Commonwealth Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 40, 12 October 1922, Page 30

Commonwealth Notes

, . / ; NEW SOUTH WALES. •' - . ;; The late Mr. Tighe Ryan, editor of the Catholic Press, left an estate valued at about £6OOO. With the exception of; £SOO each to his two. sisters, and ,£IOO for Masses for his soul, . he 'left the whole: of his estate: to his Grace the Archbishop for the benefit of the poor schools. By this splendid act of Christian charity Mr. Tighe Ryan crowned a life which was devoted' to the services of our holy faith, and thus -he deserves that his memory should, be preserved as anexample to his fellow-citizens and to future generations. On Monday of last week (says the Freeman’s ournal for September 28) a meeting of his friends decided to commemorate his silver jubilee as a Catholic ' editor by a presentation. A handsome beginning was made, and there, was ample promise that a considerable sum would be received. Mr. Ryan’s untimely death made, the desire of his friends impracticable; but they feel that the money \yhich- would' have been freely given to the living man, might fittingly be applied to a memorial for one who lived so worthily, and who was faithful to his principles, even in death; ■ His Grace the Archbishop was approached, for a suggestion, and his approval was given to an endowment for St. Gabriel’s Home for Deaf-Mute Boys, an institution which makes an appeal to all Australia, and towards which Mr. Tighe Ryan had a special attraction . Sunday, the 17th ult., was a gala day for the Catholics of Tamworth, the occasion being the celebration of the golden jubilee of. the Dominican Nuns. His Lordship Bishop O’Connor, ever solicitous to promote the happiness of each member of his flock, graciously came from Armidale expressly to be present at the celebration of this unique event. The, proceedings began with Solemn High Mass,in St. ..Nicholas’s Church, at which the Bishop presided. A specially trained choir rendered in a devotional manner Tedesco’s Mass. During the course of his address to the very large congregation, his Lordship reminded his hearers that the Sister now celebrating her golden jubilee had formed one of the pioneer band of Dominican Nuns that came to Tamworth nearly 47 years ago. He referred in felicitous terms to the great work thus done for the people of Tamworth by the worthy jubilarian, whose years of devoted service had ministered to the needs of three generations. It was then very fitting, added his Lordship, that they should assemble in such large numbers to do honor to the venerable jubilarian. Sister Mary de Pazzi, and he congratulated the people in testifying in so practical a way their appreciation of the good Sister’s useful and noble work in their midst. His Lordship made feeling reference to the memory of the late Mother Mary Regis, who had pioneered the way for the first band of Sisters in Tamworth, and who labored there so successfully during the best years of her life.' SOUTH AUSTRALIA. His Grace the Archbishop of Adelaide (Most Rev. Dr. Spence), on a recent Sunday formally opened the recent additions to the Sacred Heart College, conducted by the Marist Brothers at Glenelg, and also laid the foundation stone of the new chapel, to cost £IO,OOO, which will serve as a memorial to ex-students of the college who were killed at the war, and' also to commemorate the golden jubilee of educational activities of the Marist Brothers in Australia. The Archbishop paid a tribute to the great progress made by the Marist Brothers’ colleges since they started in Sydney 50 years ago, and said it was fitting they should honor the brave men who fell in the war. , , ... QUEENSLAND. The fifth annual reunion. of the priests of the Queensland branch of the Manly Union took place on Tuesday, September 12, at Ipswich (says the Catholic Advocate). The Union is an association : of the priests ordained at St. Patrick’s Ecclesiastical College, Manly, New South Wales, since its establishment over 30 years ago. It was formed '' with the principal purpose of encouraging and fostering vocations to the priesthood through the various dioceses of Australia. This object is aimed at in many ways, the most notable, of which is the self-imposed obligation of assisting by financial aid-boys whose means would otherwise be insufficient to enable them to pursue the long years of study necessary for ordination. It is to be feared that not 1 infrequently in- the past vocations have been lost on account of financial difficulties of this nature, and to meet so .regrettable an evil the, Manly Union has founded a number of bursaries to be made available for lads who without such help would he unable, to undergo the six to'eight years’ ' course of study in the ecclesiastical seminaries of Springwood and Manly. „ ■ ; ‘ •X> < X~X'XX > ‘ x WEST AUSTRALIA. “■ y- ■ ‘ , An important event at Highgate, on Sunday,- September 3 (says the W.A. Record), was the solemn blessing.and laying of the foundation stone of the new chapel and other - additions to the Convent - of Notre Dame des Missions, ? both: of.-which,, when completed, will fulfil a long-felt want.

