Immaculata Academy - Lilium Convallium Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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inican Sisters rance, lies the hal revealed to St. Do if luence over soul lOWed 5;, minis lhe S it W n the very heart of Lang- ieh now belongs to the; nother rocky eminenceh the dialect of the count iolated bit of land andhe; to come and pray. Ourre; riars Preachers evangelizcd estruction among souls. ling missionary beheldsl: and villages: broken her: man sympathy, yearnedt I. Between Fanjeauxand. w village called Protlillt ines attracted many pilgrii ed astray, Dontinic's'thf his anxious mind aslgn'v - ' ' f truthand: e the spirits 0 t: rly heart that he COHf'W . o ' ty-Second 0f Juh, 1.00 Iii; s was his wont, an ill; s feet, the Wide What i ' ' a is attention. ll Image chapel of Prgeurlst: Dominic at last UH LILIUM CONVALLIUM and their time was divided between prayer and work. Their chief object, together with their own salvation, was that of their brethren, and especially of the Albigenses, and their prayers and penances tended to this end. Thus, while the Friars Preachers labored for souls by their active apostolate, the daughters of the Order, from the depths of their Cloister, served the same cause by their prayers and sacrifices. It was the night between the 21st and 22nd of July, 1206, that St. Dominic, far away t from all living creatures, knelt on his rocky eminence, his arms uplifted in earnest prayer for poor souls. Looking toward Prouille he saw a globe of fire descend from heaven and alight on the prilgrimts chapel. For two successive nights he had the same vision. Then and there St. Dominic received the inspiration from God that he should build a Convent on that holy spot and people it; not with men, mighty in working and preaching, but with holy women, who should, by means of prayer and penance, bring down God,s blessings upon his and his followers apostolic labors. St. Dominic knew that the Catholic religion would be practiced if only future mothers were well instructed. Hence at a very early date, Dominican nuns undertook the education of girls. At Prouille, then, a rude house was converted into a temporary convent. You know, dear readers, that all great works have had poor, humble beginnings. At first only nine ladies joined the community, but, little by little, this first spiritual family of St. Dominic grew and spread. The 27th of December, 1206, is the birthday of the first Dominican Convent of Nuns. aCLARA JACQUES, ,1 7.

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LILIUM CONVALLIUM The Birthplace of the Dominican Sisters Far away, amidst the smiling plains of Southern France, lies the hallowed spot where, according to the best authenticated traditions, our Lady revealed to St. Domlnlc the devotien 0f the Rosary a devotion whose sweet and powerful influence over souls it would be d1f- ficult to exaggerate. . Rising somewhat abruptly from the sunny plain, in the very heart of Languedoc, is a steep hill crowned by the small town of Fanjeaux, which now belongs to the diocese of Carcasonne. Just outside the town, a solitary Spot on another rocky eminence, marked by a large, white cross, is called the ttSeignadonf, which, in the dialect of the country, means itthe sign of God. In the thirteenth century, the ttSeignadon,t was an isolated bit of land and here, at night, when the labors 0f the day were over, St. Dominic used to come and pray. Our readers know that during many years of the future founder of the Friars Preachers evangelized the south of France, where the heresy 0f the Albigenses spread destruction among souls. From the steep summit of the ttSeignadonii the kneeling missionary beheld stretched out before him the vast plain, studded with towns, castles and Villages; broken here and there by hills and rocks and his apostle,s heart, so full of human sympathy, yearned towards the souls that were enslaved in the bonds of heresy and sin. Between Fanjeaux and its nearest neighbor Montreal, lay in the heart of the plain a tiny Village called Prouille, where a chapel dedicated to Our Lady had from very ancient times attracted many pilgrims. In his pleadings for the souls whom heresy had led astray, Dominicis thoughts con- stantly reverted to this humble sanctuary. It seemed to his anxious mind a sign of salvation, a beacon of hope, set up in the midst of the land where the spirits of truth and error were at war and it was to Mary,s powerful hands and motherly heart that he confided the result of his apostolic labors. . During the night between the twenty-first and twenty-second of July, 1206, the Saints prayers were unusually long and fervent. He knelt, as was his wont, on the lonely hillock above Fanjeaux; the soft summer sky above him; at his feet, the wide plain, wrapped in dusk and silence. Suddenly a strange sight attracted his attention; a globe of fire seemed to descend from heaven and to rest close to the pilgrimage chapel of Prouille; during the two following nights the same prodigy took place and Dominic at last understood its mean- lng. For some time past he had formed the project of founding a convent for women in Languedoc. He had noticed, in the course of his missionary career, that the heresy 0f the Albigenses made more recruits