Commonwealth Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 49, 9 December 1925, Page 41

Commonwealth Notes

I. .a • NEW SOUTH WALES. A message from Rome states .that his Holijj-. ness the Pope gave an audience to Dr. Dwyer, A }- Bishop of Wagga W 7 agga. During the audience his Holiness expressed his pleasure at having received during the year the first large Australian pilgrimage to Pome. In the course of a tribute to the splendid work being done by Catholic hospitals, the Hon. the Minister for Health, Mr, G. Gann, said that he was pleased to be present, not only from the point of view of paying a tribute, to the good work done, but, as was said, the great public of Australia would soon be converted to (he idea that no mailer who is doing the work, as far as the Catholics were concerned in regard to their orphanages and hospitals, they should get their fair share from the point of view of the Government. He promised to go into the matter fully and see if he could not render more assistance than they were getting. Ho. hoped that he would never be judged guilty of bigotry in regard to the work of such institutions as theirs, and it the Government could not do more than it had been doing, it will at least banish all thought of bigotry and try to be as charitable as our great Master. Archbishop Kelly, of Sydney, blessed and opened the new church-school at Bankstonn on Sunday, November 8. Situated on a commanding height, and at the roar of the old church, which Mates back to 1851, the new structure brings an atmosphere of 1110J dernity to the group of buildings. The old V church now to be used as a kindergarten—is a picturesque building, with its burial ground alongside. VICTORIA. The Rev. Brother Hickey, Provincial of the Christian Brothers, is expected in Melbourne shortly (says the Advocate of recent date). He has manifested great interest in the spread of technical education in our Catholic schools. . Brother Hickey expects to gather round him for the great juniorate school and training college in Strathfield the usual large company of fine boys and young men as subjects for the congregation. Victori an Brothers are now an important section of the students of Strathfield who have pledged themselves to the Christian education of Australian youth. It will be interesting to many persons to known that there is a possibility of St. Patrick’s Hall, Melbourne, being sold. A splendid offer has been submitted for the building. On November 13, 1851, the first Legislative Council of Victoria was opened in St. Patrick’s Hall by the then Governor, Charles Joseph Latrobe. A photograph from drawings made by Mr. William Strutt at that period still bangs in the office of the society, and is closely scanned by visitors when they v - are being shown over the building. His -f Grace the Archshop was presented with a j| replica of the same photograph when a conii versazione was tendered in his honor a few I years ago. , Many members .of St. Patrick's

Society are somewhat unwilling to part with this historic old building out of sheer sentiment, but, as the upkeep of the hall is costly at the present time, it may be that sentiment " ill give way to business and the place sold.. A modern structure will rise in its stead. „ A valuable property has been purchased in vyneton by the Very Rev. Dean Martin, i l ", tor the purpose of establishing a bovs’ sd.onl " inch will be placed in charge of the -Mo last , lirot| iers. Rev. Brother Brendan, rovmcial „f tlio Marist Brothers in Ansi ' ' l ' a ’ V,s 'f. T '- V " etn " recently for an inction of tin; property. -Speaking at a Confirmation ceremony rercnlly held at St. Mary's, East St. Kiidl 1 o IBs.op of Sandhnrat (Right B „. £ -RCarthy) stressed the need of more vocaAnsTraliim religions life amongst young A.f rahans- ll,s country was still obliged to look to Ireland for priests, Brothers and nlnt-h . proved that Australia was ’esDon^f' 1 y " ,n ' Kardt «* important btest")" Of fostering religions vocations, " WEST AUSTRALIA. b ev. .Father' ft. Power C p „• i . Malvern recently r JUCI .',I V' -'i-, T akln S a ,t -Ai I voi n recent! v ovnerience i•'’ 1 c l«»tc d '"any interesting tiirn , n to<" f 18 rec " fc trip across the eon- +.. ,’• C lve a series °f missions and Re ™ts in the diocese 01 Gtra,dt “" («„ th o t • L This Mk was undertaken f he request of hi s Lordship Dr. Ry,„ 7" U ’ I'® prior to his appointment as BL Joseph’s th Ul V 0 " had been pastor »f St. p i ‘ s ’ tl,e Vincentian Fathers’' beautiful chmch at Malvern, Victoria. Father Power said the trip to Fremantle, across the <reat Australian Bight, occupied four days “ahd ‘ he on"t ..It to Lew Loren, revealed the most Oath 0 ,0 centre in Australia, presided Ir b y tiers Ttf ie " odil!ti,,e *•«•«» and Brosn nnn U * Vast parish > extending over 30 000 square miles, having its colleges for ojs and girls, and Retreats for monks, etc me, apart from the world, the Benedictine community devote their lives to prayer -1 hard work for the good „f sm ,ls . One of tacnr mimhor, Father Moreno, 0.5.8. „ y e „ eminent organist and ninsician. has his choir Mined to such perfection that the liturgical singing is unsurpassed, even in Europe. The burnt, I ', at h Geralc ’, ton -as «i and who i.C q 6 rSt piaCe by father Hawes, Clnn-cl 77* •? arS was a clergyman of the of not of E »Bland, and also an architect of note. The building of the church at ALullewa was another work of Father Hawes expressive of his great devotion to the Mother of God under her title of Our Lady of 7 • Carmel . to whom the priest-architect as dedicated many churches out in the wilds of the barren West, where the good nuns of the Presentation Order, brought in the first instance into the diocese by the zeal of the •to Bishop Kelly, have succeeded;* against l almost insurmountable difficulties, in keeptug- the lamp of faith alive. - The sparsity of. Catholics in the wilds of the West is made

up for by their fervor and devotion, as it is quite an ordinary occurrence for people to come 14 or 15 miles to Mass. It was Father Power’s experience to meet in the diocese the “most Catholic non-Catholic in the world,” a lady who, though outside the fold, made complete arrangements for a mission given by the visiting Vincentian Father. Another outstanding monument of Catholicity noted by Father Power was the glorious church at Northampton, built by the zeal of the late Administrator, Dr. Graber, with its beautiful Stations of the Cross, donated by himself. Here, as in other parts of the desolate West the Presentation Nuns succeed in keeping the lamp of faith brightly burning. .(]