INTERCOLONIAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 14, Issue 24, 14 June 1906, Page 31

INTERCOLONIAL

At a largely attended meeting of parishioners held at St, Patrick's LhurcH, Michelago, it was -decided to take bt©ps to erect a memorial churcn to" the memory of the late Father J. H. O'Gofmaii, Who was for ft.fle years in charge ef that parish. Ihe probable cost is from £500 t8 dB6OOj . Th£ sisters of St.- Joseph tit Adelaide have just erected a spacious convent at Kensingtofc, as a central house, which will be blessed and opened by his Grace Archbishop O'Reilly on Sunday, June 24. The building has cost £7000, and towards this amount some generous friends have already contributed over £3000. . Preaching at St. (Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, a few Sundays ago, the Rev. Father Jofrfl Ryan, Provincial of the Jesuits in Australia, said he was giad to have the opportunity of stating publicly that Father Huault's beautiful work, ' Ihe Mother of Jesus,' was a book lhat should be in e^ery Christian home throughout Aufetralift. The R6v. Father" A.- lloraii has annoumced that the debt oft St. Mary's new church, Ip&wieh, on March 31, 1906) was £4479, which includes interest afid everything pSid up to date. The tot&l sum spent ori buildiftg the new church an« otlier necessary outlays- connected with it) amounts to nearly £42,000: This meaiis that about £37;000 has been raised,' chiefly by fef>llections, in the parish within the last twei.e years; which is most creaitSble' to the people of Ipswich. Dr. Murray, thfe vcfterable Bi.hop of Maitland (says the Maltland ' Mercury ' of May 26), after an absence df some months at Newcastle, wliere ill-health kept him confined to his rocm at the presbytery, has so f,ar recovered his strength as to be able to return td his home in Maitland. It is enly recently that his Lordship attained his 79th year, but aespite his weight of years, he is still possessed of remarkable \igor, and looks as well as his best friends could wish, The Queensland National Banlc has generously decided to forego an amount of accruing interest ori the parochial debt, Crojd^n, Norih Queensland, amounting to nearly £100, thus practicglly donating the sum to the fund for the reCyuilding of St. Joseph's Church, which was destroyed in the recent cyclone. His Lordship the Right Rev, Dr, Murray thereupon paid off the bank overdraft of £600 owing on the Croydon church property, whl.h is iidw absolutely free of debt. A few Suhdays ago his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne solemnly blessed and opened a handsome new church at Trentham. His Grace also laid the foundation stone Of what will be, when completed, a fine, commodious parochixl residci cc. The church cost £2000, Bhd the presbytery wiil cost £1400. The collection was a very generous ohe, amounting to about £500. With the sum already in hand the total reached about £1200. Amongst the donors were his Grace, £25 ; Father Collins, £100 ; Mrs. Toomey, £100 ; Mr. Toomey, £50. On May 30 the residents of Binalong and district assembled to present Rev. Fathers T. Cleary and J. O'Reilly with a purse of sowercigns each, as a token of gratitude for their sen ices prior to their removal from Burrowa to take charge o? Yass parish. Not only the local people, but those of Galons and Burrowa, contributed to the testimonial. Tre school children and the Chi'dren of Mary presented Father Cleary with a handsome cheque collected by the Sisiters of St. Joseph. The chairman, Mr. L. J. Dargan, said Father Cleary labored amongst them for six years, during which a magnificent school was erected, and the accumulated debt wiped off the convent and grounds. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, before presenting the prizes won in debate tournaments and in athletic contests in connection with the C.V.M. Society, outlined a new Guild, the formation of which his Grace has had in contemplation for some time. Its main end \\ill be to safeguard the Christian purpose of marriage. The Most Rev. prelate said in part : He proposed to call it the Orider of the Knights of Our Lady of the Southern Cross. The knights of the order would have the privilege of working' without fee or reward for the preservation of what lay at the basis of society — namely, the regard of marriage, .and the preservation of female virtue, which were at .present treated with far too much disrespect. Every member of the order would have wonderful opportunities >for striking a blow for God and for society. ,He did.hot think the order should "be restricted to the youna, but should include all men who wished tio prevent the downfall of sacred -institutions. -