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PHILADELPHIA.-A corrrespondent of the Pittsburgh Catholic, says; "I may state briefly that in the few months that have elapsed since the burning of St. Michaels and Augustine's, the Catholics of Philadelphia have opened two new churches, one of the most magnificent in the Union; they have beautified and remodeled at an expense of several thousand dollars the venerable cradle of Catholicity in this state-St. Joseph's: they have replaced the plain altar and altar-piece of the former Cathedral of the diocese, St. Mary's, by a costly marble altar and a magnificent and touching painting of the crucifixion, with other splendid decorations of the sanctuary: they have almost completed the majestic edifice, St. Paul's, opened by Rev. Mr. Sheridan in an unfinished state just before the riots: they have held two fairs at which some thousand of dollars were raised for the support of Orphan Asylums and the erection of churches not before named:

CINCINNATI.-The Catholic Telegraph announces the arrival of six Dominican Friars, from Rome and Perugio, three of them being destined for Somerset, Ohio, and three for St. Rose's, Kentucky.

NEW YORK.-West Troy.-The Catholic residents at West Troy had purchased a church formerly occupied by a Presbyterian congregation in that village, and had commenced moving it to a lot owned by them, for the use of the French Catholics of that village. It had been moved partly on its way when it was, on the 6th of February last, destroyed by fire. The attending circumstances leave no doubt that the fire was the work of an incendiary.

MAINE.--We learn from the Boston Pilot, that at Houston in this state two members of the American army were lately baptised and added to the one fold and the one Shepherd: Lieutenant T. J. Curd, of the U. S. Artillery, attached to the Handcock Barracks, and Sergeant Dudley of the same corps. A new church is in progress of erection at Houlton, under the superintendance of the Rev. Wm. Moran of Benedicta, Me.

WEST-INDIES-Our Holy Religion is in a very flourishing condition in the English Antilles. More than a hundred thousand Catholics are found in the Islands of Trinidad, St. Lucia and Grenada. According to late intelligence published in the South Advertiser, Catholicity is prospering most favourably in the Island of St. Vincent; conversions are daily made to the faith; amongst the many is that of William Wallace, Esq., proprietor of an estate, formerly a Presbyterian. At St. Christopher's the Catholics, though small in number, have lately purchased a lot of land, situated in the most eligible part of the town and sufficiently large for the erection of a church, school-house and clerical residence. They have commenced the erection of the buildings.

The death of the Rt. Rev. Dr. McDonnell, Bishop of Olympus, in part, and Vicar-Apostolic of Trinidad and the other neighbouring British Islands, has cast a deep gloom over the faithful of the Antilles. His edifying demise took place at Port of Spain, on the 26th of October last, in the 61st year of his age. He was a native of London, and was educated at the English College at Lisbon.

Being consecrated Bishop in 1828, he laboured for more than fifteen years in his Apostolic career, being ever a patron of the flock from the heart.

In the Danish Islands of Santa-Cruz, St. Thomas and St. John's the same spirit of intolerance has shown itself, which the Protestant Government of Denmark manifests at home towards her Catholic subjects. The few yet fervent Catholics of Christianstadt have lately been harassed by the civil authorities. Owing to the unsettled state of affairs, the Church of Haiti is still in a deplorable state of confusion. Much good however, is expected from the efforts of a devoted band of missionaries of the society of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who have departed for St. Domingo. This society is instituted at Amiens, in France for the religious instruction of colored people.

BRITISH GUIANA.-Numerous conversions to the Catholic church are taking place in British Guiana. On Sunday the 21st October, seventeen Protestants made public profession of faith in the church of New Amsterdam, of which the Rev. John M'Donnell, is pastor, and were received by that gentleman into the one fold.

ITALY. It is stated in European journals of great integrity, that a letter was received in Rome, informing his Holiness of the conversion of one of the most considerable of the Druses of Mount Lebanon. That 1st November at Genoa, Miss Louisa Cambridge abjured Protestantism in the Convent of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and entered the cloister as a novice. The Jewish writer, Lombroso, who resides at Turin, has just embraced the Catholic religion. This, is added, is undoubtedly one of the most important conversions that has occurred for many years.

