People We Hear About

New Zealand Tablet, 18 March 1915, Page 41

People We Hear About

Miss Mary Gavan Duffy was, at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Melbourne recently, appointed associate to her father, Mr. Justice Duffy, of the High Court Bench. On New Year’s Eve, his Eminence Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli received very hearty congratulations from all parts of the world on the silver jubilee of his reception of the red hat. Although seventy-eight years of age, the Cardinal is very active and in good health. Right Rev. Mgr. Byrne, V.G., celebrated his 81st birthday on February 22 (says the Southern Cross), having been born in Dublin in 1834. On April 26 next he will complete 55 years in the priesthood. He has returned from Port Lincoln, where he recently took Father Jorgensen’s place for a couple of weeks. This pen-picture of the Holy Father is from Home : ‘ Benedict XV. is under the middle height, with a keen, sensitive face—especially when seen in profile, very fine and very courtly and very measured in all he says and does. At first sight you might think him delicate in health, but you would be wrong, for during the eight years he ruled the archdiocese of Bologna he never needed a doctor’s visit.’ King Victor Emmanuel has signed the decree appointing Signor Marconi, the celebrated inventor, a Senator. Signor Marconi was to have been appointed a Senator last year, but when King Victor informed the famous inventor of the fact the latter was obliged to inform his Majesty that he had not yet reached the statutory age of 40 years. It was announced at the time, however, that the honor was only postponed. Through the recent death of several aged Archbishops and the retirement of one or two others, Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore has become dean of the Bishops of the entire Catholic Church, now in active service. Cardinal Gibbons is one of the Bishops still living of those created by Pope Pius IX. He was made a Bishop in 1869, when only 34 years of age. Archbishop Ireland of St. Paul is also another of the remaining Bishops created by Pope Pius IX. He was consecrated in 1875. Baron do Brocpicville, Premier of Belgium, was nominated as head of the Government by Albert, The People’s King,’ in 1912, after the elections of June in that year when the Catholic Party secured a decisive electoral triumph. He has also been Minister for War. He is a ‘ strong man,’ and has had great Parliamentary successes. He carried an Army Bill which, had it had time to operate fully before war broke out, would have doubled the normal strength of the array, bringing up its effective to 300,000. Amongst his measures was a Compulsory Education Act. Cardinal Mercier, in his earlier days, was one of the most popular professors in Louvain University. There he was a close friend of two English Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Bourne and Bishop Casartelli. His Eminence learned English for the purpose of following the philosophic writings of such men as Herbert Spencer and Mr. Balfour. At the Eucharistic Congress meeting in London the Cardinal addressed the audience in their own tongue, and again in November last, while returning from the Conclave, he spoke in English to the enthusiastic Irish Catholics who thronged round Archbishop’s House, Westminster, to give him welcome.

For the first time electric power will be transmitted from one country to another by submarine cable, if the cable which has been laid between Sweden and Denmark proves successful. A Swedish company has bought three waterfalls at Lagan, in the south of Sweden, and electricity at a pressure of 50,000 volts will be generated. As Denmark has neither coal nor water power the Swedish experiment may lead to further important developments. "

