The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 4 June 1914, Page 55

The Catholic World

f BAVARIA HOLY THURSDAY IN MUNICH, j After a lapse of 43 years, the ancient Easter custom of washing the feet of certain poor people was once more performed by the King of Bavaria in the Royal Palace at Munich on Holy Thursday morning. The ceremony, which dates from the first foundation of the Bavarian capital, and was in abeyance during the long regency of the present King’s father, was held in the famous Hercules Room, in the presence of the Papal Nuncio, members of the Royal Family, the Bavarian Ministers, and members of the Diplomatic Corps. High Mass was first celebrated in the Palace Chapel, and thence the King and other dignitaries proceeded in slow procession to. the Hercules Room. Here the aged Archduchess Adelgunde, who is now 81, and the Queen of Bavaria assisted the King to pour water over the feet of twelve octogenarian paupers. The King then dried their feet, which the royal chaplain kissed. The ceremony concluded with the presentation to each of these patriarchs of a small gift of money. The present was contained in • a small purse woven in the Bavarian national colors of blue and white, which the King hung round the necks of the recipients.

CHINA MISSIONARY WORK. ; The African Missionary (Cork), in its latest issue, says : Some interesting statistics are given in the latest number of the Zeitschrift fur Mwissenchaf t , with regard to the Church in China. The number of Catholics totals 1,431,258, while the number of priests ; s given at 2224, of which 721 are native. Besides this, there are almost half a million catechumens, perhaps more. Though there were numerous defections during the revolution, the progress of the Church seems assured. As from so many other fields, the cry is for pecuniary aid, and especially for workers—for highlyeducated workers, and for English speakers. Since recent changes in education English has become much more important. The same review gives figures for Japan for the end of 1912. Catholi6s are given as 69,700.

ROME THE VENERABLE OLIVER PLUNKET. A Rome correspondent states that a general session of the Sacred Congregation of Rites will be held in July to examine. the miracles adduced for the beatification of the Venerable Oliver Plunket, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, executed on Tyburn Hill, London, . four centuries ago.

THE CEREMONIES OF EASTER WEEK. ' It would be difficult (writes a Rome correspondent) to say bow many foreigners have come to Rome for Easter Week and the touching ceremonies of the three previous days, but the lowest calculation is 40,000, .representing all peoples and "religious persuasions. During Passion Week the visitors are to be found in the greater basilicas, especially St. Peter’s, ( for they desire particularly to be present at the exposition of the Relics of the Passion. The Roman people, for the most part, frequent the churches which they attend during the. year. Holy' Thursday is certainly a day on which strangers" derive much edification from the devout practices of the Catholics of Rome.. Following their ancient custom of making a pilgrimage to a number of .. Altars of Repose throughout the city, the people kept manyfchurches filled from midday .until long after the Ave Maria had tolled. . ‘ Something like ‘ 70,000 people must have gone through this

church to-day, observed one of the gendarmes requisitioned to keep the faithful moving and make place for fresh comers. One of the first Homan matrons to commence the pious pilgrimage was the Dowager Queen Margherita, who, accompanied by. her guard and maids-of-honor, visited : various churches. Each church on Easter Sunday,, from St. Peter’s down to the smallest one- in the suburbs, contains a large and fervent congregation. On this day, too, the Holy Father rel commences both private and public audiences, discontinued for the previous four days. \

SPAIN | TAKES WARNING FROM PORTUGAL. | A correspondent in Spain of the New York Eveniny Dost mentions the increasing popularity of the King of Spain among his subjects. Friendly manifestations when the King passes through the streets are far more common than they were a few years ago. I his may be ascribed first to the personality of the King, who, in recent years, has gone through some trying ordeals with admirable courage, such as the attempt to assassinate him just a year ago. In the second place, the uncertain state of affairs in Portugal has been a forceful example to all lukewarm Republicans in Spain. Had the first years of the Portuguese Republic turned out an imposing success, the Spanish monarchy would no doubt have been greatly endangered. But the continual unrest in the neighboring State has brought home to many Spaniards more than any local inefficiency the fact that Spain is not yet ripe for a republic. ...

UNITED STATES THE CATHOLIC POPULATION. There are 16,067,985 Catholics in the United States, according to the advance sheets of , the . 1914 edition of the Official Catholic Directory. The most important feature of the 1914 volume is the new population figure, showing as it does an increase of 913,827 Catholics lor the year 1913. This increase, which amounts to nearly a million souls, is, according to the editor, no exaggeration, and is accounted for principally by the complete reports of the Ruthenian-Greek Bishop. For the first time all of the Ruthenian Cath T olics are included in the census. According to the editor, who has been studying the population figures for ten years, the t0ta1—16,067,985is a very low and a very conservative figure. •- -

GENERAL A TRIBUTE TO THE RELIGIOUS OF THE MIDDLE AGES. , Mr. G. E. Bambridge, Director of Studies, in seconding a vote of thanks to Cardinal Bourne lor presenting the prizes to the successful students at Trinity College, London, reminded the audience that if it had not been for the magnificent work done by the monks and nuns in the Middle Ages, music to-day would not be what it is. To them the world of to-day owed the splendid system of notation, which was a language in itself. The world was deeply indebted in this direction to the work of. the churchmen of the Middle Ages. The speaker paid a warm tribute to the splendid work which the nuns of the various convents in England were now doing for musical education. On behalf of the governing body of the college, he thanked the Cardinal for his presence there that day. ’- ••'••••’ ' " ‘ j