THE CATHOLIC WORLD

New Zealand Tablet, 11 October 1917, Page 37

THE CATHOLIC WORLD

In Japan there are now four Bishops and four Prefects Apostolic. It is approximated that about 50,000 converts are added to the Church in the United States every year. Sixteen deaths have occurred in the Sacred College of Cardinals since the accession of Pope Benedict XV. Curacao, an island in the Carribean Sea, is in spiritual charge of the Dutch Dominican Fathers. Fifty thousand of its 70,000 souls are Catholic. Mr. Carver, formerly secretary to Ambassador Page, says the restoration of the building and library of Louvain University will entail an outlay of 5,000,000 dollars. In once wild, savage Patagonia, which is the southernmost land of South America, the Church is growing. Bishop Fagnano is the Prefect Apostolic. The Salesian Fathers and Sisters of Mary Help of Christians have excellent schools, and sodalities are on the increase. At Hartford, Conn., the fine addition to St. Francis' Hospital in that city has been dedicated. It ■has six operating rooms, new chapel, commodious sacristy. Its second floor is for private patients; its third for public and private wards. The Sisters of St. Joseph conduct it. It has graduated 183 nurses, and in 20 years cared for over 50,000 patients. There are nine American Catholic universities, each with over 1000 students. Fordham, with 1810, leads; St. Louis, with 1634, and the Catholic University, with 1632, are next; Loyola, Chicago, with 1621, follows, and then Marquette, with 1561. Then Georgetown University, with 1500 University of Notre Dame, with 1225; Creighton University, Omaha, with 1245; and De Paul University, Chicago, with 1257. On the top of a hill, called Zoce, about 30 miles to the south of Shanghai, China, stands a church dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians. This was built about forty years ago as the result of a vow made in 1871 by the Superior of Kiangnan Mission to secure the special protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary during that time of persecution, when it will be remembered that two priests and ten nuns were put to death at Tientsin. Every year in May, thousands of Christians flock from all parts of Southern Kiangsu to the Temple of Our Lady of• Zoce. 'Hundreds of native boats are seen at the foot of the hill, in the creeks, and the church is always crowded. There is a smaller church on the slope of the hill and the fourteen Stations of the Cross are set at regular intervals between the two churches. *■ Many beautiful things are being told of the holy Father Lacombe, the Oblate missionary to the Indians in the Canadian North-West. The Indians, in their expressive dialect, called him "the man of the good heart," and "the man of the beautiful soul." Crowfoot, one of their chiefs, said of him. in presence of Sir John Macdonald, at a public reception in Ottawa: "This man is our brother only our Father, as the white people call him— our brother. He is one of our people. When we weep, he is sad with us when we laugh, he laughs with us. We love him. He is our brother." Father Lacombe carried "the truce of God" with him from camp to camp. Sir John Macdonald must.have had good Father Laeombe in his mind's eye, when he publicly declared in England in 1886: "The finest moral police force in the world is to be found in the priesthood of French Canada." . An interesting revelation was made at the exercises incident to the conferring of the Laetare Medal for 1917;: on Admiral Benson at Notre Dame University on June 10. » Since 1883 each year the medal has beenj awarded to the person considered deserving. In 1887 the faculty awarded j the medal in the customary , manner, but the recipient's name has .been withheld for' last 29 years. This : ; year the name for 1887 . was announced to be Edward Preuss, of St. Louis, ■ "■■'■ >--■■"■'- ■'.-■ f&4W" ■■"&■■' "SS % : *'i" , 'S . •■*■»; ft .■'■ '■<."ii."i' , i< '• . J .i'iv>i.> ■■--.«.*,-.•.

editor of the Fortnightly 'Review!; 3 He -asked that the' honor be withheld, and his name : kept secret. Being a . convert to Catholicity, he had vowed never to accept any honor or distinction, but to labor unnoticed for the Catholic religion. The faculty, realising the situation, did not name another to receive the medal that year. Now that his vow has been fulfilled, the University is pleased to place his name on the Laetare list, as one of the noblest and most deserving recipients. The island of Hayti was the place at which, in 1493, the first Mass was celebrated in all America. The priest who officiated was Rev. Juan Perez, friend and counsellor of Columbus. As guardian or superior of the monastery of La Rabida, Spain, Father /Perez had encouraged the discoverer, and by interceding for him at court, made possible the first journey of discovery. On the second journey the priest accompanied his now famous and powerful friend. They landed on the island of Hispaniola or Hayti. At Point Conception, we are told by the Franciscan, Father Zephyrin Englehardt, in the introductory pages of his history of the Missions and Missionaries of California, the fourth volume of which has just been published,' that Father Perez built of boughs and thatched -with straw the first chapel in the new world, and "there on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, offered up the first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in the name of Jesus Christ blessed the land in whose discovery he had taken so conspicuous a part." " : : The movement recently inaugurated in and around Boston, Mass., of explaining Catholic doctrine from an auto van in parks, squares, and street corners is meeting with remarkable success. In the great shoe town of Brocton this incident, described by the Boston Pilot', shows how the movement is regarded by thoughtful men: —"The meeting on the streets of Brocton was brought to a close with three rousing cheers for his "■■■ Eminence the Cardinal. An incident at'this meeting is, perhaps, worth telling. Angered by his hostility to things Catholic the driver of a truck insisted upon breaking through the crowd. As he stood> upon 'his rights he was permitted to pass; but the opportunity was taken advantage of by the speakers to show that while Catholics would not abdicate one jot or tittle of their rights in matters of principle it is their- pleasure. to exemplify Christian courtesy... The demonstration . was great enough to reach the ears of the firm. Immediately a gentleman appeared, making an apology for the. discourtesy of his driver towards the speaker : and the assembly." This Boston method of campaigning in the cause of .Christ is bound to have far-reaching ~ results for good for Churchiand State, and it is to be"; hoped other cities will follow the example of the zealous? Catholics of Boston. '■"'"■-:<":-. " -. . - "* :