THE LATE CARDINAL SIMEONI.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 22, 18 March 1892, Page 11

THE LATE CARDINAL SIMEONI.

(Sydney Freeman t Journal.')

AT the memorial ceremonies in St. Wary 'a Umhddral his Eminence Cardinal Moran spok« tbe following words :—

Cardinal Simeoni in hid various oflici 1 p sitinns ia the sacred Congregation of Propaganda was at the helm of the missionary baiqur, guiding the an-wonary z -al r * tin; Oatholic w^rld, for over a quarter ><f aceiitury. Tbe puolic pnss whi-h chronicles day by day 60 many events that mark the world's progress around us, gives bat scanty notice af euch mttwous And yet perhaps in tbe world's bis* tory in modern times there is nothing more marvellous than the progress of Christendom as shown by the missionary harvest of those twenty-five years. Never since the days of 8t Francis X»vier have so many thousands been added to the fold throughout the various pro* vincea of India. The glad tidings of Redemption have been preached in Asia Minor and Persia and China, even to its remotest Tartar territory, Few probably are aware that in one of the Chinese Vicariatea, in an interval of (oar years, three bishops have Bhed their blood for the faith, and that in another Vicariate in the year 1884, 24,000 native Christians with 270 native nuns, 16 priests and 60 cati chists suffered for the faith in the space of only two months. Surely the records the early Christians have nothing more glorious to show than this. In the Dominion of Canada flourishing missions have been established in its northern frozen provinces. The United States has now almost a hundred names on tha bright roll of its episcopate All through South America tbe various nations have been quickened into a renewed spiritual life, and even the hitherto inpenetrable Patagonia now re-echoes with the anthems of tbe Gospel of Peace. In Africa, deepite the many difficulties that es yet beset religion in that desolate land, three a c bat few territories in wbicb 'he s andard of the Cross is not unfurl -d ; and it is cheering to find that whithersoever travellers or explorers penetrate, representatives as they cuay be of England or Germany , of France, or Belgium , or the united Btßt< s, all of one accord offer tbe tribute of their admiration to the devoted zeal of the Catholic missionaries. May I not say that in our own Austra* tralian colonies come progress baa been made? It is a little more than a quarter of a century that throughout this continent there waa bat one Archbishop with four suffragan Bishops. Now there are four Archbishops and 13 Episcopal Bees. It is during the past few years that the missions in New Guinea and the Gilbert Islands have begun to yield their fruit. Throughout the islands of the South Pacific Ocean the missionaries have been unwearing in their labour of love, and their first martyr, Blessed Chanel, received the honours of the altar. Tne group of islands of the North-Sast Pacific Ocean have won new lustre through Father Damien'a heroism of charity. And yet what was bis ministry but the daily record of a hundred other zealous missionaries and devoted Sisters who, under tbe sole impulse of Divine love, spend their lives in the various leper-stricken countries in the performance of the like deeds of Charity? It w*s the privilege of Cardinal Stmeoni to be the leader of those who guided the zeal of these missionary bands, and he partakes of the merit of their victories. He has led many souls to the saving fold . As his reward his name is written in the Book of Life. He rests from his labours and his works follow him.