This feast was first celebrated in the Eastern Church, and was only gradually introduced into Europe during the ninth century. It was promoted by the Franciscans in the thirteenth century, and the Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV introduced it in Rome in 1477. Because Pope Clement XI extended it to the universal Church in 1708, it received a special impetus toward the end of De La Salle’s life. This might have promoted a special devotion among the first Brothers, and influenced this meditation by Dela Salle.
According to later regulations of the community of Saint Yon, this feast is kept with great solemnity throughout the Institute, for it was after vowing to fast on the eve of this feast every year, in addition to the Friday fast, and to celebrate the feast and its octave solemnly, as far as they were able, that the Brothers obtained Letters Patent from the king, and the Bull of Approbation of the Institute from the Holy See.
Moreover, the Lord has provided the means needed to construct the chapel and other buildings at Saint Yon, and has given prosperity to this house in a seemingly miraculous manner. On this day, just as on Easter Sunday, everything that is most beautiful will be used in the chapel. Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
