CATHOLIC NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 30, 15 November 1889, Page 13

CATHOLIC NEWS.

The growth of the Catholic population in the United States for the pist year has been 655,294. Several priests and Sisters are engaged teaching the Yuma Indunß. A Zulu magazine has just been started by the Trappiut Fathers of Natal. It is designed to convey religious and secular instruction to theirnativeconve.li. The Catholic churches of the United States number 7424, as against 6829 one year ago. and there are 7996 clergy, as agaiast 7f)9G, in 1880. Miss Anna Seaman has abjured the errors of the evangelical sect at Saracena, in Calabria, and become a Catholic. Lord St. Cyres, son of Lord Iddealeigb, England, has been received as a convert into the Catholic Churcb. There aro 150 coloured women in the various Sisterhoods of the United States. There are SOO.OOOCatholics Poleß in the United States. Detroit, Michigan, has a Polish seminary for the education of ecclesiastical students. The late Archbishop Ullathorne, of England, received into the Church seventy-five Protestant clergymen, who, in a worldly sense, had everything to lose and nothing to gain. Two hundred acres of land have been purchased, overlooking the valley of the Illinois river, on which the Benedictine Fathers propose to build the largest Catholic college in the State of Illinois. The Lady Toku Mazdira, belonging to one of the chief families of Yokohama, has gone to Europe to take the veil in a convent at Munich, with a view to returning later on to found a convent of the same order in Japan. The French Government has conferred the rank of the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour on Pere Quignard cure of St. Eustache, Paris, in recognition of his great services and courageous attendance on the wounded during the late Franco-Prussian war, Forty thousand persons visited the celebrated shrine at Knock on the feast of the Assumption. Several Masses were celebrated, and an imposing procession followed. Archdeacon Kavanagb was assisted by several clergymen, including two American priests. In the eveniDg the Benediction was given to a large number of pilgrims from England, Scotland and America. One young girl is said to have had the use of her limbs restored, and has left her crutches behind as a memorial of the alleged miracle. But one member of the late Father Damien's family survive. — His father died in 1874, shortly after he took up his residence in Molokai. His mother, a deeply religious woman, passed away ia 1886. The shock she experienced in learning that her beloved and heroic sen had fallen a victim of leprosy was more than ahe could bear at her advanced age, and she survived it but a short time. The only living member of the family is Father Damien's elder brother, Louis, a priest, who still resides in Belgium. The funeral of Cardinal Massaia at Naples was one of the most imposing and moving events that have occurred for a long time in that city. While the corpse lay in state, the crowds that came to see for the last time and kiss the hand of the African apostle were enormous. The aid of a large police force hardly sufficed to tear the kneeling multitudes away from the bier. Before the removal of the corpse, Doctor Modestino del Gaizo, who had the good fortune of being near the Cardinal at the last moment to give him the aid of his profession, uttered these moving words : "If Livingstone, joining his discoveries to those of the greatest explorers of the upper valleys of the Nile, has been enabled to trace, on the map of Centra! Africa, a certain number of well determined lines, William Matsaia, daring

his thirty-five years of apostlephip in Upper Ethiopia, his enlarged tbe confines of the Church, grouping nations around the cross and attacking the Slave trade victoriously in thes« cuntriee."

" The Enthusiasm of Catholicism " is the su'>j-ct of an article in the London Justice, the organ of the English Hucial Democrats, i i the course of wnich it pays the following tribute :— " There are but two enthusiasms now active among civilised men— the enthusiasm of Catholicism and the enthusiasm of Socialism. We are n<>t such bigots that we cannot join heartily in the tribue of admiration to Fatb<r D m en's life and dea'b. This p-i>st devoted himself to the clurge of the lepers of the Sp.ndwici Islands, who are confined on an island by themselves. Thi< fnghtf il disea*-, s» frightful that tho-e who tuve ones Been it at its worst shriok with horror from 'he remembrance, Father Damien deliberately put himself in the way of contracting in order to save, as he believed, the souls of the miserable natives afflicted with it, and to contribute, so far as he could, to their matennl improvement at the same time. Now he is dead of leprosy himself, and agnostics and atheists willingly assemble to do honour to his funernl. He doesn't stand alone In the uttermost parts of the earth, where Europeans are rarely or never seen, oiher priests of the sinae creel spead their lives in a care t of almost equal self-sacrifice. What a pity Social Democrats cau't capture their organisation and provide it with a new aud higher enthusiasm than that of supernaturalism 1"

Ac.C' rding to \h*>Silesian Gazette, socialism is rapidly growing in Germany. In 1882, Berlin had 24 8 icieties, now it has over 100. In 1886. Bavaria had 1,021 societies with 58 000 members; now it has 2200 societies, with 122,000 members. Dr. Martin Luther, when he incited the peasants to revolt, and then sanctioned the prioces in their slaughter of ih-m by the thousand, sowed the dragon's teeth, and Germany is beginning to reap some of the later crops.

