Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 16 February 1911, Page 307

Intercolonial

His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne blessed and opened the new schools of St. Ignatius, Richmond, on Sunday, January 29. The cost was over £SOOO. The Rev. Father A. G. Clarke, of the diocese of Portsmouth, England, who has been residing in Australia for some time for the benefit of his health, and who has for the last four months been acting as temporary assistant to the Rev. Father O'Gorman in the parish of Pyrmont, left for Auckland recently. On Sunday, January 29, his Eminence Cardinal Moran visited St. Francis' Church, Paddington. and made an appeal on behalf of the fund now being raised for the completion of St. Mary's Cathedral, when subscriptions to the amount of £750 were received. . Bishop Chanrion, S.M., Vicar-Apostolic of New Caledonia, who has been visiting Rome, arrived in Sydney the other day. He was accompanied by ten Marist Sisters for his mission, also by two Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny for the diocese of Ballarat (Vic). Dr. Chanrion was appointed Vicar-Apostolic of New Caledonia on December 1, 1905, succeeding Bishop Fraysse, who died during September of the same year. The Rev. Father P. J. Cullen, of Gresford, who hasbeen- in charge of that parish for thirteen years, is about to take a holiday trip to the Old Land. On January 17 he was presented with a purse of sovereigns by Mr. M. White, on behalf of the parishiQners, who wished him a" pleasant holiday in the land of his birth and a speedy and safe return to the land of his adoption. The Rev. Father M. Kiernan, of Taree, will have charge of Gresford during the absence of Father Cullen. Rev. Father R. O'Shea, of Dungog, goes to Taree, and Rev. Father John Kelly to Dungog. Very Rev. Father T. F. Bourke, who has been appointed Dean of the diocese of Rockhampton, is a native of Toowoomba, Queensland. He was educated for the priesthood at St. Patrick's Ecclesiastical College, Manly, and ordained priest by Bishop Higgins, in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Rockhampton, on December 8, 1901. His first appointment was as curate to the late Very Rev. Father Walsh at Townsville From there he was appointed to the newly-erected parish of Walkerston, in the Mackay district, and on the death of Father Walsh in February, 1908, he was appointed to succeed him at Townsville. Among the many congratulatory messages received by Very Rev. Dr. Chine, Bishop-Elect of Perth, was one from Goulburn (says the. Freeman's Journal). At the annual retreat, Goulburn, the Rev. Fathers E. J. Fallon. P.P. (Temora), and J. Griffin (Ganmain) were deputed by the priests of the diocese to send a message of congratulation The following message was then sent:—'To Bishop Clune, Perth (W.A.). Deputed by priests' annual retreat, assembled, to convey to your Lordship heartiest congratulations on your appointment. Unanimous wish that Bishop Gallagher attend, consecration, even though very inconvenient.—E. J. Fallon, D. Griffin.' To which Dr. Chine's reply was as follows :—'Deeply touched, and grateful for kind congratulations Goulburn clergy. Earnestly hope some accompany Bishop consecration; cordial invitation all. Kindest remembrance.— Clune, Fremantle.' Very Rev. Dr. Clune will be consecrated in the Cathedral, Perth, on St. Patrick's Day, by his Eminence Cardinal Moran. Speaking at the laying of the foundation stone of a new church at Erskineville on Sunday, January 29 his Eminence Cardinal Moran dealt at some length with the education question in New South Wales. When the Public Instruction Bill was introduced in 1880 ' some Anglicans (said his Eminence) objected to the schools as being all secular, , and, as a compromise, the often-discussed Scripture lessons" were introduced. Sir Henry Parkes in his book writes that he introduced those Scripture lessons because they were approved of by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland. Now, that is as big a lie as Sir Henry Parkes ever told and that is saying a good deal. The Catholic JJishops or Ireland never approved of those lessons. On the contrary, they openly condemned them repeatedly, and on their condemnation those Scripture lessons we're rejected from the national schools of Ireland. After that rejection, when they were sent to Australia, how barefaced it was to present them to Parliament and to the public as having the approval of the Catholic Bishops of Ireland llus indeed was bad enough; but onlv the other day in Queensland they had a debate about accepting these same lessons, and it was actually stated in Parliament, and members of Parliament were responsible for the statement that these lessons were approved of by the Catholic Bishops of New South Wales, and one went further and said thev were drawn up by Cardinal Moran. Certainly the man who made that statement must have a very vivid imacina turn. Our Bishops have repeatedly cpndemned them" At the present day those Scripture lessons are universally regarded as being so worthless, even in their hostility that uponhemT S * W ° rth v hil - t 0 paSS any further censure