CARDINAL MORAN ON THE MARIST ORDER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 52, 28 December 1899, Page 4

CARDINAL MORAN ON THE MARIST ORDER.

His Eminence Cardinal Moran laid the foundation-stone of extensive additions to the church dedicated to the Blessed Peter Chanel, at Hunter's Hill, Sydney, on December 3. The church is in charge of the Marist Order, and in the course of his addresß the CardinalArchbishop paid a well-deserved tribute to the work of the French missionaries, especially to those of the Society of Mary. His Eminence said :—ln: — In pagan lands no missionaries could compare in apostolic work with the French priests. As an evidence of this he would mention the opinion of a traveller through Burmah who had written an article which he (the Cardinal) was reading the other day. This writer, who was exploring regions comparatively little known, afterwards paid a visit to the Lieutenant-Governor of Rangoon, and in course of conversation the religious labours of French and English missionaries were mentioned. The Lieutenant Governor declared that if the English missionaries only had the true apostolic spirit as did the missionaries of France they WOULD CONVERT THE WHOLE WORLD. He (the Lieutenant-Governor) looked upon this spirit which the French missionaries possessed as tending in a remarkable degree towards the spread of the blessings of Redemption to those that knew not our blessed Lord. The Governor did not desire to detract from the work of the English Protestant missionaries, but regretted that they found it necessary to compound their spiritual labours with trade, admitting at the same time that this to a great extent was unavoidable as the English missionary usually had a wife and family, and through the conflicting interests found it almost impossible to separate religion from commerce. The French missionaries, on the other hand, had no such ties, but laboured solely through true devotion to the Church. Another instance of the remarkable Buccess attending the efforts of the missionary priests of France was to be found in Africa, where all our thoughts are turned to-day. Years ago but little was hnown of the remote interior ; to-day, however, it was nearly all explored. Here, although a tribute of praise must be given to such heroic travellers as Livingstone and Stanley, who went forward impelled by the spirit of exploration, they must give the highest tribute to the devoted French missionaries who followed in their steps spreading the blessings of religion. It was a singular thing to reflect that at one time a million lives were sacrificed yearly in the slave trade in Africa, whilst Europe looked on and could devise no means to cope with the flagrant inhumanity. But Cardinal Lavigerie

WENT BOUND ALL THE COURTS

of Europe pleading the cause of the slaves, and through his efforts a great congress was held in Belgium, when all the powers united to suppress the slave trade everywhere. On behalf of the slaves Cardinal Lavigerie went from capital to capital, from city to city, and nowhere was he received with more enthusiasm than in the great manufacturing centres of England, like Manchester and Birmingham. They recognised his efforts and gave him their assistance, and if the slave trade has been rooted out they owed it to Cardinal Lavigerie, These thoughts were recalled by the Blessed Pe^er Chanel, who laboured in the Pacific, and he hoped that the spirit of Peter Chanel would long remain with the Marist Fathers, the devoted missionaries they rejoiced to have among them. He had only one fault to find with the Marist Fathers — there was not enough of them.