The Feilding Star Oroua and Kiwitea Counties' Gazette MONDAY, JUNE 21, 1920. HISTORIC CONGRESS

Feilding Star, Volume 4, Issue 813, 21 June 1926, Page 4

The Feilding Star Oroua and Kiwitea Counties' Gazette MONDAY, JUNE 21, 1920. HISTORIC CONGRESS

Chicago claims, and not without, seme solid statistical justiication, that the Eucharistic Congress which opened in that city yesterday and continues throughout tin's week is the greatest religious demonstration, in the world’s history, lull of great records as that history is. It is something new even in the land id new and; biggest-ever things for America, to have such a. tremendous event to help to make history in . a country remarkably bare, like New Zealand, of historic records. There are no ancient keeps, castles, abbeys, cathedrals cities, and holy ' places such as ,Great Britain and Ireland possess. It happens that Chicago has the holiest ana' most dial lowed of the places in the New World, for just ■250 years ago father -James Marquette, a young French -Jesuit priest, celebrated Mass on a portable altar on the site upon which Chicago now stands. Father Marquette, had for In’s congregation only the two companions who had accompanied him. Hence the great festival that is being held there this week, which is being attended by* over 1,000,000 Catholics, for whom the Pope has sent blessed medals that in the aggregate weighed. 10 tons. One of the reasons, why it is tli greatest-ever gathering’ is that it is being attended by no lower than 20 wearers of the coveted red hat (earu'inals), 40 archbishops (including l)r. Tied wood, of New Zea-1 land), 260 bishops, and thousands of priests, among whom are several from New Zealand.