The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-15
TO DIVIDE THE PROVINCE
SAVANNAH MAY BE TIE SEAT OF
4 NEW ARCHDIOCEsE.

The Council of Roman Catholic Bish
ops to Discuss the Division of the
Province of Baltimore and the Crea
ton OF a New Archepisc0pal see
The Attitude Of the Church Toward
Secret Orders to be Discussed To
day-The Cardinals Programme.
VIII Georgia be raised to the dignity o.
an archepiscopal seel
That is the principal question tc
be discussed and acted upon By
the council Of Roman Catholics bishops
of the province Of Baltimore, which meets
at the episcopal residence to-day. The
rapid growth Of the church in the province
has caused discussion for some time of the
ACCESSIBILITY of dividing it, and taking some
OF the work of the shoulders of Cardinal
Gibbons as archbishop. If the division is
made the new archdiocese will be composed
of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South
Carolina and possibly Alabama The head
of the see will be Savannah, and Bishop
Becker will be archbishop.
Whatever action is taken by the council
must first be submitted TO the convention
of the archbishops, which Will be held in the
west some time during this summer. After
the archbishops approve Of the step, the
documents viii be forwarded to Rome for
final action
THE CHURCH AND SECRET ORDERS.
Another question to be considered, it is
said, is the attitude OF tbs church toward
secret societies. For a long time Catholics
were not allowed to become members Of any
secret orders, but not long ago the prohibi-
ton were raised on all but Masonic
has arisen about the matter. and the bishops
will have talk over it, and probably will
give to the public in this section the exact
position of the church on secret societies.
The council will meet at 9 o'clock this
morning, and the session will not likely con-
tinue more than four or five hours. Cardi-
nal Gibbons will preside At 3 O'clock this
afternoon Bishop Becker will entertain the
visiting bishops and priests and local clergy
at a banquet at his residence, and a drive
around the city will probably follow.
THE CATHOLIC LIBRARY RECEPTION.
At s o'clock tonight the visitors will be
escorted to Catholic Library hall, where a
reception will be held in the parlors. Sew
ersl hundred invitations have been sent out.
a committee Of ladies was busily engaged
last night in decorating the associations
rooms with ivy, cedars and plants. An or
chestra will be IN attendance during the re-
ception, which will last two hours.
Bishop Curtis and Father Fallon arrived
yesterday morning and the others, with the
exception of Cardinal Gibbons, last night.
The latter was to have reached here last
night, but stopped over in Wilmington. He
will come on the early train and will cele-
brate mass in the cathedral at o'clock
Cardinal Gibbons, his secretary, Father
Donovan, and Bishops Van de Vyver of
Richmond and Nathrop of Charleston will
be guests of Bishop Becker. Bishop Curtis
and Father Falon Of Wilmington, and
Bishop Rain Of Wheeling, w. Va, will be
the guests Of DR.. and Mrs. Read, Bishop
Moore Of Florida will he at Mrs Heywards,
and Bishop Hard of North Carolina with
Father William of the Sacred Heart church,
Vicar General Rieley of Atlanta will stop
with Father McMahon at st. Patrick's.