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VAUGHAN


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VAUGHAN


aughan went back to America, and travelled all irough the southern states. He was away seven lonths, and in that time he visited St. Louis, New rleaus. Mobile, Sa\annah, Memphis, Natchez, and harleston, making careful investigation in each lace as to the spiritual provision for the negro race, lortly after his return to England his direct super- ision of St. Joseph's College was brought to an end V his appointment as Bishop of Salford. But lOUgh St. Joseph's now had its local superior, aughan, to the end of his life, was the head of the [issionary Society. He may have done more con- )icuous and important work in his life, but there was )ne that was dearer to his heart than the founding of lis great college, which is still doing the things he anned. His missioners are at work in the Philip- nes, in Uganda, in Madras, in New Zealand, in orneo, in Labuan, in the Basin of the Congo, in ashmir, and in Kafiristan. In 1910 they gave iptism to more than 10.000 pagans. Among the results of Vaughan's first vnsit to the nited States must be reckoned a new appreciation of e power of the Press. He came back resolved to vr\ a paper of his own, and eventually bought "The iblet". It proved a fortunate investment from ery ]>oint of view. During the time of the great ntroversy which preceded the definition of papal in- llibilily, under the direct editorship of Herbert lughan, "The Tablet", for services to IheCathoHc use, received the special thanks of the Holy See. \"auglian was consecrated Bishop of Salford on

October, 1872. His first concern was for ecclesias-

■al education and the proper supply of priests for e diocese. The seminarians were scattered about in fferent colleges, some in England and some abroad, hen they had completed their theological studies at ihaw, or in Home, Paris, Valladolid, or Lisbon, they turned to the diocese almost as strangers to each her and to their bishop. Bishop Vaughan planned lat he called a pastoral seminary. It was to be at- ched to his own house, and when clerical students me from I'shaw or seminaries abroad, they were to e with him for a year and, while continuing their clesiast ical studies, were to be trained by experi- ced priests in the practical work of a parish. The ihop exiilalned that he had no money for building, t £1.S,000 was collected and the seminary was lilt as he desired. He next considered how best to ?ure a regular supply of candidates for Holy orders. > knew that among the poorer classes there were vays boys who, having all the required dispositions

• the clerical state, lacked the funds necessary

• their education. To meet theiiiflnculty, the bishop deavoured to secure the foundation of a number of rses for the education of ecclesiastical students.

the case of students whose parents were in easy cumstances the difficulty seemed to take another •m. With the ])rincipal Catholic secondary schools Lancashire in the hands of the religious orders, an due proportion of tho.se youths who had vocations

• the priesthood would join the regidars and so .sen the ranks of the secular clerg>'. The bishop )Ught this difficulty was incidentally met when he d made up his mind to open a commercial college in anche.ster. Soon after opening St. Bede's he ac- ired the Manchester Aquarium, and converted it o a central hall and museum for the college. Four ars after this purchase the south wing of the college IS opened, and the central block was completed in 84. St. Bede's has long since taken its place as one the recognized and permanent centres of Catholic ^ in England, and at the time of the cardinal's death f)0 bciys already had been educated within its walls. Meanwhile litigation in Rome had begun between ? English hierarchy and the representatives of the igious orders on a number of important points of risdiction and discipline that had been agitated since


the restoration of the hierarchy in 18.50; such as the exemption of regulars from cpiscojial jurisdiction; the right of bishops to divide pai-ishcs or missions cared for by regulars, and to give the newly-divided parish to secular priests; the obhgations of regulars engaged in parish work to attend diocesan conferences or syn- ods; their right to found new houses or schools, or to convert existing institutions to other purposes; the right of bishops to visit canonically institutions in charge of regulars, to inspect accounts, etc. Though Cardinal Manning was tlie j)rinci])al in this litigation, the hierarchy deputed Bislio]) ClilTord of Clifton and Bisho]) Vaughan to represent them in Home, the latter being intimately concerned in the matter, asatest case had been a claim of the Society of Jesus to reopen in Manchester a college which they had once closed. After a year and a half spent in this matter at Rome, the Bull "Romanos Pontifices" (q. v.) was i.ssued to govern the relations between the rehgious orders and the bisliops in all missionary countries. When Bishop \'aughan first went to Salford he found the diocese comparatively well equipped in regard to its ele- mentary scliools, but in most other respects without any sufficient dioce-san organization. Long before he left the whole administration was placed on a thor- ough lousiness footing. Strenuous efforts were made to reduce the burden of debt which weighed upon the diocese. The peo|)le were very poor, but they gave generously out of their poverty, and before he left for Westminster the bishop had the satisfaction of know- ing that the general debt had been reduced by more than £64,000. The diocesan synods, which formerly had been held every seven years, were made annual. The system of administering the affairs of the dio- cese through the establishment of deaneries was greatly extended, the dean being made resjionsible for the proper administration of the missions within the limits of his deanery. A Board of Temporal Admin- istration was formed to advise the bishop on all mat- ters connected with finance. Vaughan was always eager to identify himself in every possible way with the public life of the peoi)le of Manchester, with every movement for social reform, and every crusade in be- half of temperance, or sanitation, or the improvement of the houses of the working classes. Lancashire soon came to recognize in him a large-hearted citizen to whom the interests of no class or creed were alien. When he went to Westminster, the proposal to com- memorate a great ejiiscopate by placing a marble bust of him in the Manchester Town Hall, at the public cost, was carried without a dissentient voice.

In the autumn of 1.884 "a horrible su.spicion forced itself on his mind" that every year a multitude of children were being lost to Catholicism, through the neglect of parents, from the operation of the work- house system, and through the efforts of proselytizing societies. A house-to-house ccn.sus of the whole Catholic population of Manchester and Salford was at once undertaken, and every child in every family had to be traced ami accounted for, in wliatever part of the country it might have migrated. The bishop in- structed his clergy to throw aside all other occupa- tions that were not imperative, for the sake of this work, "let them have fewer services in the churches if these were a hindrance in hunting out the souls that were a.stray". By May, 1880, the census was com- plete. Out of an estimated (^atholic population of 100,000 in Manchester and Salford, 74,000 persons were individually registered. Of the children imder sixteen no less than 811.") were reported as in danger of losing their faith, and of these 2t).').'5 were described as being in extreme danger. Tlien the Rescue and Pro- tection Society was started. The l)ishop gave £UK>0 to its funds on the spot, and the episcopal income for the same object, during the lime he remained in Sal- ford. His exami)le was contagious and the people gave generously in money and service. At the outset