University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE REDWOOD College students, and a most devout son of our Holy Mother Church. No coaxing could induce Dona Sole- dad to divulge the secret. Thursday commenced with a very anxious and busy morning for the stu- dents of Santa Clara College, who then numbered few over fifty boarders. They were of all ages and nationalities and opposite creeds. But they were Santa Clara boys, and whether native or East- ern, Mexican or South Americans, English, French or Italians, Catholic or Protestant, Christian, Jew or Gentile, they were Santa Clara boys. To some of them had been assigned the responsible duty of Acolyte, and they had been turning over, pressing, cleaning and arranging the red cassocks and white surplices, remnants oi Mission days, gifts from the good Nuns of Guad- alajara, and carefully concealed from vandalism by Padre Real, before he left the Mission. Others were attending to the choir led by Alejandro Forbes, the sweet- voiced and warbling soprano of the Col- lege, Charley Simpson, Dolf Grimwood and myself. The bell-ringers, with Barney Murphy at their head were privileged charac- ters, coming and going at their pleasure, masters of the situation. Their arduous duties entitling them to be out of Church and out of doors, with free in- gress to the Refectory to recuperate from their active exercises, especially that of turning the Esquila. The Esqxdla sonora con su voz pre- gonando, was an important factor in all high functions and ceremonials of the Mission. It was a revolving bell placed on the south opening of the tow- er, and turned quickly by hand, only used, with its loud voice, on great fes- tivals and holidays, such as Corpus Christi. The other boys were to occupy seats on plain redwood benches in the church near the railing and on the right hand side toward the altar. The Faculty and the Powers that at the time were representing Santa Clara College, consisted of Father John Nobili and Father Aloysius Veyret, Monsieur Pascal, who was a combina- tion of general Prefect, Master of Disci- pline, Mathematician, Musician and factotum for all emergencies, and Mr. Wm. Higgins to whom was assigned the A, B, C ' s, and youthful portions of the Institution, and whose favorite occupa- tion was to quarrel with that Dutch Monsieur Pascal — to the delight of good Father Nobili, the peacemaker. With such limited resources the executive abilities of Father Nobili were taxed to their utmost, but he responded fully to all the requirements of the occasion. Sam Middleton, the oldest and most stalwart of the boys was elevated to the position of Disciplinarian and given charge of the boys not otherwise occu- pied at Church and during the proces- sion, with Harry Cobb as assistant. To Mr. Higgins was delegated the official duty of watching over the grounds, with full supervision of order, peace and quiet, especially among the

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THE REDWOOD finished with costly laces, jewels, and ornaments. They were situated at the four extreme corners of the Plaza, with three sides closed, an entrance facing the Plaza and an altar in the rear fac- ing the entrance. Dona Soledad Arguello, the nuera of Don Duis Antonio Arguello, a former Governor of Alta California, who had charge for the day of the festive army of architects, builders and decorators, after the tongues of the Vesper bells had ceased their prattle, sent word around that all was ready for the mor- row; that at nine o ' clock of the follow- ing morning the finishing ornaments would be added, and then, when the Procession called at the Capillas they would be worthy to receive the visits of El Senor. With beaming countenances that joy- ful gathering left for their respective homes, for on the morrow the greatest and most solemn of the festivals of the Church was to be celebrated at the Mis- sion of Santa Clara with all due pomp and ceremony. Padre Real, the last of the Franciscan Friars had left about two years before, and the beautiful, charming and lovable Santa Clara, one of the pearls of the California Missions had been neglected and allowed to moulder until that good Bishop Alemany of blessed memory, en- trusted the Church and convent and buildings to Father Giovanni Nobili coming from the Blackfeet, Nezperces and Flathead Missions of Oregon. He at