Here and There

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 16, 6 May 1925, Page 45

Here and There

: fi Paderewski and the Pope.— interesting /fecene took place at the Vatican in January, ;svhen the celebrated Polish pianist, M. Paderewski, gave a private concert in the pres•<>ence?of the Pope and a small gathering of .prelates. M. Paderewski had been in Rome ffor ten days, v and had given two concerts at the Augusteo before enthusiastic audiences, who rarely have the opportunity to hear not only a celebrity like M. Paderewski, •but also one who is an ex-Premier of a E«public. M. Paderewski had made the acquaintance ,of his Holiness when the latter -was only a Monsignore and Papal Envoy in Poland. It was shortly after the famous musician had been elected Premier of the new Polish Republic. Monsignore Ratti frey quently met the pianist at official and private functions,; and they became very friendly. ;f. The duties of Papal,Envoy at that time also necessitated ; frequent ) interviews with M. Paderewski in regard to the work of the reconstruction of the Polish Church and the reorganisation of ; the Hierarchy and clergy. Since then, each time M. Paderewski came to Rome he did not fail to call on his Holiness, and was received as a, personal friend. : M. Paderewski, in order to give the Pope special pleasure, proposed 'on this visit to prepare a little programme and give a private concert in the presence of his Holiness, which the Pop© gladly accepted. M. Pade'r- • own piano I was carried to the Vatican rooms, and the programme contained ; : pieces by Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin. Among the prelates present were Cardinals ;Gasparri and Merry del _ Val, the Polish {Patriarch Zaleski, Archbishop Ciepliak, who (was sentenced to death by the Russian Soviet, and a small number of court dignitaries. The Pope after each piece, played by M. . Paderewski I with his usual perfection arid f feeling, expressed '< his appreciation and admiration ' for the musician, and at the conclusion presented him with a gold medal, : and offered r a > goM-mounted Rosary to Madame Paderewski, who accompanied her husband. .The little -concert took place in the -private library of his Holiness. *'■ * * :;b'H\ Jkiliiuti ,b'>.:;ii> '}:>::':■ ■■■■ ! --7,< "■-■ ••" -t ■-'• Priest Elected by Large Vote;— privilege of having received the largest total of votes in the recent. London County Council elections rfalls; to the Rev. Dr. Mahoney, ' rector, of the Catholic . parish of Deptf I elected to office on a popular, vote fof $2,222. No. other candidate in the whole polling area received such a high total. "Dr. Mahoney was the local candidate of -iihe Labor Party, which considers his return fa a triumph for the : paa'ty,' particularly as he, j' the b seat .: fr»m the l opposition. The j new Councillor is expected to make things hum in the council f chamber, particularly in regard to the housing scandal, Iwhich is to be'found almost at its worst in - the constituency "which has returned Dr. llahoney to office. '....g ss' fi v t ,!J.Mi • *"' ' | Death: of Lady Mary Howard. —Lady Mary ward, aunt of the present Duke of Nor-

folk and sister of the late Duke and Viscount FitzAlah, died recently > at the age of eigthy. Before the late Duke's marriage, and again after the death of his first wife, Lady Mary Howard acted as hostess :■ at i' Arundel Castle and the ducal mansion in London. The great memorial to the late 'Lady Mary is the church of the Guardian Angels in the East End, which she built, and the settlement attached, which she supported out of her private purse. Other religious and charitable works claimed her attention. She was chairman of the Catholic Medical Mission to Rawal Pindi, and secretary of the Catholic Needlework Guild, while the Catholic Prisoners', Aid Society - found in her a generous benefactor. 1 i > \ \ * * * > ■ Exhibition, of Sacred Art.A very, interesting exhibition is to be opened at the : Vatican at the end ; of April: this is the International Exhibition of Sacred Art. The famous Turin artist, Signor Francesco Margotti, has been appointed to organise the exhibition, and according to him it will f be a very striking manifestation of faith and piety and artistic beauty. The exhibition will be fairly large, for it is stated that no > fewer than eleven salons will be requisitioned : to hang all the exhibits. .The French and Hungarian sections are already organised; but as the exhibition is to be -really international in character, there is still a great deal of work to do. But Sig. Margotti is positive that there will \iben no delay in having the exhibition ready for inauguration • on time. One very interesting section, .., or rather, parts of national sections, will be the work of the many artists who are religious. The monks of the Beuron Benedictine Congregation have founded a school of sacred art of their own; and there are I many other religions of different countries | who have great . reputation , as painters. 1 Some highly interesting exhibits, also, are expected,from the East. c,; \ V ' » » » . X Blessing of New Abbot. Dr. Matthews, who was elected some weeks ago' l to succeed the late Abbot Smith 'as Abbott of Ample.forth, received the Abbatial Benediction " at the hands of Bishop Shine, Auxiliary of Middlesborough, in , Amplef orth Abbey Church on St. Gregory's* Day. Abbot Matthews had as his assistants the Abbot of Douai, who is now President of the English Black Monks, and' the Abbot of Downside. Other Benedictine prelates were .the Abbot of Belmont, the titular Abbot of Dunfermline, who acted as representative of the Abbot of Fort Augustus, - and the titular Abbots of Westminster and St. Mary's, York. An entirely English' ! setting, for •' a ceremonial held on the festival of the Apostle of the English, with the additional interest that the community at Ampleforth is lineally , ■ and \ ... immediately : * descended , f from the monks of Westminster Abbey. The ceremony marked, also, the official opening of the new .; abbey church j at Ampleforth, the foundation stone of which was laid a couple

of years ago by Cardinal Bourne. Only a third of the permanent church has been built so far. Its architect is Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the rising Catholic architect who received his knighthood on the occasion of the consecration of the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral, which he designed. What is already built of Ainpleforth Abbey Church gives promise of a beautiful structure, true to the traidtions of the Benedictines, of England, and worth of Yorkshire, whose ruined monastic churches speak of its architectural glories before the Reformation. : "._" .'' . . X