francis
J. Brennan of Philadelphia, an
Auditor of the Sacred Roman
Rota, carried the Papal cross.
Bishop Bernard J. Sheil. Auxil
iary of Chicago and Msgr. George
J. Casey. Vicar General of the
Archdiocese of Chicago, were
chosen to present the ceremonial
candles offered to the Pope at the
end of the canonization ceremony
as a traditional oblation. Bishop
Pietro Calchi-Novatli of Lodi,
Italy. Mother Cabrini's birthplace,
also presented one of the candles.
At the head of the procession,
which formed in the Sala Regia of
the Vatican and entered the great
basilica through the main portal,
was Archbishop Luigi Traglia,
Viceregent of Rome. He was es
corted by ecclesiastical and lay
personnel of the Rome Vicariate,
and by court* notables carrying a
gigantic standard on which an
image of Mother Cabrini was re
produced. In the line of march
were Benedictines from San An-
selmo, who chanted the Litany of
the Saints.
The procession was a veritable
sea of color. The rich and purple
robes of Cardinal, Archbishop and
Bishops contrasted with the vari-
liued colors of Dominican, Ca
puchin, Augustinian and the rep
resentatives of other religious
communities who took part in the
march.
The Holy Father, serene and
smiling, was borne on the Sedia
Gestatoria- and his appearance
was the signal for a tumultous ap
plause. Shouts of ‘Viva II Papa”
greeted his as the vast crowd pres
sed as close as possible toward his
chair.
v ’ 1 Hiiauupmii. ^mcago, INCW
Orleans. Dallas and other parts of
the United States, occupied a spec
ial section in the Basilica for the
rituals.
Before entering the Basilica,
the Pope adored the Blessed Sac
rament in the Pauline Chapel of
the Vatican. Once inside the great
edifice, he offered a short praver
before the main altar of the Ba
silica and then was borne to his
throne, directly under St. Peter’s
Chair.
The procession was the largest
seen at the Vatican since the
canonization of St. John Bosco on
Easter Sunday in 1934.
The solemn ritual of canoniza
tion reached its climax when, fol
lowing the singing of "Veni
Creator.” the Holy Father intoned
the onening phrase of the “To
Deum." - the bells of St. Peter's
began to ring out the glorious
news. The Bells of Churches
throughout the City of Rome pick
ed up the message and for the
next half hour their joyous peal
ing continued.
The Holy Father went to a
small throne near the main en
trance where he vested for the
first Mass in honor of St. Frances
Xavier Cabrini. His Eminence
Clemente Cardinal Micara served
as Assistant Priest at the Mass.
Ilis Eminence Giuseppe Cardinal
Bruno was Deacon, and Msgr.
Frances J. Brennan, of Philadel
phia- stationed here as an Auditor
of the Sacred Roman Rota, was
Sub-Deacon. The Deacons of Hon
or were His Eminence Nicola
Cardinal Canali and His Eminence
Giovanni Cardinal Mercati.
The Epistle and Gospel of the
Mass were sung in Latin and in
Greek, with a long Greek singing
of the Gradual after the Epistle.
Before the Offertory, the tra
ditional oblations offered to the
Holy Father at a canonization were
presented. As usual, these con
sisted of gilded casks containing
wine and water, turtle doves, sing
ing birds in a silvered cage, offer
ings of bread- and three orna
mented candles. The candle which
bore a picture of Mother Cabrini
was presented to IPs Holiness by
Monsignor Casey of Chicago, the
cit.v where Saint Frances Xavier
Cabrini died.
Among the dignitaries of the
diplomatic corps who were pre
sent were Myron C. Taylor, per
sonal representative of President
Harry S. Truman at the Vatican;
Franklin C. Gowen, a member of
his staff: Jacques Martain, Ambas
sador from France to the Holy See,
and Ambassador Joseph P. Watshe,
Ireland’s envoy at the Vatican
In his homily in Latin in the
course of the canonization cere
monies. the Holy Father said the
life of the new Saint — who was
born in one country and became a
citizen of another, spending a
great part of her active life there
—should teach men they arc call
ed to constitute a single family.
This family must not be “divid
ed in ambiguous and stormy rival
ry. non dissolve itself in eternal
hostilities.” but must be united in
brotherly love after the command
and the example of Christ, the
Holy Father said.
Stating it was “with great com
fort' that he honored the heroic
nun with the halo of the saints,
the Pontiff spoke of her as a
“humble child” who distinguish
ed herself by virtue, rather than
by riches or power. Recalling her
work for the sick and infirm and
above all for the immigrant-the
Holy Father said the source of
the frail Religious' indomitable
strength was to be found in faith,
human charity and incessant
prayer.
