Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 22 July 1909, Page 1155

Intercolonial

Nearly £6000 has been subscribed in the Armidale diocese towards the cost of the new Cathedral. Mr. J. J. Green, C.E., an ex-student of St. Patrick's College, Ballarat, who is only 24 years of age, has been appointed shire engineer of Walgett, New South Wales. The Right Rev. Dr. Higgins, Bishop of Ballarat, dedicated a new church at Pirron Yallock recently. The church was erected at a cost of £1000, and the collection at the ceremony amounted to over £900. Among the passengers from Bremen by the German mail steamer Gneisenau, which arrived in Sydney on July 1, were nine German Catholic priests and five Sisters, who are on their way to the various mission stations in German New Guinea and New Britain. Of the twenty-one prelates and priests who assisted at the consecration of the Most Rev. Dr. Dunne in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane, tAventy-seven years ago, only the Rev. Fathers A. Horan, D. Fouhy, T. O'Connell, J. B. Breen, and P. Corrigan are living. The death is reported of Mr. J. H. B. Curtis, who fop the past thirty years was secretary to the Melbourne Athenaeum. He was a man of -considerable literary attainments, and was a frequent contributor to the Austral Light and the A Sydney Freeman's Journal. At the Mother House of the Sisters of Mercy in the Maitland diocese 108 nuns, from all the branch convents, were assembled during the midwinter vacation. They held their retreat, and during their visit the triennial election of Mother Superior took place, and the Rev. Mother Stanislaus, the first Mother Superior of the Order on its establishment in Singleton from Ennis, Clare, Ireland, in 1875, was elected. The Rev. Brother Hughes, who is on a collecting tour in Queensland ' in connection with the new training institute and novitiate of the Order near Sydney, was stricken down with serious illness at Muttaburra (says the Brislane Age). At one time his life was despaired of, and Father Lane travelled 80 miles over a bad road to administer the Last Sacraments. .His many friends in Brisbane will be pleased to hear that he is now on the road to recovery.. The following clerical changes have been made in the archdiocese of Sydney: — The Yen. Archdeacon Murphy has been appointed as parish priest of St. Joseph's, Newtown. Rev. James Furlong has been appointed to the charge of the newly-created district of Enmore. The SRev. John J. Byrne has been transferred to St. Benedict's as administrator. The Rev. John M. Kelly has gone from St. Patrick's College, Manly, to administer the parish of St. Francis, Hay market. - Rev. Brother Emilian, of the teaching staff of St. Patrick's School, Churchhill, left Sydney on July 7 for the Sacred Heart College, Auckland. While at St. Patrick's School, Brother Emilian specially interested himself in s the advancement of the Sodality of the Most Holy Sacrament attached to the church, as well as in the encouTagement of the Old Boys' Union. As a mark of their appreciation (says the Freeman 1 s Journal), the members of the Sodality entertained Brother Emilian in the school hall, and presented him with a handsome travelling bag, while tne members of the Old Boys' Union tendered Brother Emilian a farewell on the wharf prior to his departure, and asked-his acceptance of a silver-mounted umbrella, suitably inscribed. Brother Emilian was also the recipient of numerous gifts from private sources.

At the blessing of the Marist Fathers' new missionary schooner, Joan of Arc, on Sunday, July 4, speeches were made in English, French, and Maori. Though no collection was made, a large mimber of voluntary offerings were put in the boxes on board. His Eminence Cardinal Moran. who performed the ceremony, gave £50 towards the cost of building the vessel. Dean Grogan, of Wanganui, gave £5, and' Mr. Valentine Heaton £2 2s. " Among those who delivered addresses was the Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly (Thames), who spoke in a language strange to most of those present. On many faces there were blank expressions, but the Cardinal and some of the priests apparently were not mystified. In the crowd there were various conjectures as to what language the Monsignor was speaking. Some whispered that he was speaking in Greek, others had different, opinions. ' I think,' said Monsignor O'Reilly, ' that I will conclude in English. Yon don't seem to understand Maori. When visiting your schools in and around Sydney, I spoke in Maori to the children,' he continued, ' and when 1 dropped back into English they looked quite surprised, and said to one another: "Why, he can speak English as well as we can!" '