The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 20 May 1915, Page 55

The Catholic World

| CANADA | QUEBEC'S' CATHEDRAL. ~. , : • . , | The first Mass in Quebec Cathedral, one of the most famous Catholic edifices in North America, was celebrated 264 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1650. Since then the church has been practically rebuilt, although the foundation'and part of the walls are still in existence. Since,Christmas Eve of 1650 the doors of the Cathedral have never been closed, with the exception of a brief period in 1759, when the building was partly wrecked by bombs and flames.. The work of rearing the celebrated religious , edifice was begun in 1645, the wealthy people of Quebec having contributed for that purpose 1250 beaver skins, which were sold to start the building fund. The corner stone was laid by Governor Montmagny and Father Lalement, S.J., the Superior of the Jesuits. and a brother of the famous missionary who was killed by the Indians. A part of the building was completed in time for the Christmas Eve Mass in 1650, but it was not until nearly seven "years later that the edifice was formally opened. The Cathedral is one of the finest architecturally in North America, and can accommodate 4000 people ENGLAND FOREIGN CATHOLICS IN'LONDON. From the English Catholic Directory wc learn, among other interesting things, that in London there are two churches or chapels where confessions are heard in Chinese, five where they are heard in Dutch, forty where one may confess in Flemish, eight-eight in French, three in Gaelic, twenty-four in German, one in Greek, one in Hungarian, one in Lithuanian, one in Russian, two in Maltese, two in Polish, two in Portuguese, sixteen in Spanish, and thirty-eight in Italian. ROME THE BELGIAN MINISTER. Rome loses one of her oldest foreign residents in Baron d'Erp, late Belgian Minister to the Holy See, whose age prompted him to retire in favor of a younger man (says a Rome correspondent). The friend of Leo XIII., Pius N., and Benedict XV., the aged diplomat, who came to Rome for the first time in 1869, leaves the Eternal City with the kindliest memories. It is his intention to return as soon as Europe resumes its normal condition. ' I shall return to Rome,' said Baron d'Erp to an old friend. ' I have here many friends, and I have an affection for the city. I know it since 1869, when I was counsellor to the Legation. 1 shall return in a year or two when things are put in order in Belgium after this terrible war.' In an autograph letter to the retiring Minister, which is accompanied by a princely gift, the Holy Father pays a well-merited compliment to him for his work, and through him scuds the Apostolic Blessing to King Albert, the Queen, and the Royal Family. ■ SCOTLAND THE ARCHDIOCESE OF EDINBURGH. The Rev. Thomas Miley, the Diocesan Senior Inspector of Religious Instruction in the schools of the archdiocese of Edinburgh, has just issued his report, which states that continued progress is being made. There was a notable increase in the number of Baptisms, and the roll of pupils at school showed a big increase. He estimated the Catholic population of the

archdiocese at 70,267, , and, the number of ; pupils on the school rolls [m[ 1914 ; was 13,897, as against 12,788 in 1913. : The children examined ' in*' 1914 numbered 11,502, as compared with 12,478 in 1913. 1 '■' ; ™ '— -■■'.■.'■•■ \'* ■■.'%. UNITED STATES '". ■"■:';,,':<' #;<#. ■" >:. —— ' : :^m r • THE CATHOLIC. UNIVERSITY. The Catholic University of America celebrated on April 15 the 25th anniversary of the opening of its doors to students. The exact date of the opening was November 13, 1889, when four professors and thirtyseven theological* students began the academic career of the new University. To-day, the teaching staff numbers about eighty, and in all the branches of its activities the University gives instruction to over thirteen hundred students. Twenty-five years ago it began with Divinity Hall ; at present the University edifices are seven in number. The newer ones: McMahon Hall, Gibbons Memorial Hall, Graduate Hall, and the Martin Maloney Chemical Laboratory, are among the finest in the country. The University site in Washington covers 89 acres. The novitiates of seven religious communitiesthe Dominicans, the Franciscans, the Paulists, the Marists, the Sulpicians, the Holy Cross Fathers, and the Apostolic Mission —have . been built around the University. The original edifice of Divinity Hall has developed into fifteen stately buildings that scarcely suffice to shelter the ever-growing activities of the University. QENERAL A CONTRAST. The Catholic Times, replying to the uncalled-for remarks of a Protestant publication .that the Vatican would not give up its wealth in order to assist the sufferers in the recent earthquake in Italy, says:-4 This style of controversy is a very common one with Protestants. They make reckless and baseless charges against Catholics, accusing them of the sins of which they are guilty themselves. The average income of a Bishop in the Protestant Church of England is .£SIOO, of an Anglican Canon, £1440 : and of an Anglican rector, £4OB. Of a Catholic Bishop in the United Kingdom the average income is £4OO, and of a Catholic priest, £BO. Out of an income of over two and a half million pounds derived from confiscated ecclesiastical property the Italian Government pays an average of about thirteen jiounds each to the monks and nuns, and the stipends of the Italian parochial clergy are, as a rule, small. Over two thousand of them receive less than £3O a year. As for the Pope, he does not touch the allowance offered by the Italian Government. There are treasures at the Vatican, but they are precious relics and monuuments which may he said to be the property of the whole world. No man lives more sparingly than the Pope, and he has not only generously given to the sufferers by the earthquake, but is collecting funds for their relief. J .