At the Communion. Cardinal
Bruno and Monsignor Brennan
brought the Host and the Chalice
to the Holy Father for the Papal
Communion. The Pope received
the Precious Blood from the
Chalice through a golden tube.
At the conclusion oT the Mass,
the Holv Father again was borne
from the Basilica on the Sedia
Gestatoria. beneath the canopy.
As he emerged from the church,
he was greeted once again by
shouts of joy from the multitudes,
upon whom he bestowed his bless
ings.
During the canonization cere
monies. the Holy Father was as
sisted by the Rev. Salvatore M.
Burgio, C. M.. of Emmitsburg,
Md.. the postulator in the pending
cause for canonization of Mother
Elizabeth Seton. another renowned
United States religious.
As the solemn ceremonies were
in progress in the Basilica, a plane,
flying low over the Eternal City
dropped leaflets bearing a picture
of Mother Cabrini and quotations
from her writings as a souvenir of
the canonization to the crowds in
St. Peter’s Square.
A delegation of nuns of the Mis-
sionary Sisters of the Sacred
Heart, which was founded by St.
ROM E.—(RADI O, N C)—Sever
al thousand pilgrims, including
many Missionary Sisters of that
Sacred Heart who came here front
all quarters of the globe for that
canonization of their foundress,
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, were
received by Ilis Holiness Pope
Pius XII in the Hall of Benedic
tions in special audience.
The Holy Father extolled Moth
er Cabrini as a heroine of modern
times, and commented at length
on her spiritual development, pro
digious apostolate. mystical fer
vor and holy death. He exhorted
the nuns to carry on the spirit of
St. Frances Cabrini and her heri
tage in the apostolic Works en
trusted to them. At the conclusion
of his remarks, the Pontiff bestow
ed his blessing upon the nuns,
among whom were regional Su
periors of the Community in
Chipa.
Bulletins
A CATHOLIC BISHOP, the
Most Rev. John I'. O'Hara, C. S.
C., of Buffalo, spoke oil invita
tion recently to a group of
Buddist abbots, representing Ja
pan's leading Buddist sects, in an
ancient Buddist temple at Kyoto,
Japan. Bishop O'Hara asked the.
Buddhist leaders in the name of
the fundamental virtues to which
Buddhists and Catholics are de
voted. to form a common front
against materialism and im
morality. Abbot llashimoto of
Nislii llonganji Temple told
Bishop O'Hara. "YVc would be
glad lo cooperate with the Catho
lic Church in the struggle against
evil in the modern world.”
NEIL MacNEILL, assisting
managing editor of The New
York Times, will he (lie speaker
on tlic Catholic Hour for Sunday,
July 28. His subject will be “Our
Moral Standards.” Dr. George F.
Donovan, president of Webster
College, YVebstcr Groves, Mo., will
speak on the Catholic Hour pro
gram on the Sundays during Au
gust. His talks will be under the
general title, “The Road Ahead,”
FATHER JAMES M. GILLIS,
C. S. P., editor of The Catholic
JVorld, will be guest speaker al
the States Dinner to be held Aug-
_ ust 21 at Miami Beach, Fla., as
the principal public function of
the 64th annual meeting of the
Supreme Council of the Knights
of Columbus.
ANNOUNCEMENT has been
made that Ilis Holiness Pope Pius
XII has elevated Bishop J. Francis
A. McIntyre, I). D., V. G.. Auxi
liary Bishop of New York, to be
Titular Archbishop of Paltus and
Coadjutor Archbishop of His
Eminence Cardinal Spellman,
Archbishop of New York.
This statue of Mother Cabrini, first American citizen raised to the
altar of sainthood in the Catholic Church, was carved by Enrico
Tadolini, noted Italian sculptor, and was placed in St. Peter’s Basilica
on the occasion of her formal canonization. Mother Frances Xavier
Cabrini, who founded the Institute of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, came to New York from Italy in 1889 and died in
Chicago in 1917. Her remains repose In the chapel of the Mother
Cabrini High School, New York City. She was beatified in 1938.—(N.
C. Photos).
U. S. Citizen Enrolled as a Saint
His Holiness Pope Pius XII reads from the Book of Declaration
enrolling in the Catalog of Saints of (lie Church, Mother Frances
Xavier Cabrini, Foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred
Heart. She is the first citizen of the United States to be canonized
as a Saint.—(AP Radio Photo—NCWC).
Published by the
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men's Association
of Georgia
nlUiin
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spective of Creed”