The Catholic World.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 42, 18 October 1900, Page 24

The Catholic World.

BELGIUM.— HaIf a Century of self-sacrificing labor.— Fifty years of continuous and self-sacrificing labor in behalf of the poor and suffering may well claim recognition. This is the record of two Sisters of St. Vincent, members of the community in charge of the orphanage for girls and home for the a?ed at St. DenysWestrem, a suburb of Ghent. The anniversary was celebrated with no small religious pomp, in prose and verse the worth and merits of the good Sisters were duly set forth, and many appropriate presents were made to them on the joyful occasion. Between orphans and agtd the ho&pice counts some 2.">0 inmates, and it is not a bad index of the care taken of the old folk that no fewer than 30 of them have passed the age of 80. And among the nuns one venerable Sister is not far from completing her century. ENGLAND —Discovery of a Valuable Picture-— Much attention has been directed to the Rubens found at the Catholic church at Wapping. The dust, as well as a thick coat of varnish, which concealed the picture, have been successfully removed, and it is now seen that the subject forms the link between the Descent from the Cross and the Burial. The Rev. Father Beckley is having photographs of the painting taken. It is stated that £800 has been offered for the picture — a pretty nice windfall for a poor London mission. The picture represents the taking of the Body of the Saviour from the cross by St. John. It was found among a heap of rubbish and narrowly escaped destruction, Stonyhurst College parts with a Valuable Painting.— Seventy years ago Lady Arundel of Wardour, mother of the present peer, saw a small painting of a madonna in Rome, liked it, bought it, and gave it to Stonyhurbt College, in Lancashire. The price she paid for it was £.">, and one hopes that nobody scolded her for her extravagance or her credulous taste ; but there is never any knowing. The hand that painted the little picture was Crivelli's, and though time has wrought a good deal of havoc on the canvas it has just been sold by the college authorities for £1000. Pilgrimage to the Eternal City— The Bishops of Nottingham and Liverpool will represent the episcopacy on the occasion of the Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome, which leaves England this month under the auspices of the Catholic Association. The Very Rev. Canons Green, Waterton, and Stark, Father Fletcher, Mgr. Thomas Reekie, Rev. Reginald Buckler, 0.P., Count Rivarola, Mr. C. J. Munich (vice-president), Mr. Nicholas Cockshutt, Mr. Lister Drummond, Father Bannin (chairman), Mr. Valentine M. Dunford (hon. f-ecretary), as well a» many of the prominent clergy and laity from all parts of England take part in the pilgrimage. Catholics and the Oxford Local Examination— The Jesuit Fathers are certainly distinguishing themselves at the Oxford Local Examinations. It is but two years since Mount St. Mary's College gained the enviable honor of heading the list of successful Senior candidates for all England. This year, if it has not actually won first place in the Senior or Junior Competition, it has right well maintained its eminent reputation by the high places its candidates have secured, and Father Iluggina and his assistants

have just reason for pride in examining the Lists. St. Ignatius's, Stamford Hill, under the able direction of Father Donnelly, Ins eclipsed all the colleges of England, Catholic or Protestant, in the examination for Juniors, one of its students, C. H. Boyd, appearing at the head of the successful candidates. The achievement is all the more notable because the tests were evidently severer this year than on former occasions. The candidates numbered ,'345 more than last year, but fewer certificates were given, the tot-il bping 6205 compared with 6332 12 months ago. Our convents alt-o (says an English paper), especially those splendid teachers the Sisters of Notre Dame, deserve hearty congratulations on the remarkable proofs they continue to give of a high standard of efficiency in education. Altogether the results redound very decidedly to the credit of the Catholic body.

