The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 23, 8 June 1905, Page 27

The Catholic World

CHlNA— Death of a Prelate The death is announced of Monsfgnor Simon Volonteri, Vicar-Apostolic of Honan, South China, at the age of 73 years. When in 1869 he took charge of the mission there were 3000 Catholics. There are now H.OIOO. The Chinese authorities-, as a mark of their esteem for deceased, created him Mandarin of the 2nd grade, an nonor reserved for Viceroys. ENGLAND— Retiring from the World The Rome correspondent of the ' Catholic Times ' states that Monsignor John Vaughan is about to retire from the world and join the Carthusians. FRANCE -The Concordat Tttie Chamber of Deputies (says the ' Catholic Times,' April 22) is buisily employed on passing the clauses of the Separation Bill. The supporters of the measure outoum'ber their opponents, and consequently make rapid progress with the work of cutting all connection between Church and State in France. The various groups of Radical deputies hold meetings, discuss the details- immediately before the House, and agree upon a plan of voting them as rapidly as possible. They are determined to push the Bill through without delay, and if necessary are prepared to hold special sittings for that purppse. But there appears to he a tendency to treat the churches with a little less rigor, particularly in tihe direction of granting more proprietary powers' to the Associations of Worship in the various parishes. Still, the concession will not afiect the general principle that the State is to assume the ownership of the ecclesiastical property, and we may be sure that in a country so highly centralised as France, the Government of any future day will know how to tune the associations to its will. One thing is quite clear : the Church is to be robbed, but not to be freed. She changes masters, and that is the real meaning of her new position undpr the Bill of Separation. After the Separation The question of how the French Church will meet the new position created by the withdrawal of State recognition occuDies the attention of Catholics i<n France and elsewhere. In answer to many inquiries, the Abbe Gayraud has outlined a scheme. The eloquent deputy proposes that small parishes should be grouped together, and be served by priests living in community at some convenient centre, whence they could easily start for Dn me worship and sick calls. He would arrange the financial problem thus — the expenses of the clergy, diocetse, aral the national federation of the Churcn, would be raised by a contribution from every family, which would be paid into the hands of the Bishop. This would secure the diocesan authority, and enable the clergy to free themselves from dependence on the parochral association. And to provide associations which shall be really Catholic, the Abbe proposes that the \arious parish-centres should at once elect their governing committees and legalise them in due form. This would prevent the Freemasons from causing trouble by starting associations, as they are expected to do, with the object of securing control of the arrangements for

worship in the parishes, and would keen the ecclesiastical property in Catholic hands. ROME— The Biblical Prize The Pope has ratified the Biblical Commission's decision to divide Lord Braye's Biblical prize between Lisle Burns, deacon of Westminster, .and Father Urns, of Prague. An Encyclical The Holy Father has addressed an Encyclical to all members of the Catholic hierarchy in the world, on the manner of teaching Christian doctrine. The Encyclical sets forth rules for the instruction of children in the Catechism, and directs the Bishops to see that the priests apply these rules to teaching the young. Proposed Beatification Petitions 1 for the opening of a formal iavestigiation wfUh -a view to the beatification of Pius IX. are pouTing in upon the officials of the Comgrdgj.ition of Rites. Private Audience The Pope at his private audience with his Grace the Archbishop of Dublin (the Most Rev. Dr. Walsh) conversed with him most cordially for half an hour, and showed an interest in all particulars regarding the archdiocese of Dublin. His Holiness congratulated Dr. Walsh on his facility in speaMng Italian. The Holy Father and Canada The Pope on April 13 received the Right Rev. Dr. Cameron, Bishop of Antigonish, Canada. v\fter the audience the Bishop presented Sir Charles Tupper, exPremier for Canada, and for some time Leader of the Conservative Opposition in trie Canadian Pailiament, to his Holiness, to whom he recalled Sir Charles' consistent defence of the rights of Canadian Catholics. The Po^e, speaking in Latin, sakl he knew of struggles Sir Charles had sustained, and warmly commended him for his dfforts on behalf of the Oatholic population. At the close of his remarks the Pope ga\e Sir Charles a spjecial blessing. SCOTLAND— A Gift for Rothesay All I^othesay (says ttie ' Catholic 1 let aid ') is excitod over Lord Bute's munificent gift to his eo-reliigion-ists in the shape of a new church.. The plans for the new edifice were passed at the Dean of Guild Court, and although 4he agtnt appearing on Lord Bute's behalf mentioned that he was unable to give any idea of the cost of the proposed church, we are in a position to state that the figure will be between £28,000 and £30,000. UNITED STATES- Charitable Btquests ML s Helen Tvlcr Garainer, who died at Gardiner Manor, Aid, while visiting relatnes, in the sixtv-fith year of her are, left an estate of SdOU^HiO, $1410,000 of which is bequeathed to the Catholic Unhersity and $100,000 to orphan as) linns ia New "\ ork an'l Washington. . Miss Gardiner was the daughter of the late Judge John L Lungs ton Gardiner, of New York, and the late Mrs. Cathciing Tyler Gardiner, of Virginia Munificent Gifts One exanvle of the 'women's system' of up-to-date charitable and church work, and the application of business methods to wor'< oifen leit to others, is the charitable bureau established, maintained and operated by Mrs Thomas F Ryan, at her home, New York. Mrs Ryan during the last few years has given more than £500,000 towards the acham-e-ment of the various clip ri tics maintained and controlled by the Catholic Chuuh in the United States, besides contributions to non-sectarian institutions Her gifts extend to eight or * ten States in the Union, from North Dakota to Texas, and from New York to Virginia. Once she determines to build a church, a school, or a hospital, immediate steps are taken to establish an endowment fund sufficient to ensure its support, for all time to come. Mrs. Ryan's munificence covers the building of at least one hundred new cnapels, schools, churches, hospitals, homes for Sisters of Charity, and homes for aged and infirm. Death of a Notable Convert Our American exchanges record the death of tile Rev L. C P Fox, O.M T , which took place on the ADril 1. He was in early life a London dentist and a member of the Society of Friends. Being interested in the Oxford Movement, he studied the Catholic religion ami was reced\cd into the Church by Father Faber. Father Fox ga\e many missions in the United Kingdom, and was long stationed at Leith Liverpool, Tower Hill, and Incnicore, Dublin He enjoyed the friendship of Charles Dickens, Sir Edwin Landseer, and other eminent men.