OCR Text |
Show A BEATIFICATION OF ST. PETER (By E. Frederica LeFevre, in Denver News.) The great gray piazza before the cathedral ca-thedral is dark with people hours before the ceremony. From all directions they come, hurrying to the broad steps, many thousands on foot, hundreds more rattling rat-tling up in cabs that stop at some magic mag-ic boundary designated by an officer's hand, where the people climb out and the cab turns short about to rattle away. The elect drive by in landaus to the doprs around by the high altar, where the more exalted tribunes are, and all gentlemen must be in full evening dress. The ladies wear black gowns and black mantillas. Very few hats are to be seen, even in the throng on the piazza, for all the devout pilgrims wear veils and almost al-most all Romans. Then there are the black cassocks of the priests on all sides, for the whole crowd seems constituted con-stituted of them and their feminine parishioners. par-ishioners. No. it is not all so somber, this whole throng. There came the German college col-lege students in their crimson robe3 that quite justify the American who exclaimed ex-claimed he was glad to see so many young cardinals out taking the air. There are other groups of students, some with touches'of scarlet or green on the cassock's edge or lining, some in blue with canary trimming. Then there are the voluminous white robes of the sisters, just there marshaling their gray-cloaked novices in a compact, excited ex-cited little group. Uniforms of Vatican soldiery and police po-lice are now visible on the last flight of steps, where their ranks are a barrier the crowd must pass by, showing their papers of admission. Here and there is a Swiss guard with round, genial face and very little knowledge of the language about him, his physique and traditions so splendid and his uniform still the draedful potato-bug patch of red and yellow and black with the square beef-eater hat decorated with strange worsted plumes. The type of guard at the Vatican seems to mount a scale as it approaches the pontiff's person, from the small assorted sizes of police and soldiers, up through the big Swiss guards to the magnificent personal guards with their lofty crested crest-ed helmets. But I am ahead of the procession. pro-cession. Slowly the dark crowd surging up out of the colonnade-encircled piazza filters through the line of police by virtue of tickets, yellow, or white, or pink, or blue, according to rank and place. Each person asks of some ten or more officials offi-cials each in a different uniform the way to his or her particular tribuna. Patiently each time the way Is indicated, indi-cated, just as it has ben to the thousands thou-sands of others who have asked the Cfimo mioef Inn Whether one sits or stands is also a matter of degree. Happy are those entitled en-titled to even the hard benches or little camp stools they themselves have b rough t--fgr all this is long before the ceremony. ' There are thousands of people all patiently pa-tiently waiting the great moment of the pope's coming. All over the body of the church they stand close in fenced-off spaces each side of the wide center aisle. Around each of the great pillars that support Michael Angelo's vast dome are boxes in two tiers, and there are other tribunes each side of the far altar. In a great circle around the high altar beneath the dome sit pilgrim, priests and monks. In th open space were countless officials, hither and ! thither, in every imaginable uniform. The dark stuff of the "tribuna," the brocade hangings on the walls, the dark dress of the pilgrims, make a shadowy background to throw into high relief the gorgeous procession that is to come. Here and there a -young girl's white dress and veil, or a nun's coif stands out like some marble statue, for even the faces of the throng are not to be seen so intent are they on the little com-pendiums com-pendiums of the occasion distributed broadcast by Italian largesse. Far 'off at the end of the nave is a picture of the person to be beatified. A light is thrown over the picture from inslile its frame that gives it . an airy, celestial brightness, as the center of tha great golden rays that stand out all around it, save below, .where there are golden clouds. So first I see the Norman priest, Jean Eudes, and bent over my own compendium to read of him in this day of his elevation with pomp to the privilege privi-lege of - being called "beato" blessed. In the very first year of the seventeenth seven-teenth century there was born of humble hum-ble parents, but. devout, the little Jean, already dedicated by his mother's vow to the service of God. A gentle, modest boy, he grew to be a fine scholar, and soon took orders and rose to be a priest in Paris. Presently . there broke out the great plague that raged, up and down the land. Father Eudes went to meet It among the people of his own district, and fought bravely, succoring the needy, soothing the sick, comforting the dying and praying when others slept; After a time he went back to his studies, stud-ies, but was again called on to face the plague, while all around him fled for their lives, leaving the poor to die in terrible squalor. After his heroism he returned to his studies,, and then was appointed head of all the Norman missions, and began his powerful preaching. So potent was his eloquence that sinners abandoned, their vices, enemies were reconciled, usurers restored their ill-gotten gains, unholy books and pictures were brought and cast at the mlssionar's feet for burning. Fearless preached, indeed, he was, for he moved all the French court to tears, influencing Anne of Austria. There is an anecdote of his preaching over