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GIFT OF 
 Class of 1887 
 
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 POPE PIUS IX. 
 
 I 
 
 A TRIBUTE OF ESTEEM AND LOVE 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF THE 
 
 SAINTLY AND GLORIOUS PONTIFF, 
 
 BY ONE OF HIS DEVOTED AND GRATEFUL CHILDREN IN CHRIST, 
 
 REV. JOHN F, CASSIDY, D. D. 
 
 ( Gradunte of the American Collegt at Rowt.) 
 
 PANEGYRIC AT THE ANNIVERSARY REQUIEM OF PIUS ix., IN ST. ROSE'S CHCRca, 
 
 SACRAMENTO, CAL. 
 
 SAX FRANCISCO: 
 
 1880. 
 
 t 
 
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 POPE PIUS IX. 
 
 A TRIBUTE OF ESTEEM AND LOVE 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF THE 
 
 SAINTLY AND GLORIOUS PONTIFF, 
 
 BY ONE OK HIS DEVOTED AND GRATEFUL CHILDREN IN CHRIST, 
 
 REV. JOHN F. CASSIDY, D. D. 
 
 (Graduate / fhe "American College at Rome.) 
 
 PANKGTKIC AT THE ANNIVERSARY REQUIEM OF PIUS IX., IN ST. ROSE'S CHURCH, 
 SACRAMENTO, CAL. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO: 
 
NOTICE. 
 
 IN order to avoid unduly lengthening the memorial 
 services, and because of the mournful nature of the 
 occasion, the portions of the following memoir rela- 
 ting to the Holy Father's participation in the solemn 
 public ceremonies of the Church were omitted from 
 the eulogy pronounced in Sacramento, in which his 
 person and character were alone delineated. They 
 were delivered on a previous occasion in St. Mary's 
 Cathedral, San Francisco ; and I have thought it fit to 
 insert them here as forming an integral part of my re- 
 collections; deeming them, moreover, of special in- 
 terest now, since Pius IX. was the last who has ap- 
 peared in the sacred splendor so eminently becoming 
 the papal ceremonial. Let us hope that our Holy 
 Father, Leo, may soon be free to gratify and exalt the 
 devotion of the faithful, as was the wont of his prede- 
 cessor of sacred memory. 
 
 J. F. C. 
 
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 Or 
 
 POPE PIUS IX., 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. JOHN F. CASSIDY, D. D. 
 
 BELOVED FRIENDS IN CHRIST : 
 
 In the year 1871, a song of triumph, praise and 
 thanksgiving a new song, such as had never been 
 heard by men was first chanted in the central city 
 of Christendom. Its tones were quickly caught by 
 ears expectant and repeated by joyous throats; and, 
 swelling in their march, they soon resounded in one 
 grand chorus of over two hundred millions to the very 
 confines of earth, hushing all other sounds and filling 
 the rest of creation with awe, surprise and admiration. 
 We may even devoutly and reasonably imagine the 
 angelic choirs in suspense, in wonder and complacence 
 stooping to drink in the novel strains and then re- 
 echoing them throughout the celestial realms. And 
 what, pray, was the burden of this new song? The 
 goodness and mercy and providence of God for us 
 His earthly children, as shown in an extraordinary 
 manner in His Vicar and our Supreme Head on earth, 
 the Pope, Pius IX. 
 
6 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 And when the grand pageant reached these distant 
 shores and the vast melody broke on the ears of the 
 youngest children of the Church, we too joined in and 
 lisped our child-like lay, and then, doubtless, yearned 
 to be of the favored few who stood around the throne 
 of Peter and Pius, and feasted their eyes and ears and 
 hearts and soulson its triumph, which was the cause 
 of such grand jubilee throughout the Christian world. 
 But such a pleasure could not be vouchsafed to all: 
 some of us must needs stay home and mind the house, 
 striving to content ourselves with the thought that it 
 was grand and glorious without us and with our 
 own humble reflection of it here. 
 
 But now, alas ! how changed the cene ! Our smiles 
 are washed away in tears of sorrow; our hearts are 
 filled with sadness; a consciousness of bereavement 
 takes full possession of our souls; a gloomy atmos- 
 phere envelops our whole being, while that song of 
 triumph, praise and gratitude, which, from long usage, 
 had become like to a household anthem, is suddenly 
 hushed, and in its stead a plaintive dirge is murmured 
 by an afflicted people. For Pius IX., the great, glo- 
 rious and saintly Pontiff, the sage and venerable Patri- 
 arch, the devoted and provident Father, has been 
 taken from us. 
 
 As few, if any of you, have enjoyed the privilege and 
 happiness of a visit to the Eternal City, you are, I 
 have thought, anxious to hear in a quiet way from one 
 more favored in this respect than yourselves, some- 
 thing of our holy Father, Pius, whose long reign over 
 us has been for six years the reason of such great 
 rejoicing, and whose demise is now so universally 
 lamented; and this laudable desire I purpose endeavor- 
 ing to gratify to-day. 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. 
 
 Let me premise that whosoever expects to listen to 
 an elaborate essay, fraught with learning or fanciful 
 speculation, will be sadly disappointed. I am not 
 going to draw an ideal picture of the Pope to sketch 
 him as he was not but, perhaps, (some might think), 
 should have been. Nor to rehearse what has been writ- 
 ten and published of him already (though that, perhaps, 
 were more complete than anything I can hope to pro- 
 duce) ; for such a treat .could more readily and easily 
 be enjoyed elsewhere than here. Nor would I attempt, 
 unless in vain, to fully represent him to you as he was 
 in himself; for, from what glimpses I have been 
 favored with of his admirable and amiable qualities, 
 I am convinced that I am ignorant of much which 
 would be required for the drafting of a life-like por- 
 trait of him which I therefore leave to others who 
 have enjoyed a deeper insight into and a more familial- 
 knowledge of his person, character and virtues than 
 have been granted me. I am furthermore convinced 
 that all the attractive features of that character or the 
 excellence of those virtues have not been revealed to 
 me or any man, among even his most intimate atten- 
 dants or most enthusiastic admirers. 
 
