Centenary will close with Papal broadcast

LAST WEEK OF LOURDES YEAR
THE last solemn ceremonies for the Centenary of Our Lady's appearances to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, started yesterday, 'Thursday, the transferred Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and will continue until next Wednesday, the Feast of St. Bernadette.
This week in Westminster Cathedral the Society of Our Lady of Lourdes held their annual service presided over by the Cardinal Archbishop.
Many members of the Hierarchy have announced their intention of holding special Services next week.
On Wednesday next in the great underground Basilica of St. Pius X in Lourdes, Cardinal Feltin, Archbishop of Paris, will celebrate Pontifical High Mass at 10 a.m. which will be followed by a radio message from the Holy Father. The Pope is attending ceremonies at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday.
From Canada
Solemn Pontifical Vespers and address by Cardinal Feltin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday will later be followed by the closing ceremonies at the Grotto.
Yesterday's ceremonies were presided over by Archbishop Lemieux of Ottawa who celebrated Pontifical High Mass, preached in the afternoon, and in the evening attended Rosary at the Grotto and the Torchlight Procession.
On Tuesday, Bishop Theas of Tarbes and Lourdes will celebrate Mass of Thanksgiving at 10 a.m.
It was announced this week that the Basilica of St. Pius X has been awarded the Grand Prix of . the Cercle d'Etudes Architecturales, while the chief architect M. Vago, has been named a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by the Holy Father.
Two Popes
In a special message for the closing of the centenary Year, Bishop Theas recalls that the Year was opened by Cardinal Roncalli Patriarch of Venice, who only months later was to become Pope John XX111 in succession to the "great Marian Pope, Pius XII, the Pope of the Centenary, who turned the eyes and devotion of Christianity towards the Grotto of Massabielle."
The people of the Bigorre, says the Bishop, who were the first pilgrims of the Centenary year, were followed by millions from far and wide, even from behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains.
There were 27 pilgrim Cardinals, 809 archbishops and bishops, tens of thousands of priests including missionaries from many lands, nuns from every congregation, the faithful of all races, of every colour, countryfolk. theologians, tribal kings, parliamentarians, ministers. diplomats, gipsics, deaf, dumb and blind, nearly 3,000 doctors and more than 50.000 invalids, some were cured and more than 40 dossiers have been withheld for further examination.
Many Protestants went on pilgrimage. A Russian Orthodox pilgrimage and a Islamo-Christian pilgrimage were officially admitted.
The Bishop has a special word for the English All-Night Vigil Group too. "What answer," he writes, "will Our Lady give to the supplications of those English pilgrims who came every weekend and spent all Saturday night in Prater for the conversion of Russia and of Communists throughout the world?"