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Vol. IX.—No. 51.
” THE CATHOLIC: HERALD
“7 {I$ PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY
“No. 61 North Seeond Street, Philadelphia.
ee Ey Te
Terms.—Three Dollars per annum, payable half yearly
in advance.’ Five Dollars will be received for 2 copies, or 1
copy for two years. All arrearages must be settled prior to
ordering a paperto be discontinued. Al] Communications,
except from Agents, or. Subscribers enclosing remittances,
mustbe post paid, and addressed ‘ ‘To the Editor of the
Catholic Herald,. Philadelphia, Pa.”
Doctry. °*
For the Catholic Herald.
_ THE SONG OF TIE LITTLE RED BIRD.
a aw AN IRISH LEGEND.
. “"' Night's gloom ‘had vanished—and. the’ east
~ Was purpling with the light of day
When from his slumbers light released,
. A holy monk arose to pray.
ho Te felt his cell and wentto seek
- ‘The conyent garden’s solitude,
* Where many a bud upon whose check
‘The dew drop tears shone soft and meck,
Seemed with hia penitence imbued ;
And these his orisons went up
With incense from the lily's cup.)}
While breathing furth his earnest prayer
Upon’ the morning's balmy air—
A litde bird alighted near,
And sung a strain so mild and clear—
Ile rose enchaated, from his knees
To listen to its melodies. : :
Strange, magic charms were in that lay—
Allearthly music far above—
“And when the bird had flown away,
t -. And rested in.a distant grove, — ”
., The Brother turned and followed tuo,
In hopes the. strain it would renew.
But when he came the bird was gone—.
: Though yet he heard its distant lay,
‘And followed still enchanted on,
‘Till from the convent far away,
. Through verdant vale, o'er flowery hill
. Unweariedly, he followed sulle
. At last the sun’s declining ray,
That on the green earth redly laid—
Reminded him how far away
oy Ie from his convent-home had strayed.
. Aid when to scek it he returned .
“the memory of that witching lay,
| Still in his inmost spirit burned ,
* And cheered him on his lonely way—
Until before his weary eyes
Te saw his convent-walls arise.
__. But now it s!rangely altered seemed,
~ He gozed confused, and wildly round,
| He felt like one who darkly dreamed |
, Or stood upon enchanted ground.
The rosy flowers that blossomed tbere—
‘The garden where he kaelt to pray—
“An altered look now seemed to wear—
~ Ofer all was stealing dim decay.
While thus on all around-he gazed
Vith looks bewildered and amazed—
“We saw a monk—a stanger—near,
“And sought of him the cause to hea
Brother; what do the changes mean
Since morn our convent, thus hath been ”
What’ mean’st thou Brother, by a change—
Is not our convent still the same ? /
“Thy looksare worn—thy question strange—
>“ Wheace dost thoacome—and what thy name ’
sf Although ‘our habit's worn by thee,
’* A strangeryet thou secm’stto be.”
» "The holy man soon told his tale—-"
© How list’ning to the bitd’s sweet lay-~
He followed over hill and dale
From morning till the close of day.
< ‘While yet he spoke—the monk amazed
~ With earnest eyes upon him gazed— \
” And told bim—bow long years before
“A monk had from the convent gune,
Whose tale as he returned no more,
‘By allhad yet remained unknown.
e
“| joura
Philadelphia, Thursday, December 23, 1841.
But suddenly, while yet he spoke
A glorious radiance from on high
» Across the Brother's forehead broke,
While lustrous grew his gentle eye — *
“Behold my brother! that sweet bird
Whose song my soul,so strangely stirred---
Hath been an angel, God hath sent
Tocheer my earthly Lanishment—
Which thus I followed many a day—
Which seemed indeed to be but one—
Till life hath sweetly worn away,
And now my earthly course is run,
The God of Love be ever blest,
Who thus hath called me to his rest.
Death's shadows, Brother, round me stole,
Receive my now departing soul.”
Then kneeling down with bended head
The dying monk his sins confest—
A heavenly smile his face o’erspread,
And thus he entered to his rest.
Philadelphia,
From “ The Holy Mouse of Loretto.”
BY THE VERY REV. P. R. KEXRICK, V.G.
c
Hi I
Extraordinary appearance of the Holy House in
Dalmatia, in 1291.
- "The history of this extraordinary event is as follows.
On the.10th of May 1291, on a small eminence be-
tween the towns of Tersatto and Fiume, called by the
inhabitants Rauniza, on the coast of Dalmatia, there
appeared a house—about 32 feet in’ length, °13 in
breadth, and 18 high, with a chimney, anda small bel-
fry—which none of the inhabitants of that coast had
ever before seen,’ Astonished: at this unusual sight,
the people ran in crowds to behold what at first seem-
ed to bea chapel, but which, from its unusual form,
and antique appearance, was evidently not of recent
construction. : On entering in, not without a deep feel-
ing of religions awe, they carefully examined this mys-
terious building. > ‘The walls, they observed, were of
stone, and had been covered. with plaster, some of
which yet remained onthe upper ‘part, and retained
distinct-traces of the paintings which had once adorn-
edthem. Close to the wall opposite to the door was a
small altar, and onit, in an elevated position, an antique
wooden cross, ‘To the right of the altar, in an ap-
propriate and elevated place, was a ceront statue of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the infant Jesus in her
arms, the hair of both being divided after the manner of
the people of Nazareth, whom also they resembled in
their dress. ‘To the left of the. entrance was a small
cup-board, apparently intended for keeping small do-
mestic articles, and ata short distance from this the
site of an ancient fire-place or chimney.
