The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-09-06
FOREIGN CATHOLIC MrE111eENcE.

ROME, August From the correspond
ent of the Westminster Gazette, writing
from Rome under the above date, we gather
the following items of news:
The Holy Father visited one day this
week the Convent of the Reparation Nuns
the ssame, order as at Harley House in
London-who have a convent also in the
BorgO, under the direction of Madame de
VilIeIe. Of course, his visit and benedic-
ton, and kind and cheerful conversation,
was a source of great delight to the good
nuns. Their work is the perpetual adOr-
alton of the Blessed Sacrament and the
education Of the young in various missions
They have a house in India, where they
have opened house of refuge for widows
who have emancipated themselves from the
Suffice superstition.
Mgr. Lavigerie, Archbishop of Algeria, is
here, and he has had several audiences to
explain to the Holy Father the situation of
his vast diocese, the ravages of famine and
typhus among his flock, and the means
taken by the clergy for alternating their
power. He has with him number of photo
graphs, one series of which shows the
attenuation to which numbers were reduced
by suffering and privatiOn an exhibition
by which the Holy Father was greatly
affected. ! believe he had himself planned
CnlS VlSlC, III OIucr 10 COuSulU Will JIG
Archbishop on the means of diffusing the
light of the faith over the peoples who in
habit the oasis of Central Africa. The
condition of these once Catholic people,
isolated by the effects of Mussulman in
vasion, and in their isolation losing much
of the purity. of their faith, has long been a
matter of serious preoccupation with him
Though they have not been brought to
venerate the Koran, and are still m0nogan-
lists, and wear the cross tattooed in their
foreheads, they venerate Mahomet as n
prophet. They have the monopoly of the
caravans of the desert, and conduct the
whole traffic between Northern and Central
Africa for this reason they are very jealous
of the Intervention of extraneous persons,
and forbid all Europeans to set foot on
their territory. The Pope has now resolved
to erect an apostolic vicariate in Sahara, to
aries, under the direction of Mgr. Lavigerie;
and thus the Pope's missionaries will pene-
trate where the French army has not been
able to set foot.
A subscription has been opened to pur-
chase and present to the Pope the picture
which mentioned lately. Without claim
ing to be work of surprising merit, it
displays lively appreciation of the ehival-
~ of the heroes of the day; and Thoughts the
success of the painter may not be judged to,
be complete, he has yet left pleasing traces
tnaC MS ucaQ SOlQlcTS nave nOC Iallcu merely
in stern obedience to duty, but in warm
devotion to the hottest of causes. If he has
not conquered the almost insurmountable
difficulty of massing his cohorts into one
self-dependent scene, some of his groups
show undeniable merit and good feeling.
Among these may be noticed Louave
giving drink to II wounded Garibaldian,
and an army chaplain holding the cruci1x
to the lips of n dying Zouave, while he
tenderly supports his head with his hand.
The infante Don Alfonso of Spain is now
fairly launched in his career private in
the Zouaves. The son of Don Juan de Bour-
bon and Maria Beatrix, Archduchess of Aus
tria and Este, sister of Francis ", Duke of
Modena, at the tomb of our Blessed Lady at
of the Church in the Army of the Vicar of
Christ, and implored her aid, who never de-
serted Plus TX, to obtain the removal of the
many and serious obstacles to his pious de-
signs. The political bearing of his enrol
ment was one; but the Princes reply to
Cardinal AntOnelli was decisive: "Let your
Eminence be at rest on my account. His
Holiness will gain Catholic sword the more
to his army, nothing further" He received
Holy Communion Mt the tomb of ST. Peter on
the morning of his engagement-the "fairest
day of his life" as he said to his mother
and spent the night watching, like knight
of old, at the shrine of the Apostles. "Born
in the Purple" as lie is, Il Bourbon, pur sang,
he has shown q noble example to his COM
rades. and has refused all exemptions from
duty, from the cOrrecs of barracll life and may
be seen, like the simplest French, Dutch, or
Irish Zouave, doing the meancst duty of a
soldier, thereby following the advice of his
royal uncles, and showing glorious ex-
ample of religious and military devotion and
of fidelity to the maxim NobteSse oblige."
May not such an instance of sacrifice and
simplicitylin one of royal blood serve as an
incentive to many of our own Catholic youth
who may be hesitathipg on making geper-
Gus offering of their lives and their opening
manhood to the cause of Christ's Vicar7 Will
any Catholic gentleman hesitate to do what