Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 14 March 1912, Page 59

Intercolonial

Dr. N. M. O’Donnell, of Melbourne, president of the United Irish League, who was seized with a nervous break-down a couple of weeks ago, is now recovering rapidly. > The Right Rev. Mgr. Byrne, V.G., of Goodwood (South Australia), who celebrated his 78th birthday a couple of weeks ago, will complete his 52nd year in the priesthood in April next. : • The people of Botany assembled in great numbers in St. Bernard’s schoolroom, Mascot (late North Botany) on the evening of February 27, to welcome home the Rev. Father B. Dowling, just returned from a twelve months’ trip to Ireland. During the evening Father Dowling was presented by his parishioners with a horse and sulky and equipment, to enable him to carry on his parochial duties with greater facility. ■ The Rev. Father Patrick Hanrahan, who has been an assiduous worker for 25 years in several centres of the archdiocese of Sydney, and who for the last nine years has been parish priest at Lockhart, was recently honored by his parishioners prior to his departure to Ireland for a well-earned holiday. He was presented with an illuminated address and purse of 127 sovereigns. • ’The annual meeting of the St. Vincent de Paul Society was held at the Cathedral Hall, Melbourne, on Sunday, February 25. The report showed that the receipts for the past year, including the balance brought forward from 1910, were £2736, and the expenditure £1774. During the twelve months under review 2488 persons had been assisted; 6122 visits with relief had been made to the houses of the poor, and 6814 garments and 427 pairs of boots had been distributed. Admissions to institutions had been obtained for 72 persons, and 101 had been found employment. In addition to this 1880 meals had been supplied; and lodging had been found for 544 poor people. In the course of his Lenten Pastoral his Lordship Bishop Duhig,' of Rockhampton, says with regard to the progress of the Church in the diocese Today she claims nearly 30,000 souls, cared for by a Bishop and thirty priests. In her twenty-eight Catholic schools there are five thousand children, who are being excellently trained in secular and religious knowledge by a strong staff of Christian Brothers and two hundred devoted nuns, representing in all five different religious Orders. In the matter of Catholic education Rockhampton itself is, proportionately to its population, one of the best provided for cities in the Commonwealth. It has no less than seven well-appointed Catholic schools, so located and managed as to bring the blessing of religious education within reach of the youngest and poorest children in the community. The Catholic Press in recording the impressions of the Right Rev. Mgr. O’Haran regarding this Dominion, says:—For a while he was the guest of his Lordship Bishop Verdon at his palace in Dunedin. His Lordship was a cousin of the late Cardinal, and was, previous to his elevation to the episcopate, President of St. Patrick’s College, Manly. Another old friend, Rev. Father J. Liston, President of the Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, the provincial ecclesiastical seminary, claimed the Monsignor for several days. * What Manly is doing for ; Australia,’ observed Monsignor O’Haran, in the course of a chat at St. Mary’s Presbytery, * Mosgiel, which was founded by Bishop Verdon, is doing for New Zealand. The standard of studies seems to have been lifted up to a very high degree, many of the students for the priesthood being passed through the arts course at the University. /