among the women and young girls of the country even than among the men; in his thoughts the convent he dreamt of was to be an asylum and a safe refuge for his converts and, at the same time, a spot whence the incense of perpetual prayer should rise to heaven on behalf of sinners. The apparition of the fiery glove seemed to be an answer to his petitions and a sign that the future convent was to be built at Prouille, close to Our Lady,s favorite sanctuary. Seme months later, the new building was commenced; the splendid monastery that, in later tlmes, was to be one of the glories of Southern France was, in the first instance, only a poor and roughly built house, where nine noble ladies, whom Dominic had converted, were the first to take the veil. St. Dominic gave them a rule; they Were strictly enclosed 20

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, - ah, hrmauwhweuuvn v .4 a w 1!; 1- Wu: e ' . 1 . . . .1 , LILIUM CONVALLIUM A Brief History of the Catholic Church The object of my brief dissertation is the Catholic Church, its organization, develop- ment and present status. , The Church, her founder, Jesus Christ, His mission and the Testament of Him left us by his disciples, are known to every student of history. . . The Catholic Church today is the most stupendous organlzatlon 0f the WOFId- From a few disciples it has growniinto millions, found in everv country. Its precepts are taught and reverently obeyed from the frozen North, through the troplCS,.t0 the 001d Antarctic regions of the South. With its center of government at Rome and its branches in every land, it is accomplishing a most wonderful work in the civilizatlon of mankind and the sanctification of the souls of men. . . Its history began when Jesus ChOSt: His twelve apostles and cornmlssmned-them to carry His teachings to all the world: ttGo ye, therefore, teach all nations, teachlng them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you? Gladly they heard hlS VOlce, left their usual occupation and commenced their mission of preaching and teaching. The elo- quence and sincerity of their words induced many to follow Jesus, and in order that what they had begun should continue until the end of time, He appointed Simon Peter to be the infallible head of His Church, saying: ttThou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it? He directed them to teach all nations, ttbaptizing them in the name of the Father, and 0f the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? and He promised that He should abide always with them: tiAnd behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world? Jesus set His apostles an example by preaching and teaching the love and service of God and the neighbor, and they and their successors up to the present time have faithfully ful- filled their duties toward the end for which Jesus labored, and for which He laid down His life. When at last the majority of the Jews refused to believe in Christ and His mission and even crucified Him, the apostles, in spite of the opposition and persecution they everywhere met, converted thousands to the faith. They journeyed into many lands, spreading the light of the true religion. They preached in Persia and Mesopotamia, in Asia Minor, Armenia and Arabia, afterward in Greece and Rome, and even pushed their way into Central Asia. At every place where the apostles preached they converted multitudes of people and or- dained many priests, that they might continue the work of redemption, a work begun by Christ, for which end He founded His Church. St. Peter, after some time at Antioch, perma- nently established his See at Rome and from thence directed the ever-increasing number of churches. ' As Christ had foretold, the world hated His faithful followers, even as it had hated their divine Master. In no place in history can we find anything to equal the brutal ferocity of the persecutions waged against the early Christians. But Christ was with His Church; the Christians rapidly increased in numbers. What is now Spain, France, Germany, Home and the British Isles were evangelized; the faith was being taught to all nations. Persecutions from .w1thout the fold gradually became things of the past, but new and greater sorrows were 1n store for herhschisms and heresies among her own children. The Greek schism of 858 separateti the Eastern Church from the Western. In the fif- teenth century Mar-tln Luther, an Augustlnlan priest, broke his vows and started a new religion whighfrapldly spread over Germany. In the s1xteenth century Henry VIII of England sepa- rate rom the.Church.and founded the Church of England, because the Pooe refused to allow him to divorce hls lawful Wife and marry another. . .Through these many sorrows the Church stood firm d1v1ne. At the present time many signs are in evidence tha to the bosom of the Church from which they departed, and when there shall be one fold and one shepherd. With the discovery of America, a new field was 0 olic Church. Father Perez, the faithful friend and discoverer on his voyage to the New World, and wa as a rock, for her origin was t her erring children will return that the day is not far distant pened for the propagation of the Cath- adVISer of Columbus, accompanied the s the first priest to offer up the Holy 22 afounder.