Qreymouth v The following is a list of successes gained in public examinations recently by candidates from the Convent of Mercy, Grey mouth (says the local Star): —Teachers’ examinations Passed for Class B, Mary Maud Casey; passed for Class C, Mary Joan O’Reilly, Susan Clarke; Class C (two subjects), .Ellen Delaney; passed for Class D, Ellen O’Leary, Ellen Delaney, Irene Feary, Catherine McLaughlin; partial pass D (3rd section), Georgina Craig, Nora E. Kelly, Theresa Malone; passed first section of Class D., Barbara Myrtle Newlands; partial pass D (Ist section), Eileen Creagh, Nora Crowe, Catherine Bourke, Eileen Leamy. Public Service examinations —Competitive, Leo Higgins; non-competi-tive, Mary More, Eileen Leamy. Junior Board Scholarship, Seddon Memorial Medal, and Bevilacqua Medal— Gwen McCarthy. Mr. F. D. Sargent, lion, local representative of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, London, has received advice that Miss Winifred O’Neill (Convent of Mercy, Greymouth) has been awarded the Victor Harris gold memoriarn medal for practical examinations, intermediate violin, having obtained 126 marks at the local centre examinations. This young lady is to be complimented on her distinguished success, the medal being open for competition by all students in the Dominion. Waipawa (From our own correspondent.) Sunday, March 7, was the occasion of the pastoral visit of Ins Grace Archbishop O’Shea to the parish. His Grace celebrated the cany Mass, at which about 110 communicants approached the Holy Table. At the later Mass, the parish priest (Rev. Father Bcrgin) welcomed the Archbishop’ in the following words: ‘ This being your first visit to the Waipawa parish since your consecration, on behalf of the Catholic people of the district, and on my own behalf, 1 oiler you sincere congratulations on the exalted * dignity to which the Supreme Pontiff has raised you, and tender your Grace the expression of our loyalty, and of our profound respect. We pray God to bless you, to give you length of days, and to crown with complete success the many labors you will be called upon to undertake for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.’ His Grace, in replying, expressed his appreciation of the energy of the pastor, and the loyalty and faith of the people of the parish. The candidates for Confirmation were then addressed by his Grace in regard to the meaning, effects, and reception of the Sacrament. Fifty-five children and three adults were presented for Confirmation. At the evening service, his Grace delivered a sermon on the privileges and responsibilities of Catholics. The congregational singing was a feature of all the services. Early in April a forward movement in connection with the enrolling of members ol the Catholic Federation will be initiated. Local secretaries in each of the surrounding districts of Waipukarau, Onga, and Takapua have offered their ready services. This arrangement will be of the greatest help to the central secretary. The local secretaries are: — Waipukarau, Mr. Murphy; Onga, Mr. Coles, jun. ; Takapau, Mr. Connor.

W inton (From our own correspondent.) The Very Rev. Dean Burke delivered a very interesting address on the 1 War ’ at a concert given by the National Reserve at Winton on February 17, witli the object of encouraging recruiting and providing comforts tor the men. Dean Burke said that the great point to understand was the cause of this war. After the war between Russia and Turkey in 1877, the Germans and Austrians recognised that Russia was becoming a powerful nation, and to combat that Power they formed an alliance in 1879. Italy was induced to join, thus forming the Triple Alliance. In 1896, an undertaking was made between Russia and France. In 1906 the Triple Entente was formed, this fixing the balance of power. This was considered to be a clear guarantee of a long' and lasting peace. The nations forming the Entente had done everything in their power to avoid the present terrible war, and all the evidence went to show that Germany and its Kaiser were alone responsible. "“Fellow-citizens,’ concluded the Dean, ‘we shall win: Germany is already beaten but not conquered the day we turned their advance on the Marne Germany was beaten beyond hope of recovery. To bring Germany to her knees it may take a long time, but we can place our confidence in our three great generals—Jofi're, French, and Albert (the great King of the Belgians). When the Germans are driven across the Rhine we know our soldiers will not perpetrate the inhuman atrocities as practised by the enemy on French and Belgian soil. It will be our glory to say that our own little country had done its part in breaking down the foolish ambition of the Germans. We will not have it said that we skulked like cowards while Australians and Canadians are fighting side by side on the battlefields of Europe.’ Ponsonby (From a correspondent.) Cable advice lias been received at St. Mary’s Convent, Ponsonby, that Katherine Henson has passed the examination for the B.A. degree. The following students of St. Mary’s Convent have passed the teachers’ certificate examination;—Class C, Mary Fortune; four subjects in .C, Julia Wheeler; three subjects'in C, Bridget Tooliey ; two subjects in C, Bridget Rist and Gertrude Price. Class D —Bridget Marnell, Mary McHendry and Gertrude Price ; partial D —Teresa Ludgate, Nora Shine, and Margaret Neylon. Intermediate Public Service examinations—Nellie McDonnell, Eileen Hyland, Kathleen McManus, Annie Wilson.