 My purpose the task which I have cheerfully though 
 diffidently assumed is to conjure up the thoughts that 
 stirred my youthful brain, and to revive the feelings 
 that played upon my boyish heartstrings when in his 
 blessed company; and, as best I can, express the one 
 and in you inspire the other. If there be any present 
 who expect more or else than this they are doomed to 
 disappointment. Even to picture Pius IX., as I have 
 known him, is not within the range of my descriptive 
 powers. I feel, however, called upon to essay an 
 expression, be it never so feeble, of some of the ideas 
 
8 P MESON AL REMINISCENCES. 
 
 and impressions which he has left on my mind ideas 
 and sentiments never in time to be effaced or obscured. 
 Yet, should I fail, as I fear I may, to satisfy your 
 craving after a knowledge of him, I would beg you to 
 attribute the failure rather to a want of appreciation 
 or the weakness of memory in me than to any defect in 
 the subject of my sketch. 
 
 I was one of the OKIGINAL THIRTEEN youths from 
 these States, who formed the nucleus of the Ameri- 
 can College in Eome. That institution, which should 
 be dear to every American Catholic, and an object of 
 pride to every friend of learning in this country, what- 
 ever be his creed, was opened December 8th, 1859. I 
 dwelt in Home during the six years following that date, 
 and like my companions frequently enjoyed a sight of 
 the Pope in the solemn public ceremonies of the 
 Church, (such as are to be witnessed only in Borne), 
 and in private conversations and companionship with 
 him. I shall mention and briefly describe a few of 
 these occasions, before placing before you my estimate 
 of the person and character of Pope Pius IX. 
 
PART I. 
 
 SOLEMN PUBLIC PAPAL CEREMONIES. 
 
 1. MASS IN ST. PETER'S. 
 
 And first in order comes the Papal Solemn Mass, 
 which is celebrated in St. Peter's Church thrice in the 
 year, namely, on Christmas, Easter Sunday and the festi- 
 val of SS. Peter and Paul. Those are the only days 
 on which the Pope publicly celebrates Solemn Mass, 
 
 ST. PETER'S is a massive pile of symmetry and 
 elegance of which no amount of description would 
 convey a just conception. It is cruciform, more than 
 six hundred feet in length, four hundred and fifty feet 
 wide, and nearly as high, and will accommodate one 
 hundred thousand persons. The materials are most 
 costly and durable : their arrangement perfect in pleas- 
 ing proportion. Its symmetry is its chief feature and 
 hides its vastness. Each and every one of the colos- 
 sal parts is toned down by its relation to the others : so 
 much so, that the new arrival fails to discern anything 
 monstrous about it. It is only by separating one part 
 from the rest that one can realize its size. For in- 
 stance, the angels supporting the holy-water fonts are 
 excellent representations of cherubs or baby-angels, 
 and yet their figures are six feet in height, and pro- 
 portionately massive in their infantine forms. Again: 
 The medalions, at the base of the dome, containing 
 the four Evangelists, present in mosaic the inspired 
 
10 PERSONAL EEM1NISCENCES 
 
 writers as figures, which if standing erect, the eye 
 takes it, might measure eight feet, whereas in reclin- 
 ing postures they actually measure twenty-eight feet, 
 from head to feet. Also: the letters, " TIL es Petrus, " 
 etc.," around the base of the dome, which I have often 
 scrutinized and scanned carefully, appeared to me 
 about sixteen inches long, and yet they each measure 
 five feet. And so of the other parts, all which are 
 really not very distant from the visitor. All this is 
 due to the proportions of the structure . It contains 
 some forty altars, the chief of which stands isolated, 
 so that the celebrant faces the congregation, over 
 the tomb of the Apostles, beneath the "vast and 
 wondrous dome, to which Diana's marvel was a cell." 
 No one but the Pope celebrates mass on this altar, 
 except by special permission of His Holiness. 
 
 The portion in the rear of the altar, set apart for the 
 sanctuary on these occasions, is more spacious than 
 our largest church here. It is lined on the outer edge 
 with platforms occupied by diplomatic representatives 
 of foreign courts, the chief officers of the army with 
 their staffs, and other lay dignitaries. Within these 
 are ranged Priests, Bishops, Patriarchs, Cardinals and 
 those in immediate attendance on the Holy Father, all 
 robed in garments appropriate to their offices. In 
 lieu of a sanctuary-railing, a file of Swiss Guards, en- 
 cased in antique coat-of-mail, and the Pope's body- 
 guard, called the Noble Guard, (which is composed of 
 noblemen most accomplished and skilled in arms), 
 clad in the richest of military uniforms, keep clear the 
 space immediately around the altar. A passage is also 
 kept open from the altar to the front door by a single 
 line of the Palatine Guard, numbering some sixteen 
 hundred men. 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. 11 
 
 The choir is composed of about thirty members, all 
 masters of music and possessed of unequalled voices. 
 They always sing without any instrumental accompani- 
 ment whatever. Harmony is their forte. 
 