ENGLAND. The Roman Catholic Directory for 1845 states that the number of Catholic churches in England is 501, in Wales 8, in Scotland 73, besides 27 stations where divine service is performed, making a grand total for Great Britain of 582. Of the chapels in England, there are in Lancashire 98, in Yorkshire 58, Staffordshire 32, Middlesex 25, Northumberland 22, Warwickshire 22, Durham 17, Leicestershire 15, Cheshire 13, Kent and Lincolnshire 12 each; and Cumberland, Derby, and Shropshire 9 each. Of the churches in Scotland, there are in Inverness-shire 17, in Banffshire and in Aberdeen-shire 10. In England there are 10 Catholic colleges, in Scotland 1. In England there are 31 convents and 3 monasteries. The number of missionary priests in England is 666, in Scotland 91; making a grand total of 757.

IRELAND. The number of students at Maynooth, the great nursery of the Irish clergy, was, towards the close of last year, four hundred and fifty, of whom there are two hundred and fifty of what is called "free”—a certain number being chosen from each Province by the Catholic Bishops. The annual allowance of the English Government to this institution is £8,000. At the same period there were fifty two students in the new Catholic Missionary College of All Hallows, Drumeondra, all destined for foreign missions.

A splendid new church, under the invocation of St. Malachy, was lately

opened at Belfast. The ceremony of consecration was performed by his Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Crolly; and High Mass was chanted by the Right Rev. Dr. Denvir.

FRANCE. The Brothers of the Christian Schools.-This admirable Society, notwithstanding the strenuous opposition of the irreligious, is making vast progress in France and justly receives the applause and confidence of the pupulation. The Institute directs at pesent four hundred establishments, consisting of more than two thousand schools, in which two hundred thousand pupils receive a Christian education. Applications for one hundred and fifty new establishments and one thousand brothers have been made to the Superior, but, unfortunately, he cannnot, at present, comply with this request.

SPAIN.-Ever since God has been pleased to hear the prayers of the Uni.versal Church, offered up throughout the Catholic world, in behalf of the afflicted church of Spain, Religion has been slowly emerging from the fiery ordeal through which it had to pass. The Spanish nation has seen that to separate from the centre of Unity, is to bow the neck to the yoke of temporal despots. The Bishops have given new proofs of energy and attachment to the Roman See. The people have given many proofs that they are Catholic in heart and soul as well as by character and education. Lately, Queen Isabella, driving her carriage along one of the streets of Madrid, met a Priest who was carrying the Blessed Sacrament to a poor person. Penetrated with the feelings of piety which animated her ancestors, she immediately came out of her carriage, offered it to the Priest, and, mingling up with the pious multitude, followed on foot to the house of the dying. When she found that the sick was a poor girl, stretched on the bed of distress, she did not fail to join the bounties of her charity and benevolence with the feelings and tokens of her piety. Another noble example of christian benevolence has lately been exhibited by a young and rich citizen of Barcelona, Don Joseph Xifre, who has expended two hundred thousand dollars in the erection of a hospital for the accommodation of two hundred patients, and has also endowed it with an adequate revenue. During the siege of the city he was obnoxious to many of the lower orders, and they pierced his magnificent dwelling with balls, but he has chosen this truly Christian revenge on their folly and injustice. The civil authorities, though some are deeply imbued with the spirit of Febronius, and others with that of J. J. Rousseau, not unfrequently give signs of christian sentiments. The religious of St. Vincent of Paul have lately been established in Madrid upon the recommendation of the secular power, and the publication of the novel "Madrid and its Mysteries," a kindred production of "the Mysteries of Paris" has been stopped by civil authority.

