the neck, whilst on the others he simply placed it
crosswise, from the right shoulder to the left side. I do not know
whether this was done at the time of the institution of the Blessed
Sacrament, or only for the anointing.

I understood that Jesus communicated to them by this unction
something essential and supernatural, beyond my power to describe. He
told them that when they should have received the Holy Spirit they were
to consecrate the bread and wine, and anoint the other Apostles. It was
made known to me then that, on the day of Pentecost, Peter and John
imposed their hands upon the other Apostles, and a week later upon
several of the disciples. After the Resurrection, John gave the
Adorable Sacrament for the first time to the Blessed Virgin. It is a
festival no longer kept in the Church on earth, but I see it celebrated
in the Church triumphant. For the first few days after Pentecost I saw
only Peter and John consecrate the Blessed Eucharist, but after that
the others also consecrated.

Our Lord next proceeded to bless fire in a brass vessel, and care
was taken that it should not go out, but it was kept near the spot
where the Blessed Sacrament had been deposited, in one division of the
ancient Paschal hearth, and fire was always taken from it when needed
for spiritual purposes.

All that Jesus did upon this occasion was done in private, and
taught equally in private. The Church has retained all that was
essential of these secret instructions, and, under the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost, developed and adapted them to all her requirements.

Whether Peter and John were both consecrated bishops, or Peter alone
as bishop and John as priest, or to what dignity the other four
Apostles were raised, I cannot pretend to say. But the different ways
in which our Lord arranged the Apostles' stoles appear to indicate
different degrees of consecration.

When these holy ceremonies were concluded, the chalice (near which
the blessed Chrism also stood) was re-covered, and the Adorable
Sacrament carried by Peter and John into the back part of the room,
which was divided off by a curtain, and from thenceforth became the
Sanctuary. The spot where the Blessed Sacrament was deposited was not
very far above the Paschal stove. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
took care of the Sanctuary and of the supper-room during the absence of
the Apostles.

Jesus again instructed his Apostles for a considerable length of
time, and al