CANONISATION OF THE LITTLE FLOWER

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 39, 14 October 1925, Page 25

CANONISATION OF THE LITTLE FLOWER

(By Rev. L. Rumble, M.S.C.)

The whole world wanted it! St, Teresa of the Child Jesus had whispered before she died that she was going to spend her heaven doing good upon earth, and it was not very long before the news was spreading like wildfire through the whole —civilised - and uncivilised. All that was best in France was on its knees before this new girl-Saint; Ireland was invoking her ; proud England held up suppliant hands to her; the peasant of Germany, the wealthy of America, the children of Australia and Africa and China and Papua, and all the world joined in laying before “The Little Flower” their deepest and most far-reaching desires. And for them all this wonderful little Saint had something. And so, of course, the whole world wanted her . canonised ! She was declared “Venerable.” It was not enough. She was “Beatified.” The faithful were not satisfied. Petitions still poured into Rome. The Holy Father hesitated. It all seemed too rapid . . . too soon. ■ • • But the Little Flower went on showering down her roses . . . and her grateful clients continued to publish her praises . . . and then the. Holy Year came . . . and the' Cause was won. This new little Saint, whom we all seem to have known, must be raised to the Altars of the Church. So the whole world was told that in this Holy Year of 1925, on Sunday, 17th of May, the canonisation would take place of Soeur Therese of Lisieuxthe Little Flower of Jesus. And to ns in Rome it seemed that the faithful were not yet satisfied. They wanted her canonised —hut they all wanted to be there Weeks before the ceremony .we were told of. the thousands who would flock to Rome. There were stories of 25,000 from France; of great pilgrimages preparing in America; .of trainlbads from Germany. There were rumors that the pilgrims would have first claim, and that we of Rome were to be asked to stay away! : r Let me confess that I owe the Little Flower quite ,a lot —more than one first-class mir-

aele! But then, too, I am here from Kensington— Kensington for which the Little Friends of the Little Flower have done so much —ah, it was impossiblel had to he there. It meant an early application for tickets—alas 1 without fruit. Everyone had The same-story to tell — “more visitors than St. Peter’s will hold.” So it meant a. Novena to Sceur Therese herself. . On the sixth day came a ticket. It was not to a very good position, but at least inside the Basilica, present at the ceremony ! The. Novena continued. On the eighth day came a better ticket contrary to all expectations—this time in sight of the very altar where the Holy Father himself was to say the Canonisation Mass. Could I do less than let you share all that grace brought to me? Come, then, and take your place too in the mighty crowd —and sec, and hear, and pray, with these thousands from the ends of the earth ! It meant getting up at 3 o’clockbecause the ceremony was to begin at 8 am.. I said my Mass at four and was at St. Peter’s at six—but I think the crowd must have been waiting all night! However, there was a spare seat right opposite the High Altar, where every word the Holy Father spoke could bo heard, and every action seen. Two hours of waiting! But there was Office to be said, and the Rosary, and friends to be thought of— and intentions to be formedand all the bright scene to be enjoyed. The Basilica was again a vision of red velvet and white marble, with its vaulted roof of golden mosaics. Again the shadowy haze floated up into the fathomless dome. But, ah, what a difference in radiance ! The very walls were draped with garlands of glittering candles and glass clusters—climbing the great columns, lining the capitals, spanning the great arches. And still more candles came as the procession commenced to enter the Cathedral of the world, with the great banner of the Little Flower at its head —a banner 20 feet high and almost as wide, which was carried across to the platform of brown habits and cream mantles that told of the Carmelite rule. Then the bishops came, more than 150 they say, and the cardinals, more than 30 all told —but ©yes, ears, and hearts were "hungry still, hungry, till down the vast spaces from above floated the strains of the Papal March. It is ever new, this coming of the Holy Father among his people—but when “his people” are from abroad and are seeing Christ’s Vicar for the first time, in their lives, the pen does not exist which could convey a true impression of the scene. Clapping, ’cries of welcome, of reverence, of love; deep appeals for special blessings ; and benedictions from thousands of throats in all the languages of the civilised world echo and re-echo from wall to wall. There are tears . . . and long-drawn breaths . . . for the human heart is too