 Now enters the procession of ecclesiastical dig- 
 nitaries, wending its way to the sanctuary, and 
 shortly a suppressed murmur announces the arrival of 
 the " HOLY FATHER!" who is seated on the Sedes 
 Gestatoria, or throne, borne on the shoulders of eight 
 clerics. The view is all that could be desired. He 
 advances slowly, blessing on the way the kneeling 
 multitudes, till the altar is reached, and, after the 
 usual preparations, begins the Mass. Of the Papal 
 Mass and the accompanying ceremonial in general, I 
 would merely observe, that there is no apparent aim 
 at gaudiness or pompous display. All is smooth, 
 simple, natural, yet withal gorgeous, grand, impres- 
 sive, awe-inspiring and pleasing beyond description. 
 One feels, for once in his life, that the Mass is being 
 celebrated as it should be. 
 
 But I must not pass, without special notice, the 
 Consecration. Yet, what shall I say of it ? 
 
 I should first remark, that up to this time, there have 
 been observable no evidences of recollectedness or 
 especial reverence in the people. Practical Catholics 
 always hear some other Mass. They never repair to 
 St. Peter's with the purpose of satisfying their obliga- 
 tion to hear Mass by attending at this one. They 
 come more with a view to see things done well and to 
 admire, than to indulge their private devotion. No 
 one is disedified by the enquiries in loud whispers 
 after information, the eager eyes and anxious ears of 
 those around him. It seems quite natural. But when 
 the Consecration begins, a heavy fall of arms, a shuf- 
 
12 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 fling of tens of thousands of feet (preparatory to kneel- 
 ing) on the marble pavement are heard, and all is 
 hushed. The Holy Father, with the sacred species 
 elevated in his hands, turns slowly to all the points of 
 the compass, something after the manner of the priest 
 in giving Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. 
 And during the oblation most exquisite and soft tones 
 emerge from the apex of the dome four hundred feet 
 above, and, gradually swelling in volume, they descend 
 and spread till the vast space with all its recesses 
 seems wrapt in unearthly melody. These strains float 
 from silver trumpets manipulated by master hands, 
 and are commemorative of an old legend that once the 
 angels in this place accompanied the Consecration 
 with their heavenly harmony. The sacred drama lasts 
 perhaps five minutes; and, without presuming to de- 
 scribe the effect on the worshippers, I will confidently 
 assert, that not one of those thousands would willing- 
 ly exchange those five minutes for a whole year of any 
 other kind of pleasurable emotions which he had ever 
 experienced. The adoring multitudes rise slowly and 
 reluctantly to their feet, and the Mass proceeds. 
 
 2. CANDLEMAS AND PALM SUNDAY. 
 
 The distinctive features of these solemnities are the 
 blessing of the Candles and Palms, processions with 
 the same and the singing of the Passion. The candles 
 are large wax tapers, painted in oil colors by master 
 brushes and otherwise decorated with artistic taste. 
 The palm-leaves, which are taken from the tree of 
 that name, are woven with consummate skill into varied 
 shapes and designs to please the eye, and, like the 
 candles, are tastefully ornamented. The ceremony of 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. j.i 
 
 blessing these ended, the procession is formed, all 
 composing it, including the Holy Father, bearing 
 candles or palms (as the case may be), and passes 
 around, within the church (St. Peter's.) It is on such 
 occasions as these, that is, in processions, that the 
 practice of carrying the Holy Father, elevated on his 
 throne above the surrounding heads, is appreciated. 
 Few could otherwise enjoy a view of him, and without 
 that view no one would be satisfied with the ceremo- 
 nies. At such times he is always vested in full ponti- 
 ficals and bears on his head the Tiara or triple-crown 
 which is distinctive of the Papacy. These process- 
 ions are grand indeed, but I withhold comment on 
 them till I come to mention that of Corpus Christi, 
 which eclipses all others. The Passion is recited 
 and chaunted much in the style in vogue in all our 
 churches, but with the excellence attainable only by 
 the selected and cultured voices of the Land of Music, 
 the Home of all the Arts. 
 
 3. HOLY THURSDAY. 
 
 The washing of the Disciples 7 feet and their being 
 waited on by their Divine Master are commemorated 
 in the Vatican Basilica on Holy Thursday. In one of 
 the wings of the church an open space is reserved for 
 the former of these ceremonies. The view is excellent, 
 being unobstructed by an altar or other intervening 
 structure. And as the aged Pontiff, in imitation of 
 his Divine Lord, (John, xiii. 14,) kneels and washes, 
 wipes and kisses the feet of twelve students selected 
 for the purpose from different colleges, every beholder 
 is highly edified and pleased. THE SUPPER: Then all 
 repair to a large hall over the vestibule of St. Peter's, 
 where a semi-sacred scene is enacted, that, for an air 
 
14 PERSONAL EEMimSCENCES 
 
 of charming simplicity and Christian charity, could 
 scarcely be equalled by aught else. The twelve are 
 seated along one side of a table, and facing such spec- 
 tators as have been fortunate enough to secure a posi- 
 tion in the limited space. The supper is a sumptuous 
 one, though of light materials, and is served out to 
 each by the Holy Father, with an air of ease, con- 
 descension and gracious dignity which is peculiarly his 
 own, and takes the sympathies of all observers by 
 storm. On every countenance a beam of pleasure and 
 admiration plays. If the Holy Father were to hear 
 the laudatory remarks made about him just then, it 
 would tax his humility severely. 
 
