Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3, 21 January 1909, Page 115

Intercolonial

y V , / Amongst the students recently ordained priests at St. Patrick'^ College, Manly, was the Rev. Father James Gilbert, a native of Westland. - The convent and residence of the Sisters of St. Joseph at Lymington (Tasmania), with their contents, were destroyed by fire oil Christmas morning. The Catholic church at Tongala, Victoria, a large wooden structure, has been completely destroyed by fire. The origin of the fire is unknown. The congregation had ]ust left the building, which had recently, been renovated at considerable cost. > .< , "... As the. result of a collection at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, the Very Rev. Dean Phelan was enabled to . cable the sum of £100 to the Papal Secretary of State for the relief of the sufferers by the earthquake in Italy and Sicily. Right Rev. Mgr. Gilleran, of the archdiocese of Hobart, was on DecembejvU presented with- an illuminated address and artistically/ worked alb by the Catholic ladies of Hobart as an expression of their; pleasure at the honor recently conferred on the Monsignore by. the Holy Father. The celebrations in honor of the . golden Jubilee to priesthood of Monsignor Bourke, V.G./Perth, w/a., .had to be postponed to February 1 owing to,.a severe illness' of the venerated jubilarian. Monsignor Bourke has received a cable of congratulation with Pontifical, -blessing .from the Holy Father. . ,-. - ' His Lordship Dr. Higgins, Bishop of Baiarat, writing from Rome on November 18, stated that he had decided to return to Ireland with the Archbishop of"~Melbourne, and remain there until after Christmas. The month of January they proposed to spend in the south of England. He was - not quite decided about the date of his return.' 7 Mr/Humphrey F. Page, K.S.G., formerly; of. Manresa, but now resident m Bruges, Belgium .(lays 'the Tasmanian .Monitor) was one of those present at th'e sPope's5 Pope's' Jubilee f Mass. Mr. Page's many friends.-in Tasmania will be glad to know that he is in good health, and has just had an additional honor from the Holy See, the' Holy Father having - appointed him one of his Private -Chamberlains. i. j Mr : eph °' Br£en > whose contributions under the head of N'lmporte ' were" a feature of Hi^ Sydney Mail, passed away recently in Sydney, at the age. of 67 years! Mr. O Brien was a native of King's County,' Ireland, and, when he had left school he joined the 14th Regiment, -then under orders for New Zealand, to take part in the Maori war. Having served with distinction in that campaign, lie remained in Victoria when his regiment was ordered home, and subsequently to Sydney, where he took active service under the Education Department, and conducted schools in the Bourke district in the seventies. The last offices at the grave were performed by the Very Rev. Father Jiegley, O.F.M. . By the mail which has just come to hand (says the Advocate), , the Very. Rev. Dean Phelan, .V.G., had a letter trom his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, who, at the time of -writing,, was in Rome. >His Grace expresses his great satisfaction with the private audience with the Holy ' Sr 6 ?; He says:— 'l had a most ' satisfactory audience with the Holy Father. He. received- the very munificent ottering sent by his children in Melbourne with the utmost gratitude, and he marked his sense of gratitude in a ?£ eCIa L- Way - He wrote with his own hand >at the foot of the address from the priests and people- several lines, and directed that the address and subscription should be hung up in the sacristy of the Cathedral as a "permanent memorial of his affection and gratitude. On that account I am sending you back the address so that the. Holy Father's wishes may be complied with.' . . J*"™ 6 ™ t»t •JP'j J £ hil , G . # ne y> a Prominent memßer of the Maitland Catholic laity, has given the sum of £10,000 to further the cause of education in that diocese (says the freeman s Journal). The principal will remain a permanent endowment fund at interest, which will be devoted to the payment of the salary of a competent inspector and towards the general expenses and maintenance of schools In response to the. wishes of Mr. Rigney,_the Bishop of Maitland engaged a lady in Ireland with the highest credentials to supervise the work of -the schools--Miss Anderson, 8.A., of the Royal University of Ireland, and the holder of a first, class diploma . of Cambridge University who recently arrived to take up the duties. It is stated the reason for the. appointment of a • lady supervisor is chiefly due to the fact that all the schools in the diocese are taught by Dominican nuns, Sisters of St. .Joseph and Sisters of Mercy, the only two exceptions being the boys' schools in Maitland and Newcastle, which are under the Marist Brothers.