small for all that then floods upon it . . . the brain will, not act . . , thought just • stops. The whole being seems to have reached the limit of its powers before the arrest-2 ing experience. One is not on earth; nor yet in purgatory nor yet again in heaven M I* can only be accounted for by a sort of “fourth dimension” . . . so that for us Catholics there are four great realities —earth, purgatory and heaven—and St. Peter’s ih the presence of the Vicar of Christ. . The Pope was passing. Under the wonderful silk canopy, between the waving fans, he sat enthroned, blessing gently, beautifully, reverently, sincerely—till he was gone by to bless yet others of that 80,000 crowd. | A sound broke in upon the silence of prayer. A single voice rang, out clearly . ’ strongly. It seemed . incredible, yet already the Pope was enthroned, tho r Cardinals , had paid their homage, and the Cause . had begun. ‘ ' • A lost Holy bather.” the voice was say--mg, “the Very Reverend Cardinal Procurator earnestly begs your Holiness'to in- : sert in the list of. the Saints the name of the Blessed Therese.” “Ah,” replied the Sovereign Pontiff, “I am indeed edified by her virtues and miracles, but before T pass judgment wo must pray. And the Litany of Saints was intoned. It was an impossibility that heaven would not listen to those 80,000 voices in reply ! “Pray for us, spare us, be propitious have mercy on us, rang out before the vast- assembly 01 the Saints, ran through to Our Blessed Lady and cried to the very Lamb of God. - ' Most Holy Father,” the voice was encouraged to say again; “the Very Rever- : end Cardinal Procurator more earnestly - begs ...” A ■ . ‘ T"' ; ( ' f “Stay,” said the ouch more; “Let us first appeal to the Holy Spirit”—and he: intoned the TV/?/, Creator. Again 80 000: voices took up the appeal. “Come, Mighty : Spirit; come, Fount of Life, Fire of Charity, enkindle light in our hearts and minds.” “Holy Father, most earnestly . . “Yes, yes, it is pleasing to God,” replied the Vicar of Christ. . . And the. event; of their lifetime was experienced by all those present in St. Peter’s that day. Seated on the Cathedral as Doctor and Infallible Head of the Church, solemnly the Pope uttered i these words: “In honor of the Holy and Undivided: Trinity, for the exaltation of the Catholic? Faith and the spread of the Christian religion, by the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of Ourselves . . .we decree that the; Blessed Teresa of the Child Jesus is a Saint and enrol her in the" list of the Saints, ordering.that her anniversary be devoutly celebrated by the Universal. Church, in the Name, of the Father, Son, ahd Holy Ghost. Amen;” The enthusiasm rang -from end to. end of the Basilica, band never Te. - Daum. was so heartily meant. So, too, the amen, to the

; grayer at-the end; in- honor of the newly jpinonised Saint: '; v p w 4 / ; 0 Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said * un- - less, you *become as little children you shall not enter, into the Kingdom of Heaven/ grant that we may - follow in the footsteps of the blessed; virgin St. Teresa that we may obtain Thy'eternal reward.” ’7. ■' ii. ■ 7 *:*7 7 - '' : . 7 : ■ THE SOLEMN PAPAL MASS. ; v V One-half has not been told, but the rest can be quickly said. After the Office of None had been chanted, the Holy Father came to the High Altar above the very tomb of the Apostles. Then shone out the beauty of -the position the Little Flower had secured for ;■ me for every movement' at the altar could be 4 seen ... arid the first thing seen was the .Pope bending low at the foot of the steps; [because no human being may go to the Al4tar of God without that first admission of unworthiness “through my fault, through k. my? fault, through ,my very great fault.” After such.confession, what deep significance •'in: the Kyrie eleison which follows! And 1 that threefold cry can alone give the right to join in the hymn of praise, Gloria in excelsis Deo ! A fuller, meaning, too, seemed to belong to the ■ Credo after the reading of ■H the infallible , decree. But special signifiX cance attached to the chanting of the Sacred Infancy when, on this Feast, of St. Teresa ; of the Child Jesus, a choir hundreds strong whispered in music et Homo factus est. It seemed but a few r moments before the

Holy Father began again to speak. / i “Lift up your hearts.” • |? “We have lifted them up to the Lord.” - “Let ns give thanks to the Lord our God.” “It is truly right and just,” came from

the lips of the Cardinals and the hearts of every member of that tremendous assembly—for all knew that the “Holy, Holy, Holy,” which was to follow, had this day been guaranteed as the eternal hymn, of the Little Flower.

A sharp command! The guard at attention ! And the next moment there was the ringing of cold steel on the pavement as the swords struck the marble in homage to Christ in the hands of His Vicar on earth. The Holy Father turned ... to right ... to left . . . that all might see their Lord and their God.

He bent over the chalice . . . His lips moved . ; . and the Precious Blood was before him, the Blood that had made all this possible. . .

Then for the few brief moments that followed we saw Pius XI . . . frail human being, but Vicar of Christ, standing between Heaven and earth, between God and His people, adoring, praising, thanking through Him, with Him, in Him, by Whom alone we may glorify our Creator.

