Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 23, 5 June 1902, Page 27

Catholic World

CHlNA.— Abandoned Children. 1 encounteed an impressive index of the extent of infanticide two years ago at Shiwantse, the centre of the Catholic missions at Mongolia, the former residence of the celebrated Abbe ITuc (writes the special correspondent of the New York ' Evening Post). Here, in this out-of-the-way place in the country, far away from any city were 400 Chinese girls in the Catholic mission school, and they were as interesting and attractive body as could be fotind anywhero in tho country , but we were told by tho self-denying Belgian missionanies who had consecrated their li\es to the work, that all these girls had as infants been exposed by their parents to death, from which they had been rescued and brought to the interesting state of development m which we saw them ' ENGLAND.— Diocese of Salford. Canon Richardson, in his annual report on tho Catholic schools in the diocese of Salford, says : ' We ha\e 1814 non-Catholic children on the books of our elementary schools. Thlis is, 1 am pleased to say, a smaller number than we have had for some years. I shall be glad if some day I can report that this class has entirely disappeared. Wo have no\er wished for their presence, ajid their absence would in no sense weaken the moral fitness of the schools they attend.'

The Trappists. Members of the Trappist Order who are leading France owing to the operation of the new law affecting religious associations, have purchased the estate of Wood Barton, Woodleigh, near Kingsbridge, South Devon, where they will form a settlement. It is expected that between 60 . nd 70 Trappists will ultimately settle at Woodlei&h. The Westminster Cathedral. Tho first public ceremony in the new Cathedral buildings at Westminster took place on Sunday afternoon April 13, when Cardinal Vaugjhan received in the lecture hall adjoining; tho Cathedral deputations from about 260 elementary schools in, the archdiocese of Westminster, representing more than 50,000 chiMren and received from them purses of money collected by the children during the past year for the Diocesan Crusade of Kescue and Homes for Destitute Catholic Children. The hall was crowded. Cardinal Vaughan briefly addressed the children. Catholics and the Coronation. The resolution of the English Catholic Hierarchy that the King's coronation shall be celebrated in their respective dioceses by a High Mass and ' Te Deum ' either on the day of the Coronation or on the Sunday following (says the ' Catholic Times ') may be taken as a clear indication that the Cardinal-Archbishop and the Bishops do not desire that the* occasion shoild be availed of for a formal protest by the Catholics of England against the Accession Oath. But both the Bishops and the Catholic peers are of opinion that the agitation should not cease till the offensive words are removed from the Oath. The Bishops, who have requested the Cardinal to press this grievance upon the attention of the Goieriunent, are sanguine enough to hope that another Bill dealing with it may bo brought into Parliament before the close of the present session, So far as the vast majority of the public are concerned, there can be no doubt that they would like to see the offensive terms removed from the Declaration. Against the reform there is a little minority consisting; for the most part of noisy fanaticsV Appointed Bishop. The news of the appointment of Dr. George Crompton Burton, rector of St. Bede's, South Shields, aa the new Bishop of Clifton, has been receded with much satisfaction in the diocese, and with cordial rejoijeing in the North of England, where the rev. gentleman is best known. Dr Burton, who was born at Hull in the year 1852, began his education at Ratcliffe College in Leicestershire, with the Rosminian Fathers, and he also professed classics there for 10 years. He entered on his studies for the priesthood about 1884, and in that year he went to Rome, and with distinction passed through his course of Philosophy and Theology, taking the degree of Doctor of Divinity at the Gregorian University. Ho was ordained priest in St. John

Lateran by Cardinal ParoGch'i in 1890, and returned 'o F,ngh\nd shortly afterwards. Dr. Pur ton was appointed assistant priest at St. Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle, where he remained until March, 18i>2, when he went to South Shields us curate to Canon Greene. Canon Greene having been appointed to G.iteshead, in 1894, Dr. Burton .succeeded him as rector of St. Bede's Church, South Shields, and he has held the position since that time Among- all' sections of people in the district Dv. Burton has been exceedingly popular. To his parishioners he has been greatly attached, having always taken a personal and deep interest in their welfare. The news of Dr. Burton's promotion to the Bishopric of Clifton was received in South Shields with sincere congratulations and pleasure, not only by his own parishioners but among the community generally, who at 'the same time regret his removal from the district where for ten years he lias worked with siuch devotion. The Pope's Jubilee, At a meeting of the Catholic Hierarchy of England it was agreed that the twenty- fifth year of the Holy Father's Pontificate should be celebrated (J) by a collection of Peter's Pence throughout the present year, (2) by pilgrimages to Rome, and (3) by a solemn religious ceremony on or about March 3, 1903. Peers and the Royal Declaration. At a meeting of Bnglish Catholic peers to consider whether further action in regard to the Royal Declaration should be taken during the present or during the next session of Parliament, the unanimous opinion was tliat the sustained movement must be maintained to remove a legal enactment which outrages the most sacred convictions of millions of loyal subjects of the Crown, and which imposes ulpon the Sovereign a most painful task. It was felt that the year of the Coronation was not a fitting time for any movement' which might promote bitter controversy, and it was decided that, as the Declaration is not included in the. Coronation ceremonial, the next session of Parliament would be the period best suited for an appeal io the sense of justice of Parliament and of the public. Not to be Repeated. Many of our exchanges ( sa\ s the 'A\o Maria') will doubtless bo lelioved to hear thaL King Kdwuul VII. at his Coronation will not tnku the offensive oath declaring eeitaur, Catholic practices to be isolations It never was intended that he should take it at the Coronation According to the English statute, the King must make the odious declaration at the Coronation only m case he has not already made it at his accession or at tho first meeting of his Parliament; ajid as King Edwaid has already gone through that gentlo cerenionj , lio need not repeat the insulting words The esteemed contemporary which gi\es the Coronation Oath as the reason for tho absence of a Papal icprese>ntative at the coming function is as far astray as that other one which commiserated the Duke of Norfolk for having to stand so near to King Edward while his Majesty denounced him as an idolater. FRANCE.— Politics Forbidden. The Archbishop of Tours and Monsignor Lacroix, Bishop of Taientaise, issued .circulars absolutely forbidding the clergy to mix up with the electioneering campaign They consider that a pastor by ostentatiously taking the side of any political party incurs the double risk of embittering both after the conflict. ROME. His Eminence Cardinal Moran has arrived in Home (writes a coi respondent), and is staying at the Irish College. A few evenings ago

