Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/583

 the Holy  Name  of  Jesus,  so  as  to  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the feeling of  the  Church  for  a  devotion  from  which  she gathered such  precious  fruits. St. John  Capistran  carried the banner  of  the  name  of  Jesus,  against  which  so  many sacrilegious attacks  had  been  directed. Religious of  all Orders, the  secular  clergy  and  a  large  body  of  the  people followed, singing  canticles. Thus the  holy  name  of  Jesus was blessed,  glorified,  and  extolled  to  the  enthusiastic  delight of every  Christian  heart. The memory  of  this  event  was perpetuated later  on  in  the  Order  of  St.  Francis,  by  the feast of  the  Triumph  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus. This feast was,  by  permission  of  Pope  Innocent  VIII,  established in  the  Franciscan  Order  in  the  year  1530,  and  observed on  the  14th  day  of  January. In 1721  Innocent XIII extended  the  celebration  of  the  feast  to  the  universal Church, and  appointed  it  to  be  kept  on  the  second  Sunday after Epiphany. In 1863  Pius  IX  approved  the  Litany  of the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus,  at  the  request  of  the  general  of  the Franciscan Order.

Next to  the  devotion  to  Our  Lord's  holy  infancy  the worship of  the  name  of  the  holy  child  has  thus  become  one of the  sweetest  traditions  bequeathed  by  St.  Francis  to  his children.

In the  course  of  time  a  number  of  associations  were formed, having  for  object  the  love  and  honor  of  the  Holy Name of  Jesus. The Dominican  Friars  were  especially zealous in  spreading  these  fraternities. They were  eventually united  into  the  present  Holy  Name  Society,  "which has  since  encircled  the  globe,  developing  a  sturdy  religious spirit,  a  deep  love  of  God,  and  an  abiding  reverence  of  the name  of  Jesus.  Nowhere  has  the  society  made  more  rapid growth  than  here  in  our  own  country.  The  good  it  has done  can  be  only  faintly  estimated,  but  it  is  certain  that  the Society  is  checking  the  foul  habit  of  profane  and  indecent language,  that  it  is  teaching  men  to  mention  with  reverence the  name  of  Jesus,  that  it  is  bringing  to  Mass  on  Sundays and  to  the  sacraments  at  regular  intervals,  thousands  of