THE GENERAL JUBILEE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 24, 13 June 1901, Page 3

THE GENERAL JUBILEE.

4 PASTORAL LETTER BY HIS LORDSHIP THE BISHOP OF DUNEDIN.

The following Pastoral Letter has been addreesed by the Right Rev. Dr. Verdon, Bishop of Dunedin, to the clergy and laity of the diocese : — Dearly beloved in Christ, — The Holy Year, the year of Jubilee in Rome, was closed with fitting ceremonial on Christmas Eve, and on the following day our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII, ever watchful for the spiritual interests of his children, issued an Encyclical Letter, in which he announced his intention of extending the privileges of the Jubilee to the faithful of the whole world. It is now our pleasing duty to publish the Holy Father's letter aud to announce that the Jubilee will commence in the diocese of Dunedin on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Friday, June 14. The following are the words of the Holy Father in which he announces the extension of the Jubilee :—: — 'As the sacred season which we closed yesterday with the solemnities of religion was a source of joy to Us while it lasted, so will it leave many grateful memories behind it. For, indeed, the sole desire and aim of the Church in renewing this celebration after the lapße of 75 years was to give a salutary impulse to men's minds and this, with God's help, we seem to have done. For not merely a few people, but hundreds of thousands from all ranks of society have, with gladness and eagerness, seized upon the extraordinary opportunity offered to them of gaining the holy indulgence of the Jubilee. Nor can we doubt but that the souls of very many have, by means of it, been cleansed by salutary penance and renewed to a life of Christian virtue ; and on that account we have just reason to believe that from this Bource and head of the Catholic name, a new increase of faith and piety has gone forth over the whole world. ' Hence, following the example set by our predecessors, it is nnw our intention to enlarge the bounds of apostolic charity and offer a more ample opportunity of obtaining heavenly favors. For, it is our wish that the Treasury of Sacred Indulgence which has been intrusted to Us, and which during the last year was thrown open in Rome only, should be thrown wide open to the whole body of the faithfnl of Christ during six months of the coming year. 4 We believe that this will help to bring back very many to the obeervanoe of a Christian mode cf life, to unite mep's hearts ar.d minds more closely to the Holy See, and to obtain for the people all those benefits which we treated of at length when we first proclaimed the Great Jubilee. It will also fittingly serve as a religious dedication for the opening of the new century : for we do not see how the new century can be more fittingly inaugurated than by bringing men to share very fully in the precious merits of the Redemption of Christ.

'We have not the least doubt but that all the children of the Church will receive this additional help to salvation in the same spirit in which we offer it. We have the fullest confidence that our venerable brethren the bishopp, and all the clergy will, with their accustomed watchfulness and zeal, exert themselves, an U right, to secure in the fullest degree the widespread results which are desired. ' Therefore, by the authority of Almighty God, of the Blessed Apostle P«ter and Panl. and by our Own, we do by this letter extend to the whole Christian world, and prolong for a period of piv months, the Or«it Jnbilee which has been celebrated in the Holy City, and we wish it to be considered as extended and prolonged. 4 Wherefore we grant and mercifully accord in the Lord, for once, the fullest indulgence, remission, and pardon of their sins to all the faithful of both sexes in all partß of the world— even to those who have come to Rome during the last year and there or anywhere eke gained under any conditions the Jubilee granted by us— who. within six months, to be reckoned from the publication of this lettt- r in any dioceae, shall have devoutly visited the Cathedral in the Episcopal city, or the principal church in other parts of the diocese, and who, moreover, whether living in the Episcopal city or in other parts of the diocese, shall have visited there three other churches, to be designated by the ordinaries themselves or their ofhoials either pir^h priests or vicars foran, at least once each day for 15 days in succession or with interruption either natural days or ecclesiastical days, that is from the first vespers of one day to nightfall of the following day. and who, truly penitent and having been at Confession and Holy Communion, shall have piously prayed to God for the exaltation of the Church, for the extirpation of heresy, for concord among Catholic princes and the welfare of the Christian people. The annual Confession and Paschal Communion, however, will not satisfy as conditions for gaining the Jubilee. ' But in places where there are not four ohurches, power is granted to the aforementioned ordinaries and in the aforesaid manner to designate a fewer number of churches— or even one if there be only one church — in which the faithful may be able to supply the visits to the churches by repeated and separate visits to them, or to it, on the same natural or ecclesiastical day, yet so that the number of all the visits be 60 distributed over 15 days consecutive or otherwise.' Dearly beloved, we have authentic records of the 22 Ordinary Jubilees that were celebrated during the last 600 years. History tells us that each of the Jubilees gave A Fresh Impulse to the Piety of the Faithful, and called forth remarkable manifestations of Catholio faith and devotion. Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII. witnessed the opening of the Jubilee in the year 1825, and he thus speaks of the impression which that great religious celebration produced upon him : ' We Ourselves witnessed in our youth how helpful to salvation was the last Jubilee decreed in solemn form during the pontificate of Leo XII., at a time when Rome was the greatest and safest theatre for public acts of religion. We remember the crowds of pilgrims • the multitudes that went in processional order from church to church the holiest in Christendom ; the Apostolic men who preached in the public streets of the city which resounded with the praises of God ; and the Pontiff with the College of Cardinals setting an example of piety and humility before the eyes of all the people.' Last year, the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who poured into Rome gave abundant proofs of their piety and of their devoted attachment to the Sovereign Pontiff, the successor of St. Peter We may hope that during this year of Jubilee similar manifestation of faith and piety will be witnessed in every part of the world. The Catholics of this diocese have, during the past years, given* very many proofs of their devotedness to religion, and we are confident that you, dearly beloved, will welcome the Jubilee as a season of grace and mercy, aud will hasten to comply with the conditions that must be fulfilled in order to gain the indulgences. Confession and Holy Communion, frequent visits to our churches, and earnest fervent prayer are the conditions laid down by the Holy Father for gaining the Jubilee. Prayer, dearly beloved, is the great power by which we can move heaven and obtain relief in all our wants. Whilst endeavoring to gain the indulgences of the Jubilee, the faithful in every land will gather round the altars of their churches, and with hearts and hands raised up towards heaven they will beseech the Almighty to look down mercifully upon His people. If ' the continual prayer of a just man availeth much,' what may we not expect from the united prayers of many millions of fervent Catholics ? We are poor weak creatures exposed to many temptations and dangers. We stand in need of help. Let us turn with confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus • let us appeal for mercy to the infinite love of the Eternal Son of God which induced Him to shed His precious blood for our redemption. And then, if we place our petitions in the hands of the Immaculate Mary Mother of God, we may hope and trust that our prayers will be granted and that we shall obtain a great abundance of grace and favor. The following regulations twill be observed in the diocese of Dunedin :—: — 1. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Friday, June 14, the Pope's Encyclical Letter will be published and the Jubilee will commence. It will continue for six months, and end on the evening of Friday* December 13. Jl 2. On Sunday, June 16, the Veni Creator will be sung or recited before the Parochial Mass in each church. On Sunday December 15, in every church, where it is possible, there will be solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament preceded by the Bineing of the Te Deum with prayer pro gratlarum actione. 3. From 14th June to 13th December the prayer Pro quacumque necessitate will be feaid as Oratio iviju-rata at Mass, whenever the rubric will allow it.