The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 25 January 1917, Page 49

The Catholic World

BELGIUM

. ~ . A TOUCHING FIRST COMMUNION. The most • touching Royal First Communion ever made took place a few weeks ago within that little strip of Belgian territory which is still in'the hands of the Belgian army.. There Queen Elizabeth has' erected a temporary orphanage for destitute Belgian children. It was in the humble temporary chapel of this refuge and amongst the orphans, in company with some of . them, in fact, that little Princess Marie Jose, only daughter of the royal house, made her First Communion, at the hands of the Bishop of the diocese. The little wooden chapel was gaily decorated with the Belgian flag and those of the Allies, and the altar and sanctuary were festooned with flowers. The small space at disposal was packed with orphans, officers, and poilus. On prie-dieux in front of the altar knelt King Albert in uniform and the Queen in a plain white coat and skirt. The little princess, in traditional white dress and veil and wearing a gold medal, knelt a little in front. She looked very lovely and very simple on this beautiful day, and at the close of the Mass, after a pious thanksgiving, in which her royal parents, who had also received Holy Communion, joined, she came forth in sunshine to greet the companions of the hours of misfortune, the staff officers of her father’s entourage, the ladies of the Queen’s tiny household, and then busied herself for the rest of the day with the orphans. The little princess, who is in her 10th year, made the journey to Belgium from her English convent school specially for this great occasion. Her two brothers were both present at the ceremony. ENGLAND A CATHOLIC MAYOR OF ARUNDEL. For the second time since the Reformation, a Catholic Mayor, in the person of Councillor Herbert Dorman (newly elected), attended in state the High Mass at Arundel last Sunday (says the Catholic Timex of November 17), at which were present the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, Captain E. 11. and Lieut. P. Mostyn, and other members of well-known families of the neighborhood. The B Company of the 9th Batt. Sussex Volunteer Regiment formed a guard ,of honor to the Mayor in the procession to and from the church, which included the aldermen and councillors in robes, the Arundel Voluntary Aid Detachment, the Arundel V.T.C. Band, the local fire brigade, and detachments of the Arundel Catholic and other Bov Scouts. The Mass was conducted by Mr. Mantell, of the Brompton Oratory, who acted as substitute at the organ for the Mayor. In the course of an instructive address, in which were described the early origin, the traditions and customs of the spiritual and secular guilds at a time when the Catholic Faith was the moving principle throughout the land, and the affinity borne in some measure by the latter of these to the present-day muni- . cipal boroughs, Canon Mac Call referred to the pleasant duty which was his of welcoming a member of the congregation and a prominent official of St. Philip’s Church who had been selected by his fellow-townsmen to hold the principal position of authority in the borough, and who came officially to ask before the altar the blessing of God upon the year of office which was before him. CARDINAL BOURNE VISITS GRAND FLEET. His Eminence Cardinal Bourne early in November paid a visit to Catholic officers and men in the Grand Fleet. The visit synchronised with the proximity of the Feast of All Souls, and so occasion was taken to remember in prayers the souls of the gallant seamen who since the war began have given their lives for their country, and especially for the souls of those sailors who died so heroically in the Jutland Battle. _ In pre-

, sence of some ; 1000 officers and men: Mass was said jVahd*' Cardinal "Bourne' preached from the words, * I believe in the Communion -of Saints.’ .j His Eminence’s ' touching ; ■ and instructive discourse ; was; ; listened to : with rapt attention. Throughout Mass the congregation of sailors, led by a band, sang a ; number of well-known English hymns with the gusto and devotional. feeling one -is accustomed to, - associate with ‘ those -who go - down ■to the sea in ships.’ The singing was wonderfully effec- r tiye. Immediately after the service his Eminence administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to • thirtyV sailors, a. Catholic Captain belonging to the Grand ’ Fleet acting as sponsor. ROME FOR DECEASED CARDINALS. The restoration, by the Holy Father’s order, of ™ is known as ‘the Papal Chapel’ at the obsequies of Cardinals who die in Rome is a step that is welcomed heartily in all circles in the city (writes a Rome correspondent, under date November 15). By direction of t lope Benedict XIV. in 1741 the Papal Chapel was. held in any church in. Rome in which the body of a dead cardinal lay. The Cardinal Camerlengo of the - Sacred College used to be celebrant at the Solemn Requiem and the Supreme Pontiff imparted the ritual absolutions. But after the events of 1870 the Holy Father could not go to the different churches, and accordingly no Papal Chapel was held on .the occasion 'of-.. the Requiem for a deceased cardinal. . To remedy this the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonies was ordered early in 1915 to study the matter and report to the Holy Father as to a way out of the difficulty. His Holiness wished the Papal Chapel to be restored as far as possible in its integrity. Two months ago this Congregation suggested that the Papal Chapel could be held in the Vatican itself on a fixed date each year for all the cardinals who might have died within the previous twelve months. In accordance with this recommendation Benedict XV. has decided that this official ceremony shall take place on the 10th November annually in the Apostolic Palace, and that the Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals shall sing the Mass, the Pope himself giving the final Absolutions. This function holds good for cardinals dying outside the Eternal City as well as for those who may die within its walls. His Holiness was present at the function last Friday. MORE ANTI-CLERICAL MALICE. Envious tongues are ever ready to make insinuations regarding even the most charitable doings of the Holy See for the alleviation of the sufferings of the victims of war. The Information Office established within the Vatican some time ago to put friends in touch with prisoners of war was destined to become a mark for the criticism of the anti-clerical press. hey have repeatedly thrown out charges of espionage against the office, incapable as they evidently are of reading anything but an interested motive into any action of the Vatican. The result is that the Vatican, in order to protect its dignity, has been obliged to declare that the office will no longer undertake the transmission of letters to prisoners of war. The papers in question immediately took it for granted that the work of the office had been completely suspended, but such is not the case. It still continues its charitable functions in searching out information concerning soldiers who have disappeared and no evidence has been found that they were killed in battle. It is not the enormous work the undertaking entails that has necessitated the declaration that it will no longer forward letters, but the duty of keeping its own dignity and silencing selfish tongues who will not consent to allow sufferers the kind offices of a charitable benefactor. - ■ .