The Catholic world.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 8, 21 February 1901, Page 24

The Catholic world.

ENGLAND— Death of a Generous Catholic Lady.— The death occurred recently at Hastings of Mrs. Margaret Hearn, widow of the late Mr. Patrick Hearn, of Doughty street, London The deceased lady was a native of County Cork, but spent the greater part of her life in London, where her late husband established a highly prosperous business. Mrs. Hearn was a devout Catholic and a generous patron of struggling London missions. She was also an unfailing friend to the Irish poor in the district in which she lived, by whom, aa well as by a large circle of personal friends both in Ireland and London, her loss will be sinoerely mourned. Street Procession by Torchlight in Blyth.— An unusual spectacle was witnessed in Blyth streets one evening in the beginning of January, when 800 Catholics, headed by the Rev. Father Power, the eloquent Jesuit who in conducting a mission there, marched in procession reciting public prayers of homage to mark the beginning of a new century. The Rev. Father Power, who is a man of splendid physique, being 6ft 7in in height, attracted much attention as he spoke in the Market place. The GermanSChurch in London.— The Daily Mail of the 29th December says that the laity of the German Church of St. Boniface, Whitechapel, ' have demanded control of the finances as a condition of their liquidating the heavy debt. Cardinal Vaughan has consented, and the congregation have appointed a church committee, exclusively of laymen, who will in future have entire management of the commercial department of the mission, thus relieving the clergy of all further harass.' FRANCE— The Question of Religious Associations.— In a letter to the Archbishop of Paris on the question of religious associations, the Holy Father recalls the services rendered by the associations and the importance of their work abroad, adding that if a blow were to be struck at them he would have to acquiesce in filling the voids left by French missionaries by those of other nationalities His Holiness defends the associations from the charges made against them. In an interview with M. Henry des Houx, recorded by the Matin, his Holiness accuses the French Government of violating the Concordat. The Government and the Passionist Fathers.— The crusade in which the French Ministry are engaged against the religious Orders has many unpleasant features, but the course pursued towards the English Paesionists in Paris is contemptible and vexatious in the extreme, and serves to show the spirit in which the whole campaign is conductod. Some 30 years ago the Paseionist Fathers, for the purpose of ministering to the religious needs of English-speaking people living in Paris or passing through that city, built their church in the Avenue Hoche. The money by which it was erected was purely English and American money, and the work carried on there since has been maintained from the same sources. The unjust taxes imposed on French religious Communities under the ' Loi d'Accroissement ' were imposed on the Paßßionistß of the Avenue Hoche. They resisted in the courts, but without success. Then they laid the case before the British and American consuls, and these gentlemen intervened. Their appeal was fruitless, and now the French Government threaten to confiscate the property of thoee British subjects unless they reoeive the

sum of 20,000 francs. The Passiouists, who have not got the money, •re making an appeal for it to the Catholics of the English-speaking world. INDIA.— The Archdiocese Of Goa — His Grace the Archbishop Patriarch of Goa has undertaken the establishment of an English College under the Jesuit Fathers. It is further proposed to provide Goa with a technical college and an agricultural farm. ROME.— The Beginning of the Century.—Notwithstanding inclement weather, many persons attended tne Midnight Masses which were celebrated in ail the ouuruuea iv Rome al LLe end of die year. The Pope, who reluctantly yielded to the advice of his Khysician and abandoned his intention of offering up Miduighi [ass in St. Peter's, oelebrated Mass in his private chapel at midnight, members of the Pontifical Court and a small number of specially invited personages being present. At St. Peter's Cardinal Rampolla officiated. Among the enormous congregation were the Duke of Norfolk and other English pilgrims. The streets presented a spectacle of great animation up to a late hour, and a number of houses were illuminated. Proposed Monument to Adrian IV-— A project is on foot to erect a monument in St. Peter's, Rome, to Nicholas Breakapeare, Adrian IV., the only Englishman who has been Pope. The only other Englishmen who have a monument in the Vatican Basilica are the two last Stuart pretenders, who were commemorated in marble by the great Canova. The scheme has been started through the enterprise of Mr. Griselle, of Oxford, who hopes to raise sufficient funds among English Catholics. A Year's Work- — T)r. Lapponi, the Pope's physician, states that his Holiness, despite his recent fatigue, is in excellent health. During 1900 the Pope had officiated at seventy functions at St. Peter's, received twenty-five pilgrimages, given separate audiences to several thousand persons, issued eighty Encyclicals and Apobtolic Letters, and composed several poems. The English Pilgrimage- — Although the ' Anno Santo ' has been officially closed, it is generally felt in Vatican circles (writes a Rome correspondent) that one of the most important episodes connected with that privileged period is the English pilgrimage which has arrived here. Indeed it would be difficult to quote another occasion in which so eminently representative a body of English Catholics, led by two such august personages as Cardinal Vaughan and the Duke of Norfolk, journeyed to the Eternal City in order to do homage to the Vicar of Christ. The bulk of the pilgrimage, numbering 210 members, personally conducted by the Duke of Norfolk, took up their quarters at the Hotel de Rome. That the pilgrimage is one of the most representative ones which ever left the British Isles may be gathered from the following list of its leading components : — The Dnke of Norfolk, Lord and Lady Edmuud Talbot, Lady Philippa Stewart, Lord Herriea and daughter, Major - General Law,

