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Show A NOVEL SIGHT. Sixty-two Chinamen were baptized in St. Patrick's Pat-rick's church. Montreal, on a recent Sunday. The procession of Celestials through the streets of the city attracted much attention, and many people followed fol-lowed them up to find out their destination. Besides Be-sides the neoiihvtes, a large number of their fellow countrymen took part in the parade, so that nearly j 200 Chinamencrowded the vestry and the church, j Martin Callaghan, pastor of St. Patrick's, admin- j istered the sacrament. Mr. McNally stood as spon- j sor. j Father Callaghan, says La Presse ofMontreal, j conies of a family famous for having given three j sons to the Church as priests and four daughters as religious. But he has not been satisfied with fame thrust upon him, he has acquired it, and is well known throughout the continent, as a priest as successful suc-cessful a she has been zealous in the conversion of souls erring from the path of truth. Father Callaghan is credited under God with being the means of the conversion of nearlv 5.000 persons from all stages of belief and unbelief. His latest conquests have been among the Chinese, of whom Montreal boasts a large colony. He began his labors with them two years ago. A movement, silent, steady and ever increasing, sf in. and today he has the consolation of having 140 bitptized Coles- j tials attending church regularly at St. Patrick's, and twice as many catechumens upnder instruction I who anxiously look forward to the dav when they, too, will be received into the church. The difficulties encountered, the labors and ex- j ertions necessitated by this sort of ministry, can j hardly be exaggerated, especially when we con.-i ' j that the work is individual in every case, personal f contact and attention being the only means of j bringing about results. Then again his neophytes have a very imperfect knowledge of the EnglisL language, while everything in their intellectual make-up traditions, religious habits, habitual trend of mind, present associations is far from being congenial to the teaching of the Catholic church. . A. , |