A feature of the chapel : is its Medication to the - Sacredif Heart of ! Jesus . in. memory of the v “Little Flower,” .'Soeur Theresa'of the Child-Jesus and .of the Holy Pace. It is the first edifice of the kind to be built in Australia in honor.' of the yenerable•' Therese, no small confidence being reposed in|sS her intercession by the Community of Notre Dame. The chapel is commodious indeed, and the additions to '.theyvi already familiar convent are extensive. When completed®,; the entire building will undoubtedly be an important. adjunct to the many achievements of ecclesiastical architecture in the archdiocese. In his opening remarks, at the SI function, his Grace Dr. Clune, Archbishop of Perth, expressed his appreciation of the privilege to help in the;® appeal to the generosity of the people on such an occasion. His interpretation of the gathering he witnessed there was p| that, it was in the cause of Catholic education towards ® which the Sisters of the Mission had contributed a quarter of a century of incomparable zeal whose noble lives were M spent in that cause, and of whose successful part in that yp cause no one can question. Their brilliant, successes in teaching the young people of Highgat© were well known. They were there as a duty to those who were sacrificing their lives for the proper education of children. The building in progress was not a luxuryit was an absolute neces. sity. It was undertaken in order that the Sisters may bej|| able to better carry on their work. It as the wonder of Mi those who knew how such a large community could. be’®: housed in a small convent. There appeared to be not the same concern regarding the self-sacrificing Sisters by the ® people in their own homes. The community had Been compelled to live from year’s end to year’s end cramped . ; inf§| small space and insanitary surroundings. The health Mflp the Sisters was first consideration. They should enjoy, p healthful conditions, and for lack of resources they had to put up with many inconveniences and had-come not to T regard comfort. In a climate like this their oratory must -,:' be large to accommodate a large number of Sisters. As£| was known, the oratory was a place where in proper sur-1| roundings and comfort the Sisters could pray before God, • where is found the spirit of faith that sustains them m'M their lives. The faith is kept alive in the oratory it is|f| there that the spark is ignited which thrills the faculties ® and sustains the power and energy to work for Almighty God and the salvation of souls; where the spirit is revivi- TJ fied and the soul brought near to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, in the tabernacle. His Grace implored the people to M help in providing proper housing and decent living conditions, so that health would not be endangered, and give the Sisters a chance to carry on. He was proud of their y brilliant and enduring work. The community had assumed a heavy financial burden —he would say a crushing burden 4: were it not for their faith in God and their trust in the people. The atmosphere was full of hope and confidence, and ho took that opportunity of again, thanking them for, 4 "their magnificent work among the young generation for the v; past 25 years. 4. TASMANIA. About this time next year (says the Melbourne Tribune for September 21) Right Rev. Mgr. Beechinor, of Launceston, will celebrate the diamond jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood. Mgr. Beechinor occupies a high place in the Catholic Church in Australia, and in the! esteem of|| the people of Tasmania, amongst whom he has worked for nearly half a century. He studied at Propaganda® College, Rome, and still reads and speaks Italian ( with facility, -He was personally acquainted with the great ® Popes, Pius IX., Leo XIII., and Pius X., and heard both® Cardinals Newman and Manning preach on several occasions. The Monsignor is also a great Horatian student,® and those who know him well declare that he knows. By® heart every line that Horace wrote. He is a devout priest, •a lover of his people, and in many respects one of the most remarkable personalities in Australia. His . reminiscences |‘| of the great men of the Roman Curia and of the Irish Hierarchy of 40 and 50 years ago are of absorbing interest,4s particularly as the Monsignor is a gifted raconteur. ' Al- ® though Mgr. Beechinor is now in the 60th year ' of his priestly work for God and man, he enjoys splendid health, and his mental qualities are as active and vigorous as ever. He is a member of a family almost as famous in Church history as the Vaughans. His uncle (Dr. Murphy) wasA . Archbishop of Hobart for many years, and died at a very great age; and his brother (Archdeacon Beechinor) ; f has long ago celebrated his golden jubilee. A sister was aS celebrated nun, whose work will never be forgotten in Tasmania. , ®- -‘ _ ■ ® “ : || God is trying to make men of us, because He wishes this world to be a credit ,io Himself and to us.’’—Father® John Baptist Reeves, O.*P. ■ 4