The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-06-12
ARCHBISHOP MANNix OF AUSTRIA
LA WILL TOUR UNITED STATES
-REcEPTION PLANNED FOR
HIM IN MANY CiTiES-ROMANCE
OF CATHOLICISM IN THE AN
TIPODES.


cisco this week, will be a guest of
honor in many important cities of the
United States before he departs for
Rome, and his tour promises to
strengthen greatly the ties of cordial
| relationship between American and
Australian Catholics.
1t is due chiefly to the faith, the
courage and the devotion of the early
| Irish Catholic settlers, many Of whom
were sent as political prisoners, that
the foundation was laid for the ire
mendous progress which the young
est and fairest daughter of the
Church." as Dr.. ManniX calls it, has
made in the past century. Australia
| today, despite bitter prosecutions and
| religious intolerance that are not yet
fully ended, numbers close to 1,OOO,-
| 900 Catholics in country of 100000
, population.
Among the first Catholic settlers in
| the country were large percentage OF
1900 peasants from the north and
| west of Ireland who were seized and
deported by "Satanides" CarhamptOn
| and the Ulster magistrates during the
| Orange reign of terrorism in 1856,
without sentence, without trial and
| without even the shadow of legality.
After the rising of 1898, a stream of
| political offenders was poured into the
| penal settlements of Botany Bay
| These prisoners, according to Bishop
| Ullathorne, had "a thorough compre
| hension of religious responsibility and
an almost impregnable simplicity OF
manner that long and dangerous
residence in the most depraVed penal
| settlements was unable to eXtinguish."
Catholic Services Banned.
| Among the little flock unjustly
charged with completely in the insur-
rection Of '98 were three priests, Fa-
theirs James Harold James Dixon and
| Peter O'Neil. The last named had
been barbarously scourged on sub
orned charge of which afterwards he
was proven entirely innocent. All
three were strictly forbidden the eXer-
else of their religious ministry. After
repeated representations, Father Dixon
was conditionally emancipated and
| permitted to celebrate Mass once a
month, under most CALLING restrictions.
He offered the Holy Sacrifice for the
first time in New South Wales on May
Is, 1903. There was no altar stone !;
the chalice, the work Of a convict, was
made Of tin; the Vestments were old,
parti-cOlored curtains sacrificed for
the occasion, and everything else
bespoke misery and material degrade
ton. After year Father DiXOn's pre-
cious privilege was withdrawn and a
deep spiritual desolation brooded over
the infant Church in Australia
Father O'Neil, his character COM
pletely indicated, returned to Ireland
in 1903 and few years later was fol
lowed by his two companions. The
representations Of these returned
priestly eXiles resulted in the appoint
ment of Father jeremiah Flynn, an
Irish Cistercian, as Project Apostolic
of New Holland, as Australia was then
called, but on his arrival in Sydney
Governor Mascquarie bluntly informed
him that no "POpish missionary
would be allowed in the settlement
and that every person in the penal
colony must be a Protestant.
Father Flynn.
Father Flynn, however, was not dis
couraged He ministered secretly to
his flock wherever he could evade the
Watchful eyes Of the authorities. He
was in the habit of celebrating the
sacred mysteries in the house of q
pious Catholic by name of Davis, now
known as THE Holy House of Austria
liza" There the Holy Eucharist was re
served for the sick and dying, in q
cedar press in lieu of tabernacle.
A few months after his arriva
Father Flynn was suddenly seized
without warrant or accusation, placed
under lock and key in prison and
without trial, shipped back to London
as a prisoner on the first vessel. He
vainly besought permission to return
to the house where he had secreted the
Sacred Species. 1t was refused. Fol
two years the pious Catholics KEEP
alight the tapers before the Blessed
Sacrament. and with pathetic devotion
: these children of sorrow gathered
around the Bread of Life Finally the
5 Sacred Species was rescued, and now
l on the site of the Holy House of Aus
tralia' stands a magnificent church
:, dedicated to st. Patrick, the grounds
and one thousand pounds towards thu
l erection of church having been do
mated by the owner of the house
Governor Masquarie's harsh and il
legal treatment of Father Flynn
started an agitation which resulted il
: a repeal of many of the most repres
> sive measures, and in May, 1921, Faith
= er Philip Connolly and Father Johl
II Therry were appointed chaplains il
/ the country. Due chiefly to the heroi
efforts of these two missionaries, tn,
: faith was SO we'll guarded that in 1888
when DR.. Ullahorne, the distinguish,
. English Benedictine, arrived as Vica
8 General of the Bishop of Mauritius
1 who still had jurisdiction of Australia
there were 17,179 Catholics out of
population of 60,794, of which $500
" were free
Church Grows Despite Persecution.
] Australia today has 1900 churches
attended by more than 1000 priests
v