Priest War Heroes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 35, 16 September 1925, Page 15

Priest War Heroes

§l, |g|; A RECENT PARADE IN PARIS A WONDERFUL PATRIOTIC MANIFESTATION

\ A.press message, under date June 28, says: A sight surely without precedent was witnessed recently on a Sunday - evening on the Champs Elysees, the . most magnificent thoroughfare of the capital. ~~ : At .an hour, when the Champs Elysees. was filled with traffic of every description, sump-

tuous limousines, crowded motor busses, mo- • tor cars, luxurious equipages and thousands of human beings returning from business or a pleasure, a touching procession moved- up I the avenue of triumph. Several hundred priests and religious following the tri-color of France, garbed in the habits of the Dominicans, or the white mantels of the Carmelites or plain black cassocks, moved slowly up the Avenue toward the Arc do Triomphe. Some walked with canes, others dragged themselves along on crutches, still others groped their way, holding to the hand of a companion, their blinded eyes concealed behind black glasses. Some of the cassocks showed empty sleeves; but on every breast shone the colors of numerous decorations: the Legion of Honor, the Medaille Militaire, the Croix do Guerre, all the highest that France can give. They;[marched simply, with no attempt at military alignment, . silently; and with no effort to strike an effect. A sort of stupor took hold of the hurrying crowds —a stupor which was immediately converted into 4 a manifestation of the most tremendous respect. Feeding Flame of Patriotism. v *. .The religious former combatants, were on their way fto feed the flame at "the Arc de" Triomphe. It is a pious custom, established '. two years ago, to keep a vigil light burning perpetually on the tomb of the Un- ' - known Soldier. Each evening at 6 o'clock l|s group of former combatants comes to revive .it};-.;'---f-, \r-% ,■- '•'• -,.->; & '■',.-■'-. :'.. "'' 'Q.4 ."A^ 1 ,. On this particular Sunday the members

of the League of -Religious Former Combatants, had met in Paris to hold their annual congress. ; They asked permission of the Committee of Veterans Associations to light the flame. Their request was granted. A few minutes, before the ceremony the religious assembled at the corner of the Avenue des Champs. Elysees and the Avenue \ des Champs George .V, near- the American Protestant pro-cathedral. From here they marched in procession to the Place de TEtoile, behind' the flag of the League of Religious Former Combatants. Abbe Michaux, of Lyons, former commander of an aviation •escadrille, was the flag-bearer. Almost spontaneously ten thousand persons joined the procession. v' ,U. - ■ .'.,- Blind Priest Given Symbolic Sword. When the religious had arrived at the Arc de Triomphe, the president of the League for the Defence of the Rights of Religious Former Combatants, Jacques Pericard, the man who, in the midst of a heroic battle, gave the historic command: "Arise, dead men!" left the crowd and took by the hand a religious with black glasses who wore the long beard of the missionary. It was the blind Assumptionist, Father Valerien Lathuille, who gave his eyes for his country during an assault where he. was but an humble

poilu in the ranks. In his hand was placed the symbolic sword with which he ' istirrec' the flame on* the ; famous tomb to make it burn higher and more clearly. - : "■:-' r A moment later and the vice-president of the League, Dom. Moreau, a Benedictine, came forward. In a few words he explained the ceremony. "During' the war," he said, "we religious, former combatants, and' our brothers of the secular clergy, who joined us, were the companions of him who sleeps here and who may have been"" one -of the

religious or one of the priests like ourselves. "I Before-dispersing, y. we-shalb pray for him who lies here, or all those who fell in the Great War, for our beloved country. Unknown Soldier, and all dead of the tremen. dous conflict,, may your souls rest in peace J" I Crowd Joins in Prayer. T ~// - ihj Dom Moreau then began to recite the-** "Our Father,", and ten thousand voices.-' | made the responses. When the great crowd had made the sign of the cross, # it broke §1 forth into a storm of applause, which the ■( religious sought in vain to repress. Then, accompanied" by the sympathy of all present, the religious dispersed. . Work of the League. > . After attending in the Basilica of the Sa- • cred Heart, a Mass celebrated by Cardinal w Dubois, the members of the League had held ; their business session in a hall in Paris. An account was rendered of the activity of the. League, which has been, in existence . only a little over a year.- To further Spelp| abrogation of the laws discriminating against religious . Orders, the -'. League has distributed several million tracts, pasted up - four hundred thousand posters, mailed one : hundred and fifty thousand pamphlets and three hundred and twenty thousand post ■■'■/; cards, organised 887 conferences. The resuits of this activity have been striking. ' They have moved not only the Catholics but. r have drawn the attention of all honest people , "c of '■ whatever creed who have a respect J for .^

justice; and the anti-clerical sects. have been,, forced to take the matter under", consideration, ; for since their return to power, despite repeated threats, not a single actual measure has been taken against the religious. '- ■■ • It must be noted that, thanks to the generosity of the Catholics of Paris, not a single one of the; religious who came to Paris for the congress was forced*: to stop at a hotel. The Catholic families fought for t: the honor of opening, their homes to the heroes who had ?| fought for'them. • , - J "~ -*>^

j. . Petain'Silent Observer. \- By a curious coincidence, the man who, ■flaring'the war, was on« of the great chiefs of all these ex-service men, was able to witness their assembly. In a corner of the im-

mense nave of the Sacred Heart Basilica, Marshal Petain, in civilian clothes, accompanied by his wife, had come-to hear Mass. He was able to observe the touching reunion of all these former officers and enlisted men. But none of them knew he Mas there.