NEW NORCIA
NEW ORLEANS
to be presumed that, in the absence of any statutory
provision covering the point, the courts of the terri-
tory would follow the general rule: that confession to a
priest is a confidential communication and therefore
inviolable. (8) Churches are, in the contemplation of
the laws of New Mexico, in the category of charitable
institutions. (9) No religious or charitable institu-
tion is permitted to hold more than $50,000 worth of
property; any property acquired or held contrary to
the aliove prohibition shall be forfeited and escheat to
(he United States. The property of religious institu-
tions is exempt from taxation when it is being used
and devoted exclusively to its appropriate objects,
and not used with a view to pecuniary profit. The
clergy are exempt from jury and military service.
(10) Marriage may be either by religious or by civil
ceremony. The male must be eighteen years of age,
and the female fifteen, for marriage with parents' con-
sent; after the male is twenty-one and the female
eighteen they may marry regardless of parents' con-
sent. Marriages between first cousins, uncles, aunts,
nieces and nephews, half-brothers and sisters, grand-
parent and grandchildren, are declared incestuous and
absolutely void. (11) Education in the public schools
must be non-sectarian. (12) No charitable or reli-
gious bequests are recognized unless made in writing
duly attested by the lawful number of witnesses. (13)
There are no restrictions as to cemeteries other than
that they must not be near to running streams. (14)
Divorce may be obtained for cruelty, adultery, de-
sertion, and for almost every ground recognized as
sufficient in any state of the tjnion. The party seek-
ing divorce must have been a bona fide resident of the
territory for more than a year prior to the date of fil-
ing the action. Service on the defendant must be per-
sonal, if the defendant is within the territory ; but may
be by publication, if the whereabouts of the defendant
are unknown. Trials of divorce are without a jury.
BANf'ROFT, H. H., History of New Mexico and Arizona (San Francisco, 18S8); Biennial Report of the State Superintendent of Puhlic Instruction of New Mexico (Santa F^, 1908) ; Blackmab, Spanish InstU-ulions in the Southwest (Baltimore, 1891) ; Compiled Laws of New Mexico (Santa Ff , 1897 and 1908) ; Catholic Direc- tory for 1910; U. S. Census Bureau, Bulletin no. lOS (Washing- ton, 1906) : Enqelhardt, The Missions and Missionaries of Cali- fornia, I (San Francisco, 1908); II (San Francisco, 1910); Vl- llaqrA, Historia de la Nuem Mcjico (Alcald de Henares, 1610; Mexico, 1900); Illustrated History of New Mexico (Los Angeles, 1907) ; CouES, On the Trail of a Spanish Pioneer (tr. of the diary of Father Francisco Garc^s) (New York, 1900) ; Report of the Gov- ernor of New Mexico to the Secretary of the Interior (Washington, 1909) ; Shea. History of the Catholic Church in the United States (New York, 1892) ; Register of the University of New Mexico. 1909- 10 (Albuquerque, 1910); Register of the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Santa F«, 1910); Pmo, Noticias histdricas y estadisticas sobre la antigua provincia del Nuevo Mejico (Cadiz, 1812; Mexico, 1839; 1849); The Journey of Antonio de Vargas and Conquest of New Mexico in 1891-3 (MS. in Library of the New Mexico Historical Society, Santa F6) ; Publications of the New Mexico Historical Society (Santa F6, 1898-1910).
AURELIO M. ESPINOSA.
