The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 13, 29 March 1906, Page 27

The Catholic World

ENGLAND— Death of a Passionist The Rev. Brother Stephen Hayes, C.P., one of the oldest and best known mcmbeis of the Passionist Order at Highgate, London, died on Jandary 15. lie was born in Ireland, and in 1848 went to Australia, where he worked on the gold diggings. On his return he entered religion. Death of a Priest The death is announced of the Rev. Father Bonaventure Dufiy, 0.5. F.C., which took place at Aden. Father Bonaventure was for a time stationed at Peckham, Pantasaph, and Chester. Progress in Bournemouth Forty years ago there was not a single Catholic church in Bournemouth. To-day there are three, and on February 6 the foundation stone of a new church to meet the needs of the Catholic community in the Richmond Park district was laid by the Right Rev. J. B. Cahill, D.D., the Bishop of Portsmouth, with befitting ceremonial. Catholic Schools Preaching in Westminster Cathedral on the education question, Father B. Vaughan said Nonconformists and others should have all the school space necessary, and be permitted to have taught there whatever they considered their interpretation of the Christian religion, but they had no right to say to Catholics what is good enough for us ought to be good enough for you. The Board School religion was absolutely wanting in every constituent to build up Christian character, and was absolutely no good to Catholics, to whom the whole religion (was life itself. They justly demanded Catholic schools in which the Catholic religion would be, taught by Catholic teachers. FRANCE— The Separation Law The indignation of the Catholics of France at the oppression to which they have been subjected by the Government (says the 'Catholic Times' 1 ) came to a head when the officials visited the churches to take inventories in execution of the Law of Separation. The congregations, in some places headed liy the clergy, offered determined resistance. The scenes have been marked by much violence. The Catholics were mani-

festly afraid that desecration was intended, and in churches suchi a,s those of St. Clotilde and St. Pierre dv Gros I aillou, they /fought desperately to keep out the olhcials. Troops were ordered to sloriu the buildings, and the conflicts assumed the character of warfare on a small scale. Iron gates were forced oft their hinges ;, railings were torn up ; the doors of chapels were broken open with hatchets ; and hand to hand encounters ha\e been frequent. A number of the Catholics huvc been rather severely wounded, and some of them have been sentenced to imprisonment for terms of three and four months. All this is deplorable, but it proves that the persecution of the Church is not really a popular movement in Ftance. The campaign -was prepared in the Masonic Lodges, and it has succeeded only by appeals to the pasbions of people who do not wish to bear with the restraints: of religion. GERMANY— A Special Mission to the Pope J t is reported that the Emperor of Germany is sending General Von Loc , on a special mission to Pope Pius X. JAPAN— The Progress of the Church The editor of ' Nippon,' an influential journal of Tokio.'jjommenting} on bishop O'Connell'E |Visit to Japan, points out that ' Catholics have made the largest number of converts there of any faith, there being 60,000 natne Catholics. The Catholic teachers work among the poor and humbly-housed people,' adds the editor. While in J lap an the Mikado bestowed upon Bishop O'Connell the Gieat Cross of the Order of the Holy Treasuie. ROME— The Irish Martyrs The appointment of Very. Rev. Dr. O'Rlordan, the new Rector ot the Irish College, as Postulator of the cause of the lush martyrs is (writes a Rome correspondent), a hopeful notei in the progress, of these canonisations. Di. O'ltioidan has 'been a gucat success at everything ho has undertaken. UNITED STATES— Peter's Pence In several Catholic newspapeis (says the New York ' Fieernan's Journal ') it has been recently asserted that during the year 1905 the Peter's Pence collection in the bmted states i cached the sum of 5*00,000 dollars. Doubting the correctness of this estimate, a represent atne of this paper called at the Apostolic Delegation for ofiicial information. From the iollowftng statement, which is autiioritatne, it will be seen how greatly exaggerated have been the reports which have appeared iiom time to time in the Catholic press. "From the j ear 1894 to the \ear 1905, eleven years, the total 'amount received at the delegation, for Peter's Pence, including the annual collections and other donations intended for the Holy See, has been 848,708 dollars, which is an average ol 75,8.5'/ dollars per year. Adding to this amount such collections as may have been sent directly to Rome or presented personally to the Holy Father by some of the Bishops during said period of time, the total yearly receipts would, at most, reach the sum of 100,000 dollars.' Heroic Mission Work Rev. Father Conrardy, v\ho is known to the world as thu companion and successor of Father Damien, the martyr \ol Molokai, has just returned to the United States. His present puipose is to further the establishment of leper stations in the vicinity of Canton, China, where the work exists on a small scale. The 1 career- of Father < /enrardy recalls and makes actual the achievements which 'brighten the pages of the past — and he himself is a most interesting character. A Belgian by birth, he began his priestly labors in distant India, in connection with the great French society, Les Missions Ktrangers of Paris and Lyons. Going to the United States in the early seventies, he chose Oregon as his field and labored fourteen years in the Eastern part of that State among the Umetela Indians and the few scattered white Catholics of that district, until tho news of Father Damien' s isolation and needs stirred him to volunteer for that forlorn hope. He spent eight yeare in Molokai, attended Damien in his last illness, closed his eyes, and a year lain- was replaced by Father Pamphile. Father ConranTy served among the lepers from the 'end of 1887 until the year lSftff. As is well known, the Hawaiian Islands are assigned to tho care of a Missionary Society, the Picpus Fathers, and the lener settlement of "Molokai is one of their missions, -whereto Father Conrardy was a volunteer. To erjuio hftnself for further work among the lepers Father Conrardy entered the Portland Medical College, followed the full course of four years' study, and was graduated a full-fledged M.D. in i9'(HJ.