his Eminence, accompanied by hisj secretary, Dr. 1 1'Haran, and by the Rector of t<h. Irish College, Dr. William Murphy, had the honor of a special audien.ee with the Holy Father, who recened Cardinal Moran most cordially, reminding him that it was nine years since he had last \isited the Eternal City. The Holy Father displayed the deepest interest in the spiritual welfare and vast development of the \ast archdiocese over which Cardinal Moraii presides, and listened with great satisfaction to the highly encouraging account which his Imminence gave of the immense progress made by Catholicism in Australia during the last quarter of a century. Cardinal Moran then presented tho Holy Father with a large contribution towards Peter's Pence including £1000 collected in the archdiocese of Sydney and £100 from the diocese of Bathurst. Another gift which the Holy Father accepted with the greatest^ pleasure consisted of a gigantic emu egg, beautifully polished and set in solid silver. The egg, which formed a most original and elegant casket, contained 25 sovereigns, tho offering of the p,upils of the Sacred Heart at Sydney, emblematic of the 25 years of Leo XIII's pontificate. The Holy Father was greatly touched at the delicate homage of the Australian children, and spent a special blessing to the little donors. Cardinal Moran will probably not leave Rome before the end of May, as he has many important affairs to arrange with the cxmgregaHions. An Audience. When Mr William O'Brien and his wifo visited Rome on their return from Australia 1 hey weie received in audience by the Holy Father, The Pontiff, who was most cordial, told Mr. O'Brien lie had heard of his hard struggles on behalf of his country. He spoke with affection of the Irish people. As Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien were about to retire he ga\e them tho Apostolic blessing. SCOTLAND.— A German Tribute. A German priest who served in tho archdiocese of Glasgow for a number of years during the Kulturkarupf period pa> s a warm tribute to tho memory of Aichhishop Eyre in a leading article which he has contributed to tjie ' Kolnische Volkszeitung.' The wi iter, most probably Father John Mnller, the cultured parish priest of St. Mlcluicl's, Cologne — observes that the Archbishop had a task l>y no means easy m building up the Church m Glasgow. Fust of all lie had to find pi icsts to meet the lcquirements of the rapidly growing population In doing this he was thoiougiily successful Nowhere else did the clergy gi\o a better idea of the international character of the Church There were Scotchmen, Englishmen, and Irishmen who had made their studies in the various countries of Europe, Dutchmen, Bclgiuins, and Germans ; Fi a nciscans, Jesuits, Fassionists, L.a?urists, and Benedict mes, who had been called from noai and fui . The Aichbishop presented a noble seminary to the diocese, and under his l ule tlie- number of priests, churches, schools, and religious institutions^ had been more than doubled The parishes were well equipped, ami amidst the Catholtic population, mostly Irish, the good works of religion were c tried on with great energy. No without reason had Archbishop Eyre been i ecently reforicd to m the ' Volkszeitung ' as a model Archbishop. The Archbishop had left behind numberless friends and no ene-my To the Prussian priests of the Kulturkampf tunos he had proved a true friend The ti ibutc paid to the deceased prelate is as graceful as it is well deserved. UNITED STATES. Mr. W. Redmond was greatly linpressod by tho children s Mass at the Jesuit Church of the Holy Family.

Chicago, on Palm Sunday morning. ' Imagine,' ho writes, 'kIOOO children, none of them \evy old, .some of them, quite small, cheerful looking, and comfortably dressed Outside, the great life of Chicago swept by, its dull roar falling upon the ear like the sound of a mighty waterfall. Inside tho Church, when I entered, profound silence reigned, broken only b.\ the murmurs of the priest &aymg' Mass .it <ho Mijrh Altar {Suddenly a little \ oice cried out " I bHievf " Instantly tho voices of all the children, orver 1000, be it remembered, caught up the prayer, and the Creed was repeated as I never heard it rendered before.'