Commonwealth Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 22, 17 June 1925, Page 41

Commonwealth Notes

:ft -■ r y. NEW SOUTH WALES. |f«*. e v * - Tho fourth annual conference of the Oatholic Education Association opened in the most auspicious circumstances in St. Patrick's Hall, Harrington Street, on Thursday last ; (says the Catholic Press for May 28), and- continued -until Saturday. As- the re- , I suit'"of" the delivery of lectures" by members I of the various 'teaching Orders and the' 'dis- \ cussions : induced thereby, many phases of | teaching activity were reviewed extensively, I and the deliberations of conference should prove of invaluable assistance :to those enjgaged in the work of Catholic 1 ; education. [Since the initiation of the conferences some | four years ago, the exchange of ideas between | the teachers has been most; fruitful, and the {conference of 1925 should add greatly to what \ now is accumulated' knowledge.!'.:; There was f at all sessions of conference a very large at- '; tendance of the ..members of the teaching j Orders, which were fully represented. His ■ Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Sheehan (Coadjutor- | Archbishop of Sydney) opened the conference, over which Rev. Brother George presided, and delivered a most interesting adI dress. Prior to the beginning of the proceedings, members attended Mass at St. Pattrick's Church, where his Grace the Coadjutor"l Archbishop presided'at the throne, the cele--1 brant of" (he Mass being the Rev. Father P. ■; Crowley (Diocesan Inspector of Schools). { On Sunday, May 24, the death occurred at J the Lewisham Hospital of Thomas Joseph Dalton, K.C.S.G., following on an attack of } pneumonia. The late T. J. Dalton was a .son of the late Hon. Thos. Dalton, M.L.C., and was chairman of directors of 'the firm of -Messrs. Dalton Bros., of Sydney, Ltd. For many years he filled the post of Vice-Consul for Spain, but latterly had to relinquish that office owing to indifferent health. He was ; educated at St. Ignatius's College, Riverview, j and at Stonyhurst, England. On account of his extensive good works and for services rendered to the Church in Australia, he was some years ago invested as a Knight Commander of St. Gregory at the instigation of ; the late Cardinal Moran, and the title was [ one of which he was justly proud. The position of honorary treasurer to the Lewisham Hospital had been held by him from 1903 ! until his death, and nowhere will his loss be felt so much as at the institution to which | he had ever proved himself a faithful and loyal friend and generous benefactor. It is to his never-failing interest, unswerving devotion, and princely munificence that this : institution owes much, and his recent gifts of a completely up-to-date X-ray plant (ini stalled at his expense) and a Diathermy apparatus are further evidences of his tender compassion for the sick. The thousands who j yearly receive alleviation of their ills by these* I means (not to mention his numberless other | gifts to the institution) are under a deep debt of gratitude to their unknown benefacJYtor*; but a debt such as this is beyond the •power of human compensation, and we may j now justly say that he is reaping. a "golden 1 harvest" of reward. His countless deeds of j quiet, unostentatious charity will live long

3in the memory of his benefactors. It was! i fitting, then, that when the last call came, it should be the proud privilege of the Nurs- . ing Sisters (or, ( as they are more familiarly known, "the Blue Sisters") of the Lewishairiv Hospital, to prepare their lifelong friend and benefactor for the end, and to take their turn in praying by the remains of him who i in life held them in such high esteem. f ; W*I ',- ! VICTORIA. j Our Lady of Victories Church, Camberwell, ' has been completed and cleared of debt, and on Tuesday, May 26 the solemn consecration of the church and the three altars was performed by his Lordship the Bishop of SandI hurst, the Right Rev. Dr. McCarthy, who was assisted by I lie Rev. 15. O'Brien, P.J*., Very Rev. J. A. Kindelah, 0.C.C., Very Rev. J. S. Bourke, S.J. (rector of St. Patrick's College), Very Rev. P. Meenagh, CM., and the Cathedral sacristan (Mr. H. P. Co'oney). Mass was celebrated by the Rev. E. O'Brien. The ceremonies extended over five hours, and were deeply impressive. One of the best known priests in the Sale diocese, the Rev. M. Roche, P.l\, died suddenly at Warragul in; the early hours of Ascension Thursday morning (says, the Melbourne Advocate). The announcement of his death occasioned widespread regret. On the previous evening ho had attended a.meeting of the Warragul Golf Club, and was apparently in bis usual happy spirits. He. made no complaint on reaching the presbytery, and conversed for some time with his assistant, the Rev. R. Buckley. Father Roche had arranged to celebrate the 7.30 Mass at St. Joseph's Church, Warragul, on Ascension Thursday, and a large congregation had assembled. Noted for his punctuality, the congregation was surprised when Father Roche was not present in the church at 7.30, and a few minutes later a member of the congregation made inquiries at the presbytery. There was no response to the knocks on Father Roche's door, and on entering the room Father Buckley found that death had occurred. Dr. Ley was at once summoned, and after an examination stated that the cause of death was heart failure. As the body was warm, death must have occurred only an hour or two previously. It was Father Buckley's sad task to break the news to the congregation, and there was not a dry eye in the church after he announced the death of the beloved parish priest. The body of Father Roche was later placed in the church, and parishioners from far and near attended to offer their prayers for the eternal repose of his soul. By his parishioners he was greatly loved, and there were many touching scenes in the' church. The Rev. T. Roche, C.SS.R., Ballarat, is a brother, and the Rev. J'. A. Roche,., P.P., Bombala (New South Wales), a cousin of the 'deceased priest. Father Roche, C.SS.R., is ; conducting a mission at Warrnambool, and was unable to attend the Requiem. He and Father J. A. Roche will be present at the Month's Mind. "y-y"■■■ -■•",—: - =^r^r?~

QUEENSLAND. A great wave of religious fervor is'-at present'passing over Brisbane, and the enthusiasm 'among the Catholic people is admirable, indeed-' (writes the Brisbane correspondent of the Catholic Press). Record attendances are to. be found in every centre where mission is held. ;■. Those veil'; at Wooloow- : in, Bulimba, Rosalie;- and St. Stephen's Cathedral surpassed all previous experiences, and those being conducted--at-GTayfield" and St. Mary's, !: .South Brisbane, are exceeding all expectations. '- The Redemptorist and Marist Fathers,; who are conducting' the missions, are untiring in their zeal and devotion, : and the results ; attending their labors must be very gratifying to' themselves, and the good, people of Brisbane, who are corresponding so faithfully to the interest the Fathers are taking ; in them. A feature of the mis}sions is the large numbers of converts seeking for instruction as a result of eloquent sermons. 'The Church in Brisbane is truly nourishing beyond that of any previous period of its history, and it is giving promise .-^>f-great things for the future. The new ecclasiastical edifices recently constructed, or in course of construction, are fitting expressions of the zeal and generosity of .'priests and people. Mis Grace the Archbishop has by his untiring energy and foresight given life and spirit to the general movement of progress i von and the monu- . mollis that stand out on every hill are enduring records to his gigantic labors, and to the loyalty and faith of his devoted priests land people.