AUSTRALASIA.--New Guinea, or Papua, and the other Islands north of Australia have been erected into a new Vicariate-Apostolic. The population consists of the Papuan, or oriental negroes, mingled with the rude race of the Haraforas. Mgr. Epale, Bishop of Liva in part. infid., accompanied by eight

Priests of the Society of Mary, and several brothers of the Christian Doctrine, has left Europe to fix his Apostolical tent in the midst of Cannibals. A new church, under the invocation of the PatronSaint of Ireland, has lately been opened at Sydney, the solemn benediction was performed by the Arch-Bishop of that city. The Right Rev. Dr. Wilson, the first Bishop of the new see of Hobarttown arrived fier a safe and speedy voyage. As a specimen of the esteem with which the Catholic clergy is regarded in this distant clime, we extract the following from a late number of the Van Dieman's Land Courier. "We cordially give expression to the testimony received from every quarter, to the meek, concilatory and amiable character of Bishop Wilson. The prospects of the

Roman Catholic Church in this colony are great. . . . The Catholic Church is peculiarly adapted to human nature. . . . Another ground on which we rest our opinion of the Roman Catholic Church in this colony, is the unconquerable zeal and energy of her clergy, qualities which do them honor."

OBITUARY.

DIED-On the 4th February, at St. Mary's College, Perryville, Rev. J. B. ROBERT, Priest of the Congregation of the Mission.

This lamented ecclesiastic was born in the Diocese of Lyons, France, in 1800. He came to America in 1835, with some French and Italian clergymen accompanied by Bishop Odin, and entered into the novitiate of the Congregation of the Mission in 1836, after which he consecrated himself to God and joined the Congregation of Missions, of which he was a very useful and edifying member. The virtues with which he especially edified his brethren were his profound humility and laborious life. His humility was such, that he looked upon himself as the least of all, or rather as the servant of his brethren, which he showed on a variety of occasions, without affectation, by his actions, choosing always for himself what was most painful and humiliating. He was never seen idle, but always employed his time in doing some thing good and useful; even during the hours of recreation, whilst talking and conversing with the others, he used to make beads to give to the poor Catholics, and this he practised constantly, from the time he entered the novitiate till his death. Rev. Mr. Robert was ordaind priest by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Rosati in 1839, in St. Mary's Seminary, Perry co. Mo., where he exercised the holy ministry, with great zeal and abundant fruits of salvation, until his death. He was always assiduous to hear confessions, and always ready to visit the sick-he never refused to go either in the night or in the most severe kind of weather. He especially gave a very striking example of his charity and zeal for the salvation. of souls in the summer of last year, and this winter, on account of the

sickness and many deaths with which God has been pleased to visit his parish; until, at last, he himself fell a victim and became a martyr of his zeal, of his charity, and of his labours. God also blessed the exertions of this zealous priest with many conversions and abundant fruits of salvation. After a very severe sickness which lasted fifteen days, during all which time he gave the most admirable examples of patience and resignation to the holy will of God, burning, like St. Paul, with the desire of being dissolved and to be with Christ, he closed his eyes in death. His death has been regretted by all who knew him, no less by his brethren, whom he always edified by his good examples, than by all who were acquainted with him, Catholics and Protestants, who loved and revered him as a good and virtuous man. When the news of

his death was circulated, this was the exclamation of every one: Oh! the good man, the holy priest, the saint, is dead!

- On the 12th of February, Rev. AUGUSTIN DE ANGELIS, formerly Pastor of St. Charles' Church, German Coast, Louisiana.

In November last, at Havre, France, the Rev. NICHOLAS FORT, recently arrived from the diocese of New Orleans, with the hope of recovering his heath, which had been greatly impaired by the labours of the holy ministry and a life of sacrifices.

The Baltimore papers announce the death, on the 18th February, of the Rev. JOHN B. GILDEA, the pious and zealous Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul's Church of that city.

The Baltimore Sun announces the death of Sister MARY ALPHONSO, of St. John's Academy, Frederick, Md., after a lingering illness of several years, in the full triumph of faith, and a lively hope of a blissful immortality.-R. I. P.

We would request our subscribers to bear in mind, that we cannot proceed, unembarrassed, with our publication, unless the amount due us from those who have not complied with our terms, be promptly paid over to us, or to our agents. We consider an intimation sufficient to induce such to be punctual in this matter.-PUBLISHER.

APPROBATION.

THE CATHOLIC CABINET is published with my approbation, and appears to me calculated to promote the interests of the Catholic Religion in this Diocese. + PETER RICHARD, Bishop of St. Louis.

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