Roman Interview with Right Rev. Dr. Whyte

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 29, 26 July 1923, Page 21

Roman Interview with Right Rev. Dr. Whyte

THE BISHOP’S PLEASANT EXPERIENCES. Long before the arrival of Bishop Whyte here in the Eternal City, we who dwell by the banks of the yellow liber had been hearing something of his progress through the United States. There is one of his priests here, Father 0 Neill, who kept ns informed of the various phases of the journey. The Bishop, accompanied by Rev, Fathers Dunne and Walsh, arrived here on the morning of Sunday, May 13, just in time for the ceremonies in connection with the Solemn Beatification of Blessed Robert Bellarminc. As soon as he had settled down I called and asked for an interview for the Tablet • wherefore one sunny morning in the soft springtime of Rome in the middle of May, I met the Bishop by appointment at the Irish College, where he was staying as the guest of the College authorities. “Suppose we begin at the beginning, my Lord. I should like to have your impressions of the United States, and especially of the spiritual vigor of our Catholic people there.” “Well, I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the trip. In San Francisco I met the Archbishop, Most Rev. Dr. Hanna, who was kindness itself. The city there is very beautiful, and Catholicism is making great strides. 1 arrived in Chicago on the morning of Holy Thursday and immediately went to the Cathedral for the ceremonies. I was very much edified with the exactness and devotion with which the stately liturgy of Holy Week was carried out, and the great number who received Holy Communion there on Easter Sunday morning, especially the number of men, was a feature of Catholic life in Chicago that I could not help noticing. I was very glad to meet Archbishop Mundelein, who is a charming host. We were also at Niagara Falls, and my friend Father Walsh here spoke over the telephone to Toronto to the priest-poet, Father Dollard. The Catholicism of New York was very edifying indeed.' In three churches in the city Mass is celebrated each Sunday morning at 2.30 a.in., and the three churches are crowded on every such occasion. The Masses are arranged for that early hour with a special view to the convenience of printers, postmen, policemen, and all others whose Sunday duties might conceivably prevent them from attending Holy Mass at later hours in the morning. Talking about the postmen reminds me that they had a General Communion there; some 2500 men attended and the parade was accompanied by the Postmen’s Band. About the same time, the policemen of New York, nearly 3000 strong, received Holy Communion in a body one Sunday morning at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This idea of organising sodalities and religious associations on the basis of trades or professions was a feature of Catholic organisation that impressed me very favorably during my trip through the United States.” “It is hardly a fair question, my Lord, in the circumstances, but I wonder how our Australasian Catholicism compares with Catholic life as yon saw' it in the States. Are we behindhand in the matter of organisation? “It is a fair enough question, and it has been answered before now by one who was in an excellent position to form a good judgment on such a point. It has already been answered by Archbishop Ccrretti, who was Apostolic Delegate in Australia some years ago. lie lived for several years in the United States, he knows Italy as only an Italian prelate can know it, and he is now stationed in Paris. Well, I found in the States that he was largely responsible for an impression broadcasted among many of the clergy there, the impression that our Australasian Catholicism has the finest organisation in the Catholic world. The systematisation of Catholic effort, the loyal co-operation of the laity with the priests, the strictly business lines on which every diocesan or parochial movement proceeds to its ordained purpose, all. this is something in which the Catholics of New Zealand and Australia have little to learn from any other Catholic body in the world. Mind, in little details we may have much to learn. For . instance, I was very much struck with the thoroughgoing organisation of the Catholic Charities’ Drive in the archdiocese of New York. I was impressed also with the way in which they

