THE CATHOLIC WORLD

New Zealand Tablet, 22 January 1920, Page 39

THE CATHOLIC WORLD

general; The diocese of Springfield (U.S.A.), through Bishop Beaven, has given to the Catholic Board of Mission Work among the colored people of the United States a generous donation to help the Apostolic men and women laboring in the colored belt of the South. The American Catholic Hierarchy have agreed to establish, a National Catholic Welfare Council, consisting of episcopal members, to further the religious, educational, and social well-being of the Catholic Church in the United States, to aid the Catholic press, to promote Catholic publicity, and to assist all recognised agencies engaged in foreign and home missions. They have also decided to provide for a full and accurate census of the Catholic population. A new law passed in October enacts that every- municipality in France shall, every year on All Souls' Day, do solemn honor .to those, who have died for their country. •> In Paris alone more than a quarter of a million persons visited the graves in the city and the near suburbs. , Cardinal Gasquet was among the crowd round the Catholic Evidence Guild platform at Hyde Park, London, recently, though hundreds of people were unaware of tho presences of so illustrious a Church dignitary and scholar. His Eminence was near the platform, and remained some time in order to gain an insight into the value of this self-sacrificing work for the removal of ignorance regarding the teaching of the Church. It is understood that the Cardinal afterwards expressed his whole-hearted appreciation of the work of the Guild. A large crowd was present'. It is typical of tin- religions spirit of the Vendean peasants that the Government schools do not attract them. The other day M. Jules Delahaye, in the French Chamber, spoke of the inferior condition of these schools as to numbers, and of the economy that might he realised, in some districts, by Heir supprissi- n. In the villag where these Hies were written, Ntuvy-as-Jb-iU'e*. there are two rxcel'ent Catholic schools, one for I>. vs. the other for gi-ls. Both are noted for the s -r:i:»■ education that the rhil.'n n are given. Nevertheless, for the last twenty years the Government has paid a lay schoolmaster, who has not a single pupil! Not one of the 900 inhabitants of Neuvy would send his or her children to the Government school. Surely, in the face of the economies that are now necessary, the suppression of this teacher without pupils seems a matter of common sense. Prior to the opening on Monday. October 13, of the Royal Courts of Justice after the Long Vacation, Catholic legal luminaries attended the votive Mass of the Holy Ghost —commonly known as "The Red Mass" —at Westminster Cathedral. Cardinal Bourne presided, and the celebrant was Mgr. Hewlett. Amongst the King's Counsel who attended in their full bottomed wigs and robes of silk were Judge Parfitt, Serjeant Sullivan, Mr. John O'Connor, M.P., Mr. C. J. Mathew, Mr. Butler Aspinall, Mr. Frank Russell, and Mr. Hugo Young. The "juniors'' present included Mr. M. J. Doherty, Mr. Bernard O'Connor, Mr. G. Warner, Mr. E. E. Williams, Mr. John Carey, Mr. Martin O'Connor, Mr. F. McMullan, Mr. Thomas Scanlan, M.P., Mr. 1). L. K. Koe. Mr. A. M. Colgan, Mr. J. J. Mifsud, Mr. T. Mathew, Mr. J.. M. Parikh, and Mr. Lincoln Reed. * - - CATHOLIC SOCIAL STUDY. The Bishop of Lausanne has appointed a diocesan committee of priests and laymen for the promotion of the Christian Social Movement. The committee is to study social questions in their bearing on Catholic teaching, and the members will act in an advisory capacity in defining the Catholic attitude towards social matters as they arise. At the present time there is remarkable activity going on in Catholic circles in every country, where Catholics are coming forward to take their full share in the work of reconstruction. Since the formation of the Popular Party the Catholics of Italy have taken a very prominent part in social affairs. The same thing is to be found in Holland, in France, and in Belgium. The Bishops and clergy of Austria and Hungary are struggling against conditions that are almost overwhelming, whilst in Germany the Cath- «, olic Bishops and'their clergy have given their people a splendid lead in working hard for the restoration of the country after the devastating effects of the war. The trend of events in .the British Isles shows that Catholics are alive to the need for taking their part in the work of social reform. The splendid programme of the Catholic Social Guild, the wise counsels and statesmanship" of Cardinal Bourne, and the continuous records of Catholic activity that appear in the public press, are one

more sign of the serious endeavor of Catholics everywhere to take their part in making good the. Tosses which the world has suffered during the past five years. The success of the course of social study promulgated by the Italian Catholic Popular Party has aroused much interest in Switzerland, and already steps have been taken for promoting a series of study courses along similar lines. A LOURDES CURE. .- The Very Rev. Canon Wheatley, preaching a short time ago to a very large congregation in St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, gave an account : of a miracle that was worked at Lourdes while he was there recently. It was on September 29, the Canon said. He was passing the Grotto, and saw the crowd assembled at the door of the building occupied by the Medical Board. An invalid's chair stood there empty, and the Canon gathered that there had been a cure. A youth, 18 years of age, a poor lad living in a village some miles away, had been brought to Lourdes by his mother. The lad was suffering from the worst form of Bright's disease with complications. The disease could not be relieved by any medical aid. For a year and eight months the youth had been unable to walk or to take any food except a little milk. His mother brought him to tho shrine the previous Saturday. He was taken during the day to the baths of Lourdes water and bathed, and he felt a little better afterwards. Tho next day ho again entered the baths, and this second bathing was followed by a further improvement, and the youth was able to take ordinary food. and enjoy it. After the third bath on the Monday he suddenly recovered the use of his legs and walked without support. When the news of the cure became known the crowd gave expression to their thanks in the words of the "Magnificat" and what, the Canon asked, could be a more appropriate thanksgiving The next morning he saw the young man looking happy and better, but hearing in. his face evidence of his long suffering. "I made it my business," continued the Canon, "to get authentic information. I interviewed Dr. Fox, the head of the Medical Board at Lourdes, by which body all cures are investigated, and he confirmed the report of the cure, and stated that the symptoms of the disease had all suddenly disappeared. He could give no explanation, and could not at that stage pronounce the cure miraculous. The youth was sent home and told to place himself under the observation of his own doctor and after some days to bring the doctor's report. The report.was duly forthcoming, and it declared that there was no recurrence of the disease and no traces of the symptoms remained. What had happened was this," said the Canon. "In the words of the Gospel of the day, Jesus had said to the poor mother, 'Go thy way. thy son liveth; and her son was healed at the same hour.' " FOR THE HEROIC DEAD. About 5000 persons were present on Sunday, November 2, in Notre Dame, Paris, at a Solemn Requiem service for the dead who laid down their lives for France. Marshal Foch and other generals occupied prominent places in the church. Cardinal Amette, addressing the congregation, said he had not intended to speak to them on that occasion, but the response made to his appeal for a good attendance, and the presence of the glorious soldier who led the troops to victory prompted him to do so. They could never be too grateful for the heroism of their brave dead, but their homage would be insufficient without prayer. As for those to whom" God had already opened the gates of eternal happinessthe groat majority, he felt sure—they would beg of them to obtain for France the blessings of true liberty, fidelity to religion, and concord among the citizens. At the Pantheon there was a ceremony in honor of the dead, which had been arranged for by the municipality. Marshals Foch and Joffre were present. The usual solemnity characterised the services for the French dead on the following Monday, and the public respect paid to their memory.