As the Baseball World Series is played out between the Yankees and the Phillies and the season come to an end, Pat McNamara, the Church historian and archivist, has just concluded his "Baseball Picture of the Week" series on his excellent blog. His final picture shows a Holy Name Rally from the 1940s taking place at Ebbets Field, the old Brooklyn Dodgers stadium, in New York.
From its earliest days the Order of Preachers has had a devotion to the Holy Name. In 1274 Pope Gregory X asked the Order to preach devotion to it. It was ordained that in every Dominican church an altar of the Holy Name should be erected, and that societies or confraternities under the title and invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus should be established. St. Peter Martyr, John of Vercelli, a successor of St. Dominic, Blessed Ambrose of Siena and Blessed Henry Suso were all great propagators of this devotion.
In the twentieth century this zeal continued as can be seen in this picture. The rally pictured was an annual event often attracting over 100,000 people. The event was organised by the Province of St. Joseph and it is very apt that one of the friars should lead Bishop Thomas E. Molloy into the field to begin the rally.
No comments:
Post a Comment