The Catholic World.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 28, 12 November 1897, Page 25

The Catholic World.

BELG-lULL— Louise Lateau.— Le^s than iwei.ty years ago the little village of I'ois d'Haiuc, in the diouc-e of Tournai, was familiar to vary many Catholics as the home of Louise Lateau, the saintly maiden in whos-e person was repeated the miracle of the sacred stigmata, with its accompanyiiig liiandlous phenomena. She died on the 25th /ugn-t, 1.5.51. at the ;ig.j of thirty-three, and eince then on the ai.ni votary oi her death "i solemn L'tquu m service is celebrated in her pur^h cluueli. IKr memory i- held in veneration m all the eountiy round, and l.uj-e nuinbeis ilock to attend the anniversary Man.-. On the 2~>th Octobir the eiwomary tci vice was held, and as usual the church w.is dei'-'Jy crowded. Louise Lateau is buried behind the choir of the chuich, and ft the conclusion of the sacred function all who were present paid a \isit to the tomb where her remains repose. Her modest monument is encircled with some fifty wreath*, ot which one of the most beautiful is that offered by the well-known Pere Dolcourt on the L'."Jth August, 1860. ENGLAND —Cardinal Vaughan and Trades Unionists. — A reprc-entative of the Jiirniuit/lium Daily Mall waited oh Cardinal Vaughan at bt. Mary's College, Oseott, on Tuesday, September 7, and his Eminence tben communicated the following message to the Trades Congress, now sitting in Birmingham :—": — " It is necessary that individuals should unite together so as to bring forward in an influential and poweiful manner those matters which pertains to their rights and to their interests. Thus reason and commonsense ought to prevail over their deliberations. When men depart from reason and common-dense — well, of course, license, and tyranny, perhaps, take place, when there is power to back them. ■God has given to all men reason, and practical common-sense is especially v gift of Englishmen ; so one naturally hopes that bodies of practical men m lju»l uid will be guided by the dictates of reason i and eominon-sen'-o — m fact, that is prudence. Of course, the .danger is that two or three mm can eairy away a whole multitude — so much depend-, upon the leaders ; and these men very often think they must bo \erj c^trciie in order to win the confidence oil the multitude. These It adoi>, above aIJ .require reason and commonsens<\and prudence and taut."

FRANCE.— Mary Magdalen's Tomb.— Tradition, local history, and the faith of the whole population of Provence point to the spot where Mary Magdalen died. It was at Suint-Maxiniin, near Aix. Her tomb, according to Lacordaire, in his " Vie de Sainte Marie Madeleine," is the one third in importance in the world, /coming immediately after that of our Lord at Jerusalem and that of St. Peter at Rome. At first a crypt and afterwards a splendid basilica, it has towered through the centuries inviting the attention of kings, including St. Louis and Louis XIV. Fur thirteen hundred years it was watched without intermission by a bodyguard of religious. It may possibly invite the attention of English who are interested in the Church of St. Trophime at Aries because of its oonnection with St. Augustine, the Apostle of England. The voice of faith and tradition to which we have alluded says that St. Trophime was one of those who came over from Palestine with Mary Magdalen and that he became first Bishop of Aries. Near the tomb of Saint Maxiuain is the grotto on the mountain of Saint Baume where Mary Magdalen is said to have passed the last thirty years of her life. So dear were the to-rib and the grotto to Lacordaire that he prayed that he might write his last line and draw his last breath in the locality.

