The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 17, 30 April 1908, Page 31

The Catholic World

ENGLAND—A Venerable Priest There passed away recently at the Brompton Oratory, 'London, a remarkable man and a notable priest an the person of Father Felix' Phttpin de Rivieres at the advanced age of 93 years: He was a prolific'writer, a linguist, an artist, and a poet. ' Among other works he translated into French Father Bowden'-s 'Lifeof Father Faber.' His 'intellect remained clear and alert up to the last moment, and he was engaged! in his autobiography the very day of his death.- The deceased, who was born at Langres, France,- entered the Jesuit College at Fribourg, . Switzerland, at the age of twelve years. He was ordained in 183.9, and fo-r about ten years was engaged in parochial work. In 1853 he went to England, and was admitted into the Con-ayeeja- ' taon of the Oratory. 6 A Tribute to the Sisters of Charity A remarkable tribute was paid by the Rev. Mr Greer at the annual meeting of the Rest for the. Dying, Camden Row, to the Sisters of Charity in charge of the Hospice for the Dying, London. The 'Sisters he said, catered for patients irrespective of thOir religious beliefs, and they acquainted the management of the Rest when Protestant patients were received. The kindness of the Sisters, he said, had often been responsible for some of the Protestant inmates becoming Roman Catholics, but he-wished it to be understood tfoe M<ndness and care had not been extended by the Sisters with the object of proselytising. This, he thought, was all the greater reason why Protestants shoulu seethat they looked after their own fellow-brethren, and support the Rest, which was established for the purpose of providing for destitute Protestants. GERMANY— Religious Denominations Accordi<ng to accurate statistics there was in the German Empire on December 1, 1905, a Protestant population of 37,646,852 and a Catholic population of 22,094,492. , ROME —The Cardinal Secretary of State When the Cardinal Secretary of State (writes the Rome correspondent of the l Catholic Weekly '■) was attacked 'by a band of anti-clerical ruffians last- sum>mer during his nominal holiday at Castelgandolfo, the natives, indignant at the outrage, assembled in the courtyard of the residence to give his Eminence an ovation. On his showing himself the poor peasants entreated him, not to leave them, disclaiming all shared in the bad treatment he" had received. The Cardinal has now given substantial proof of his kindly feeling' ~ towards the very class to which his assailants -belonged. During his visit he appears" to have been painfully impressed by the wretched state of the workmen's dwellings, and has of late been - directing the planning and erection of a block of new buildings, ordered by the Holy Father, with twenty-four convenient and well- ,- ventilated lodgings," having their own supply of drinking water. ' ' The Revision of.the Vulgate An interesting article- in the ' Pall' Mall, Magazine' irosn- the pen of Salvatore Cortesi describes how Abbot G-astquet is bieginnin^ his laborious work of revising the Vulgate. ' Abbot- Gasquet,' we read, 'is deter--maned to dedicate the remainder of his life ' to his revision, and' he has already set to work in his cell in the great Benedictine Monastery on the crown of | v^ tltine - " Tw enty years ago," said the learned J Awot to me, " Leo XIII. set me to historical research., which I pursued without interruption ; now Pius X. orders me to revise the Vulgate, and I harre wilßngly abandoned all > for it— studies, work., friends, country." As to' the "programme to be followed,- it Us as yet difficult to speak, Abbot Gasquet thinking that in the first six months' which he will pass in Italy, chiefly in Rome, it will already be &• great achievement if he can begin' to make use of the first Material accumulated. To have an idea of how gigantic the work is, it will- be sufficient < to say that- the 'Abbot believes that the early MSS. to be" entirely collated, arranged, divided, etc., amount to "perhaps ! twenty thousand. They, may be more, as there are ' countries like Spain- in which libraries and archives attached to the different cathedrals have MSS. .which are qiuite unknown to scholars ; it is, therefore, necessary to send Benedictines to each of these countries to carry the MSS to Rome if ptossible," and, If not, to photograph them,, or when this is not allowed, to copy them.* Every effort will be directed to the reconstruc-

fcion. as- far •as possible, of the text of St. Jerome, which will, be the foundation of the mlsion, but the next' step will be to discover how far St.- Jerome himself was correct. The. Psalms, "probably, will be the first portion to be undertaken. St. Jerome made three versions— the last direct from' the Hebrew. * The' third translation from the Hebrew' came when the Gallicana (a version from the Greek) had become so popular that the • new one, although better, was not- adopted. The differences, are enormous, as can be seen bycomparing the Psalms »In the ...present" Vulgate with the version in the English- Book of Common Prayer, which last practically represents the Hebrew one. Pius X." manifested to the writer of this article his . firm desire that the work should be conducted on such "scientific" lines as to convince, all- that what is ain-.ed at Is /: t4i<r truth, an/d nothing., but/ the truth, so that' all stiall bo satisfied with the resjuMfc.' UNITED STATES— The Catholic University Cardinal Gibbons was the guest of honor "at a- reception given on Washington's birthday by the-" Knights dT Columibus. The society proposes to raise -a f umd of £100,000 for - the Catholic University of America, amd in a brief address the Cardinal commended the movement. Visit of an Irish Prelate It is not often (says an American exchange) thai Catholics in this country have a chance to, see.- ashd hear a Bishop from the Emerald Isle. As a--conse-quence the Catholic population of the diocese ..of . Rochester, N.Y. is full -of expectancy for next sumrrer. Rigjht Rev. Dr. Clancy, Bishop of "Elphin, is conAtog at the reqiuest of the venerable Bishop McQuaid to dedicate the new buildings of St. Bernard's Seminary/ Diocesan Anniversaries' April 8 was the 1 oth anniversary of the erection of thie sees of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and " Louisville, and also of the establishment of-, the diocese of Baltimore as a metropolitan see. GENERAL A Jubilee Gift The, Cathol'lcs of Buenos Ay res have communicated to- the" Holy See the practical manner in, which they have decided to take part in the Jubilee of Pius X. Through their Archbishop they have intimated their" intention of collecting a large sum of money sufficient to purchase a residence in keeping with the dignity of the Apostolic Nuncio who is to live in -their capital. The project was made known to the Holy Father by a cablegram, and his Holiness has replied by thanfadng anid blessing all those who have taken part- in the moVement. . ,- v f« •' '