In 1881 the C .thulic population in the dominion of Canada wrb 1,792 882 ; the Protestant, 2 439,188. The Cathoac population exceeds thai <f an\ single Proteataut denomination in N >va dco'ia, New Brunswkk, British Columbia and Prince Edward's Inland. In the province of Quebec, tb« Catholic population far out-nutnber-t all the Prott-B'ant denominations put together. In Ontario and Mautjbt, the Church of England, the Presbyterians and Methodists each outnumber i he C-tthuiicx. In Oatario the Methodists the leading denomination; in Novia Sco'ia and Prince Blw»rd's Island th j Presbv teri i- s .ire the lea> in? Protestant denwmini'nns and neirly equal the Catholics. In N^w Brunswick ihe Bipista approacu nearest to tbe Catholic*. It is somewhat curious that on'y m the province of Quebec is the Church of England the leading Protestant body.

The Passionists have four foundations of the Order in South America. The first is in thi city of Buenoa Ayres. find in dedictted to the Holy Cross ; another in tbe interior is dedicated to the f oun ler of their Older, ft. Paul of the Cross. The thirJ is dedicated to St. Patrick, and the fourth, to St. Joseph, is in the city of Valparaiso Tha filst two of these foundatlous do not need any beip. They are prospering. TbOßt; dedicated to St. Patrick and St. Joseph are struggling and are in neel of assistance. The Catholic Congress, held at Bochurn, wis well attended. There was some disappoin ment over the lack of original and practical ideas for the amelioration of the condition of working-men. Count Galen delivered the best discourse on this question. Six thousand persons HStembled to hear Dr. Win-iihorst deal with religious education and the effoita of the Centrists in behalf of tht miners. The Congress adopted an address in favour of the restoration of the temporal power ot the Pope. The Catholics i f Bavaria -> re still suffering under serious grievances, thanks to the Kulturkamuf pertinaciously conducted by Herr Lut/.. They complain chiefly of the Government's insisting on the Royal placet in connection with the promulgation of Ecclesiastical Acts ; of the exclusion of religious Orders, especially the Ji suits nn<l Redemptonsts, from the kingdom ; of the military service imposed on ecclesiastics ; and of the favour t-hown to the old Catholics, who are allowed to hold services in the Catholic churches. Against these unjust regulations of the State remonstrances have been addressed to the Government again and again by the Holy Father and the Bishops, but so far without the desirtd result. Tbe laity are now taking up the quarrel. A few days ago they assembled to the number of five thousand at|Neustadt, and resolved to continue the struggle with this device: " Wnh the Pope and tbe Bishops for tne rights of the Church and the welfare of the State."

The Bishopuc of Passau is generally regarded as the oldest in Germany. It dates from the third ciintuary after Christ, so that it is now nearly 1600 years old. The original seat waß at Lorch on the Ems. The first bishop being St Maximillian, towards the end of the third century. In the year 737, Bishop Vivibo transferred his See to Passau, the old Batavie, or Castrab-itavorum of the Romans. As the centuries went on tbe diocese stretched far away, embracing all *he region now know as lower Austria, and portuns of the surrounding districts including Vienna itself. Even in the 17th century some of tbe bishops were members of the Austrian Imperial family. In tbe year 1803, when the general transformation Germany was effected, Passau lost its status as a Piince Bishopric, the territory and town, as well as tbe temporal jurisdiction of the bishops being transferred to the Elector of Bavaria, aa tbe predecessor of the present Bavarian Royal Family was styled. But, through all the changes of German history, Paseau has remained a a bishop's see, since 1150 years ago when Bishop Vivibo tianaferred his residence there.

The vast church of the Rosary at Lourdes, the first stone of which was laid by Cardiual Despres, Archbishop of Toulouse, in 1883, was recently consecrated by his Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Pariß, in tbe presence of throe other Archbishops, nine Bishops, over a thousand priests, and some 30,000 pilgrims of all nations. The prelates sent to his Holiness Leo XIII. a telegram in which they referred to the celebration as " a pledge of the hopes your Holiness has founded in the intercession of Our Lady of the Roeary for the liberty of the Church and its illustrious Head."

The following statistics, given by Herr Volmer, a member of tbe German Reichstag, regarding the nationality of the members who attended the Socialistic Congreu lately held in Paris, are both curious and interesting There were ia attendance 6 Russians, 4 Hollanders, 11 Ita ians, 21 Englishman. 3 Hungarians, 9 Austnans, 3 Danes, 1 Sown American, 3 North Americans, 2 Spaniards, 1 Por'ugU"S j , 14 Bflguu-i, 4 Poles, 2Sw dei, 1 Mir^e^ian, 4 Armenians, 6 cJwms 2 Greeks, 1 Bulgarian, 1 Boheaaian, 83 Germans. 78 Parisians. •n 1 100 Frn^nmen, from the D-pirttnetitu. Thtssa fizures will, no doubt, surprise some, and Las Novedadeg, from which they are taken is particu arly gratified to rial bo few ripmiard* nmong tne number.