Colonel Lawson, the Hon and Mrs Walter Maxwell, Lady Marshall, Colonel MaoDonnell, Count and Countess Moore, Colonel Reeves, etc. The hierarchy is represented by Cardinal Vaughan, the Bishops of Newport, Birmingham, Cisamus, Salford, Portsmouth, and Phocoea, while the resident English prelates, namely, Archbishop Stonor, Mom-ignors Stanley, Giles, Schobel, Slaughter, Prior, Lindsay, and others, are also aggregated to the pilgrimage. A number of Engliah Catholics residing in Rome, Florenoe, Naples, and other Italian towns have likewise asked and obtained to share in the spiritual exercises and privileges of the pilgrimage, so that, although, the nn-nVior of pilgrims coming directly from England i« rather limited the group to be received by the Holy Father will amount to at least five hundred pcr oons.o ons. SCOTLAND-— Bigotry Snubbed.— We (Catholic Times) recently commented on the pitiable narrow-mindedness of Local Commissioners at Lochgilphead in Scotland, who when Mr James McNeil, of Coventry, a Catholic, was appointed postmaster of Lochgilphead petitioned the Postmaster-General to cancel the appointment. Happily the power of these Commissioners for mischief is very limited. The more liberal-minded people of Lochgilphead revolted against such an exhibition of religious prejudice, and a petition protesting against it which was prepared by Messrs W. Ramsay and R. Hamilton received a goodly number of signatures, including those of three ex-Provosts and many other prominent townsmen. The Postmaster-General, of course, had no sympathy with the intolerance of the Commissioners, and Mr McNeil now holds the position for which he is eminently qualified. We trust the rebuff the Commissioners have met with will prove a useful lesson not only to them, but to others who may be inclined to give way to bigotry. It is too bad that at the end of the nineteenth century an attempt should be made to penalise people on account of their creed by excluding them from the public service. Death of an Oban Priest-— On the morning of Friday, 28th December, at Bishop's House, Oban, there passed away the Rev. Hugh Campbell, in the first flower of his youth and priesthood, for he was only 2(J, and had been ordained but 18 months ago. So early a death has been a great blow to his relatives, and a grief beyond words to his Bishop and fellow-priests. What increased the sympathy felt for his sorrowing relatives was the fact that he is the chird of his family to die within the last six months. Father Campbell had given every promise of being a useful priest. He was of a very gentle and retiring disposition ; at the same time earnest in work, and most sensible and reliable. The first 10 months of his short carreer were spent in assisting partly at the ProCathedral, Oban, and partly at Roybridge, Loohaber ; while since June of this year he had been in charge of tne mission of Bornish, South Uist. His health had never been robust. Two years before his ordination he had a severe illness, which threatened his life and obliged him to leave France, where he had been studying. He had regained strength considerably, however, by the time he was ordained, and since then he continued to improve, so that the

danger seemed averted. Bat about the middle of October a hemorrhage oooarred, and decline set in. He was tended with every care by the Sisters at the Cottage Hospital, Daliburgh, and towards the end of November was brought to Oban in the hope of being: able to get further south. His body was taken to South Uist, his native place, for burial. Proposed Presentation to Bishop Maguire— At an influential meeting of the Catholio laity of the archdiocese of Glasgow held at St. Enoch's Hotel, it wa? tmßnimouely resolved, with great enthusiasm, to promote a testimonial to his Lordship, Bishop Maguire, in honor of the occasion of bis silver jubilee aa a priest. Mr. George McGhee, who presided, suggested that contributions to the fund should begin at once, and, in hearty response, close on £200 were intimated on the spot. The meeting resolved itself into an organising committee with powers to add to its numbers, and decided to promote the testimonial in the various districts of the archdiocese. UNITED STATBS.-The Pope and the Philippines— The Archbishop of Manila is in Rome (writes a correspondent) and had the honor the other day of a private audience with the Pope, when hie Grace took occasion to explain to the Holy Father the deplorable condition of the Philippines in consequence of the American occupation. The Pontiff was deeply grieved to hear from his Graoe's lips the confirmation of the unfavorable reports about the cruelties practised by the Americans against the Filipinos, and expressed astonishment on learning that Christian soldiers systematically looted and desecrated Catholic churches. The Archbishop of Manila addressed a fervent appeal to the Holy Father on behalf of his unhappy flock, and it is extremely probable that Leo XIII. will address an autograph letter to President McKinley, requesting him, in the name of religion and humanity, to stop the war of extirmination in the^Philippines. GENERAL. Charitable Bequests- — By her will, dated November 11th, 1898, Dame Charlotte Louisa Van Straubenzee, widow of General Sir Charles T. Van Straubenzee, G.C.8., Governor of Malta, 1872-78, bequeathed to Dr. Brownlow, Bishop of Clifton, £1,200 for the Catholio mission at Minehead, and to the Superioress of the Convent of the Good Shepherd, at Malta, £300. Her estate has been valued at £4,160 gross, and £4,051 net.