The Catholic World.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 12, 21 March 1901, Page 24

The Catholic World.

BELGlUM.— Disastrous Fire in a School.— A disastrous fire broke oat on January 29 in the Institute St. Joseph, a great religious school at Loumare, Central Belgium, containing several hundred boarders. The institute was 'destroyed, a fireman and a policeman being severely injured in rendering aid. All the inmates escaped. ENGLAND.— The Preston Catholic Charitable Society. —The acting committee of the first Catholic Charitable Society established in Preston in 1731 sent to his Majesty the King, on behalf of their members, a telegram expressive of their deep sympathy with him and the Royal family at the death of the Queen, and the expression of their fervent loyalty to his Majesty King Edward VII. and his consort. Aid for a Liverpool Mission- — The officials of the Catholic mission at Moor Lane, Ashton-in-Makerfleld, have received intimation that a grant of £6000 will be made to them for the purpose of erecting a church. This is a portion of a bequest left by the late Mr. John Mercer for the purpose of promoting Catholicism in the Liverpool diocese. FRANCE.— New Year's Decorations.— The New Year'B decorations of the French Government (writes a Paris correspondent) are just published, and some of them are particularly interesting. Sister Candide, the Directress of the Ormesson Hospital for 22 years, is made a Knight of the Legion of Honor, as well as the Bishop of Nice and the parish priest of St. Etienne (Meuse), M. l'abbe Remy. who has filled his post for 40 years. The Bishop of Nioe has since declined the nomination in consequence of the attitude of the Government towards the Church.

GERMANY— The Kaiser and the Pope-— Emperor William, of Germany, wrote a most affectionate New Year's letter to Pope Leo XIII. ITALY.-Death of a Great Composer.— As waa reported by cable at the time Signor Verdi, the famous operatic oomposer, died early on Sunday morning, January 27, at Milan, after a brief illness. The Pope expressed profound regret at the death of Signor Verdi. Extreme Unction was administered to the dying composer by Don Alberto Catena. Writing of the great composer's death a Rome correspondent says : — Through the death of Verdi has passed away one of the glories of Italy. And the Italians of all classes are ehowina how highly they honored the distinguished maestro. The Holy Father, King Victor Emmanuel, and the Chambers have been feelingly indicating their regret at his death, and in every part of Italy there is keen competition in devising the happiest means of paying tributes to Mb memory. It is interesting to note amidst this universal desire of his fellow-countrymen to pay homage to his genius, how extremely simple were Verdi's own wishes with regard to his funeral. In a document which he left for his niece, Signora Carrar, he wrote : ' I desire that my funeral be very modest and take place at daybreak or at the Aye Maria in the evening, without singing or instrumental music Two priests, two candles, and a cross will suffice. On the day after my death let a thousand lire be distributed to the poor of St. Agatha. The deceased composer made many other charitable bequests. The retreat for poor musicians whioh he founded by the expenditure of £120,000, receives by his will the magnificent sum of £240,000. His generosity was as noble as his musical talent was brilliant. ROME— The Pope and Christian Democracy.— There are two features (says the Catholic Times} of special importance in the Holy Father's Encyclical on Christian Democracy. In the first place, his Holiness is most urgent in impressing upon the clergy the importance of social aotivity. He has, he states, often made the recommendation in addressing the bishops and other ecclesiastics, and now he desires to repeat it in the most solemn manner. He asks the saored ministers to keep before their minds as examples worthy of imitation the zeal of the poor and humble St. Franoia and the energy of St. Vinoent de Paul, the father of the wretohed, both of whom made religion a vital power amongst the toiling poor. In the next plaoe, the Holy Father suggests a federation of Catholio societies under one general directing authority. It seems to us that the adoption of this suggestion will signally inorease the utility of the societies. Hitherto they have acted more or less as isolated bodies. For the future when great questions arise they will pursue a perfectly harmonious policy. If it were merely for the directions on these two points the Encyclical ' Graves de Communi' will long remain memorable. The ProtO-Martyr of Oceania* — The oauee of canonisation of the Blessed Chanel, a Marist priest and proto- martyr of Ooeania, was reoently before the Congregation of Rites, who investigated two miraoles attributed to his intercession. The Pope and the Queen's Death—The Holy See decided, in accordance with its traditional custom, not to send an official representative to attend the f uaeral of the late Queen Victoria ; but will send a representative on the occasion of the coronation of King Edward VII. On hearing of the Queen's death the Holy Father at once telegraphed his sympathy to the King, from whom he received a message expressive of cordial thanks. The Next Consistory. — It is understood here (says a Rome correspondent) that the Holy Father will hold a Consistory in the first half of the month of March, when the oft-deferred oreation of new Cardinals will take place. The vacanoies in the Saored College being now abnormally numerous, amounting to nearly one-fourth of the plenum or full number, it is expected that the list of new Porporati will be longer than is usually the case. Besides the Papal Majordomo, Mgr. Delia Volpe, the Archbishop of Florence, Mgr. Mistrangelo, and the Substitute to the Secretaryship of State, Mgr. Tripepi, it is now almost certain that the Very Rev. Father Hildebrand de Kemptinne, Prior-General of the Benediotine Order, will receive the purple, as the Holy Father has more than onoe expressed the wish that each of the great monastic Orders should have a representative in the Saored College. The Pilgrimages during the Holy Year.— The pilgrimages during the year (writes a Rome correspondent) were 163 in number. Their members are calculated to have been about 500,000, the whioh number would be immeasurably swollen by any reckoning of private pilgrims coming in parties or alone. During the last holy year, that of 1625, 94,159 pilgrims were entertained at the hospice of the Trinita. This number represents the largest part of the poor pilgrims coming from places more than 60 miles distant from Rome. The view which it affords of the total does not put to shame the total of the holy year of 1900. About 25 countries were represented by these poor pilgrims from distant parts entertained at the great hospice. Bather 75 than 50 countries were represented among the officially reported pilgrimage! of 1900. The only Eng-lish-speaking pilgrims on that list of 1825 were two from Ireland. In the year of jubilee just ended there came two pilgrimages from the United States, one from Canada, one from England, one from Scotland, and one from Ireland — many thousands in all. SCOTLAND— Presentation to an Edinburgh Priest — The members of the Bathgate Catholio Young Men's Society, in order in a small measure to testify their deep sense of indebtedness to their spiritual director, Father Peter McDaniel, for all he baa done for their spiritual and temporal welfare, reoently presented the esteemed rev. gentleman with a handsome tea set and silver service, suitably inscribed. The Death of the Queen.— In all the Catholio ohurches in Scotland on the Sunday following the death of the Queen, srmpa*