 4. A CANONIZATION. 
 
 I was, too, among the fortunate ones who were pre- 
 sent at a ceremony, the like to which has not been 
 witnessed by most of those even who have spent years 
 in the Eternal City namely, a Canonization that of 
 the Japanese Martyrs. Neither expense nor labor is 
 spared by the Church in her endeavor to render the 
 public proclamation of her children's sanctity and 
 glory appropriate, and it is at all times a gorgeous and 
 imposing celebration. But the occasion of which I 
 speak was unusually so. This circumstance was due 
 to the fact of there being at that time assembled in 
 Borne a large number of Prelates, convened for other 
 purposes; though even this coincidence should not, 
 perhaps, be deemed accidental, for Almighty God may 
 have so arranged for the greater glory and consolation 
 of His suffering Church and the confusion of her ene- 
 mies. Some three or four hundred Bishops, Patri- 
 archs and other Church dignitaries helped by their 
 
OF POVE 7'/rs IX. 15 
 
 attendance to enhance the grandeur of the ceremony. 
 For months previously the interior of St. Peter's was 
 being decorated and embellished to such an extent 
 that on the great day scarcely any part of the vast 
 basilica was recognizable to those familiar with it 
 only in its every-day attire. The immense pilasters 
 and other works of art, engraved in marbles of every 
 variety of color and value on the walls, were screened 
 from view by tapestries, painted imitations of stones 
 and many other devices; wax candles by tens of thou-. 
 sands were arranged in divers forms, and, altogether, 
 the church donned a novel appearance. I would not 
 say that the change was an improvement on the normal 
 condition of the building, for it is hardly susceptible 
 of such; yet, because new, it pleased the old fre- 
 quenters, and the effect of the renovation was withal 
 sublime. 
 
 Knowing that the occasion would draw very many 
 to the church, I, in company with one of my fellow- 
 students, repaired thither as early as 5 A. M. to secure, 
 if possible, a good view; but, though we fared better 
 than the majority, we paid dearly for our pleasure. 
 We wormed our way to within, perhaps, two hundred 
 feet of the Grand Altar, and there remained wedged 
 in for seven or eight mortal hours, at times unable to 
 touch the pavement with our feet, so great was the pres- 
 sure. Every available space in the church was occu- 
 pied by fully twice as many persons as it was designed 
 to accommodate with standing room, and a still larger 
 number was outside. In company with those usually 
 forming such processions the hundreds of Prelates 
 from foreign climes, all clad in rich vestments, marched 
 before the Holy Father, who suffered nothing from 
 comparison with any or all of these, his coadjutors in 
 
16 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 the government of Christ's Church. He was easily 
 
 Chief among Princes At the eventful moment 
 
 the Te Deum was entoned by the Pope and chorused 
 by the immense mass assembled. 
 
 After those eight hours of excruciating bliss or 
 delicious torment (as you will), we two hungry and 
 worn youths sought refreshment within the sacred 
 precincts of our Alma Mater, satiated with the enter- 
 tainment of the day. I must, however, remark that 
 St. Peter's is rarely ever so crowded : yet, even then, 
 the sacrifice of convenience and comfort involved is 
 more than balanced by the glory of the scene. 
 
 5. BENEDICTION IN FKONT OF ST. PETER'S. 
 
 Another public ceremony in which the Holy Father 
 figures conspicuously is the Benediction in front of 
 St. Peter's, pronounced by him on Easter Sunday. As 
 a triumphal celebration, having nothing sacred about 
 it except in the part enacted by the Pope himself, 
 this exhibition stands preeminent above anything 
 else of the kind in Home, or indeed elsewhere. The 
 gathering of people is the largest of the year. The 
 Eoman people turn out en masse to receive the bless- 
 ing of the Holy Father and to testify their devotion to 
 his person and rule over them : and, of course, not 
 one of the thousands of visitors from foreign coun- 
 tries of whom the greatest number of the season is 
 then in the city could be induced to absent himself. 
 I remember one year when the number of foreign 
 arrivals during the single week preceding Palm Sun- 
 day was reported at forty thousand. The hotels 
 charged ten dollars per day and were over-crowded: 
 many sojourners were obliged to seek lodgings from 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. 17 
 
 twelve to twenty miles out in the country, whence 
 they repaired early each morning to witness the cere- 
 monies of Holy Week. 
 
 Well, all these are gathered on the occasion in ques- 
 tion in the great circular piazza in front of St. Peter's. 
 The number present must exceed two hundred thou- 
 sand souls. All eyes are fixed on the loggia or balcony 
 some fifty feet above the center door of the church. 
 At the appointed time a small procession of Prelates 
 comes to the front, and, dividing, makes way for the 
 Holy Father, who in full pontificals is carried on 
 his throne. Profound silence reigns throughout the 
 vast assemblage; the indulgences attached to the Papal 
 Benediction are published, and Pius IX. proceeds to 
 enact a role which nature and grace have preeminently 
 fitted him to fill. Still seated on the throne he chants 
 in a loud, clear voice, audible several hundred feet 
 away, the preliminary prayers; the people fall on their 
 knees, and the Holy Father rises to his feet, and, with 
 outstretched arms, as if embracing the whole world, 
 invokes the blessing of the Most Holy Trinity on 
 God's children throughout the earth. The volume of 
 his voice is truly wonderful just then, its tones reach- 
 ing every ear. The sacred names are sung with such 
 force and distinctness as to be easily heard by prob- 
 ably over one hundred thousand persons; and, after 
 the slow, measured utterance of each, cannon is dis- 
 charged at the fortress of Sant' Angelo, nearly a mile 
 distant, by means of electricity. 
 
