TEN THOUSAND IN PROCESSION

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22936, 5 February 1940, Page 8

TEN THOUSAND IN PROCESSION

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS ENDS IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE AT WELLINGTON (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, February 4. One of the. greatest assemblages of people in the history of Wellington saw the closing scenes of the New Zealand National Eucharistic Congress this afternoon, when there was a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the city streets, so extensive that it took 45 minutes to pass a given point to the congress grounds to the solemn Pontifical benediction and the giving of the Papal blessing by the Papal Legate, Archbishop Pamco. The crowd in the grounds and nearby while the benediction service was proceeding was between 40,000 and 50,000, The procession at least numbered 10,000, Long’ before the hour appointed for the procession to move off, the Roman Catholic people, of whom there were 18,000 in Wellington, 25,000 in the Wellington district, and 76,000. in the Archdiocese, came to the city by tram, train, bus, and motor-car. Crowds several deep were formed on both sides of the entire route. Loud-speakers were set up, through which were broadcast hymns sung by a special choir at St. Patrick’s College under Mr M. Fernie, and with Mr H. Mount at the organ. Father Gupwell, S.M., broadcast devotional interludes. Roman Catholic boy scouts distributed thousands of hymn sheets. Crowd in Grounds Those who participated in the procession alone almost entirely filled the congress grounds, which had a seating capacity of 4000 occupied by women and girls alone, and’a full capacity of more than 10,000. There was no section of Roman Catholic life unrepresented. School children, primary and secondary, to the number of 2500, took their part in the procession. It took more than ah hour for participants in the procession to take their places in the congress ground. There the scene was unforgettable. On either side of the altar sisters of the various orders were given pride of place to see the scene below, and on the sides of the amphitheatre formed by the rise at the altar end of the ground were more than 300 priests of all orders represented at the congress, and of many lands—American, Australian, Syrian, Chinese, and European missionaries, and workers from the Pacific Islands. The procession of clergy was headed by a crossbearer whose two acolytes were Fijian Islanders. Returned soldiers numbering more than 600 were led by LieutenantColonel J. G. Roache, D.5.0., Croix de Guerre, and men of the 2nd Echelon were in. charge of Colonel R. A. Row, D.5.0., N.Z.S.C., Officer Commanding the Central Military District, who had with him Lieutenant-Colonel A. ,B. Williams, D.5.0., R.N.Z.A; Archbishop Panico was celebrant at the benediction service, and after he had read his farewell message and left the grounds he was accorded a tremendous ovation.

SPECIAL SERVICES HELD

REFERENCE TO WOMEN’S WORK FOR CHURCH OP BESS ASSOCIATION TELEOBAII.) •WELLINGTON. February 3. Heavy rain overnight, with no prospect of a clearance this morning, caused some alteration in the Eucharistic Congress programme, the women’s Mass, which was to have been held in the open air at 11 o’clock, being diverted to three of the city churches. The principal ceremony, where Archbishop O’Shea presided, was at St. Mary of the Angels, where Archbishop Duhig, of Brisbane, preached. The celebrant of the Mass was Bishop Fox, of Wilcannia-Forbes. Deacon and Subdeacon were Father J. Kingan, S.M., and the Rev. Father D. Ruane. Deacons at the Throne were Dean Davis and the Rev. Father James Gilbert, M.S.C. A special Mass was not affected by the weather, this being scheduled as an indoor function at St. Mary of the Angels and taking place accordingly at 9 o’clock. The preacher was Dr. Gleeson, Bishop of Maitland. Works of Charity

In his sermon. Bishop Gleeson said the gathering had special significance, and the authorities of the Congress had given evidence of much insight inarranging that the sisterhoods and the brotherhoods should have a function entirely their own with all the splendour of ritual that the Church could give it. He spoke of the works of charity and education that were entrusted to the religious, and also referred to the value of the contemplative life. He praised God for the piety and work of the men and • women of the religious orders and institutes of New Zealand and exhorted his hearers to take inspiration from the Eucharistic Congress for still greater things. 'Archbishop Duhig, in a sermon at St. Mary of the Angels, spoke of women in both the Old and New Testament serving a divine purpose faithfully and well. He referred to great women in the history of the Church and said that the daughters of New Zealand and Australia would be found just as ready to serve Christ and carry the Cross as their sisters of centuries ago. Work of Women

"Here, in the Pacific,” he said, it may surprise you to know that - ' there are no fewer than 14,000 nuns working in the cause of Christ.” New Zealand offered many examples of illustrious women in both religious and private life, and he quoted particularlv Mother Mary Aubert, founder of the Home of Compassion, and Mrs Mary Pointon, who in the early days of New Zealand undertook a hazardous journey to Sydney to have her two children baptised. . ' There were «two modern heresies that struck at the very foundation of society— divorce and race suicide. The latter was depriving children of life, God of His creatures. Christ of those who would profess the faith, and the nations of sons and daughters who would be their solace in the hour of need. He exhorted his hearers, standing on the threshold of the second century of New Zealand’s existence, to continue with the good example set bv the men and women who contributed to the building up of the Church in New Zealand, in the last 100 years.