FRANCE.— A Rich Frenchwoman's Generous Bequests. — The will of the late Madame Louise Maria Roederer, widow of M. Charles E. Roederer, who carried on business as a champagne maker at Rheims in partnership with his brother, is ona more example to show how devoted is a French woman to her works of charity. Madame Roederer died on Feb. G last, and the administrator of her estate is her brother. M. Felix Boisseaux, of Rheims. Her will begins in the old Catholic fashion, Ad majorem D,L ijlorlavi, and she bequeaths to the Little Sisters of the Poor £1800. and to the Society of Charity to Mothers £1000, and to the hospitals of Rheims £2000, to the Grand Seminary (Catholic) £800. to the Convent of the Good Shepherd £800, to the House of Retreats £800, to the Little Seminary (Catholic) £800, to the Benevolent Institute (Catholic) £800, to the Sisters of Charity in the parish of St. Genevieve, Rheims, £11,000. The income of this last bequest is to be specially appropriated for maintaining and promoting the works of instruction, elucation, and apprenticeship of the children, and the remuneration of the chaplain of the orphanage is co be paid out of this income Madame Roederer gives in trust to her brother, Felix Boisseaux, and to Mr. Charles Heidsieck, jointly, two large pieces of land near Rheims, and the sum of £10,0.)0, and as to the disposition of these she writes : " My brother and Charles Ileidsiech know the charitable works and the institutions which I have founded and patronised, and I feel sure they will do their best to found and patronise those which I should have so much liked to have founded during my lifetime, concerning which I have already s-poken to them. I have every confidence in them, and in expressing this wish, I am guided by my conscience, because I owe it to G od and to the memory of my hiisoand, in recognition of the great benefits which Providence has beneficently vouchsafed to us. as well as the remainder of our family ."

ITALY.— Anti-Clerisal Contsntion by a Municipal Council. — Some commotion his been excited m X iples o\er a quarrel that has arisen in the midst of the Municipal Council. At one of their recent sittings a project was bein« discussed tor the reor^ani/. ition of th ■ police force, a. id amongst the minor proposals advanced iii this connection was o.'e laying <llornA m that the guardians of the peace biioul.l salute in military fashion the Holy Sacrament, when carried as Viaticum by a pru^t a. id to the Archbish >p of the diocese. There wl* nothing unusti il i;i thi< propo-.il, for the law of the land oid tins tint even tV soldiers shall s.ilute the Klcs.se I Sacrament. But. contr.ry to e\p 'Ct.i'ion. \ iolent resistance was offered by the anti-ehncal members of the Council to the p issage of the article. The Syndic or Mxvor. vot ■>! for it himself, but such was the opposition that the \otes were equally divided, and after a very stormy sitting, the Council adjourned its deliberations. This fact, however, necl cau^e no apprehension regirding the neiural progress of the cauie of religion m Italy. Naples the l,ir_re--t city in the -kingdom, is also one of the mo<t fervently Catholic, and it ih here that the anti-rthg ous section is vainly endeavouring to strike a blow. But the (Jj.ihohe-5 of tho country are w.ikimj up, and before many years are elapsed, a large pirtof the present bigotry and ill-feeling is sure to have passe I away.

JAPAN.— Catholic Progress in Japan.— The Church is making advances in Japan. The Jtlitst ntti <l Catholic Miwions prints these statistics of the NajjcWiki mission . " The total population of the Japanese I- lands which constitute the Nagasaki mission is b',377.080 ; ot thesi' ;i;i,70l are Catholics. The work is carried on by one bishop, twenty-six n,irop< j an and seventeen native priests ; thirteen native cleric* : fifty catechists for the conversion of infidels, l."0 for the religious instruction of Christians-, siven Brothers of Mary, thirteen nuns of the Child Jesus, and six native

nuns, with four novices.

There are tLjhleen district-.

with tliiitv-

five stations, 1 1 0 Christian settlement--, fifty ei{>lit churches and chapels, forty-four oratories, a seminary with forty-two unlive students, a cateobi^ts school with twelve, nine elementary schools with 737 p;ipilrf ; ten native communities of women (-iek nurses teachers, etc) with 180 member-. ; six farms and workshop*?, w ith

30G persons ; eight orphanages, with 'A\C> children, and five dispen-

saries. The fruits of a 3 ear arc: Baptisms, I>K2 (adults, 400: mgan children, 260 ; Christian infants. 1.222) ; confirmations, 1,04(5 ; W faster communions, 18,3.-2 ; marriages', 818." These figures are gratifying proofs of progress in the dominion of the Mikado.