The report of the year's additions to the British Museum records among these tha receipt, under the will of the lace Ootavius Morgan, of twenty -t irea Papal rings of investiture or othar large finger rings. Ttieae are important from their rarity and historical interest, and the series, though not numerous, is only approached io extent by that in the Waterton collection.

'Several of our Eastern contemporaries," saye the San Francisco Monitor, "are crying out loudly for a convention of Catholic jour-

i. aliai s to take place during the Catholic centenary cel<bration to ba held next Novpmber in Baltimore. The idea is * good one and we use it in order to impress upon our delinquent subscribers the necessity of sending in the long-standiag dues, bo as to enable us to participate wi h our highly-esteemed brethren of the Press on that auspicious occasion. O-h^rwise we must stay at home."

We unite, says a home paper, with the G-uardian in hoping that Ministers will take note of the letter from Mr. Gladstone about the outrages upon Armenian Christians which appeared in the Daily News. No doubt the accounts of such outrages are often inaccurate or exaggerated. The figures may be wrong, an I the facts may be overdrawn, but when all deducii >ns have been male enough will probibly remaia to appeal to the pi y aud to tb>! <id of Cmistendom. Mr. Glads one only hsks for enquiry, and remiads Lord iadabury that " we are en nleJ by treaty t j dem in-1 fiom the dultaa the «jpprebbun of all fcjch outrages and the condign punm imeat of trie miscreants concerned." That ought to be no more than Lord Salisbury will be very well disposed to But when a Mi as er is bus/, and the con i un if European affairs is cuiuai, demands of this kmd are not nlwiys nude wica sufficient promp itui^ and decision. Tho Government ought to do what Mr. Glmstone »bks, because it is no m >re taan thtir duty, but if they siould bo ia want of an ailoi ijuctl m itive, they may remember, frum the expen jncf.<of the past, that it v equally their iatertst&.

The New Oi lcans Morning Star publishes tho following interesting n itus from tne Pacific coauc : A pious la Jy haj given Archbishop Kiuulan 10,000dols. to pay for the new cathedral. A brother of the celebrate I I euis Kciraey, of sand lot fame, died a Christian Brother in S*n Francisco. Dems erected a beautiful monument over his giave. Some of tbe wealthy men of San Francisco have been liberal to religion. Mr. D. Murphy, on one occasion, put 27,000d015. into the hands ot Mouher Teresa Comeford, to build i school.

The Spanish papers publish a long letter which Dr. Huurteuy Lozano declares his submission to the Church. Dr. Huertasy Lo/.am> is a well-knowu Spanish j lUrnalist. For many ye.tra tv was a spiritualist , a Freethinker, aud oue of the chief 'd of Fienmisonry in the Peninsula. He has lately made a retreat at the Jusuit College ol Talavera, from wbich he addresses his letter of iccantition to the Arcamshop of Grauad-t. He entered tbe Jesuit novitiate on August, 31st.

The following is the telegram sent fiom Louides on the 23rd lo the Holy Father : " The Archbishops of Ca^hari, ot b-mtu^o, and ot Verculli , the Bishops of Nancy, of Tar Des, and of Hebron ; the Augustinian Fatneis of the Assumption, Missionaiies ot Lourdee, and direc ors of the National pilgrimage ; twenty-two physicians, volunteer inquirers into tbe mincles ; eleven hundred sick aud twenty thousand pilgrims give thanks to your Holiness for the Encyclical on the patronage of St. Joseph, and unite with all iheir hearts in the prayers of the Catholic world on the occasion or your feast."

Another serious annoyance to Catholics in Rome is the intended demolition of the Cuapel of tit. Stanislas Kostka, on the Quinnal — the little shrine which has been the scene of tbe prayers ot so many flocks of students, and is connected with the religious history of the reigning house. For here is buried tne Jesuit King of Sardinia, who abdicati din 1802, and died in the habit in 1819. And from this tomb Father Beckx, General of the Order, sent his grave remonstrance to Victor Emmanutl, in 1860, upoa the hwu against the religious Orders. A protest against the destruction of the chapel is on the way from Lemberg.

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land will leave London in the spriDg o£ next yiar. Tne Cardioal Archbishop has given his warm approval to the pilgiimage, and has promise! to bless it from the altar of his pro-cathedral before it starts. The Couucil ef the Catholic Union, at a special meeting held on the 23rd ult., passed a resolution appointing the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Clifford, Lord Herries, Mr. Arthur Moore, and Mr. W. S. Lilly, a committee to promote and carry out the pilgrimage, and empowered the committee to add to their number any Catholic gentlemen, whether members of the Union or not. Catholics are invited to join, according to their ability, in this pubiir act of faith, and ot our homage to tha Divinity of our Lord, elthei by making the pilgrimage themselves, or by contributions of money, to be used in paying the expenses of poor pilgrims, wholly or in part. The Holy Father, who on many occasions has manifested bis earnest desire for the revival of devotion to Jerusalem and the Holy Places, has graciously been pleased to send his Apostolic Benediction to the pilgrimage through Monsignor Jacobini, deciotary of Propaganda.