thetio references were made to the sad event. The Archbishop of Edinburgh, the Bishop of Aberdeen, and the Vioar-Capitular of the diocese of Dunkeld issued pastoral letters on the subject. SOUTH AFRICA— Death of a Dominican Nun.-Rev Father Sykes, S.J.. Prefect- Apostolic in the Zambesi, in a recent issue of the Zambezi Mission lit cord, calls attention more than once to a feature of South African life m which the people are decidedly Buperior to many of the inhabitants of Great Britain. They do not (says the Catholic Times) yield to religious jealousies and prejudices. Father Sykes tells how at the funeral of Mother Patrick. 0.5.D., a Wexford lady who was Matron of the Public Hospital at Salisbury and Prioress of tho Dominican Houses in Rhodesia, the population forerot distinctions of creed in their desire to honor the, deceased. Every store in Sahhbury was closed as a mark of respect : flaes were flying 1 half-mast : the newly-elected Town Council postponed its meeting fixed for that afternoon ; practically the whole town attended at the graveside ; all the vehicles Salisbury possessed formed part of the funeral cortege ; the Administrator of Mashonaland, Mr. Cecil Rhodes, Sir Marshall and Lady Clarke, representatives formally pent by every public body in Salisbury. were present at the last Bad rites ; in fact, the entire community was in mourning, and at a public meeting it was decided that an Irish Crosß should be erected as an enduring memorial of the deceased's labors. Father Syke=* considers this singular testimony of goodwill towards the Dominican Sisters as a ' pleasing contrast to old world prejudices.' It is that and something more; it is an excellent augury for the future of the Zambesi region. Death of the Bishop of Orange River Colony.— The Right Rev. Anthony Gaughran, Bit-hop of Orange River Colony, died at Kimberley on January 15. The funeral was attended by the Mayor and councillors, and the procession included a military escort of the Dublin Fusilier-", and the band of that regiment. During Bishop Gaughran's active missionary career in England he was a great favorite with Catholics, especially in Liverpool and London. Dr. Gaughran was born in Dublin on February sth, 1849, and was educated at the Oblate College, Dublin, until he went to his novitiate in 1865. He afterwards proceeded to Autun, in France, to study theology and philosophy. In IbTO, owing to the FrancoPrussian war, he was obliged to leave Autun. He finished his studies at home, and was ordained priest in Dublin about the year 1871. His first mission was at Holy Cross, Liverpool, where he labored for a number of years. During hia stay at Holy Cro«s he witnessed the completion of the church, and on this occasion the sermon was delivered by the late Cardinal Manning, the ceremony being performed by the late Bishop of Liverpool. Father Gaughran's next mission was in London, and in 1882 he was made Superior at St. Anne's. Rouk Ferry. While there he built the presbytery. In 1887 he was appointed Bishop of the Orange River Colony, Kiinberley being his headquarters. UNITED STATES.-The Higher Education of Women—The establishment of Trinity College in Washingtoh, D.C., ia destined to have a great influence on the higher education of women not only in the United States, but throughout Christendom. One nun holds the profesfw-hip of Greek ; another is professor of Latin : yet another teaches the most advanced mathematics and for English Sister Mary Joseph ranks with the ablest scholars. The sisters of Notre Dame conduct this prugn^ive institution. Death of the Bishop of Newark —Bishop Wig«cr of Newark, New Jersey, died on Sunday, January 0, at his residence, Seaton Hall College, South Orange, New Jersey, of pneumonia. Father Wigger was made Bishop of Newark to succeed Bishop Corrigan. He was consecrated Bishop in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Newark, on October IS, 1 ss Sl,S 1 , by Archbibhop Corrigan. Three yc-irs ago Bishop Wigger began the building of the Cathedral in Newark, which will have cost £200,000 when completed. The New Bishop Of Portland-— lt ia announced that tho Rev. Michael C. O'Brien, V.G., of Bangor, has been appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Portland, to succeed the late Bishop Healy. Bishop O'Brien was born in County Kerry, near Killarncy, Ireland,

