Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 2 October 1913, Page 53

Intercolonial

On September 13 the Very Rev. Father J. O’Donohoe, Adm., Hamilton, received a cable from Ireland announcing the death of his sister, Sister Mary Joseph Patrick, at the Presentation Convent, Clonmel, County Tipperary. She was in the 49th year of her age, and the 30th of her religious life. A contract was let recently to make extensive additions and alterations to the premises used by the Little Sisters of the Poor at Randwick, as homes for the aged. Two wings are to be added, and each will be four storeys in height, 140 feet in length, and 35 feet in width. Each wing is to be flanked with a tower. The interior of the existing building is to be altered so as to provide more accommodation, and when the whole of the works embraced in the contract are carried out the Little Sisters of the Poor ill have considerably more than twice their present accommodation. An idea of the attendance at the various churches in Bathurst on a recent Sunday was given in a census taken by a local paper. The figures give a total of 1885 at the Catholic churches as against 1645 for the whole of the Protestant churches combined, thus showing a majority of 240 in favor of Catholics. The figures of the various denominations are as follow: Catholics, 1885; Anglican, 657; Methodist, 439 ; Presbyterians, 158; Salvation Army, 132; Baptist, 126; Congregational, 95; Undenominational Mission, 38. The figures, of course, include persons who attended more than one service. The population of Bathurst is about 8500. The Rev. J. M. Guis, a devoted member of the Sacred Heart band of missionaries, passed away on Sunday, September 14, in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, after a serious illness. Deceased possessed exceptional literary and musical ability, and was regarded with affection by all who knew him. Father Guis was born at Marseilles in 1869, served three years in the army, and became lieutenant. He entered the Novitiate at Marseilles, and subsequently went to- New Guinea, where he was ordained in the year 1893. After spending some years in the mission there, Father Guis came to Sydney, and was appointed Procurator of the Missions. The fund, which was opened just three weeks ago to mark the esteem in which the Very Rev. Dr. O’Mahony is held by the people of Tasmania, was closed on Wednesday evening (says the Monitor of September 12), and a magnificent result followed on the work of the committee who had the matter in hand. Donations literally poured in from all parts of the State, and when the secretary (Mr. W. Tynan) announced to the meeting of the general committee that, with some further promises which were yet to come in, the amount would reach the sum of £6OO, the cheers were loud and long sustained. The amount had far exceeded the most sanguine expectations of any of those present, and gave striking testimony to the esteem in which Dr. O’Mahony is held by the people of Tasmania. The missionary fruits of the visit of the Rev. Father Goodman, M.S.H., to the King’s Island, off the coast of Tasmania, resulted in the laying and blessing of the foundation stone of a new church there by the Right Rev. Mgr, Gilleran, V.G., of Hobart, on August 31. . Mass was celebrated in the morning in the local public hall, at which an instructive address was given by the Rev. Father O’Flynn. At the evening devotions the sermon was preached by the Rev. Father Goodman, M.S.H. At the ceremony of the. blessing of the foundation stone there was a large gathering of members of all denominations, the occasional address being given by Monsignor Gilleran. In response to the appeal by Father Goodman the sum of £lO4 was subscribed. On the following evening Monsignor Gilleran, V.G., was entertained at a public banquet, presided over by the Rev. Father Goodman, M.S.H. Speeches were delivered by Monsignor Gilleran, V.G., Rev. Father O’Flynn, Rev. Father Goodman, Messrs. G. Maloney, R. Forrest, T. Farrell, Warden Robinson, Rev. J. M. Devenish, Rev, N. G. Higgs, Canon Shoobridge.