The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 6 April 1911, Page 639

The Catholic World

ENGLAND —Death of a Provincial The death occurred on February 6 at Pantasaph of Father Alphonsus, O.S.F.C, Provincial of the Capuchins in England. He was a native of Maidstone, the son of Irish parents, and a man of great intellectual power, closely associated in his time with the late Professor Mivart and other eminent scholars. . Father Alphonsus fell a victim to overwork, in which he persisted, a strenuous spirit ignoring all medical advice. He was only forty-eight. An Impressive Ceremony In the beautiful banqueting hall of Cardiff Castle the christening of the youngest son of the Marquis and Marchioness of Bute took place under somewhat unique circumstances on February 11, the ceremony being the first performed in the historic castle for more than a hundred years. The child born on February Bin the metropolis of Wales was appropriately named David. The ceremony was performed by the Right. Rev. Dr. Hedley, 0.5.8., Bishop of Newport, assisted by the Rev. Father Alphonsus, rector St. David's, and the Rev. M. Fennell, rector St. Peter's. The family font, which is largely of exquisite silver workmanship, was brought from Mount Stuart in the Isle of Bute for the occasion. An Old Hospital ' The Royal Hospital of St. Bartholomew, so generally known as "Bart's" (remarks the London Daily Telegraph), has the distinction of being our oldest hospital, and an institution whose history has been linked with that of the city for nearly 800 years. As a matter of fact, it is the only general hospital that has ever been built within the city boundaries, and as such has always claimed and obtained the unfailing support of the civic authorities and the great city companies. This great centre of healing and medical education owes its origin to a vow made by one Rahere, a canon of St. Austin, and was founded in its present position in 1123. In point of size "Bart's" comes second in the list of great metropolitan hospitals, being only exceeded by the London in this respect. Its wards contain accommodation for 670 in-patients, and, as a rule, there are always about 600 beds in constant use.' Apropos of this (says the Sacred Heart Review), it would be well for us to remember that long before the Reformation, the Church and its religious Orders had established hospitals all over Europe. St. Bartholomew's in London was only one of many such institutions which owed their existence to the charity and piety of the monks. Hospitals to the number of 460 were founded in England prior to the Reformation, and there were many in Scotland and Ireland also. FRANCE— Work of a Religious We (Catholic Weekly) .hear so much in these days of anti-clerical fanaticism in France that it is a refreshing change to read of the homage rendered by the Sub-Prefect of Epernay, M. Fleuricourt, to the memory of a nun. Sister Leoncie, the revered superioress of the Sainte Chretienne Sisters, was borne to the grave the other day amid the regret of the whole town of Epernay. where she had labored for thirty-four years, and the whole of the Municipality and Administrative Commission were represented at the obsequies. M. Fleuricourt made an eloquent eulogy of the deceased religievse at the grave, alluding to her heroic conduct during the siege of Metz and to the splendid work she had done in Epernay. He touched on her deep faith, as well as on her good works and virtues, in terms seldom heard in France to-day from the representatives of an infidel Government, and one cannot but hope that there are many of his confreres who would echo them —if they dared ! Uncertainty of the Law The uncertainty of the law has been illustrated by the actions taken by the French Teachers' Association against the Bishops on the ground that the prelates transgressed the law in their collective Pastoral on the so-called neutral schools. As was recently announced. Cardinal Lucon, Archbishop of Rheims, was lined by the legal tribunal of that city, and the judgment was confirmed by the Paris court. The charge against Monsignor de Ligonnes, Bishop of Rodez, has just come before the Rodez court, . and quite a different view was taken. The tribunal held f" that the capacity of an association being strictly limited to the object defined in its statutes, it was clear that the Teachers' Association in coming forward as the defenders of the whole teaching body went beyond the power the,> really possessed, and they thus acted all the more illegally because an association of State functionaries could not, without danger, be allowed to assume as its own authority what is only delegated to it. Accordingly the tribunal declared that the association could not take, action in this case, and therefore was not entitled to damages. Of five courts before which, so far, these cases have been brought, three have decided against and two for the Teachers' Association. Uniformity will be brought about by the decision of the Court of Cassation, to which the Cardinal-Arch-bishop of Rheims is appealing.