 Now, dear friends, it would be folly in me to attempt 
 to describe the emotions aroused in the hearts of the 
 people while they feast their eyes on the* figure of the 
 Holy Father and drink in the unctious tones of his 
 voice. Have you ever wept, aye, cried aloud with 
 
IS PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 joy ? Have the fountains of your hearts gushed forth 
 in a kind of ecstasy? If so, you can divine, without 
 the aid of my cold words, the nature of those emo- 
 tions. The last syllable is scarcely suffered to die 
 away when the pent-up feelings of the multitude seek 
 expression in one grand burst of exultation. The 
 vociferous, almost wild cheering of the crowd, the 
 clangor of a dozen brass bands and the booming 
 of cannon, both at the fortress and on the piazza, pro- 
 duce a medley of discordant sounds, which neverthe- 
 less is pleasing because joyous; and the waving of 
 handkerchiefs and flags enhances the life and gayety 
 of the scene. The Holy Father, reclining on his 
 throne, looks down for a few moments on the vast 
 forest of uncovered heads, seemingly complacent with 
 this demonstration of loyalty and devotion, and then 
 retires to much-needed refreshment and rest. 
 
 6. CORPUS CHEISTI. 
 
 The glory and glitter of all other processions wane 
 at the approach of this pageant as the light of the 
 moon pales in the presence of the rising sun. The 
 great piazza in front of !St. Peter's is encompassed 
 with lour rows of massive stone columns, sur- 
 mounted with a heavy roof, and forms an appropriate 
 foreground to the giart basilica. Through the central 
 aisle of this colonnade the triumphal parade defiles 
 for a circuit of perhaps a half-mile. Military companies 
 and select guards in their holiday uniforms, delega- 
 tions from the various religious orders in their several 
 habits, bishops and cardinals in rich vestments slowly 
 advance in graduated ranks, while bands, stationed at 
 intervals throughout the lines, discourse in solemn 
 
OF POPS PfOH IX 1M 
 
 and soothing tones sacred inarches. The triumphal 
 march of a victorious general in old Kome would but 
 ill compare with this one. Yet, all these are but 
 nothing, and fa,de, as they should, into insignificance 
 and utter oblivion at the approach of the HOLY OF 
 HOLIES, Who is borne in a rich remonstrance by the 
 Pope kneeling on an elevated platform, 
 
 It may seem irreverent, yet I trust it is not, for true 
 it is that the devout worshippers cannot refrain from 
 feasting their eyes on the angelic features of the Holj 
 Father. I say "angelic" designedly, for it often oc- 
 curred to my mind, when gazing at him on those occa- 
 sions, that his venerable locks and saintly counte- 
 nance and prayerful lips would not mar the sacred 
 mood of the adoring spirits about the throne of God. 
 This may appear extravagant to hearers, but, I assure 
 you, not to beholders. The procession occupies three 
 hours or more; and, like all the public ceremonies in 
 which the Pope figures, is, in its general " make-up " 
 and its distinctive features, grand, sublime and charm- 
 ing beyond any other like human exhibition. Were 
 you present at them, your unanimous verdict would be 
 that mine has been but a feeble effort to convey to you 
 a true idea of them. Yet, take what I have said for 
 what it is worth, multiply by tea, and the result will 
 supply you with something near a fair statement of the 
 case. 
 
 7. VISITS IN HALF-STATE TO CHURCHES. 
 
 Besides these solemn functions there are many occa- 
 sions on which the Holy Father appears in public 
 with less ceremony, such as his visits to the churches 
 throughout the city But I must abstain from 
 
90 PERSONAL REMINISCENCED. 
 
 dilating on these, and I would simply remark that, 
 robed in the richest of vestments, or clad in his every- 
 day attire, carried in triumph amid a mass of sacred 
 wealth, or engaged in the prosaic and tedious duties of 
 his office, the deportment and movements of Pius IX. 
 were uniformly characterized by an ease, composure, 
 dignity and grace which were perfectly charming. 
 
PART II. 
 
 PERSON AND CHAEACTEE OF PIUS IX. 
 
 Immediately after the opening of our college we 
 repaired to His Holiness to announce the event, and 
 were received kindly. A few weeks afterwards he 
 honored us with a stately visit, and we succeeded in 
 according him a worthy reception. A few days after 
 this visit, in answer to an invitation, we called at his 
 palace (the Vatican), through which he strolled with 
 us for hours. On many subsequent occasions also we 
 enjoyed his blessed company. He seemed much taken 
 with the students of the several colleges in the city, 
 and frequently visited them. In those of our college 
 he appeared to take more than common interest. 
 Perhaps I say this, because everyone thinks his own 
 the best mother in the world; but many others ima- 
 gined that they discerned some such preference. In 
 these visits to the different colleges the Holy Father 
 was so familiar and affable that the students learned 
 much of him, and the better they knew him the more 
 they loved him. Now, let me try to tell you what I 
 know and think of him. 
 
 HIS PHYSIQUE. 
 
 When I last saw him, Pius IX. was seventy-three 
 years old. Then and I believe he had not changed 
 much before his demise (except becoming more attrac- 
 tive and venerable with age) physically he was stout 
 
*? PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 and strong. He was rather a little under the medium 
 height, but his shortness of stature was observable 
 only when brought in contrast with more towering 
 forms. Standing alone, and as he generally appeared 
 in public ceremonies, he presented a very imposing 
 and stately figure. Many, among them myself, thought 
 his the most handsome, pleasing and charming coun- 
 tenance they ever beheld in a person of his build. In 
 conversation his voice had a soft, paternal tone. 
 When chanting the offices of the Church, it agreeably 
 surprised every listener. /, certainly, have never heard 
 another such voice, so melodious, rich, full, strong and 
 clear. When, raised some seventy feet above the 
 pavement of St. Peter's church, he gave his benedic- 
 tion, every syllable was distinctly heard six hundred 
 feet away, and, of course, the sound of his voice much 
 further off. Twenty years ago his hair, which was 
 very abundant, retained its iron-gray of fifty years ago, 
 but when I left Borne it had already begun silvering. 
 His health was excellent, and he rarely took vacation 
 and scarcely any respite from his very arduous labors, 
 for which he was ever ready. But you ought to have 
 een him, and you would surely say that you had never 
 een another like to him. 
 