New Norcia, a Benedictine abbey in Western Aus- tralia, founded on 1 March, 1846, by a Spanish Bene- dictine, Rudesindus Salvado, for the christianizing of the Australian aborigines. It is situated eighty-two miles from Perth, the state capital: its territory is bounded on the south and east by the Diocese of Perth, and on the north by the Diocese of Geraldton. This mission at first had no territory. Its saintly founder, like the Baptist of old, lived in the wilderness, leading the same nomadic life as the savages whom he had come to lead out of darkness. His food was of the most variable character, consisting of wild roots dug out of the earth by the spears of his swarthy neophytes, with hzards, iguanas, even worms in times of distress, or, when fortunate in the chase, with the native kan- garoo. After three years of unparalleled hardships amongst this cannibal race, Salvado came to the con- clusion that they were capable of Christianity. As- sisted by some friends, he started for Rome in 1849 to procure auxiliaries and money to assist him in prose-
cuting his work of civilization. While in Rome he was
appointed Bishop of Port Victoria in Northern Aus-
trafia, being consecrated on 15 August, 1849. Before
he left Rome, all his people of Port Victoria had aban-
doned the diocese for the goldfields. Bishop Salvado
thereupon implored the pope to permit him to return
to his beloved Australian blacks. He set out for
Spain, and obtained there monetary assistance and
over forty young volunteers. All these afterwards
became Benedictines. They landed in Australia in
charge of their bishop on 15 August, 18.52.
Bishop Salvado, with his band of willing workers, commenced operations forthwith. They cleared land for the plough, and introduced the natives to habits of industry. They built a large monastery, schools and orphanages for the young, cottages for the married, flour-mills to grind their wheat, etc. An important village soon sprang up, in which many natives were fed, clothed, andmadegood Christians. On 12 March, 1867, Pius IX made New Norcia an abbey nidlius and a prefecture Apostolic with jurisdiction over a terri- tory of 16 square miles, the extent of Bishop Salvado's jurisdiction until his death in Rome on 29 December, 1900, in the eighty-seventh year of his age and the fifty-first of his episcopate. Father Fulgentius Tor- res, O.S.B., was elected Abbot of New Norcia in suc- cession to Bishop Salvado on 2 October, 1902. The new abbot found it necessary to frame a new policy for his mission. Rapid changes were setting in; agricultural settlers were taking up the land, driving out the sheep and cattle lords, and absorbing the la- bour of the civilized natives. The mission had now to provide for the spiritual wants of the white popula- tion, and Abbot Torres boldly faced the situationby entering upon a large scheme of improvements in and around the monastery. With the approbation of the Holy See, he had the boundaries of the abbey extended to embrace the country between 30° and 31° 20' S. latitude, and between the sea and 120° E. longitude — a territory of over 30,000 sq. miles (nearly as large as Ireland or the State of Maine). Abbot Torres brought out many priests and young ecclesiastics for the monastery and parochial work, and built churches in the more settled districts of his new territory. Since Abbot Torres became superior in 1901, the num- ber of churches has increased from one to ten. To foster higher education. Abbot Torres has erected a magnificent convent and ladies' college, and has in hand a similar institution for boys. He has already completed a large and commodious girls' orphanage. All these works have been accomplished at the ex- pense of the Benedictine community. Abbot Torres has not confined his energies solely to New Norcia. He founded the " Drysdale River Aborigines Mission ", 2000 miles away, in the extreme north-west of Aus- tralia, an unexplored land inhabited only by the most treacherous savages. This mission was opened on 12 .luly, 1908, with a party of fifteen in charge of two priests.
Abbot Torres was consecrated bishop in Rome on 22 May, 1910. On the fourth of the same month, by a Decree of the Propaganda, he was appointed adminis- trator Apostolic of Kimberley, and had the " Drystlale Mission " erected into an abbey nullius. He has now under his jurisdiction a territory of 174,000 sq. miles^ an area nearly as large as five important states of the United States — viz., Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, W. Virginia, and Maine. The present position (1910) of the mission is: churches, 10; priests, 17 (secular, 7) monastic students, 9; other religious, 33; mins, 18 high school, 1; primary schools, 4; charitable institU' tions, 2; children attending Catholic schools, 3.50 Catholic population, 3000.
James Flood.
New Orleans, Archdiocese of (Nov^ Auhe- Li^), erected 25 ApriV4793, as the Diocese of Sain^
