UNIVERSITY CHAPEL

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25135, 17 March 1947, Page 3

UNIVERSITY CHAPEL

ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

" The Press Special Service AUCKLAND, March 15. A resolution stating that the executive of the Auckland University College Students’ Association was unable to support the proposal to build a chapel at Tamaki was passed by the executive and is to be sent to the college council. The executive also held that the gift of £30,000 offered by Mr William Goodfellow to establish a fund for the chapel would be more usefully employed in the establishment of a boys’ school. The resolution was as follows: “This executive feels itself unable to support the proposal for the erection of a Protestant chapel at Tamaki, owing to the problem of interdenominational divergence of opinion, particularly as to the appointment of a chaplain and as to the form of service that would be instituted It is further considered that the position in New Zealand is different from that in Great Britain, where there is an established State Church, and that in this country it is impossible to provide a universally acceptable form of public worship. “The executive joins with the council in appreciation of Mr Goodfellow’s generous offer, but suggests that ’the gift would be more usefully employed in the establishment of a boys’ school.”

A further resolution passed by the executive was: “If such a chapel is erected it should be called the university Protestant chapel, and it should be placed on record that the council is creating a precedent in granting land at the university to one religious sect.”