ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



return for support of ecclesiastical institutions. 

 To this grant the United States could hardly fall 

 heir because of its divorce of church and state. 

 Since a number of institutions in Cuba and the 

 Philippines are similarly situated, it is likely that 

 the decision will ultimately be sought from the 

 Supreme Court. 



The edict of Gen. Wood prohibiting ecclesias- 

 tical marriages in Cuba was revoked on Aug. 13 

 by Gen. Brooke, and the church ceremony recog- 

 nized as of the same validity as the civil contract. 

 The edict had been issued in the preceding year, 

 and its revocation was due to a petition signed 

 by 30,000 Cuban citizens. By permission of the 

 American authorities, the Dominicans established 

 themselves in Cuba in May. 



Important decisions of State and United States 

 courts apparently affecting ecclesiastical rights 

 were as follow during the year: That of the Su- 

 preme Court of Michigan (April 16), holding that 

 the title to all church property was held by the bish- 

 op of the diocese in fee simple, and not merely as 

 trustee for the congregations ; that of the Supreme 

 Court of Pennsylvania (April 23), holding that 

 the united Greek Catholic congregations in Amer- 

 ica owed allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church 

 and not to the Orthodox Greek Church: and that 

 of the United States Circuit Court, New York 

 (May 31), holding that statuary and sculpture 

 imported by the order and for the use of a society 

 established solely for religious and charitable pur- 

 poses were free from duty. 



The centennial of the founding of the Society of 

 the Sacred Heart was celebrated at every convent 

 of the order, Nov. 21-23. The semicentennial or 

 golden jubilee of the diocese of Savannah was 

 celebrated Oct. 28, and the new cathedral dedi- 

 cated by Archbishop Martinelli, papal delegate. 

 The Cathedral of St. Patrick, Newark, N. J., cele- 

 brated its golden jubilee March 17. 



Trinity College, in Washington, D. C., for the 

 higher education of women, was solemnly dedi- 

 cated, Nov. 22, by Cardinal Gibbons. The college 

 was formally placed in charge of the Sisters of 

 Notre Dame. 



The work of Most Rev. Archbishop Keane 

 toward securing funds for the Catholic University 

 at Washington resulted in gifts to the institution 

 of more than $500,000 in the year. Endowments 

 for six chairs were also received. 



Rev. Dr. McGIynn, who was removed from his 

 charge of St. Stephen's Church, in New York city, 

 in the eighties because of his strong advocacy of the 

 principles of Henry George; excommunicated for 

 disobeying a summons to Rome, and later pardoned 

 and restored to his offices, died in Newburg, N. Y., 

 Jan. 7. Right Rev. Joseph Rademacher, Bishop of 

 Fort Wayne, Ind., died on Jan. 12. Other losses 

 by death in the American hierarchy were those of 

 Most Rev. John Hennessy, Archbishop of Du- 

 buque, Iowa; Right Rev. Tobias Mullen, D. D., 

 formerly Bishop of Erie, Pa.; and Right Rev. 

 James A. Healy, D. D., Bishop of Portland, Me. 

 (For sketches of all these, see OBITUARIES, 

 AMERICAN, in this volume.) 



Episcopal appointments were as follow: Right 

 Rev. B.J.Keiley, Savannah. Ga. ; Right Rev. lleiiry 

 Moeller, Columbus, Ohio; Right Rev. Denis O'Don- 

 oghue, Auxiliary of Indianapolis, Ind. ; Right Rev. 

 Henry Ganjon, Tucson, Am..: Right Rev. P. J. 

 O'Reilly, Auxiliary of Peoria, 111.; Most Rev. 

 John J. Keane, Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa; 

 and Right Rev. Herman Alerding, Fort Wayne, 

 Ind. 



The number of Catholics in the United States 

 was reckoned at 10,129.677. an increase ,.f 222.-J(i."> 

 upon the preceding year. They were ministered 



to by 8,660 secular and 2,976 regular clergy in 

 6.409 churches, 3,930 missions, and 1,723 chapels. 

 There were 3,811 parochial primary schools, with 

 854,523 children; 30 episcopal seminaries, with 

 2,630 students, and 79 seminaries of religious or- 

 ders, with 1,998 students. 



Canada. The question of the Manitoba schools 

 which had been a grievance of the Catholics of 

 the province for ten years was raised again dur- 

 ing the visit of Mgr. Falconio, apostolic delegate 

 to Canada, to Winnipeg in October. While sympa- 

 thizing with the Catholics of the province under 

 their triple burden for the existing law not only 

 requires them to support the public school > as 

 well as their own schools, but to pay taxes on 

 their own school buildings besides his Excellency 

 recommended a course of patience and mildness 

 until full justice was obtained. 



The Right Rev. Bertrand Orth was appointed 

 Bishop of Vancouver Island, Feb. 26. 



England. Dr. St. George Mivart, whose arti- 

 cles in two English periodicals for January aroused 

 a storm of protest from English-speaking Cath- 

 olics, was formally inhibited by Cardinal Vaughan, 

 on Jan. 24, from approaching the sacraments. 

 The objectionable articles contained statements 

 denying or attempting to explain dogmas of the 

 Catholic religion regarding the virginal birth of 

 Christ, the perpetual virginity of the mother of 

 God, original sin, the resurrection, the redemp- 

 tion, the everlasting punishment of the wicked, 

 the inspiration of Scripture, and the authority of 

 the Church. A formula containing a profession 

 of faith and a retraction of his heresies was thrice 

 presented to the aged and infirm scientist he had 

 been in the last stages of diabetes for more than 

 a year but he refused to sign. His death, April 

 1, at the age of seventy-three, furnished a sub- 

 stantial reason for the belief of his friends that 

 his published opinions during the last year of his 

 life were the result of mental aberration. 



The agitation for a sufficient number of Roman 

 Catholic chaplains in the navy to minister to the 

 Roman Catholic sailors, discussion of w r hich began 

 in the latter part of the preceding year, readied 

 a focus in February in the House of Commons in 

 the nature of an amendment offered by an Irish 

 member to reduce the naval appropriation unless 

 the relief demanded was afforded Catholic sailors. 

 It was asked that the Admiralty provide a ( 'atholic 

 chaplain for every squadron, with similar rank. 

 pay, and allowances as those given to chaplains of 

 the Established Church ; to have a certain muni 

 of acting Roman Catholic chaplains where th 

 number of their coreligionists among the <;i\\<>\ 

 was large enough to need their ministrations; an 

 to have a Catholic schoolmaster aboard every trail 

 ing ship. Considerable acrimony marked the 

 cussion of the amendment, William Rednmr 

 quoting Cardinal Logue's pastoral prototii 

 against Catholic parents allowing their childr 

 to enter a navy where absolutely no provision 

 made for their religious necessities. To tli 

 Austen Chamberlain replied that if the supplj 

 of recruits in the south and west of Ireland fe" 

 off, the training ship at Queenstown would 

 \\itlidrawn. This ill-humored threat Mr. Gsch( 

 First Lord of the Admiralty, hastened to soften 

 assuring the Irish members that some of the dt 

 sired provision would be made. The strength 

 veloped for the amendment on the division ga\ 

 zest to the Admiralty's eagerness to placate tl 

 opposition. After a number of conferences a BJ 

 tern of shore chaplains was agreed upon, ai 

 chaplains for squadrons on active service and 

 all hospital ships were promised. 



Another agitation, the results of which, if 1< 