 CHARACTERISTIC VIRTUES. 
 
 In speaking of his rirtues or qualities of mind and 
 heart, I shall allude to those only which shone most 
 Conspicuously, and which attracted the attention of 
 the passing observer, remarking at the same time, that 
 a more intimate acquaintance with them revealed their 
 depth and purity. 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. n 
 
 1. HUMILITY 
 
 Is a virtue whose practice is somewhat difficult to one 
 in the Pope's station. His attendants surround him 
 with pomp, and his loving and admiring children 
 throughout the world are pleased to see their Father 
 made much of. We are thrilled with awe, love and 
 joy at the grandeur, solemnity and splendor of the 
 ceremonies of the Church when he officiates or parti- 
 cipates in them. We insist on all kings, emperors 
 and other grandees reverencing him as their supe- 
 rior, or on their standing back from his august pre- 
 sence. Yet, humility held a prominent place among 
 the virtues which characterized Pius IX. He could, 
 without laying aside his dignity, condescend, with a 
 better grace than one would think possible, to associate 
 and converse with the lowliest. At times, for instance, 
 when taking his usual afternoon drive by way of relaxa- 
 tion from the .cares of the day on which occasions he 
 must needs move in state, with church dignitaries in 
 attendance and noble guards around him he would 
 step from his carriage and stop some poor old person 
 on the road, to comfort, encourage and bless him. Or 
 he might encounter a band of young students and chat 
 with them pleasantly about their distant homes. 
 
 His visits to the different colleges, of which I have 
 made mention, were, of course, much coveted and 
 appreciated. The occasion of his first visit to our 
 college will be long remembered by all present, and 
 especially in the memories of the inmates it will ever 
 be treasured as one of the brightest spots in their 
 existence. Dignitaries and detachments from other 
 colleges envied our success in giving the Holy Father 
 a grand (they said unequalled) ovation. They envied 
 us, too, and with reason, the more than ordinary com- 
 
24 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 placence and interest he displayed towards us; but 
 their envy was a holy one. He walked with us through 
 the college halls, and, when in front of a bust of the 
 "Father of his Country," he remarked that "Washing- 
 ton was a great man." Just then, hearing an Eaglish 
 Monsignore (Talbot) whisper something about our 
 Hurrah! he expressed a wish to hear an American 
 cheer, which we thirteen youngsters accordingly gave, 
 with a vim that would have drowned a thousand Italian 
 vivas. The guards came rushing up stairs with drawn 
 swords, thinking the uproar occasioned by a revolu- 
 tionary outbreak (an affair of almost daily occurrence 
 in that peaceful country !) The Holy Father playfully 
 covered his ears with his hands and ran into an adjoin- 
 ing room, much anmsed and pleased with what many 
 smaller dignitaries woulu have frowned upon and 
 rebuked as disrespectful. Taking advantage of his 
 indulgent affability and condescension, we obtained 
 from him concessions which he had previously in his 
 official capacity refused; among others, permission to 
 keep the Blessed Sacrament in our private Chapel, it 
 being already in a Church adjoining the college. We 
 had prepared a large number of short speeches in 
 many living and dead languages, but we had time for 
 the delivery of only a few of them. He then addressed 
 the assembly (numbering between two and three hun- 
 dred) at great length, dwelling with much feeling on 
 his domestic troubles, and with much enthusiasm on 
 the progress of the Church in America. That was a 
 glorious day. 
 
 Then we had another glorious day with him, all to 
 ourselves. A few days after his visit to us he sent us 
 an invitation to walk with him in the Vatican Gardens. 
 Our hearts fairly jumped with joy. On the appointed 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. 25 
 
 day it rained, thank God ! and he took us through the 
 great Vatican Library, and we enjoyed ourselves more 
 than we could have done in the gardens. He showed 
 us rare and valuable books, listened in one of the side 
 halls to the rest of our little addresses, with which he 
 was much pleased, and bade us repeat the "Hurrah! " 
 adding that we need not fear being heard there by 
 outsiders. In a word, he made himself and us per- 
 fectly at home. Having received presents and his 
 blessing, after having been with him some three or 
 four hours, we left, crammed^ full of happiness and a 
 deal prouder than he was. 
 
 All this and much else of like nature revealed his 
 habitual humility and condescending disposition. 
 And it was remarked by all that, however much thus 
 favored by him, one could not for a moment forget 
 that he was the Vicar of Christ, so naturally did dig- 
 nity sit upon him with all his humility. In him dignity 
 and humility blended together, each enhancing the 
 excellence of the other. 
 
