People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1895 — Catholic Notes. [ARTICLE]

Catholic Notes.

(Contributed.) The ladies of the Altar and Rosray Society held their annual meeting last Sunday and installed the following officers: Spiritual adviser, Rev. Stanislas Neiberg; President, Mrs. Anna Maloy; Secretary, Mrs. Katharine Owens; Treasurer, Mrs. Elizabeth Beck. The Society is in a decidedly flourishing condition and its membership is gradually crowing. The members individually work toward this end, and their society is among the “quick ones” of the congregations. Next Sunday members of St. Aloysius Society will approach the sacraments in corpore at the early mass, and after high mass elect officers.

Though the inclemency of the weather on Sunday evening must have materially lessened the audience at the hall of the Catholic Foresters on the occasion of a meeting of the Stanislas Literary Society yet it proved a pleasurable and profitable entertainment. Mr. William Donnelly presided over the meeting being president; Miss Lizzie Elizabeth read the minutes, being secretary; Miss Annie Walters acting as critic. The program opened with music by Healy’s orchestra which was highly appreciated as could be easily judged by the encores so frequent that they were compelled to almost exhaust their repertory. Mr. Jerry Healy displayed his customary skill in playing the mandolin. A solo by Miss Mary Meyer was greatly enjoyed. Little Miss Hattie Eigelbach recited nicely and the Misses Maggie Healy and Maggie Walters rendered their declamations in a very creditable manner. The Messrs. William Beck, Frank Meyer and Joseph Luers also displayed a careful preparation of their parts. One of the most amusing features of the evening was, beyond question, the reading of the society paper by Miss LenaZerden. The affair was a most happy one and will be long cherished in the memories of the participants. The next Sunday is termed Septuagesiam Sunday in the language of the Church, which means seventy: According to

the first Council of Orleans. A. D. 545, many pious ecclesiastics and lay persons of the primitive Church used to fast seventy days before Easter and their fast was called, therefore, Septuagesiam, a name which was afterwards retained to distinguished this Sunday from others. The same was the case with the three folfowing Sundays; many Christians commencing their fast sixty days before Easter, whence the name Sex%gesima; others fifty days, whence Quinguagesiam; others forty days, whence Quadragesima. Alcuin says that the captivity of the Jews in Babylon gave the first thought of this time of penance, for as the Jew r s were obliged to do penance for twenty years, that they might thereby merit to return into the promised land, so Christians ought to regain the grace of God by fasting for seventy days. Thus the Church next Sunday commences to infuse into the minds of her children thoughts of penance of a preparation for the fast, by donning the penitential vestments and laying aside the Alleluias and Canticles of joy which she made use of in the divine services since the Feast of our Savior’s Nativity. College Xttei. The Rev. Frederic Wiechman of Gas City gave a “Retreat" to the college students last week. The addresses of the Rev. Father were fine and were highly appreciated. The retreat was a source of much spiritual profit to the students. The Rev. Eugene Grimm assisted the Rev. John Berg of Remington last Sunday. He preached an enthusiastic sermon on the Confraternity of the Most Precious Blood which is to be established at that place, in the near future, by Rev. X J. A. Nageleisen of tne College. A monthley journal is now being edited by the members of the Columbian Literary Society of St. Joseph’s College. The Journal is known as St. Joseph’s Collegian. The object of the Collegian is to promote the advancement of all that is good and noble in the heart of every student; to elevate their literary taste, and to serve as an incentive to earliest and preserving labors in all that pertains to a thorough education, and. besides to give friends and patrons of the College an idea of the practical work accomplished.