The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 18 September 1913, Page 55

The Catholic World

/ ENGLAND FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. Very Rev. Father Horary, Superior-General of .St. Joseph's Foreign Missionary Society, has just completed (says the London Universe) a 30,000 miles visitation to the Maori Missions of New Zealand and to the Uganda Missions. HELPED BY THE CONFESSIONAL. '/ At the British Medical Association meeting in Brighton recently, Miss C. Long, of London, commented on the fact that insanity among women is only half as prevalent among Catholic women as Protestants. This disparity Miss Long attributed to the fact that the confessional gave Catholic women opportunity of opening their mind regarding troubles to advisers whom they could trust. CATHOLIC WOMEN'S LEAGUE. Cardinal Logue attended a garden party, held by the Leeds Diocesan Branch of the Catholic Women's League at the Bishop's House, Leeds, on July 26, and his Eminence held a reception of the members and guests. A vote of thanks was moved by Lady Radcliffe (president of the Diocesan Branch), and seconded by the Lady Mowbray and Stourton (vice-president). Bishop Gowgill, in supporting, said he was proud of the work of the League had accomplished in the diocese. It had taken up the work con amore, and was proving of valuable service to the Church. Cardinal Logue, in replying, said it had been .a great privilege to him to come there and get such an object. lesson in seeing so many ladies banded together for the spiritual and temporal welfare of Catholics. This was an age in which Catholic women were very necessary. The Church had many enemies, and they were very active. They banded themselves together with most splendid discipline, and hence it was they succeeded in doing so much mischief as they had done. With such a League as the Catholic women had formed they could beat their enemies with their own weapons. The Catholic Women's League could do a great deal of good for charity, for religion, and for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the people. Women could do a great deal of mischief if they put them on the wrong track. They could go . around the country burning mansions and all that. In Ireland, Catholic country though it was, they had enemies, and insidious enemies, who were trying to proselytise the people, and trying to mislead the innocent and the young. If the Catholic women of Ireland did not work against these enemies it would go hard with the Church in Ireland. But they were - prepared to make any sacrifices for the good work to be done. Thanks to the example of the women, they saw the men in Ireland coming up in crowds to Holy Communion, just the same as their wives and daughters. He would, however, stir the ladies up in Ireland by. telling them what the Catholic ladies were doing in England. DEATH OF BISHOP GILES. Catholics in more than one country will learn with deep regret of the death of the Right Rev. Mgr. Giles, Titular Bishop of Philadelphia, who passed away at Frascati, Italy, on July 29, aged 89 (says the London Universe). A Londoner by birth, and a convert to the faith in early life, he was one of the first Catholics to take the degree of Master of Arts at London University. His studies for the priesthood at St. Edmund's College, Ware, were followed by those at the English College in Rome, with which seminary his life was thenceforth to be closely connected. He was ordained priest at the College in 1854; ten years later he became its Rector, having previously filled the office of ViceRector in succession to Mgr. O'Callaghan; had he lived another year Bishop Giles would therefore have celebrated half-a-century's labors as Rector of the English

College. The late Sovereign Pontiff conferred the honor of Domestic Prelate upon him, * in. recognition of '• hjs distinguished services in the Eternal City.^lt; was in 1904 that Mgr. Giles was consecrated a bishop, about" li twelve months after the government of the Beda' College had been combined with that of the English College, both institutions coming thus under Mgr. Giles's direction. Among' those who will deplore Bishop Giles's death with a sense of personal grief are many priests - dn the English mission, converts from the ranks of the Anglican clergy, who in the first years of their Catholic profession in Rome found in him a true friend and an honest adviser, one whose devotion to duty was the daily embodiment of a high ideal. Advancing years seemed to affect but little his extraordinary capacity for work, and with it all he yet found leisure to perform many acts of personal helpfulness to pilgrims and strangers from without the gates, whose claim upon him was often no more than the slender link of national sentiment, by which they turned to*the Rector of the English College as the most likely person to get privileges for English visitors. Wide sympathy in his death will be extended to Mother 'Loyola, of the Bar Convent at York, and other relatives. FRANCE INCONSISTENCY OF THE GOVERNMENT. The want of logic that is the natural consequence of the sectarianism of the French Government was again apparent in the recent ' distributio n of decorations. A large number of religious belonging to different Orders: Carmelites, Christian Brothers, Assumptionists, Do- : minicans, etc., received -the distinction of 'officier/de V Instruction publique,' an honor awarded by the French University, with the approval of the Government. Let it be added that all the religious so honored are employed on the missions in Bulgaria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Turkey, China, etc., and their educational work is thereby recognised as deserving of praise. If, however, these same religious ventured to teach even . in a primary school in France, they would be instantly held up as having infringed the law of the land. On the mission, they deserve to be rewarded at home, ; they deserve to be punished ; such is the logic of the French atheists. . : ; . "H:--v."^ ASSISTING COUNTRY MISSIONS. In writing about the good work that is being done in Paris in the way of providing church accommodation in suburban districts, the Catholic Times says: —It is not only in Paris and the great cities that good work is bei'ng done. Among the numberless organisations of laymen for Catholic objects, there is an association for the 'Assistance of Country Missions.' It has its centre at Paris, and the report just issued by its secretary, Count Jean de Nicolai, shows what it has done in twelve months to help the - cures of poor provincial parishes. Besides gifts of altar vessels and the like to the value of 12,000 francs, it has made money grants amounting to over 34,000 francs. It has provided over 60,000 francs.for parish schools, founded a large number of circulating libraries of Catholic books, and provided for the preaching of no less than 2400 missions in country parishes. This is the work of one association among the many new organisations created to meet the crisis in France. And it is a most encouraging feature of the new situation that. French Catholics are giving their personal service and their contributions of money to Catholic objects of every kind so freely that the formation of these new societies has in no way diminished the income of the older organisations. Thus, the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul had never a stronger membership or ampler resources, as the reports presented at the recent Ozanam Centenary showed. And the' Society for the Propagation of the Faith' has a larger income from its French circles than it ever had before. The fact is that there has not only been an increase of zeal and charity in France, but also great numbers of men, who, till this new renaissance of the French Church began, had stood aloof and taken no interest in religious matters, are now good Catholics,

and are taking their part in the general work of reorganisation and propagandism. And the movement is likely to show even greater results, for the first years after the 'Separation' have been a time of difficulty such as will not recur. The organisation'has now been created to meet the new situation, and the success so far obtained is so encouraging that there is not likely to be any slackening among the workers, whose numbers are/being increased as each month goes by. •- :