Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 11 April 1912, Page 22

Intercolonial

After the usual St. Patrick’s . Day celebration at Oatlands, Tasmania, Rev. Father Feehan was presented with an address 1 and a cheque for £l4O from the people of the various districts of the Oatlands parish and friends, both lay and clerical; throughout‘Tasmania. His Grace the Archbishop of 'Melbourne blessed and opened'a church and convent; at Wonthaggi on Sunday, March 24. The church, which is capable of seating 800 persons, was erected .at a cost of- about £3000. ; ; ; ki: ■ ■ On Tuesday, March 19, our revered and venerable Archbishop, the Most Rev. Dr. Dunne, completed his 82nd year. Born in 1830 (says the Brisbane Age), ordained priest in 1855, arrived.in .Queensland in; 1863, consecrated i Bishop in 1882, and raised to the Archiepiscopal dignity in 1887, : he has for nearly half a century zealously, ministered to the Church j in Queensland. May , the evening of his long; and - arduous/life be attended by every blessing, v'f ///;// //■ -V . ; - y The advance - of - Catholicity in the Archdiocese was evidenced on Sunday, March 24 (says the Freeman’s Journal), when his . Grace the Archbishop 'blessed the foundation-stone of St. Joseph’s new church, Rozeile. There was a large gathering of the - parishioners r and their ; friends. - His Grace - the Archbishop ; delivered a. stirring •• address, and a liberal response for the liquidation of the debt was ~ made. ... One ;• parishioner gave a cheque, for £500,, and the Very Rev. Father Moynagh contributed £IOO. t ' J 8 It is just a little over a year ago since Dr. Cluhe was i consecrated?. Bishop of Perth by Cardinal Moran on ; St. Patrick’s Day. Since ■ then .V (saysi the Catholic Press) he has done wonders in reducing the heavy debt

don : the I* diocese. q; In a recent episcopal letter to - his ’ priests his Lordship^ says: ; f I am sure the good people c . . . will r be cheered and , consoled to , learn that within the past nine months we have reduced the big diocesan; debt by the magnificent sum of £41,500. This, I think, constitutes’, a record, not only for Australia, but the. whole Catholic world. Of this sum £31,500 has been paid into; the Union Bank in reduction of the . huge central debt of £90,000, arid .the remaining £IO,OOO - has been, absorbed in paying off other mortgages :. on • church ; property and sundry . liabilities ; of a' pressing nature. By an , agreement,- entered into with the general manager of the Union .Bank -last April, I undertook,to pay. off £40,000 by May 1 next, in order to secure the tdtal remission of interest on £90,000 for two years. Up to : the present, as the above figures show, I have only been able to pay the bank £31,500 in consequence of. other pressing obligations having to be met. I still have to find £BSOO by May 1, and I have every confidence that the generosity of the people, .through the diocese, will enable me to find it.’ ' ;, r • At the annual conference of, the delegates. of the Hibernian .Society in Sydney, the District ‘ Board, in , their annual report, chronicled ‘a grateful measure of -progress in , general work, and a marked increase in membership. The branches in New South- Wales total 187, with a membership of 11,588, as follows:—Men’s, .139; total membership, 9545 ; .women’s, 42 ; total membership, ,1861 juvenile, 6; total membership, 182.’ The great strength, of the society lis evidenced by . the ’ following, figures q-y- . the close of the year 1910-11 : there were 9965 members; latest, reports indicate an enrolment vof 11,588 members; . 2768 members were initiated, - 226- members admitted by clearance; total admissions, 2994. The losses in membership by clearance were 220, by death 58, -by resignation and arrears 1093; total losses, 13,7.1, leaving a net increase of 1623 „ members (for, the year.. District funeral funds showed Van' increase of £3165 2s lid, and other district funds £263 15s Id, the balance. (for 1911-12) totalling £32,287 4s 3d. Branch sick funds, 1911-12, were £33,494 15s > , lid, or an increase of £1892 ’l3s 4d. Other branch funds were £3015 6s 9d, showing an increase of £377 16s 4d. The gross funds were £68,797 6s lid, or an increase of £5699 7s 7d.