Manila's Triumph

A Great Proclamation Of
Faith
The Congress Day By Day
Last week's Catholic Herald, in a brief summary of the day-to-day unfolding of events at Manila, for the International Eucharistic Congress, was able to refer only to the opening functions.
Below will be found a further summary covering the days respectively given to the women, the men, and the children, and a short account of the great scene with which, on Sunday last, the Congress was brought to a close.
To the main functions, here chronicled, it would be needful to add reports of various sectional gatherings in order to present a full picture of the religious activities to which the Philippine capital has been witness during these memorable days.
Manila's transport services ran all night for the convenience of worshippers visiting the churches, where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, and making their way to the Luneta park, where from four o'clock until eight o'clock a succession of Masses were celebrated. So was ushered in Thursday, the women's day, when many thousands of women received Holy Communion in the park, and many others in the churches. The preacher at the great gathering in the Luneta was Mgr. Reyes, the Archbishop of Cebu.
On Thursday there were also two other large-scale functions, one for the clergy and the other for the congressists, clerical and lay. The former assembly took place in the cathedral; it was the first international conference of clergy, and was attended by hundreds of priests.
A paper, in Latin, dwelt on the Holy Eucharist as Christendom's unifying strength. While the priests were in the cathedral the laity betook themselves in prayer to the churches.
Then, in the early evening, the first general International Assembly for the laity opened in the park. Fifty thousand voices united in a deeply impressive rendering of the Veni Creator, as a devotional preliminary to the speeches.
Those speeches were short. Speaker after speaker addressed the assembly, each in his own tongue, for the space of about five minutes. Afterwards the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, and Mgr. Labrador, the Vicar-Apostolic of Fuxien, gave the Benediction.
Midnight Scenes
But the day's devotions did not end here; for although the solemn pontifical Midnight Mass came, strictly speaking, into Friday's programme, inaugurating the men's day, Thursday night saw the great hosting in the park, from about eleven o'clock.
The crowd of men was immense, and the area before the Congress altar presented a stimulating scene when they had all assembled. At midnight all the church bells in the city rang out in salute, and the Archbishop of Manila, Mgr. Michael O'Doherty, began the Mass. The sermon on this occasion was by Mgr. John J. Mitty, Archbishop of San Francisco. A wonderfully moving spectacle was presented when, after the sermon, the great altar was brilliantly illuminated, a multitude of candles were lit, and three hundred priests proceeded from the altar to the vast congregation and distributed to them Holy Communion. Over all towered the lofty, dome-capped pillars above the altar, turned into a veritable pharos for the celebration.
Midnight Mass in the park was for the men only; but the women congressists, also, had their midnight Mass. offered in a number of the churches, which likewise were illuminated.
The Men's Day
Friday's pontifical Mass had for its celebrant the Bishop of Namur, the Grand Old Man of many Eucharistic congresses. Added interest was given to the function, on the personal side, by the fact that Mgr. Heylen, on that day, was keeping his eighty-first birthday.
The Holy Hour in the afternoon was followed by the second International Assembly. This was to have taken place, like the first one, in the Luneta park, but a heavy downpour caught the assembled throng, and the rendezvous was hastily transferred to the radio station; there, besides another series of five-minute addresses, two sermons were delivered : in Spanish by Mgr. Figueras, of Buenos Aires, and in English by the Archbishop of Brisbane, Mgr. Duhig. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament again closed the day's devotions.
The Children's Turn
Saturday was the children's day. Once more the Luneta park had a mighty gathering, who met under piercing tropical sunshine.
About 60,000 children, and perhaps 40,000 adults, assisted at the Mass. Most of the little ones were in white clothing; they were grouped according 10 schools and regions, and made a charming and picturesque sight.
Hymns were sung in Spanish and in English.a Mgr. Francis Ford, Vicar-Apostolic of Kaiying, preached to the youngsters and their parents and teachers, and again three hundred priests were needed to distribute Holy Communion. Nor was earthly food overlooked, for at the close of the service there was a welcome refection for the thousands of boys and girls who had been up and fasting since an early hour.
In the afternoon the clergy had another session in the cathedral, and the faithful generally assisted, in various churches, at the Holy Hour. And at six o'clock the affluence repaired once more to the park, for the third of the International Assemblies.
On this occasion the sermon, in English, was delivered by one of the most prominent priests in the United States, Fr. Gillis,
the editor of the Catholic World. The polyglot programme of brief addresses
included a speech in Japanese. Fifty thousand persons, on a rough estimate, took part in this third assembly.
Sunday's Influx The crowning day of the Congress, Sunday, reached a crescendo of fervour and enthusiasm with a closing attendance of more than half a million persons. Throughout the day the city was invaded by an immense number of Catholics coming in from outside and adding their strength to the many thousands who had been following regularly the various services and ceremonies.
At least 100,000 were present for the Cardinal Legate's Mass. The Philippine flag floated proudly by the great altar. The crowds were still flocking in, to such an extent that the police had to make most of the thoroughfares leading to the park " one-way" streets. In the air above, a Philippine army plane saluted the function.
The Great Procession
At half-past five, to the music of all the church bells, the great procession set forth from the cathedral, its main route following the seaboard. To describe this magnificent defile in detail would be to list at great length societies, confraternities, groups, delegations, high official personages. Priests by the hundred and bishops by the score were in the ecclesiastical section. Splendid flags. of many nations, gave additional colour to the scene.
The multitude of onlookers was such as no man might count. When the processionists gained the altar in the park, for the closing service, 500,000 of the faithful awaited the final Benediction. Again the Luneta was bathed in light.
The Tantion Ergo was sung; the Legate gave the Benediction. It was now about
nine o'clock. Suddenly, from the loudspeakers, came the announcement that in a few minutes the Holy Father would speak to his children by radio and would give them hie blessing. The vast crowd had not long to wait. After a brief interval the Pope's voice was heard, strongly, distinctly in the fatherly message.