INTERCOLONIAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 33, 22 December 1898, Page 19

INTERCOLONIAL.

It is rumoured that his Eminence Cardinal Moran will visit Rome early in 1899. Sydney ia to have new tram cars. The general opinion is that it is nearly time it had. The steps taken by the late Premier Byrnes are proving effective in checking Japanese immigration. Queensland has at Last come into line on the subject of fderation, and the new Premier has declared that the Government will support union 'on safe and sure lines.' The first year of the twentieth century should see federatien accomplished. His Eminence the Cardinal presided at the meeting of the general committee of the coming Catholic Congress lately. The deliberations were held at St. Mary's, the progress of the elaborate arrangements being made were reviewed, and there were many promises from those present of contributing papers on various subjects for the Congress. On the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle, his Eminence held an ordination ceremony at the Cathedral. Rev. Mr Casey (Brisbane) was ordained priest, and Messrs Egan (Sydney) and Griffin (Wilcannia) received sub-deaoonship. Besides the students there were present in the sanctuary : — Very Rev. Drs. Murphy and O'Haran, Rev. Fathers Cregan, Barry, Kelly, Bergin, and Masterson. Rev. I Father Casey is abont the thirtieth priest that Manly College has given to the Australian Mission. The Rev. Father Dunne, the venei ated Vicar-General of the Diccese of Goulburn, N.S.W., who was staying at the Redemptorist monastery, Wendouree. for a few days recently, was the first priest to celebrate Mass on the Ballarat gold-field. This important event, in the history of the Church in Ballarat took place in September^ ] 851 (the month after gold had been discovered here), now over 47 years ago. The first Mass was said in a large tent on Golden Point, near the Yarrowee Creek, kindly lent to him. About 500 diggers assisted at Mass. The rev. gentleman slept in a tent the first night, and was afterwards invited by the Messrs. M-Pherson, of the Bald Hills, to stay with them for a few days. While there he was called away to the Wimmera to baptize a child, and when he came back to Ballarat was surprised to find that his congregation had nearly all gone to a new rush at Bendigo. Father Dunne then left Ballarat. This was in November. The venerable pioneer priest, although now in his eightieth year, is hale and strong. The Rev. Gerald Byrne, the popular parish priest of St. Mary'gi Williamstown, expired rather suddenly at his presbytery on November 27 last. A/ few months ago, when leaving for a trip to Sydney in quest of health, the rev. gentleman was presented with a purse of 80 sovereigns. One of his last efforts was the completion of a handsome brick church at Werribee at a cost of £1250, to which the Hon. Percy Chirnside was a liberal subscriber. Father Byrne was one of the veteran priests of the colony. He was born in County Clare, Ireland, and was ordained 32 years ago at All Hallows College. He came out to Victoria immediately, and wa3 settled in various parts of the colony at different times. He was for nine years in the Gippsland district, where he had charge of a very large parish, and where his clerical duties involved great physical labour. During his residence at Williamstown Father Byrne displayed great energy, being responsible for the erection of two churches in outlying parts of his parish. On Sunday, 27th November, his Eminence Cardinal Moran delivered the first of his series of Advent sermons. The subjects touched on were : — The Unity of the Catholic Church ; Judas, Arius, Luther, Henry VIII., and the other reformers ; the distinguishing features of Protestantism — its divisions ; the decay of Colonial Anglicanism. On this latter head his Eminence said :— One speaker at the Anglican Congress in Ballarat asked the question, ' What is the Anglican Church in Australia to-day ?' The speaker himself supplied the answer. He said that the Anglican was like a beam of wood, the substance of which had been •eaten away by white ants. Outwardly, the beam had the appearance of strength and solidity, but it was hollow. These (said the Cardinal) are not my words. They are the words of one of the Deans, and the Btatement, coming from such a source and at such an assemblage, is most striking and most significant. Let us thark Almighty God that we are members of the Church of Our Divine Saviour — members of that Church whose unity is as perfect to-day as when the CLurch first came from the hand of God.

Be sure to live within compass ; borrow not, neither be beholden to any.