The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 20, 21 May 1908, Page 31

The Catholic World

ENGLAND— A Stonyhurst Record It is gratifying (says the 'Patholic Weekly') to observe the successes of our leading Catholic Colleges in winning the highest prizes open to Secondary Schools — the University Scholarships — and it is particularly gratifying to us to observe the very remarkable successes achieved by Stonyhurst. In the Oxford list of March 26 Aubrey Cooke was announced as the -winner of the Charles Oldham Classical Scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The value of this is £80 a year for four years, on the usual condition of renewal at the end of the first "two years. Three weeks earlier another Stonyhurst student, George Pox, won a Mathematical Scholarship of the same money value. Three other Stonyhurst students holding a scholarship and exhibitions are in residence at present at Oxford. A brilliant record like this is an effective argument against those who would belittle our Catholic schools. Provincial of the Dominican Fathers The Very Eev. John Procter, who has been recently elected Provincial of the English Dominican Fathers, was born at Manchester, England, in 1849. The new Provincial comes of an old Lancashire family remarkable for its devotion ' to Catholicity. His uncle was the well-known Father Samuel Augustine Procter, who in his time ruled the Friar Preachers of England as their Provincial. Father John Procter joined the Dominican Order in 1866. FRANCE— An Appeal for Social Action Ever faithful to the Church for the welfare of which he has worked so long and so vigorously, Count Albert de Mun has issued in the form of a brochure an appeals to his co-religionists in France for the promotion of a religious revival. The plea is certainly urged in a forcible style (says the 'Catholic Times'). The writer contends that only by social action can the Church in France recover contact with the people. He would have the Catholics establish clubs for boys and girls in every parish, form associations for men and for women, provide popular libraries in the towns and villages, organise meetings for the study of social questions at which Catholic workers may learn to defend their principles, set on foot societies for the maintenance of healthy sports and amusements, and make arrangements to improve the circulation of the Catholic papers. In the industrial and agricultural districts he desires to see them founding mutual benefit societies and otherwise consulting for the welfare of the toilers. There can be no doubt that the Count's advice is sound. Direct attempts to awaken the interest of the working classes in religion would be useless. They must be approached on the social side. Ever since the passing of the Jules Ferry education laws the French masses have become more and more estranged from the Church, and they are now so paganised that they could not be induced to listen forthwith to religious discourses. Time and tactful exertions are needed to win them back. ROME— French Pilgrims The Holy Father on Sunday, March 29, received eight thousand French pilgrims belonging to the Confraternity of the Children of Mary, celebrating Mass in St. Peter's and giving the Benediction. His Holiness seemed to be in the best of health. Papal Chamberlains The 'Gerarchia Cattolica' publishes a list of the Papal Chamberlains of Cape and Sword, from which it appears that forty-two British subjects enjoy this ' great honour. They are E. Agius, Sir A. H, Bellingham, Colonel J: W. Bernard, J. Campbell, W. O. Christmas, S. A. Coats, Captain J. Cumming Dewar, G. F. Davis, Marquis J. L. De Piro, Baron J. De Piro Gourgion, J. M. Egerton, Sir T. G. Esmonde, F. J. Heaven, A. li. Kenny, W. E. Kerr, G. W. A. Kinloch Smyth, L. Lindsay, W. Lucas Shadwell, H. Lumsden, Marquis P. MacSwiney, Marquis A. Mattei, Colonel the Hon. W. C. Maxwell, Count F. Messina, Count C.-J. Moore, Count The O'Clery,- J. Ogilvie Fairlie, J. Ogilvie Forbes, Count F. O 'Gorman, A. Eawlinson, C. J. S. Spedding, E. W. Twigge, Colonel F. Vaughan, Captain C. J. Vanghan, Hon. A. Wilmot,

G. Bezzina, A. E. M/ Camm, F. V. Eck, W. Kenworthy Browne, Sir W. Manning, J. Mullins, T. Pate, and S. W. O'Neill, An Appointment Mgr. Seapinelli di lieguignoj who has just been appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecelesias.tical Affairs (writes the Borne correspondent of the 'Catholic Weekly') is very obviously the right man in the right place, for hardly a word of criticism has been raised anywhere over his appointment, and the Liberal ' Stampa ' of Turin even finds in him -' the man of the vastest political mind in the Vatican of to-day.' He belongs to a very noble family of Modena, of which city his grandfather was Governor under the Grand-Duke Francis IV. As a very young man (says ' Borne ') he took an active part in the Catholic movement in Italy, and wrote a good deal for the Catholic Press; but shortly after his ordination he came here to Eome to complete his studies at the Accademia, where he had as fellow-student the present Cardinal Secretary of State. In 1893 he was sent as Secretary to the Nunciature of Lisbon under Mgr. (afterwards Cardinal) Jacobini. There he remained until 1893, when he was promoted to be Auditor of the Inter-Nunciature of the Hague. In 1896 he returned to Eome and entered the Sacred Congregation of which he is to-day the chief official, and in which * he has done a great deal of very important and delicate work for Leo XIII. and for Pius X. SCOTLAND— CathoIic Statistics The 'Catholic Directory' for Scotland, recently issued, contains encouraging statistics regarding the condition of the Church in that country. Scotland has altogether 552 priests, 457 of these being parochial or secular clergy, and 95 regular or priests of the religious Orders. There are 236 missions or parishes, with 393 churches and chapels. The colleges and convents number 69. There are 212 schools and 37 charitable institutions. The estimated Catholic population is over 515,625. _^». UNITED STATES— Church Progress A secular newspaper states that during the past year the Catholic Church added to the structural wealth of the United States not less than. £11,000,000 by the erection of churches, colleges, schools, convents, charitable institutions, etc. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia As illustrating the enormous growth of the Church it is noted that in the archdiocese of Philadelphia the sum of £600,000 was spent last year in Catholic building work — churches, schools, convents, charitable institutions, and in the improvements of present edifices. Many more buildings and improvements are planned for this year, which promises even greater growth in Catholic population. In 1884 the Catholic population of the archdiocese was 300,000, now . it is 500,000. Italian Catholics The old St. Patrick's parochial school in New York has been almost entirely given up to the children of Italians. Of its 2,423 pupils, only ninety-six are of the Celtic race, the remaining number being of the Latin. The pastor, Eight Eev. Mgr. Kearney, has one Irish and two Italian assistants. Deaths of Priests in New York During the past ecclesiastical year, twenty-five priests are reported to have died in the archdiocese of New York. The mortality in the Brooklyn diocese is also notable.