CATHOLIC NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 45, 9 March 1894, Page 23

CATHOLIC NEWS.

(From Contemporaries.)

Onb hundred and twenty. five Hehrew children attend the parochial achcol of St Monica's Oburch, New York. Their parents beeought Father Dougherty to admit them, and he gave instructions to bis asautenta to do ao. The school has a total attendance of 1100 children. Farther details have been received from Bussia regarding the massacre of Catholics in the church of Kroece, in tbe province of Sovno. It ia now stated that many of the survivors are to be tried by court-martial for resistance to tbe officers of the law, ard thit, on their inevitable conviction, they will be sent to Siberia. Tbe P»polo Romano has just publuhed an article from the pen of a foremost Bevolutionist and Liberal, in which the highest praise U bestowed upon the heroic charity and patience ot tbe Sisters of Charity. It is to all Catholics a subject of joy that these good Sisters are able to elicit praise, even from toe enemies of Gjd and His Church. Bpeaking of the Sisters of St Joseph, the Governor of South Australia recently said :— " They could not help admiriog the Belfsacrifice, tbe philanthropy, and the piety of the good Sisters of St Joseph. They could see them in tbe houaes of the poor, feeding and clothing the wretched. They could see them in the gaols and the abodes of vice, striving to raiße the fallen and save the lost.' The latest returns from West Maitland show that there are in the diocese 31 self-supporting Catholic primary schools, The total number of children on the rolls is 2767, of whom 2458 are Catholics and 309 non-Catholics. In point of attendance the Hamilton school (Sisters of Mercy) is first oa the list, with a total of 230 pupils. The return from Scone shows that of the total attendance of 88 no less than 41 are Protestant children, whose parents evidently prefer the Bisters of Mercy to the public school teachers. The Dungog (Sisters of St Joseph) figures are even more remarkable, 36 Catuohcs and 35 ProteaUnts. Among the demonstrations of love «nd attachment to the Holy Father which it is proposed to make at tbe olose of the Jubilse year ia to be found a Catholic congress to be held at Naples from the eleventh to the fifteenth of February, and a pilgrimage of the Catholics of that city to the Tomb of the Apostles. The pilgrimage will take place on the sixteenth of February and will last until the twentieth. Tbe plans have been approved of by tbe Central Committee of Jubilee Feasts, and the final arrangements are now being made for the accommodation and comfort of the pilgrim?, must of whom will be representatives of the poorest classes. Tbe Bey John Wai ford, who died at Rocbampton on Tuesday January 9 was for some years a most popular assistant master at Eton College. He was in hia 60th year. He took his Bachelor's degree with a first class in Claaaics at King's College, Cambridge, of which society he became a Fellow. In his youth he waa a great athlete. and he was one of the first University meu to make the ascent of Moot Blanc. He resigned bis musiersbip at Eton on becoming a Roman Catholic, about 30 yean ago. After holding an aasistant mastership at Edgbnatoa under Cardinal Newman, be entered the Jesuit Order, and waa employed by them educationally at Malta, at Liverpool, and at their college near Holy well, in North Wales. Father Walford had long been ia declining health, and was a younger

