PEOPLE WE HEAR ABOUT

New Zealand Tablet, 22 August 1918, Page 33

PEOPLE WE HEAR ABOUT

News has been received (states an exchange) that Canon Grente, Superior of the Institute of St. Paul at Cherbourg, has been appointed Bishop of Mans. Born, at Persy, Manche, in 1872, a town of which his father was for 20 years Mayor, the future Bishop made his studies at St. Lo, at Paris, ■ and Coutances. In 1912, the Bishops Protectors of the Catholic Institute of Paris chose him as its Vice-Rector, but despite the demands of Cardinal Amette and the repeated requests of Mgr. Baudrillaert the Bishop of Coutances refused to part with a priest whom he found so necessary to his diocese. In 1916 Mgr. Grente was nominated Superior of the Cherbourg Institute, an office which ho still holds.

Most Rev. John J. Keane, D.D., formerly Archbishop of Dubuque, U.S.A., and who was active in founding the Catholic University in Washington and served as its first rector, has been called to his reward. Archbishop Keane was a native of Ballyshanuon, Donegal, Ireland, and was born on September 12, 18.39. He graduated from St. Charles’ College, Ellicott City, Md., and studied for the priesthood in St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, lie was ordained by Archbishop Spalding on June 2, 1866. He served for a while at St. Patrick’s Church, Washington, and in 1878 was made Bishop of Richmond, Va. He was consecrated on August 27 of that year. In 1884 Bishop Keane took part in the Third Plenary Council held in Baltimore, at which it was decided to erect the Catholic University. lie was chosen one of the directors and resigned his bishopric in August, 1888, for the purpose of devoting himself entirely to the establishing of the University. In 1886 he was appointed its rector. On August 29, 1888, Bishop Keane was appointed Titular Bishop of Ajasso. On September 28 he resigned as rector of the University, lie went to Rome and was appointed Titular Archbishop. He was appointed Archbishop of Dubuque, succeeding Archbishop Hennessey of Dubuque, and was installed on September 27, 1900. He resigned, because of ill-health.

Included in the French Mission to’ Australia, shortly expected to arrive, is the veteran General Pan. General Pan, who is like Foch, Castelnau, and Petain, a strong Catholic, lost his right arm in the FrancoPrussian war of 1870. He was a youngster when the 1870 war broke out, and was terribly wounded three times in the Battle of Woerth, in which Marshal McMahon was defeated by overwhelming numbers, but made good his retreat, and managed to struggle home with the loss of his arm. When the,arm was scarcely healed he heard that Bourbaki was organising an army in order to fight on after France was defeated. • . He insisted on rejoining it and fighting with it on the Swiss frontier. When Bourbaki’s army was forced over the border into Switzerland Pan refused to cross the border, and made his way by night with a party of his men through the German lines back .to France.*. During the next 40 years he served a good part of the time in the French colonies, and finally reached a position on the Superior War Council of France. Realising the manner in which the Germans were increasing their army, General Pan insisted on. the law of three years’ service in the French army. When told that,, it , was very unpopular, he still' insisted, because he .knew it was necessary. That law was passed just in time to save France. At the outbreak of war General Pan had already retired, but he was' asked to rejoin, and was' sent to Alsace, when 'at first the French were beaten back, but later drove the Germans back to the Rhine. By that time the condition ,of affairs in , Belgium was serious. Pan’s last service consisted of bringing the Belgian, army. down from Antwerp to the French border. 'Since' then he has been on important missions to Switzerland and Russia. He speaks only a little English, 'V -A- . _