“Our" Father,” pleaded the Pope*, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. . .”

<Ji He gave the pardinals his peace; he re- ' ceived Communion; he prayed and then he

blessed—solemnly and with a plenary indulgence. i .

. The Mass finished, the Pope took his place once more on the Sedia Gestaioria and was

carriedf shoulder high through that same eager, intense crowd from all the world, blessing right and left—with full heart, pressed down” and running over, till the doors closed behind him at 2 p.m. So the grand ceremony, that can -never ; come, again, ended. S And though the whole world i could . not be.- there, the c whole world, had what itywanted, Soerir Therese of .yes? terday is the St. Teresa* of torday. - Teresa of the Child Jesus. had knelt before the Pope ; the.fPope has knelt • before Tyrosa 'of the Child Jesus, Ah,- dear St. Teresa of that same Holy. Child, pray for your Prance and your Germanyfor your England andwour Ireland; for Africa and China aridf£4prin ; but ah! above all, 0 Little IGo.wer.oP our Little Friends, pray for the Little Friends of the Little, Flower, pray ' for .• us-all. ..\ Amen. ■ m. ■ •• AT NIGHT. All that the six hours’ ceremony of the morning had meant to Soeur Therese was not to be allowed to pass without a wonderful demonstration of enthusiasm a demonstration that literally burnt its way into the minds and hearts of all privileged to witness it. All day hundreds of willing hands labored, tying lamps and torches all over St. Peter’s on cross and column, dome and parapet, until when evening arrived there was scarcely an architectural line or curve that was not fringed with lanterns. It was said that the illumination would be complete at a. quarter to nine. When it is realised that there were no electric lights, but all lamps, to be lit by hand, an idea of the task can be grasped. At ß o’clock in the evening, all Rom© began to stream towards the piazza of St. Peter’s. Traffic was dislocated trams were stopped. There are 700,000- people in Rome, and half of them at least were crowding into the piazza. For half a mile back from the great open space the streets were packedmen, women and children wedged against one another at a dead-lock, unable to move.

At 8.40 p.m. 600 men with flaring torches began to scramble over dome, climb to the cross, run along tile parapets, ' lean from out the great windows; and against the dark sky what a scene presented itself. How that' vast concourse of people clapped and cheered! In five minutes those seeming fire-flics bad visited all their lamps ’ and ■ appointed sections; light after light twinkled torch after torch flared up, until St, Peter’s —the vast St. Peter’slike a diamond palaceglistened and danced, and flashed forth on that memorable night the glad news not only of another Saint in the Church Triumphant, but of one of the most widely known and greatly loved of all who have ever been canonised. H i .!• 1 S*V

In that crowd mingled men from almost every nation of the earth. Allthe. pilgrims were . there; and the Romans made up the rest of that 400,000. . Rich and. poor, business men, little armies from the orphanages, religious, priests who was not there that night, many of them ever so deeply in debt to Sceur Therese. It was a vast act of homage, of acknowledgment. The First Church in Christendom radiated' with a glory for one

night that, was already the eternal lot Mother in whose honor it had all been arranged ! ? And the people came to thank and to share. ? Afterwards thousands upon thousands poured put to the hills to look down upon Hie r city AvitlW glistening Basilica. It beautiful? from the dis? ' s ;.Vi« J\ -irWp -.. - .rr-v. v - " tanee/s<rth,at:t;Wp memories of the evening’* • W*iiV never /fade- the thronging piazza and the -jewel the hills, set in the city '«| ;? I said the people came to tlian^litj. to share. ? They came-t? all but one:’. Listen, and'be edified,' and let this last thought linger. All were. there, save the sister of Soeur Therese. The sister of Soeur Therese is a - Carmelite Nun. She is still living. The Holy Father knew- it-,' and knew that ’she was in an enclosed Order that did riot permit-its members to go out into the world; ySo Tie- sent' her a special permissioi to come and see the Canonisation of her own sister, of Soeur Therese who had become the favorite of the world. She de - nied herself that happiness. She Would not leave her solitude; she would not break the' even tenor of the contemplative life; she. would not interrupt her own union with God; Railway travel, crowds, noise and disX traction had no appeal for her. I think in that heroic act the Little Flower received the greatest happiness that day ; and it is quite sure that from the quiet cell went up the most fervent of all the fervent supplications in the world—“St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, pray for us.”