brother of the Bey Henry Walford, whose death we recorded on December 26. On January Ist, at tin Irish College, Dr Kirby, the venerable Archbishop of Epbesus, celebrated his 90th birthday. At bis request only a few special friends were invited for the occasion. At dioner the rector, the Right Reverend Monsignor Kelly, proposed his Grace's health, dwelling upon the affection and eeteem entertained for him by countless friendß at home in Ireland, beyond the seas, and in Borne by all classes of persons, inclodiog even the Holy Father himself. All then rose to their feet, while the students Bang an Eviva with Buch warmth and feeling as fully showed the place their late beloved Hector haa still in their heart*. The Very Bey Father Walsh, 0.8. A., added his congratulations and good wishes ia a short and happy speech. Dr Kirby, whose readiness and wit have by no means suffered beneath the burden of 90 years, replied, and set all laughing by declaring, on the strength of Holy Writ, that all present were old men, seeing that there not years bat a good life ia reckoned old age. After dinner the gnests greatly admired • magnificent portrait of his Grace, recently painted at the request and expense of former students of the college now on the Mission in Ireland. It is truly a beautiful memorial of their love and veneratioa for thtir old Sector, Dr Kirby. A correspondent of the Daily Telegraph at Mellfia (the scene of desperate fighting a couple of months ago between the Moora and the Spanish troops) describes the ceremoDy of dedicating a new fort which the Spaniards are erecting there, the High Masa offered on the occasion being celebrated within firing distance of the Moors. He says—" It was eleven o'clock, and I hastened behind the fort and stood near the staff, bot facing the altar. Already the priests in their vestments were in their places preparing for the celebration of the Mass. The army chaplains' boxes, with the necessary appliance! for tbe performances of the sacred function, had been carried upon the staging, and the clergymen of whom there were five, were arranging the things and lighting the candles upon the altar. Eight soldiers, with fixed bayonets and accoutred in full marching order, stood as guard around the rail. Below to tbe right were two bands and a massed company of buglers to furnish the music and give tbe signals dnring the celebration. At length tbe ceremony began, the curat€-chaplain being the celebrant. In a low voice, scarcely audible from where I stood, ha ommenced the recital, and with exoellent taste the ban 1 played Mozart's "Mass." As the liturgy was gone through at those points where in church a ball Bounds softly or loudly the buglars blew their ins rumente, sd that to the remotest regiment mußt have been waf t, d the signal of the progress of the celebration. At tbe Elevation of the Host tbe whole of the troops afoot kneeled, and the mounted men bent forward until their heads touched their horses necks. The ceremony over Marshal Campos saluted and returned his sword to its scabbard, his suite following his example. Within an hour the majority of tbe soldiers bad been withdrawn to their quarters, the bunting and flags removed, and the convicts and engineers hid resumed work upou Fort aidi Guariach. 8o ended the expected eventful certmooy without mishap or further incident worth chronichog. There had been two field Masses held before, buc these had Dolh been celebrated practically out of range of Moorish rifles, whareas the function of Gusnach was performed under the eyes of the Mahomedan faithful and in front of their greatest local sanciuary. When recently Archbishop Meignan, of Tours, made his official visit to Rome to recuive his Oardinal'i hat, and, oo occasion of that visit he was entrusted by tbe head director of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face with the list of good works offered to the Holy Fatber on his episcopal jubilee by tbe members of the Archconfraternity. During the audience accorded to Cardinal Meignan, his Eminence took occasion to speak to the Holy Father of the progress of piety in his diocese, and, among other things, be warmly praised the devotion to the Holy Face, whose bead -quarters are, as is well known, at Tours. When the subject of tbe Archconfraternity waa broached, Leo XIII , said, with evident feeling and interest : "We bless tbe work of tbe Holy F^ce and we desire its extension through the whole world." When, in the course of the same audience, tbe parchment containing a detailed list of the good works, prayers and communions offered for his continued preservation was presented to the Sovereign Pontiff, he remarked : •• All of these offerings of the members of the Arcbconfratemity of tbe Holy Face give us consolation ; in our leisure moments we like lo pass in review all of these things and by this we judge of the generosity of the nation that is of noble excellence." On tbe same occasion, the H .ly Father renewed the expression of his kindly sentiments to a priest of the Work of the Holy Face, who knelt at his feet : "My child, we bless all your efforts, and we take pleasure in giving you for all the members of the Arcbconfraternity our best blessing." This is not the first time that Leo XIII. has expressed his approval of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face and given it his blessing, but this latest manifestation of hi« continued sanction of the devotion, should nerve the members of the association to labour more assiduously for its extension. It is a divine work and one destined to aid in the spread of God'a kingdom oa earth. No more beautiful or acceptable work caa be engaged in

of Sand Offe V e P» ratlon t0 <-<* t the sins of desecration of Sunday and blasphemy which are so prevalent in our thatch tT^ 30 XlII ' baßo^<n°re blessed the associati )n that is battling for this good cause, let the members take on renewed courage and energy for the propagation of their association. ' dnl r fo6l"'f 061 "' ° f Baltimo "> w o PPo<*dP o <*d to tbe project of public f demia.t.oD.l schools, yet he Beeß the injustice of making the system practically Protestant. « There has been," he says, "much one-flidedness in the discussmo of the school question. Tbe cry that the Catholics want to rule the country is oD ly a bugbear. As a matter of fact the schools are not non-sectarian. This is utterly Wr t °K D !V, pr °P° Bed amendment of our constitution is incompatible with Bible-reading, the singing of Christian song, and the prom.nence given to Christianity in our schools. Those who are in accord with ation of the Bible .sread, the Protestaat vers.on of the Lord's Prayer v. recited, and Protestant hymns are euog, the public schools are gloriously noa-sectariaa in the minds of some of the self-constituted protectors of "American institution,." The Catholic and the Jew must not complain. If they do they are branded as unpatriotic.