 2. CHARITY FRATERNAL,. 
 
 His charity, so far as this virtue refers to men, 
 I can hardly, if at all. separate from his humility; for 
 it was his charity that made him humble and condes- 
 cending. Charity, which is the greatest of virtues, \ 
 was certainly his predominant virtue. It seemed in 
 him rather natural than acquired. His face always 
 wore an attractive expression: a kindly smile ever 
 played about his mouth: his eye gave forth a soft, 
 compassionate, benign look : his voice was full of feel- 
 ing and sympathy : he was most affable, uttering words 
 of paternal advice and encouragement. It is difficult, 
 if at all possible, to conceive how the flush of anger 
 or the wrinkles of severity could find a resting place 
 
26 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 on a countenance so serene and winning as was his. 
 These characteristic graces made him irresistibly 
 charming to all who came in contact with him. One 
 could not help admiring, esteeming and loving him. 
 However severe the tax on his patience, whatever the 
 amount of labor imposed on him and of fatigue con- 
 sequent on it, the bright, warm flame of his charity 
 never waned, but ever glowed towards all, especially 
 the poor, lowly, suffering, sorrowing. His "charity 
 was patient, was kind, .... was not puffed up, .... 
 was not provoked to anger, .... bore all things." 
 (1 Cor. xiii. 4.) 
 
 Nor was his charity of that kind which finds expres- 
 sion in mere "word and in tongue, but in deed and in 
 truth." (1 John iii. 18.) His reign was one of lenien- 
 cy and clemency to the erring . He strove to reclaim 
 and reform, rather than to punish criminals as do other 
 rulers. His laws were enacted and enforced for the 
 benefit and welfare of his people, not for his own 
 private interests. His capital was renowned for the 
 number and grand scale of its institutions founded for 
 the relief of every form of affliction which distresses 
 humanity. In this respect his put to shame many of 
 the most opulent and prosperous governments of earth, 
 which often forget or but imperfectly provide for the 
 weak and poor, who are unable to assert their rights. 
 Then in the distribution of alms, he often completely 
 divested himself of the immense quantities of gold 
 and silver laid at his feet by the devotion and piety of 
 Catholics throughout the world. When, for instance, 
 we visited him for the first time, he apologized for 
 giving us medals of an inferior metal, saying that he 
 would gladly give us more precious ones, but his stock 
 of them had run out, together with the means of sup- 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. t7 
 
 plying their place. (Our medals were more dearly 
 prized by us on that account.) At times he hud even 
 broken and melted down the insignia of his office and 
 the sacred vessels, and distributed them to the poor in 
 different countries. His frugal mode of life attests 
 that his possessions were not for himself. For, while 
 his devoted children gladly supplied him with the 
 means of living in greater splendor than does any 
 earthly prince, his personal expenses were really less 
 than what an ordinary citizen here thinks fit to lay out 
 on himself. Such was his charity in its human de- 
 velopment. 
 
 -CHARITY DIVINE . 
 
 Of the divine virtue of Charity, considered as the 
 love of God in his heart, I shall not speak, except as 
 manifested in his zeal for the spread of divine truth, 
 the increase of God's glory through his Church on 
 earth, and for the salvation of souls. His zeal was 
 manifested in the great concern with which he viewed 
 the advances of our holy religion, especially in mis- 
 sionary countries, among which our own holds not the 
 least prominence. He seemed to bear towards this 
 new conquest of the Cross that more than common 
 affection which finds place in the heart of a parent for 
 his youngest child. He treated our Bishops as his 
 bosom friends, and prized them as his coadjutors in 
 the most promising portion of the Churcn. He 
 received and entertained our Priests as veterans in the 
 most momentous battle-field of the Faith. Our stu- 
 dents he encouraged, and he seemed to foresee the 
 fruits of their labors in the choicest section of the 
 Lord's vineyard on earth. His zeal was manifest also 
 in his founding of so many Sees in all parts of the 
 world, especially on this continent. 
 
88 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 Another evidence of his zeal is to be found in the 
 establishment by him of numerous national colleges in 
 the Holy City for the instruction and training of mis- 
 sionaries to all climes. These colleges were all under 
 his inspection and shared largely in his paternal solici- 
 tude. Among those which owe their origin to his 
 zeal and their success to his fostering care are those 
 for the northern and southern continents of America. 
 I may add here that his seeming partiality to the 
 American Church, and exceptionally deep interest in 
 all matters pertaining thereto, were, perhaps, due to 
 the fact that, before his elevation to the Holy See, he 
 visited these shores the first of St. Peter's successors 
 to set foot on the New World and that from personal 
 observation he probably learned to expect great things 
 of us. 
 
 His zeal shone forth also in the frequent convocation 
 of the Bishops throughout the world to attest and pro- 
 claim the triumphs of the Church. In one of those 
 assemblies he set its most brilliant jewel in the diadem 
 which adorns the brow of Her whom all generations 
 call Blessed, by defining the dogma of the Immaculate 
 Conception of the Mother of God. He was, by the 
 way, a most devoted servant and client of God's Virgin 
 Mother. Her chaste spouse, too, came in for a large 
 share of the earthly honors accorded by our Holy 
 Father to God's favored servants in Heaven; for the 
 faithful were bidden by him to revere St. Joseph as 
 Patron of the Universal Church. In another of those 
 august meetings the victories of many martyrs in Japan 
 were celebrated, and their virtues held up for our 
 admiration and imitation. At that time the Holy 
 Father, with the Bishops around him, took occasion to 
 condemn the infamous spoliation of the States of the 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. 39 
 
 Church by northern marauders. His last convocation 
 of the Bishops, for the purpose of holding a General 
 Council of the Church, may be regarded as the crown- 
 ing act of his illustrious life. Touching this Council, 
 I shall merely observe that it would appear as if God 
 took occasion to reward, even on earth, His servant's 
 great devotion to the Divine Mother, by asserting 
 through the Council the greatest of the prerogatives 
 attached to the Primacy, namely, the Pope's infalli- 
 bility in confirming his brethren in the Faith, and in 
 feeding with moral precepts the lambs and sheep con- 
 fided to his care by his Divine Master. 
 