GRAVE of FATHER FRANCIS MARLOW, in the ANDERSON’S BA CEMETERY. The handsome headstone shown in our photographic reproduction contains the following inscription: In Loving Memory of Rev. Father Francis Marlow, Who Died 18th January, 1925, Aged 30 Years. Erected by the Priests of the Diocese and the Parishioners of the Waikiwi and Rakahouka Parish. Itequiescot In Face. The Gross is of black Bluff granite, Bluff white pebbles arc strewn over the floor of concrete, and the kerbing .is rough cast with Stewart Island shell, the whole being representative of Southland. The work of erection was carried out to the satisfaction of subscribers by Mr. A. E. Tilleyshort, Anderson’s Bay, Dunedin.

OBITUARY MRS. ELIZABETH SULLIVAN, PAHIATUA. The many friends of Mr. E. Sullivan, late of Pahiatua, will regret to learn of the death of his wife, Airs. Elizabeth Sullivan, who passed away peacefully on September 8, at her residence in Whakatane, after an illness extending over the last five years. The late Mrs. Sullivan resided for many years j-iuaPahiatua, where she was very highly re--1 fleeted. She will always be remembered for V the very active part she took in all matters ■ connected with the church, and many a highly successful function was due to her earnest and untiring efforts. The interment

took place in the Whakatane Cemetery, amid a very representative gathering of relatives and friends. The Rev. Father Van Westeinde (who attended Mrs. Sullivan during her last illness) officiated at the graveside. The late Mrs. Elizabeth Sullivan is survived by her husband, and a grown-up family of two sons and five daughters, to whom much sympathy is extended in their, great' loss. -RIP. MR. JOHN PATRICK DUNN; DUNEDIN. The death occurred at Dunstan Hospital on Saturday, the 26th nit., of Mr. John Dunn, elder son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dunn, Maitland Street. Dunedin The deceased was formerly a member of the staff

reasons, went to Clyde some three years ago, where his keen interest in local affairs and genial personality won for him a host of friends. He was secretary of the Horticultural Society and the Sports Club, and was also a successful; bowler, winning the local championship last..season. , The late Mr. Dunn was educated-at .the Christian. Brothers’ School, Dunedin, . and. after leaving school kept in close contact with the teaching Brothers’ and their pupils,' being ever ready and willing to lend a helping hand in any movement- they inaugurated. He always took a- keen interest in the schools’ snorts, being associated as an old boy ~ with ; the Christian Brothers’ cricket, and ’football clubs, invariably in an executive capacity. Of a kindly and generous nature he was exceedingly popular, and will be long . rein bered for his many helpful and generous actions . He was attended during his illness by Rev. Father O’Connell, of Alexandra. His remains were removed to 1 St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Dunedin, where Requiem Mass was celebrated by Rev; Father Monaghan, on Tuesday, the 29th tilt; the' funeral taking place in the afternoon. Rev. Father McMahon officiated at the interment in • the Anderson’s Bay Cemetery.: R.l.P. . : AIR. WILLIAM F. CAULFIELD. OREPUKI. v Quite a gloom was cast over the district on Monday, the 21st - ult. when it became known that Mr. W. F. Caulfield of the Railway Hotel had passed away. The deceased, who was in the prime of life, was. horn at Rakahouka 49 years ago. and carried on fanning and contracting work in and about that district, until Tie 'purchased the* Railway Hotel, Orepuki, about. 2-1 years ago. He soon became a very popular host with all; Whilst in the Woodlands- district he was chairman of the Woodlands Dairy Factory, chairman Dae re Hall, School Committee, and chairman of the Patriotic Committee during the war period, and was present- on’’ every occasion to give a cheerful word -to the. soldiers leaving and a welcome on their return home. The late Air. Caulfield was a promineint member of the Rakahouka Catholic Church congregation and Invercargill branch of the Hibernian Society, and since coming to Orepuki a member of the Progressive League. Always a lover of sport he took a keen interest in sport of various kinds, being a. vice-president of Bluff Boxing Club, president of Orepuki Football Club and treasurer of Orepuki Athletic Society. He also took a keen interest in racing, being a member of the Riverton Racing Club whilst lie himself , was the owner- of two trotting horses.. Ho married Miss McGlinchey, younger daughter of Mr. McGlinchey, of Wyndham, and leaves a wife and six children to mourn the loss of a good husband and father, also two sisters and one’ brother.

The funeral, was one of the largest, seen' in Inver cargill; friends attending from nearly all parts of Southland to pay their last respects'to an upright, honest man. The Hibernians formed a body guard from the church to the cemetery. The Rev. Father Graham, assisted by. Rev. Father Buckley (who attended him in his last liness) -Gfificiated at the graveside. Others of the elergy too, were present. —R.1.P., .-N