342 ADVENT. 



DEC. 7. St. Ambrose, bishop and confessor, doc- 

 tor of the Church, a. d. 397. ) 

 St. Fara, virgin and abbess, 655. 

 Vigil of the Conception. 



Obs. St. Ambrose was born about the year 340 : whilst a child, 

 laying asleep in one of the courts of his father's palace, a swarm of 

 Bees flew about his cradle, and some of them crept in and out at his 

 mouth, which was open ; at last they mounted up in the air so high, 

 that they quite vanished out of sight. This was esteemed a presage 

 of future greatness and eloquence : the like is said to have happened 

 to Plato. St. Ambrose was about thirty four years old when he was 

 ordained bishop ; and he is rankedjamong the Doctors of the Church. 

 He died on the 4th of April, 397.' 



St. Fara, after meeting with great opposition, received the religious 

 veil in 614, in the monastery of Faremontier. Though very young, 

 she was appointed abbess of the nunnery, and governed it with great 

 discretion and piety. She died, after a painful lingering sickness, 

 on the 3d of April, about the year 655. The relics of St. Fara were 

 enshrined, and a great number of miracles have been wrought 

 through her intercession. 



Hairy Achania Achania pilosa fl. 



We insert the following in allusion to the well known Vision of St. Nicholas 

 from the Perennial Calendar, biit we had not room to insert it in its proper 

 place yesterday : 



A Mistake cleared up with resj)ect to Doctrine. — A Well known legendary 

 history of the restoration to life of two children at the prayers of St. Nicholas, 

 and of his vision, affords an illustration of a piece of Catholic doctrine often 

 misrepresented by Protestants. The saint repels the idea that he had worked 

 the miracle, which God had in reality performed at his intercession and prayers. 

 A similar doctrine will always be found to be maintained by those holy persons 

 at whose instance Heaven has been pleased to testify, by miraculous effects, 

 to the sanctity of the church. The saints never pretend to ascribe miracles to 

 any power delegated to themselves. 



This being the Eve of the Conception, we have filled up a blank space in the 

 page with the following Hymn to the Virgin, taking from a carious old Spanish 

 collection of Devotional Exercises : 



Salve Virgen floreciente 



Templo de la Trinidad, 

 Gozode las serafines 



Retrefede puridad, 

 Refugerio de affliiidos 



Nuerto do el deleyte esta 

 Pal ma de patiencia, y cedro 



De inviolable castidad. 

 . Tu la Tierra eres bendita 



Del Tribu sacerdotal, 

 Pura siempre, y siempre libra 



De la disgracia de Adan. 

 Ciudad, doude Dios habita 



Por cuya Puerla Oriental 

 Todas las Gracias eutraron 



En ti Vergen singular. 