Ootober 20, 1842. He finished his earlier classical studies in Ireland, and in 1860 went to America, landing in New York. The following spring he entered St. Charles College, in Maryland, and remained there until September, 1861, when he entered St. Mary's Seminary, in Baltimore, for the full four years' course to fit him for the priesthood to which he was raised in 1866. The First Catholic Bishop— The 7th December marked the one hundredth anniversary of the consecration of the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. This prelate was the Right Rev. Leonard Neale, 8.J., President of Georgetown College and founder of tho Presentation Nuns in America in 1790, who received his mitre as Coadjutor-Bishop of Baltimore at that city on December 7, 1800 A New Departure in College Education.— The Christian Brothers in chirge of Manhattan College, New York, have shown commendable enterprise in adding a course of naval architecture to the engineering department. Recently there were a number of interesting lectures delivered on naval matters by Professor John Martin, C.E., and the world-renowned inventor, John P. Holland. Catholicism in New York- — In comparing the annual expenditure and receipts of the various New York churches the New York Herald is surprised that the Catholic churches, for all they accomplish, receive less than the others. It saya : — ' The single Roman Catholic congregation giving the most per year is that of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, although St. Agnes, and the Blessed Sacrament, at Broadway and Seventy-firet street, are close behind. But the total raised by the Roman Catholic congregations is, contrary to all Protestant expectations, very small indeed when compared with churches in other religiouß bodies. It cost £125,000 a year to maintain the parochial schools of Manhattan, and the hospital and orphanage work absorb the gifts of Catholic communicants. During the 10 years from 1890 to 1900, there were completed 2(>4 edifices devoted to religious uses in the archdiocese, or more than two a month. Parish expenses of Roman Catholic churches are low, apart from construction. The priest salary list of St. Patrick's Cathedral does not reach £2000 a year, and other expenses of maintenance are correspondingly small.