s foundation on Scripture. We
read in the Old Testament of the solemn blessing of the Temple of
Solomon. St. Paul tells us that "every creature is sanctified by the
word of God and prayer." Churches, water, candles, bells, books,
persons, and other things blessed by the Church are creatures. Therefore
we are following St. Paul in blessing them, for every creature is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

We do not claim that those articles that are blessed have any efficacy
in themselves; but we hope and pray that God in His infinite goodness
and mercy may render those blessed articles beneficial to those using
them, may protect them and lead them to _His blessed abode above, where
all is peace and light and love._

XIII. The Celebration of Feasts

"Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to the Lord thy God, in the
place which the Lord shalt choose" (_Deut_. xvi. 15).

"If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and
the publican" (_Matt._ xviii. 17).

FROM these texts we learn that besides the Sunday God wishes certain
other days to be observed religiously, and that the Church has the power
of designating these days.

As the State sets aside certain national holidays in commemoration of
its founder or of the Declaration of Independence, so the Church sets
aside these holidays in honor of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and
the saints.

Besides the feasts celebrated on Sundays, there are in this country but
six holidays of obligation. Three of these are commemorative of events
in the life of Our Lord: Christmas, the Circumcision, and the Ascension;
two, the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, in honor of the
Blessed Virgin; and one in honor of God's saints--the Feast of All
Saints.

The ecclesiastical year begins in Advent. Advent is a period of about
four weeks of penance and prayer preparatory to the great feast of
Christmas and corresponding to the penitential season of Lent before
Easter. During the ecclesiastical year, the first of the feasts of
obligation in the order of time is the feast of the _Immaculate
Conception_.

It is celebrated on the 8th of December. On this day we commemorate the
fact that Mary was immaculate when she first came into being in her
mother's womb; that she was always pure; that sin never touched her fair
soul. Immaculate Conception, as you will see in the article on the
Blessed Virgin, means that she was always free from sin.

The great