 Let this much suflfrce concerning the virtue of charity, 
 viewed in both its divine and human aspects, as il- 
 lustrated in the person of Pius IX. 
 
 4. FOBTITUDE. 
 
 Let me mention another virtue characteristic of our 
 Holy Father, and then I will conclude. Perhaps in 
 one of so mild and gentle a disposition as was Pius 
 IX. the severer virtues could scarcely be expected to 
 exist to any considerable degree; yet, when the cause 
 of Eeligion demanded it, he displayed a firmness 
 which compared favorably with that of any of his pre- 
 decessors, not excepting Gregory the Great. Though 
 ready, willing, even anxious to conform and to make 
 all necessary and useful concessions to the just re- 
 quirements of the times; still, when irreligion, infidel- 
 ity, injustice, invasion, robbery, oppression, under 
 the guise of progress, civilization and liberty, sought 
 to secure his alliance to their covert schemes, he de- 
 tected their plans and scouted their offers. And, when 
 later they cast off their disguise and threatened to 
 victimize and destroy him unless he yielded to their 
 
SO PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 ungodly desires and demands, he calmly, firmly and 
 fearlessly answered them: " Non possumiis" We 
 cannot betray our sacred trust, or be induced by 
 seductive promises or merciless threats to sacrifice the 
 cause of religion, truth, justice and morality, the 
 safe-guards of the human race in time and its passport 
 to a blissful eternity. When all earthly source of 
 hope seemed closed, that old man stood firm, and with 
 unwavering accent continued to utter: "We cannot, 
 we cannot." Those words were the< expression of his 
 strength. His fierce, defiant and menacing foes chafed 
 with demoniac rage at the souna of his voice, ^and 
 they rushed headlong in the attempt to smother and 
 silence it. 
 
 Victory seems to have lighted on their lurid banners; 
 but their triumph is only a seeming one. Their hopes 
 are vain: their efforts futile: their success shortlived 
 and doomed to ultimate and speedy defeat; and the 
 senseless originators of these proceedings, with their 
 deluded associates, will reap chagrin, remorse, con- 
 fusion. They are rushing madly into a vortex of irre- 
 trievable ruin, of woe unutterable. The Church will 
 arise phenix-like, clothed with immortal youth and 
 smiling serenely on the crumbling ruins of human 
 pride and audacity around her. Her Supreme Pontiff 
 will stand firmly on the unshaken Bock of Peter, view- 
 ing the calm, and will fearlessly witness subsequent 
 storms gathering, and new waves rearing their angry 
 crests, confident that they too will vainly spend their 
 fury and that other calms will ensue, to give as it were 
 breathing time for the next onset. Thus throughout 
 time will each trial of the Holy See be succeeded by a 
 new triumph, till the Supreme Head, Christ Jesus, 
 shall command the eternal calm. 
 
OF POPE PIUS IX. 91 
 
 VALE! 
 
 I have drawn, in faintest traces, the outlines of some 
 of the most striking and prominent features of the 
 person, character and virtues of our Holy Father 
 Pius. I leave to others possessed of sufficient pene- 
 trative, appreciative and descriptive powers (if there 
 be any such) the task of producing the portrait in its 
 completeness. If any such work be ever achieved, it 
 will hold up to the admiration, esteem and love of 
 men one of the most noble and devoted of God's 
 servants, for he was truly a saint, and one of the 
 most sincere and zealous among the benefactors of our 
 race; for he spent his energies and his life for us. 
 Nor had he ever a personal enemy, even among those 
 who sought the overthrow of his sacred Office. 
 
 God, too, in an extraordinary manner made known 
 on earth His complacence with him. Of the long list 
 of Popes since St. Peter, Pius IX. alone was spared 
 through a reign of twenty-five years. It was not 
 natural to expect it. His pontificate was begun rather 
 late in life, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. His was 
 an eventful and laborious life. Cross and trial and 
 opposition and persecution were his lot, such as 
 would naturally have soon worn out an old man. But 
 God sustained him through it all, and, in the thirty- 
 first year of his reign and the eighty-fifth of his age, 
 he still survived, with great bodily vigor, mental facul- 
 ties unimpaired and his many virtues alive, green, 
 active and fruitful as ever. In that year the holocaust, 
 to God and to God's children on earth, was consum- 
 mated. 
 
 The Holy Father had survived those who had op- 
 posed and those w1 ' " ^ Mm so long in 
 
32 PERSONAL REMINSCENCEti. 
 
 his endeavors to guard and advance the interests of 
 the^Church. Napoleon, Victor Emanuel, Cavour, La 
 Marmora, and a host of others, (leagued together 
 for the purpose of despoiling the Church of her 
 sacred patrimony), had entered on their final ac- 
 counting; and Pius the Ninth's intimate, long-tried, 
 trusted and devoted attendants, such as Patrizzi in 
 the spiritual order and Antonelli in the temporal, 
 had gone to enjoy their reward and to usher him into 
 heaven. 
 
 We should not grieve, beloved friends, at his taking 
 away, but should rather rejoice; for he is happy, the 
 Church is well provided for, and his further detention 
 on earth would have been overburdening an already 
 overworked and worn-out old servant of God and God's 
 people, and withholding from him the well-merited 
 reward of his brilliant virtues and protracted and 
 onerous labors. 
 
 We may pray for him; and, while we pray for him, 
 let us hope to enlist his prayers that we may all meet 
 our Holy Father Pius in heaven. 
 
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