Death of the Rector of Blackburn.— The death is reported of the Rev. Hugh Carroll, Rector of St. Mary's, Blackburn. The rev. gentleman had not been in the best of health for some years, a eerious illness (internal hemorrhage of tha brain) leaving serious effects. Father Carroll was 52 years of age, and it was only in October last that he celebrated his silver sacerdotal jubilee, when he was the recipient of a handsome testimonial and a purse containing 100 guineas subscribed by his congregation. He was a member of the Blackburn School Board, and a most zealous defender of Cathelio interests there. At the first contested election of the Blackburn School Board in 185)2 he was elected at the top of the poll, with 14,027 votes. He had never been unseated, but in the election of 1895 he occupied the sixth position with 13,167 votea. At the 1898 election Father Carroll was third on the list with 16,899 votes. Father Carroll belonged to an old and respected Manchester family.

FRANCE.— The Finishing Touch.— There is in Arceuli, a suburb of Paris, a boys' school founded by the immortal orator, Pere Laeordaire. The institution is still under the care of the Dominican Fathers and has a catalogue numbering 1200 students. The classical and teohnioal branches are taught according to the most approved methods. One feature of the training is thus described by a correspondent : ' Every year fifty of the cleverest of the graduates are taken by one of the professors for a trip round the world. It is the finishing touch of their education. Last year the fifty were brought through the Congo. The year before th<'y visited Madagascar. Next year they will be taken to the United States. The cost of these scientific excursions is enormous, but the institution can stand it, and it is never omitted.' No education is complete without travel, and these devoted religious are setting an example to other institutions which have so much time and money to expend in the exploiting of the athletic requirements of their students.

HUNGARY.— The Ninth Centenary of the introduction Of Christianity- — The Catholics of Hungary have been celebrating enthusiastically the ninth centenary of the crowning of Sb. Stephen, their firat king, and the official introduction of Christianity into the country. A commemorative column dedicated to the Holy Trinity has been unveiled at Gran,

ITALY.— The Late King Humbert-— The highest ecclesiatical authority (says a Rome correspondent) sanctioned the solemn ceremonies in the funeral of the late King not only as a protest against the crime of which he was the victim, but also — and much more so, indeed — personal consideration of the deceased himself. He had given (especially towards the end of Ms life) indubitable proofs of religions sentiments, and expressed, moreover, his earnest desire of reconciliation with his God during this Holy Year. It is the law of the Church, declai-ed again and again by the Bacred penitentiaries, that in such case ecclesiastical burial is to be given, with such exterior pomp as the quality of the person demands. As to the prayer written in a moment of supreme, anguish by the widowed Queen, it has not received, nor could receive, the Bupreme approbation, not being in conformity with the laws of the S -cred Liturgy.

ROME— The Holy Father's Name Day— A Rome despatch of August 19 says :— To-day being: the Feast of St. Joachim, the Pope's patron saint, there was a large gathering at the Vatican of cardinals, bishops, and presidents of societies. The Holy Father, who was in excellent health and spirits, spoke at some length regarding matters of Catholic interest, and then, with a complimentary introduction, invited Archbishop Ireland to address the assembly on matters in America and the relations of the outer world to the Holy See. Mgr. Ireland, who was frequently applauded during a speech of 20 minutes, fpoke glowingly of the fidelity of American Catholics to the Church and the Holy See. He described liberty under the American flag and set fori h the necessity of the Pope, as the head of Christendom, being free and independent of any one civil power, ' so as to be in fact, as well as of right, the sovereign leader and ruler of all nations and peoplfs. without sppcial dependency on any special nation or people.' This address gave visible satisfaction.'

