Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 40, 7 December 1905, Page 31

Friends at Court

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR

December 10, Sunday.— Second Sunday in Advent. St. Francis Xavicr, Confessor. „ 11, Monday.— St. Damasus, Pope and Confessor. „ 12, Tuesday.— St. Melchiades, Pope and Martyr. „ 13, Wednesday.— St. Lucia, Virgin and Martyr. „ 14, Thursday.— The Holy House of Loreto. „ 15, Friday. — Octave of the Immaculate Conception. „ 16, Saturday.— St. Eusebius, Bishop and Martyr. St. Francis Xavier, Confessor. St. Francis Xavier is the patron saint of Australasia. He was the Apostle of India and Japan, was bora of a noble family of Navarre in 15<06. He was one of the first associates of St. Ignatius when founding his Order. At the instance of King John 111., of Portugal, Pope Paul 111. appointed him apostolic missionary and nuncio for India. Francis landed in Goa, the capital of the Portuguese Indies. After working some time in that city where his preaching wrought a great change, he visited the tribe of the Parawians on the fishery coast. His preaching, supported by miracles, produced wonderful effects. He founded 45 churches along the coast. After a year's residence among the Parawians, Francis passed into other neighboring countries. In all of them he effected prodigious numbers of conversions. In the year 1518 he had converted more than 200,000 pagans of India. Xavier's next mission was Japan. He landed at Kangoxima, in 1549. His preaching again was attended with marvellous results. He converted several princes to Christianity and left the Church of Japan established on a firm footing. In 1562 St. Francis set out for China. But his apostolic course was run ; he expired on the island of Sancian in 15-52, in the 46th year of his age. He was canonised by Urban VIII. in 1623, with the glorious title of ' Apostle of India and Japan.' St. Damasus, Pope and Confessor. St. Damasus was Pope from 366 to 384, He appears as the principal defender of Catholic orthodoxy against Arius and other heretics. lie condemned the Macedonian and Apollinarian heresies, and confirmed the decrees of the General Council of Constantinople. He was very solicitous for the preservation of the Catacombs and adorned the sepulchres of many martyrs with epitaphs in verse, which he himself composed. For his secretary he chose St. Jerome, his faithful friend, and induced him to publish a corrected version of the Bible, lcnown as the Latin Vulgate. St. Melchiades, Pope and Martyr. St. Melchiades, who was Pope from 311 to 314,: was born in Africa. He presided over the Council of Rome (313) and condemned the Donatists. St. Lucia, Virgin and Martyr. St. Lucia, virgin and martyr, was born at Syracuse, Sicily. She was of a noble and Christian family. She made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Agatha at Catanea, obtained the healing of her mother Eutychia, consecrating her virginity to the Lord, and, being accused of being a Christian, she was beheaded in 303. St. Eusebius, Bishop and Martyr. St. Eusebius, who was born in 315 and died in 370, was a native of Sardinia. Whilst Bishop of Vercelli, he zealously combated the heresy of Arius.

The late Mrs. Mary A. Evans, of Bendigo (Vie), widow, who died on October 10, possessed of an estate valued at £1438, left by will dated June 7, 1904, her property to her children and relatives, subject to the following bequests :— £3oo to the Catholic Bishop of Sandhurst for a memorial window, £100 to the Rev. Father Rooney, and £25 to the Redemptorist Fathers at Ballarat, £50 to the Colac Convent, £35 to the Convent of Mercy (Ballarat), and £10 each to St. Vincent's de Paul Society (Bendigo), Ballarat Gold District Hospital, Little Sisters of the Poor, (Northcote), and the Abbotsford Convent.