ROME. — Pontifical Documents. — There is a rumour in wellinformed ecclesiastical circles that the Holy Father, having just terminated an Encyclical on the ILly Ko.-ary, to be published on the approach of the month of Oetob< r. is now preparing a document in connection with the centenary festivities in commemoration of the landing of St. Augustine in England. It will probably have the form of an Apostolic Letter, and will deal incidentally with the question of the reunion of the Churches. The Pontiff

has had himself fully and'accurately informed regarding the Conference of the Anglican bishops at Lambeth.

SWITZERLAND.-Catholic Delegates at the Labour Congre3S. — One hundred and seven Catholic delegates attended the late Labour Congress at Zurich. The French Temps instances this fact as a revolution in Catholic thought and says: "Oily lately the representatives of the Church troubled themselves about the inevitablenesa of trial.'' Everyone admits to-dny, however, that the burdens of the toiling classes can be lightened and that it is the duty of every Christian, whether m-iest or layman, to do all that he can to lighten them.

SOUTH AMERICA. -A New Church at Buenos AyreS. — Our Buenos Ayres correspondent (says the Catholic Times of September 10) telegraphs that the Church of the Passionist fathers in that city was solemnly consecrated on Friday last. The ceremony was performed by his Grace the Archbishop of Buenos Ayres (Most Rev. Dr. Uladis-lao Castollano) assisted by the Titular- Bish op of Tiberiopolis (Most Rev. l)r Mariano Antonio E.->pinosa), and the the Salesian Bishop of Patagonia^ (Most Rev. Dr. Juan Cagliero). After the churjh was consecrated his Grace proceeded to consecrate the High Altar. The altar of St. Patrick was consecrated by the Titular-Bishop of Tiberiopolis as a testimony of his affection and esteem for the Irish residents, and Bishop Cagliero consecrated the altar of St. Paul of the Cro&s. The octave is being observed with great solemnity, the various religious Communities of the city taking part in the ceremonies. On the Feast of our Lady's Nativity the Franciscan Fathers officiated, and yesterday (Thursday) the services were conducted by the Redemptorists. To-day (Friday) the Lazarist Fathers will officiate, and to-morrow the Salesian Fathers will have charge of the services. The octave will conclude on Sunday with Pontifical High Mass by the Most Rev. Dr. E-^pinosa, and the Rev. Father Antillac, SJ. will preach on the occasion. '

UNITED STATES— The Washington Catholic University.—Colonel Patrick B. O'Brien of New Orleans, has left by will £30.000 to found three chairs. The chairs selected by the university authorities are tho°e of physics, chemistry and Roman law. As the gallant Colonel had espoused the cause of the South in the great Civil War, his gift is evidence of the thoroughly universal character of the Church in the United States. Altogether he bequeathed some £80,000 in charities, of which £4.000 went to the seminary for the education of priests in Louisiana. £2.000 for the education of Jesuits, and vast sums to orphanages and homes for the in.inn and ag< d and outcast. This is a disposition of larthly jjoods that m.iy well be chronicled in our columns (sa,y h the Ciitholw Tunis'), as well as for the purpose of asking the suffrages of the faithful for the soul of the benefactor, as of pointing out his princely benefactions for the imitation of rich men in our own country. There is no need of the Catholic body so ctying a-, that ot h'gher education for the clurjjy, in which duly the bishops are crippled for want of funds. It may bo. as i-, often said, that wealthy laymen are not likely to subsidise colleges or so 'iinaries until, as is the case in sotiie American cullr.m „ tluy are more widely opened to the public eye — and there may bj oooio o oi reasons why this is not already done — but there cm be 'no question that help, fin.inciil help, would lamely tend to impio\e the cond'tions winch we are all agreed to deplore. I'iiy luun(la.t ; o-i of chairs is a good and holy work for God, and i- one of the bosc ways of creating .such a body of professors as are sheddui"liistre on the youn» university m the capitil ot the United States. Our own bishops will do the woik when the faithful enable them to do it.