The Youth Congregation used to meet every Thursday and Sunday, but also on feast days. Here the Diary entry for Wednesday 2 November, All Souls Day, gives an idea of their activities of prayer, instruction and games.<\/p>\n
\nWe gathered at the usual time in the chapel to recite the Office of the Dead. After Matins, the Reverend Director said Holy Mass which was followed by Lauds. <\/strong><\/h5>\n
We then withdrew, but as we passed through the courtyard we could not resist playing a few games of p<\/em>arties de barres<\/em><\/span><\/span> [ed: a game of racing between two areas marked out with a line drawn on the ground]. In the evening we gathered after the parish liturgies, we entered the chapel for the reading and the decades of the rosary. We then played until 9 p.m. The games were interrupted only for the eating of chestnuts according to the immemorial custom of these parts. <\/strong><\/h5>\n
The congregants were levied two sols<\/em> per head, which came to a total too great to spend wholly on chestnuts. It was proposed to set aside a portion for the poor. The Reverend Director proposed another more profitable idea, which was adopted, namely, to deduct a sum for saying a Mass for the souls in purgatory. He will say this Mass, and as he never receives anything for himself by way of retribution, the money will remain for the poor.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Diary of the Aix Christian Youth Congregation, 2 November 1814, \u00a0O.W. XVI<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Youth Congregation used to meet every Thursday and Sunday, but also on feast days. Here the Diary entry for Wednesday 2 November, All Souls Day, gives an idea of their activities of prayer, instruction and games. We gathered at … Continue reading