‘The extraordinary appearance of this house, its altar,
and statue of the. virgin and child, convinced the Dal-
matians that it wasa sacred place, consecrated to the
worship of God, in honour of the Holy Virgin. The
fame of this event immediately spread abroad through-
out the whole country: the faithful flocked in crowds
to the mysterious house to implore the Divine metey
and favour, through the intercession of Mary; and the
sentiments of piety with which its appearance inspired
them, seemed to afford an assurance that God would
-| hear their prayers with special favour in that - place,
Many who were then suffering under various infirmities,
recovered their health by a visit to this mysterious
temple, which seemed to diffase around itan odour of
health for the relief both of spiritual and corporal infir-
mites. * + ores’
‘The Pastor of the church of St. George of Tersatto
was a man of distinguished piety of life, and beloved
by all the people. He was then lying sick of a violent
fever, which threatened to prove fatal...'This respec.
table ecclesiastic, whose name was Alexander, having
heardof the extraordinary gift which heaven had vouch-
safed to conferupon his country, and of the miraculous
events which accompanied :the prayers offered up to
God therein, was most anxious to visit this holy house,
and implore Mary—to whose honour he felt assured it
was dedicated—to obtain for him of God the restora-
tion of his health. . But as he could not undertake the
ey without imminent danger of his life, -he ' ime
plored her intercession with. all the confidence which
so recent a proof of her clemency was celeulated to in
spire. On the following night, between sleeping and
waking, he behel-) the Blessed Virgin, surrounded by
angelic spirits, and heard from her Jips, that this mys-
terions chapel, of which nothing certain was yet known,
had been her house while on earth,—in which she was
born, and brought up, in which she received the -mes-
sage of the Angel Gabriel, and conceived the: Son of
God,—and in which her Divine Son. had lived -with
her, until the time of his manifestation among men.
She also declared that, after her decease, the apostles
had converted this house into a church, and thatthe al-
tar which was now seen in it, had been consecrated by
St. Peter. | Furthermore she told Alexander that He
with whom no word is impossible, had now, by the
ministry of angels, transferred this sacred temple to
Dalmatia, from Nazareth, where it had been exposed
to the insults of the infidels, and neglected by the few
Christians that dwelt among them..° Asa proof of the
reality of this vision, she declared that Alexander
should be from that moment delivered from the sickness
under which he was suffering : and ordered him toan-
nounce to his fellow citizens the wonderful truths, he
had learned from her mouth. | Onawaking, Alexanler
found himself perfectly restored to health; he -imme-
diately--rose and, on bended: knees,’ returned thanks
to God for the favour he had received. Ile hastened
to visit the Holy House, and there poured forth his soul
in prayer and thanksgiving to her who had procured
for him health, and had conferred so signal 2 mark of
favour on his country. Ie publicly announced to the
people the vision he had had, and exhibited, inthe sud-
den restoration of his health, the proof of : its reality.
His relation was received with all the confidence which
his well known character for probity, and the miracu-
lous recovery of his health were calculated to produce.
Nicholas Frangipani, a man equally renowned for piety
and valour, was then Governor of Dalmatia, and Lord
of Tersatto and Fiume, Convinced, both by the rela-
tion of the people, and the testimony of Alexander, of
the supernatural character of the house which had thus
suddenly appeared on his territory, he imitated the pie-
ty of his subjects, and enriched the sacred shrine with
enstly gifts. - Wishing, however, to omit nothing that
might be necessary for the complete investigation of
0 extraordinary a fact, and to justify his own conduct
with posterity, he determined on sending commissioners
to Nazareth, to examine whether the house of ‘the [3.
Virgin was not yet really there, and if’ not there, to
learn when, and in what circumstances it had disappear-
ed: they were also directed to ascertain its dimensions
from any traces of it that might yet* remain. Ie ac-
cordingly'selerted four intelligent and trustworthy per-
sons, among whom was the priest Alexander, and sent
them to Nazareth.: On’ their arrival, they ‘found the
few Christians of that place inconsolable at the ‘Joss of
the Holy [Mouse of Mary; and by what they learned
from them, they perceived that the time ofits disappear-
ance from Nazareth exactly corresponded with the pe-
riod of its appearance in Dalmatia. © The commissioners
were conducted to its site, where they beleld the foun-
dations of the building yet remaining, and which ap-
peared as if the ivalls had been Jately separated from
them. . On measuring them, they were found to cor-
respond exactly with the dimensions of ‘the building
which had appeared in Dalmatia;so that no doubt could
reasonably be entertained of the identity of. this latter
one and that which had formerly rested on these foun-
dations.) rhs ore eet
Rejoicing atthe successful result of their commission;
the deputies speedily returned home, and narrated to
Frangipani and the people the enquiries they had mace
and the answers they had received. A solemn service
of thanksgiving was ordered at the Holy Iouse, on
which decasion the‘venerable priest Alexander, in a
most impressive manner, narrated what he had seen
and heard, and solemnly called on God to witress the
truth of his relation, | The devotion of the faithful to-
wards the Holy House was wonderfully. ineressed by
the result of the commission: the fame of so ‘great a
miracle spread abroad into all the surrounding nations,
and multitudes of pilgrims from Istria, Croatia, Bosnia,
Setvia, and other more distant nations came to visitand
to 'venerate the House of Mary, especially on the day
of her Nativity, which was ‘celebrated with’ peculiar
magnificence and devotion Within ‘the very wails that
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