ROMAN CATHOLICS

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1926, Page 3

ROMAN CATHOLICS

COMMONS REMOVE BANS (Australian & N.Z. Cable Assn.) LONDON, Dec. 4. The Roman Catholic Relief Bill “a measure of justice to remove longstanding trivial disabilities” was passed by the House of Commons without a division. The prohibitions thus removed, 1 which mostly were of ancient origin, include: (1) The exercising of any Roman Catholic rite, or ceremony, outside a place of worship of a private house; (2) appearing in public in the habit of an Order; (3) officiating as a priest in any place of worship with a bell or a steeple; (4) keeping books on Roman Catholic ritual; (5) giving property to any Abbey or Convent; (6) making any trust for the benefit of any Roman Catholic order; and (7) the entrance of any Monastic Orders to England. The Bill has yet to pass the House of Lords. Lord Halifax, the leader of the English High Church Party, says: “I am very pleased about it.” MARIST BROS’ JUBILEE (Special to “Star.”) WELLINGTON, Dec. 4. Every community in New Zealand knows the great work done for the cause of education by the Roman Catholic Order of Marist Brothers. Interest is already awakening in the celebration of the Jubilee of the Order in this Dominion, which commences on Sunday, December 12. The Marist Order, which devotes its energies solely to teaching, was first started by a Frenchman. Brother Sigismund, who died this year, was the first Superior of the Ordei- in New Zealand. It was following a successful appeal made just after his consecration by Archbishop Redwood, then Bishop, that Brother Sigismund and three companions were sent to Wellington from the Mother House of the Order at Lyons. The Order is now represented practically in every country of the world having commenced operations in 1817 with’a small community of two, in a tiny building at Lavalla, near Lyons. The name is derived from Maria, Latin for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Its founder, Father Champagnat was an associate of Father Colin, founder of the Society of Mary, or Marist Fathers Closely associated at the commencement, the two Orders early separated and have now no connection. Marist Bros, differ from Marist Fathers, and Roman Catholic clergy generally, and do not take Orders, but are nevertheless what the Church terms religious. The particular function of Marist Bros, is conducting day, boarding, primary, secondary and trade schools. The constitution under which the Marist Brothers work is from the seat of the General Chapter, at present situated at Grugliasco, near Turin, Italy, but under special arrangement, New Zealand candidates receive training in their own country, but afterwards proceed to take a novitiate course at Mittagong, New South Wales where they spend twao years on purely religious study. Recently all the headmasters of Marist schools in Australia were New Zealanders. These included Brother Borgia, now director

; of the Sacred Heart College, Auck- ’ land, and Brother Osmond at the ’/■ same college who not long since conr trolled St. Joseph’s College, Sydney, claimed to be the largest boarding school in the Commonwealth or New Zealand. During the jubilee celebrations which are‘Starting all over New Zealand on the date mentioned, the L Marist old boys intend to raise sufficient funds to liquidate the debt on ’ the Marist training college at Tuakau, to which all. are asked, to contri- ’ bute.