INDIA— See of Madras Archbishop Colgan, of Madras will be succeeded by his coadjutor, Bishop Aelen,. who was consecrated Bishop of Themisonium in 1902. Bishop Aelen won several military distinctions during the Afghan War of 1879-80 in the capacity of army chaplain. PORTUGAL—Acts and Words We may well doubt the assurance of the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs that the Dictators intend to grant religious liberty, when we read of their acts and contrast them with their words (says the Catholic Times). Twenty persons have been imprisoned for haying taken part in a procession in honor of St. Stephen. A young man was arrested the other day on the frontier and the report was circulated that he was an emissary of the Jesuits who was in possession of literature revealing dangerous plots. As a matter of fact, all he carried were copies of Father Cabral's defence of the Order, with the contents of which our readers are familiar. From Hong Kong comes news by telegraph of the arrival there of Italian nuns who have been expelled from a Portuguese colony by the Portuguese authorities in according with the Dictators' policy. All the property of the Church and religious congregations is to be confiscated by the State when the separation takes place. In order to weaken the religion of the people the Dictators have been exerting themselves—happily without any success — create a schism. Affonso Costa is said to have had the impudence to make a proposal of that kind to the Patriarch of Lisbon. ROME— Christian Wife and Mother The Holy Father received in audience on Sunday, February 12, four hundred Roman ladies belonging to the Association of Christian Mothers and Wives. In an address to them he said present day difficulties made the role of Christian wife and mother more important than ever. UNITED STATES—The Need of Religion Archbishop Ireland preached a powerful sermon on • The Need of the Supernatural in this Age of Unbelief,' at the consecration of the Right Rev." E. D. Kelly, Auxiliary-Bishop of Detroit. He said /that the majority of American people are churchlessseldom o- never attending any form of worship, and that a recent report sets down at 3,000.000 the children of the United States who are outside the reach of Sunday schools. Catholic Increase The growth of a quarter million of Catholics every year is perhaps the biggest fact, so far as the interests of the Catholic Church in the United States are concerned (says the Catholic, Citizen). It is bigger than the building of a cathedral or two; or the establishment of a new Order; or the laying out of a new diocese. Yet we do not always give proper attention to the Catholic aspect of immigration. We have before us the report of the Commissioner of Immigration for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1910, just issued. It appears that during the year 223,000 Italians arrived in the States, 128,000 Poles, 72,000 Croatians and Slovaks. Now, all these immigrants (-130,000) are presumably Catholics. In addition, there also came to us 38,000 Irish immigrants, 21,000 French, and out of 71,000 German immigrants, perhaps 24,000 were Catholics. Add to these small instalments of immigration from Bohemia, Cuba, Hungary, Spain, Mexico, and the West Indies, and the total must considerably exceed a halt-million. Support of the Catholic Press In an address at a banquet of the Knights of Columbus of Denver. U.S.A., recently, Right Rev. Bishop Matz spoke strongly of the necessity of supporting the Catholic press. •We do not,' said he, 'support our papers as we should; whilst, on the other hand, we are lavish hi our sunnort of the sensational press, which is in the hands of our enemies, whom we pay gorgeously to insult us. Can we call it by any other name but gorgeous stupidity? But this is not all; we thereby become responsible for all the mischief wrought by an infidel press, which is sapping the faith in the heart of our people. Think seriously over this point, and form a resolution to support the Catholic press to the best or your ability.' A New Cathedral It is hoped to have the new Cathedral in St. Louis, which is to cost £400,000, ready for opening next year It is claimed that this Cathedral will eclipse in size and beauty the celebrated Westminster Cathedral of London GENERAL Destroyed by Fire The large French College at Kharput, Asia Minor managed by the Capuchin Fathers of Toulouse, and containing over four hundred students, has been entirely destroyed by fire.