Religion: La Petite Fleur

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Last Sunday, His Holiness Pope Pius XI celebrated the rites for can- onization for Sainte Thérèse, La Petite Fleur (the Little Flower), in St. Peter's Church, Rome. The ceremony began at 8 o'clock in the morning and ended at 2 o'clock in the afternoon; but long before, at 4 o'clock in the morning, street cars, taxis and private automobiles began to move a vast number of pilgrims to St. Peter's. Nearly 70,000 persons crowded into the basilica, being the greatest number that ever assembled there since the coronation of Pope. Pius X, 22 years ago.

In full Pontificial robes, the Pope was carried the entire length of the Church in the sedia gestoria amid scenes of emotion. Owing to the installation of a loud speaker-a great innovation for the conservative Catholic Church-His Holiness' voice was distinctly heard throughout the long service into the recesses of the basilica. Supported by all the Cardinals in Rome, including Cardinal Dougherty of Philadelphia, who led 15,000 Americans to Rome for the event, the Pope began the mystic ceremony of making the Blessed Sister Therese, the Blessed Sainte Thérèse. Outside the Church, hundreds of people knew that the great moment of the ceremony had arrived. Silver bugles were sounded from the dome of the Church. Their clarion notes cut the still air with peculiar sweetness. A few seconds later, from the north, south, east and west, the bells of Rome's 400 churches tolled their joy.

At night, the dome and portico of St. Peter's and the obelisk in St. Peter's Square, which Caligula brought from Egypt, were illuminated for the first time since 1870, when the Papacy was deprived of its temporal power. The illumination was done not with electricity but with thousands of tallow torches and candles, many of which were encased in saucer-shaped lanterns, giving the impression of a blazing building. It took 300 men a fortnight to prepare the pyro display. Many thousands of frantic people cheered in polyglot tongue: "Long live the Pope!" "Vivet la Sainte Thérèse!" "Viva la Chiesa Romana!"