once undertook to rebuild and re- construct upon the majestic ruins of the old Mission a seat of learning worthy of the Society of Jesus, of that army of educators organized by the hero Sold ier of Pampeluna. But, said Dona Juana Briones, el Padre Nobili has announced that there is to be a Misa Mayor, cantada y con orquesta. A high mass like that re- quires three celebrant priests, and a master of ceremonies. I know it be- cause I was at the Cathedral in San Francisco last Christmas when Su Senoria el Senor Obispo, celebro Misa Mayor con Diaco?io y Subdiacono,, but here there are only Padre Nobili and the ' Francesito ' Padre Veyret. No tengan cuidado, answered the matronly Dona Soledad, our good Padre Nobili is from Rome and he knows a great many things of which we are ignorant. He has great powers from the Pope, and he may even have power to appoint a sub-deacon when necessary. I have read in the books of my de- ceased suegro, Don Euis of blessed memory, that even a Cardinal need not not be a priest fully ordained. Now, Sefioras, I will tell you in secret, that while cleaning and preparing the holy vestments for to-morrow ' s celebration, I have fitted one for the subdeacon, who is to be one of the celebrants at the Misa Mayor. Feminine curiosity was immediately aroused, and with unanimity all shouted: Quien es? Eso si que no, Senoritas. Padre Nobili requested me to keep it secret, but I will tell you this much. He is one of the oldest and tallest of the

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THE REDWOOD Indians, and their liquid spiritual com- forts. Monsieur Pascal, who was a distin- g uished musician, had charge of the choir and its motley composites, a con- glomeration of Indians and boys, a Ser- aphine organ, violins, violoncellos, bassos, cymbals and triangles, accompanied by the timely five-minute mortars on the Plaza. The news had spread, far and wide, long before Thursday of Corpus Christi, that the Padre who was a Roman, would celebrate the day with magnifi- cence and splendor, and consequently the surviving Indians of the Mission, the devouts and all, irrespective of re- ligion, were coming to the Fiesta de Corpus, to add to the proper celebra- tion of the day. The Indian, Marcelo, chief of the Cahuillas, was coming from Almaden to superintend the firing of the Morteros, together with the Monterey Indian, General Toribio. Tio Jacinto, he who had stamped with his urchin foot ®n one of the tiles, now in the saguan of the Mission of San Antonio, had come on foot from the far off Mission to lead the Indian musicians, together with Ig- nacio, from L,as Llagas, who played the The Ca?itadoras from the distant Mis- sions of San Miguel, La Soledad, and San Juan Bautista had also come, and under the direction of Chief Inigo, the Capataz of Mountain View, were re- hearsing their Gregorian music of early days. None the less sweet, because simple and plain, and none the less ac- ceptable to the Almighty than the heavenly choir of cherubim and sera- phim. Philip also was there, the presiding genius of the culinary department of the College, black as ebony, a Prince of royal lineage, saved by Father Nobili from the pirates who had stolen him from his Cannibal Island home, and who was today arranging the entertain- ment tables in the Atrium of the Chris- tian Mission. But his and that of others named here, as Kipling says, is another story. All morning the Alameda was crowd- ed with Senoritas, in their rich and variegated garments, and embroidered rebozos, mantillas de punto and aderezos, while the Caballeros and jinetes on their fine prancing steeds, con brio y orgullo with silver-mounted saddles and ringing spurs, were winding their way from the Pueblo San Jose to the Mis- sion. They were led by Juan Pablo Bernal, and the famous equestrian, Jose Galindo and Don Pedro Chabolla, who sat as a centaur on one of his famous horses of Andalusian breed. With them too, was that Spanish Hidalgo, Don Jose Noriega, on a black Bucephalus, caparisoned with the accoutrements of Don Manuel Rubio, the Mexican mil- lionaire, with his silver-mounted saddle and embossed trappings and reins and bridle and bit and spurs of the value of ten thousand dollars, all embroidered in filigrana, equal to the splendors of the knights of the middle ages. The time for the commencement of the Misa Mayor had arrived. The