From a Special Correspondent
THE bells of Rome's 400 and more churches rang out in a happy clamour at midday on Sunday to announce that the Holy Father had proclaimed the first saint of the Holy Year — St. Emilie de Rodat, faundress of the Institute of the Holy Family.
Forty-five thousand Romans and pilgrims cheered His Holiness as he entered St. Peter's at 9.15 a.m. to begin the threehour ceremony.
There was such a notse as the Pope, surrounded by his court and seated on the sedia gestatoria under a great canopy, was borne up the basilica and blessed the crowds, that even the Cardinals in the long procession of clergy could not refrain from smiling.
And when the Sovereign Pontiff had made his infallible pronouncement, "We declesre and decree Blessed Emilie de Roclat a saint "there was another tremendous burst of applause.
A group of the new saint s spiritual daughters. Sisters of the H.1Iy Family, cheered with such vigour that they did not notice that the rest of the people had stopped, and went on with their shrill solo.
Two Africans standing beside them politely averted their gaze to the lights in the dome.
Nearby, however, a Vatican prelate had raised his eyebrows at the hearty applause of some schoolgirls
from England. "This is the first time," he said later. " that I have ever seen the English get enthusiastic about anything."
Feast day
Those nuns and the English girls —and everyone else—made the most of their voices again when the Pope, hav:ng proclaimed St. Emilie's feast day as September 19, and having cerebrated Mass in her honour, returned to the sedia and again passed through and out of the basilica.
Two other people in St. Peter's had good reason to cheer. They were the two Romans whose sudden recoveries from what doctors thought to be mortal illness were accepted by ths Sacred Congregation of Rites as the miracles necessary for the success of St, Emilie's canonisation cause.
One is seven-year-old Rita Falcone, who was suffering from peritonitis aggravated by pneumonia and intestinal paralysis.
The other is 24-year-old Terese Appetecchia, who appeared to be dy'ng of tuberculosis.
A great-nephew of the saint was present, sitting in a place of honour just behind the 14 Cardinals.