Louis XIV's bowed head at the irreverence ir-reverence of so devout a king's standing stand-ing courtiers. The gentlemen in waiting wait-ing fell hastily on their knees and Louis turning his head, saw more of the disrespect. dis-respect. Father Eudes did not feel that Versailles alone was In need of reform. The work of his missions convinced him of the need of a reform in the church. He set about founding seminaries. The Congregation of Jesus and Mary and of the Order of Our Lady of Charity he founded. , But what. Is happening? There Is a stir in the crowd, a long drawn sigh. Ah, it Is the light, coming out in crowns all over the pillars and In bright beams among the golden rays around Jean Eudes' picture. Everywhere the shadows of late afternoon have been deepening and now the lights flash out nf them while the still candles of the altar seem to. burn brighter. From the window high up at the end of . the church a great shaft of afternoon sunlight sun-light has shot across the dim interior to the main door. The hours of the ceremony ce-remony Is at hand. Slowly the sunlight moves a little and Is focused on the great entrance just above the heads of the tensely expectant people. "II est lo!" The monotonous, rhythmic rhyth-mic chants of the pilgrims cease, and the unseen singers around the altar are still. There are files of soldiers each side of the wide center aisle. Suddenly those nearest the door fa!! to their knees. The shaft of sunlight la burning on the high gold pontifical throne where the meek white robed Pope sits with one weary white hand raised in blessing. Down the church comes the procession proces-sion in all its solemn splendor. First walk the canons of St. Peter's, carrying their long rolls of parchment. Their robes are simple and of various darP shades of amethyst. After them, regu larly spaced, walking two and two, ar the Pope's chamberlains in black velvet vel-vet with white ruffs and magnificen' gold collars and shinrapiers. many oi them looking as if they had steppe, straight from a Van Dyke picture. With their armed presence they prepare pre-pare the way for the Pope borne on the stately throne on the shoulders of the lackeys in ruby velvet brocade, flanker by the files of the tall body guard with their crested helmets. At St. Peter's statue the Pope lifts the little skull cap from his head. He is not entirely robed in white, as the first impression makes him seem. Over the rich laces of his vestments falls the gold embroidered stole of the same rich, soft purple as the ermine-edged cape on hi? shoulders. The kind old face is very grave and sweet, aged greatly, the Venetians say. since the gentleman was called to his high estate and the weight of responsi-blliy responsi-blliy that has bent forward his head with a weary little droop. Slowly the high throne passes among the kneeling people, who holds up various var-ious rosaries "and crucifixes to be blessed. The short, measured steps of the crimson-clad lackeys are so ever, there Is no jar nor moving of the great burden they bear on their shoulder.-The shoulder.-The two files of huge guards seem with difficulty to regulate their long stride to the slow procession. What a blaz.-of blaz.-of color gleams out of the shadows: The crimson of the cardinals seems to emanate light. Nineteen of them walk behind his holiness in their brilliant robes. Then comes the archbishop of Paris, followed by a long line of bishops, walking two and two, their purple robes a rich background for the beautiful beau-tiful laces of their vestments. Last came the deacons of St. Peter's in amethyst ame-thyst cassocks. So the pageant passes in solemn procession pro-cession around the high altar and ascends as-cends into the glow of light around the distant altar and the bright picture of the saint. The files of soldiers draw j together In the central aisle and with rattling arms are drawn up In fours. . The Pope is at the altar and the choir begins the service. High, sweet boys' voices are answered by the men's chorus, and the dramatic tenor solo soars up as part of the light itself. The officiating clergy, In their rich capes, move before the altar. At one side the light seems concentrated on the crimson crim-son of the grouped cardinals, and In the brilliant light with a background of bright gold, the color is more re-splendant re-splendant than any other imaginable. In itself it confers distinction on the princes of the church. Again the people kneel as the Pope rises from the throne and, with the wnue ana goia cape lam on ms snuui-ders, snuui-ders, ascends the last steps to the altar table and the host. As he turns in benediction and again takes his plac-' the choirs sings a joyous "In Excelsis." Slowly the procession moves down again, around the high altar and out the aisle the soldiers have fallen back to form. The lofty gold throne passes majestically among the deepening shadenlng shadows, high over the bent heads of the throng and at last disappears. disap-pears. Ihe cardinals and bishops pass and are lost to sight. Still the people are silent. Some Swiss guards fall in line and march after their officer down the aisle to follow the Pope into the Vatican. Va-tican. Then, with a few of the attendant attend-ant clergy, comes the mitred bearer of the host with the little baldacchino borne above his head. After him the soldiers form their ranks and march out.' Quietly the vast crowd turns to leave the church, some pausing to pray here or there, all observing ob-serving Pius X's desire for silence In places of worship. Jean Eudes is titled blessed and will be sainted if he perform per-form miracles. The lights go out and evening shadows flill the great naves and aisles. |