Veracious Correspondents-— The insatiability of some correspondents (sayß the Catholic Times') is truly amazing. In spite of the 6ad news of the past few weeks, which was more than suffici* nt, it might have been supposed, to keep them from inventing any sensational fibs, the correspondents of foreign and provincial papers have set to work at their usual summer occupation, namely, ■writing' and wiring- imaginative nonsense about the Pope and the Vatican. On the 14th the rumor was spread that Leo XIII. had died suddenly, but that was soon contradicted by the announcement that his Holiness had accomplished his fourth jubilee visit to St. Peter's on the same day. But the most amusing blunder was that one which appeared in the Giorno, and was copied by a number of other papers with variations. That pronouncedly anti-clerical paper, whose hobby it is, nevertheless, to meddle constantly with Vatican

affairs, gravely told its readers that the object of the visit which Prince Henry of Prussia paid to Leo XIII. was to support Cardinal Jaoobini's candidature to the tiara ! Apart from the absurdity of the idea, as the Papacy is not hereditary and the Pope cannot appoint his successor, there is another little objection to be raised with regard to the truth of this story, namely, that the late lamented Cardinal Jacobini died on the Ist of February this year, and may, therefore, be conbidered to have abandoned his candidature.

SCOTLAND.— Catholicity in Glasgow-- The Bpread of Catholicity in the Glasgow archdiocese in recent years may be judged from the fact that no fewer than 12 new missions are ripe for starting, and it is hoped that a commencement may soon be made in some of the districts.

Charitable Bequests. — Intimation is given to the Charity Commissioners that the Rev. Joseph Brady, lately of Blackrock, County Dublin (deceased), has bequeathed, among other bequests, £500 to the Superior for the time being at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Lanark, N.B. (for Masses for the souls in purgatory) ; £500 to the Superioress for the time being of Lanark Hospital for the use of the said hospital ; and £200 to the Superioress for the time being of Smyllum Orphanage for the use of the said orphanage.

Lord Roberta's Good Wishes —Lord Roberts, writing to Mrs. McVeigh, Dumfries, who is to preside at a stall of a forthcoming bazaar in aid of St. Andrew's Catholic schools, expresses the hope that the undertaking will prove a great success.

SWITZERLAND.— Prince Max of Saxony.— lt is announced that Prince Max of Saxony is about to accept a professorial chair at the University of Fribourg, in Switzerland. Prince Max is a nephew of the King of Saxony, and is 30 years old. He has always forsaken the Court for the study and is a Doctor of both law and theology. He was ordained a priest in 1896, and is pastor of the Church of St. Elizabeth at Muremberg. A short time ago he preached the annual sermon at the chapel of the Lac Noir on the occasion of the Feast of our Lady of the Snows.

UNITED STATES- The Italian Colony in New YorkNew York's Italian colony observed the Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel with impressive ceremonies. From dawn until midnight one of the most picturesque celebrations ever witnessed in that city was in progress. Italians from Boston, Philadelphia, Pittßburg, Newark, and other cities attended, and at least 50,000 persons gathered about the Church of our Lady of Mount Carmel. Father Dolan, who was in charge of the church, had a dozen priests to assist him, and more than 25,000 persons knelt before the altar during the day. Four Italian societies, with bands and banners, marched through the streets. Each society carried the Stars and Stripes bet-ide the flag of Italy. In the evening there were fireworks and illuminations throughout; the Italian quarter.

New Cathedral for Salt Lake City.— On Sunday, July 22, the foundation stone of the new Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalen, Salt Lake City, was laid, Archbishop Riordan and Bishop Scanlan officiating. The towers will be 220 feet high from the sidewalk and the ridg-i of the main roof 110 feet above the same level. The main floor will contain seats for 1500 worshippers. The building will be approached by a magnificent double set of granite steps and terraebs. The entire out tide will be of gray sandatone, while the interior construction, laulunor, etc., will be mostly of steel construction. The style of architecture, which is carefully carried through outßide and inside, will be a late Romanesque of the eleventh century.

Colored Catholics in Chicago.— Three colored Sistera from Baltimore are to superintend a lyceum and social settlement to be established in Chicago by colored Catholics, Archbishop Feehan having given bin sanction to the plan. The movement was started by the Illinois Charitable Relief Corps. Plans for the institution include schools, a forum of clubs, free reading-rooms and the best features of social life. Special attention will be given to the training of children.