are able to build up and maintain their great sodalities. Another point I noticed was the apostolic generosity of the American laity. They give without stint and they give all the time, wherever there is question of helping the Church. This characteristic reminded me very forcibly of the generosity of our own people in Australasia. I should not omit to mention that Archbishop Hayes of New York and Archbishop Curley of Baltimore, with both of whom I had some pleasant chats, are keenly .interested in New Zealand and Australia, 1 “Did your Lordship learn anything from their school system “Indeed that is one of the things that I missed and I very much regret it. 1 had not sufficient time to make an adequate study of the organisation of the- Catholic •schools. The system there seems to be the same as with ourselves. The Catholics support their own schools, and at the same time they support the public schools which their children cannot use. One little point that struck me about the public schools was their insufficiency to cope with the great and growing demand for education. InAwl 1 was told that, so crowded are they in some places, mil of the children attend the morning classes and the other half the afternoon classes. I had no opportunity of verifying this statement, but I learned enough to be a de to assort that if the Catholics were to close their .schools to-morrow the various States and Municipalities would find themselves in a very bad way as regards school accommodation for the children of the citizens. What I saw of their High School system impressed me very favorably and I found that their universities are reared on a broader and more democratic basis than I could have sunposed Possible. _ They go in greatly for evening classes m the universities. I was told that the Jews avail themselves very much of this opportunity for academic advancement. Indeed more than one authority told me that the Jews bid fair to control the whole system of university education in the States before many years. The Catholics are. doing good work in this direction. They arc steadily organising their own university system along lines that uill run . parallel with the teaching of the Church. Another point I should like to call your attention to is the organisation of the Catholic hospitals. But there again, no 111 Australasia have nothing essential, to learn in that icgard Our only difficulty about Catholic hospitals in ofTluun Australia is that we have not enough “Did you moot the new Apostolic Delegate, my Lord?” r iUh yes. ,yU mean Archbishop Fumasoni-Biondi. Yes . ( ; u y paid my respects to him and found him very much interested in Australasian Catholicism. That reminds me to tell you that I met Archbishop Cerretti in Paris. You see, after leaving New York we went to Cherbourg and thence to 1 ans. In that city we ran across two friends i 10,11 Sydney, Mgr. • O’Gorman and Mr. Cotter, of the Hibernian Society. Archbishop Cerretti was very gracious, and recalled with pleasure his Australian years; he spoke to me of the welcome the New Zealand people had given him when he came to them officially during his term at the Apostolic Delegation in Sydney. I taxed him with being responsible for the very fine reputation our Australasian Catholicism enjoys among the bulk' of the American c ergj. He admitted the soft impeachment and paid a glowing tribute to the people of New Zealand and Ausraha. In spreading this opinion outside Australasia he ins been ably seconded by our present Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cattaneo. tile 2l CO FZrP” LO rd ' ,OT W 1 te " “ SOmethi "S abo '>‘ “Oh! he is graciousness itself. I had to have the usual audience and tender my official report, hut of course you are not going to ask me to tell you anything about that part of the interview? I found him deeply intercsted in our school problem in New Zealand. He seems to be very well posted as to the work that our people are doing in that direction. He was also very keen about the progress of our seminary. But there now I you must excuse me from talking business. I may tell you, , however, that after the business part of the interview had been completed I found him very willing to talk about New Zealand in general. Our people may be interested to know that he inquired particularly about the mountains and

their altitudes, etc. You know his heart is ever with his own beloved Alps. I presented to his Holiness a little party of priests who came with me. This party included my two dear old friends, Father Dunne and Father Walsh; also my own diocesan, Father O’Neill, who is just about to finish his post-graduate studies here. And there were present, too, a couple of Dublin priests who happened to be in Homo on holiday at the time.” “lour Lordship intends staying here for some time?” “No. My programme allows me just a couple of weeks. The time seems all too short, for Rome is so very attractive to a priest. Then I have found several new friends as well as some old ones. Father Matthew Smith, who was well known in New South Wales some years ago as an energetic missionary, is here now in the responsible position of Assistant-General of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. He has been uniformly kind to me during my visit to Rome. My usual cicerone is Father O’Neill, whose knowledge of Rome and things Roman is delightfully extensive. 1 have met the Irish Franciscans here in their beautiful cloisters at St. Isidore’s; they have an Australian student there, a young cleric from Richmond outside Melbourne, i was entertained also at the headquarters of the Carmelites, where- I met Fathers Magennis and Ronayno. The former is the Father-General and the latter is the Assistant-General. Each of those gentlemen has Australian experiences, as they both have worked as priests for some years in South Australia and Victoria. Speaking of the Carmelites reminds me of a very pleasing function at which I was present, namely the taking possession of his titular church of Santa Maria in T rasp on tin a by his Eminence Cardinal Nasalli-Rocca. You know that a new Cardinal is appointed by the Holy Father to what is called the title of a Roman church. When the Archbishop of Bologna was made Cardinal he asked the Pope for the title of this particular church of the Carmelites. At the ceremony of induction as titular of the church, the new Cardinal was warmly welcomed by the Father-General in an impressive address, and his response was strikingly eloquent. The Italian language seems to lend itself easily to eloquence, for it is evidently very musical. Speaking of languages, do you know that I have been agreeably surprised at the progress of the Irish language here, especially among the students? In the Irish College and in several other Irish establishments in the Eternal City, the dear old tongue seems to be the ordinary mode of communication among the rising generation.” “May I ask your Lordship to tell me what you think of the present state of affairs in Ireland?” “Well, I scarcely feel myself to be in a position to give any sort of adequate reply to that question. You see, it seems to me to- be primarily a domestic question for Irishmen actually living in Ireland. I have lived so much out of Ireland that, although I love it with all my heart and desire to see it happy and prosperous, I hesitate to pronounce a verdict or to give a definite opinion as to the . rights or wrongs of the present dispute. I believe that we Irishmen who live abroad may possibly serve Ireland best by our prayers before the throne of God.” With this the interview closed. His Lordship left Romo on Monday, 28th May, for Lourdes en route to Ireland. —Stannous.