New Year's Day, 1900/1901
by Roger Mercurio, C.P.
This material was gathered in 1988 as part of the research for the internal history of Holy Cross Province. Fr. Roger Mercurio examined chronicles available to him from Passionist foundations in existence in 1899. Given the interest in the upcoming millennium celebration, the material below shows that like today, the church was attempting to interpret the meaning of the twentieth century. Notice the citation sources in Rome, Passionist foundations and contemporary journals of the day.
On November 10, 1994 Pope John Paul II wrote a long apostolic letter entitled Tertio Millennio Adveniente. In this letter he gives a theological understanding of the jubilee, the preparations which have been made during this century and especially since the Vatican Council. Then he outlines specific plans for the final years leading up to the jubilee year itself, the year 2000 AD. The English translation can be found in Osservatore Romano weekly English edition, November 16, 1994 (special insert) and also in Origins, #24 (November 20, 1994) pp. 401-416. Reading this letter of Pope John Paul II we might wonder how Pope Leo XIII had prepared for the great jubilee year of 1900 during the final decade of the 1890s.
Pope Leo XIII announced a Holy Year, which would begin at first vespers on Christmas 1899 and close at first Vespers for Christmas 1900. Text is dated May 1899. The American Ecclesiastical Review [AER] vol. 21 (July 1899) pp. 62-73 published the text in both Latin and English. Leo XIII closed the 1800s by dedicating the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Again AER, vol. 21 (July 1899) pp. 73-79, published the text in Latin. One can also read it in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII NY,1905, pp. 454-461.
Earlier Leo XIII had written an encyclical on July 16, 1892 on the fourth centennial of Columbus's arrival in the new world of the Americas. In Chicago the Columbian Exposition was held in 1893. Several American bishops attended the congress on religions. January 6, 1895 Leo XIII wrote an exuberant letter on Catholicity in the United States, Longinqua Oceani (Great Encyclical Letters, pp. 264-270 & 320 335). This was a period of "good feeling" for Americans, Catholics and Passionists!
To a great extent Passionists were caught up in this enthusiasm. The first great Missionary Congress was held in Pittsburgh in 1894. The resolutions passed at this congress acclaim Passionist solidarity with the Pope's and the American bishops' efforts to meet the challenges of the era.
Two years later, August 22-27, 1896, American Passionists held the twelfth provincial chapter at St. Paul's Monastery, Pittsburgh. The opening paragraphs of the Acts of the 1896 chapter glow with feelings of good will:
"It may be said that never before has the Chapter been assembled under better auspices, and amidst more sanguine expectations than in the present instance. The past three years have been remarkable for the peace of the Communities; the prosperity of the different Retreats; the number and extent of our ministerial labors; the acquisition of many and promising subjects, and the addition of a new Retreat, in which the observance has been kept up for nearly two years..."
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