INTERCOLONIAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 24, 11 June 1903, Page 31

INTERCOLONIAL

Sunday, May 24, was the centenary of the fir&t Mass celebrated in I'arramatta. The Rev. Father George Robinson, of Camberwell, Victoria, has left on a trip to the United States and Europe. lie will be back in August. The Rev. Father Campion, of Parkes, and the Rev. Father O'JPrisroll, of Bungendore, have gone on a trip to Ireland. The Very Rev. Dean O'Kooffe, of Yass, is going on a few months' holiday. During his absence the Key. T. J. Cleary, of Burrowa, will be administrator of Yass, and Father E. Laide goes from Y*ass to Burrowa to replace Father Cleary. The ' Freeman's Journal,' referring to the South Sea Islands' excursion, says that there will be as many, if not more, tourists from Victoria as from New South WiaJes. Tasmania, New ZeaLajrod, and Queensland are all represented in the list of passengers already booked. A few Sundays ago the Archbishop of Melbourne laid the memorial stone of St. Joseph's new presbytery, Collingwood, to cost £8000. The collection taken up at the ceremony reached the handsome sum of £400, which included £25 from the Archbishop and a similar amount from Rev. Father O'Brien, pastor of the parish. On Sunday, May 24, the Right Rev. Dr. Corbett, Bishop s of Sale, opened a new Catholic church at Morwell. The total cost of the sacred edifice was £3000. two-thirds of which had boon received before the opening. A sum of £360 was received at the ceremony. The hon. secretaries of the Home Rule Fund Executive, Sydney, ha\e received a letter from Mr. John Redmond, in which he says :— ' By the end of the session when we know the fate of the Land Bill, we will be in a better position to decide on the advisability of sending a delegation of our members to Australia. Meantime, please accept the assurance of our deep gratitude for the assistance that you have already given to us.' The Marist Fathers are having a new schooner built in Sydney to replace the Eclipse, which was wrecked some' months ago in the South Sea Islands. The new craft, which will not be quite so large as the Eclipse, is being erected at Blue's Point, North Sydney, from plans by Captain Grainger. It is expected she will be completed in two monihs. His Lordship the Rierht Rev. Dr. Dunne (Bishop of Bat hurst) has lately been in poor health, and, speaking at the laying ot the foundation stone of the new presbytery at Bathurst, he said he made this strong appealperhaps it might be the final appeal— as his health was getting \ery shattered lately, and he did not know how long he might hold out, and when he would ha\o to tak,e the place occupied by his late predecessor. But as long as long as God spared him he would work for the advancement of rebirion. He was as ill as ho could be, and had been ordered not to speak But for tins he would have sought to speak wjth such foice as to galvanise the people into enthusiasm The death of the Kite Monsignor Rigne\ recalls an incident, perhaps long-forgotten, but which at the tune caused some amusement amongst iht> Dean's circle of lriends especially when the pnesL told the story as against himself One day while engaged superintending the erection of the Wollongong chinch lie tell from a height and miured one of his legs A little lad who wa h running about the place at the time (A Sheeny), alteiwaids Archpnest Shcchy, was despatched m hot haste to the chemist for a pieparation In breathless haste the lad i ushed into the chemist's shop (doctors wore then an unknown quality in ttollongong). and startled the chemist by demanding to be forthwith served with ' A yaid of sticking-plaster for Dean l!ignc\ 'b leg ' At a meeting of the pai ishioners of St Patrick 'h, Parramatta, and the districts in which the Lite Alonwgnor Rignoy had ministered, it was decided that the memorial should take the foiin of a bell to be erected in the tower of St. Patrick's Clinch. It was also an ringed to renmutp the MoiUmrv Chapel in the Parramatta North Cemetery, where rest the remains ol the deceased prelate, together with those ot the. late Dean Coney and the late Rev Father M'Carthy A suitable memorial tablet is to be placed in the fi out of the chapel, or m St Patrick's Church opposite the tablet to the memory of 'the late Dean Cofley, in fuither commemoi ation of the late Monsignor Apropos of the recent visit of his Grace Archbishop Kellv to Hartley, the f.rst Catholic Church was erected There in 18H9 by the Rev. Father W R h Hat home a erwa.ds Archbishop). The In-st priest stat.oned there was the Rev Father Hand, who presided over he mission in the penal da\s until death He was succeeded mission in lv i Faj r(U afl(?1 h)m ( . unc 'he Rev Father John G.ant. who was afterwards ,van V Rnihi.rst whore he died m IF(>3. The lale Rev. Fathe, 'hoalai succeeded J,r. O.ant. and U is to Rev ' Pheaan that the proßicss of region du,mg a I-atnot * ''' ; u s ,„,„, mui ik asciibe<l. V,pv Father period ol 20 Jjai .is .y MiXvy ' St near TVnuth, in he died a fow } ,«>s ago The Rev Father 1, h Vow at iruißendore, succeeded Roy Father I'heal^rch now atn. in £ d unlll IRBO . wh en the Rev lm in IR7R, and '™ (od rr , „m l aftPr his 5.51 th came the Rev! Father P Ryan, who was the last resident pastor.