SAILOR’S APPEAL

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 135, 4 March 1941, Page 3

SAILOR’S APPEAL

Help For Melanesian

Mission

A sailor’s plea for help to the Melanesian Mission, which is specially attached to the Church in New Zealand, was the theme of an address at St. Barnabas Rcseneath, on Sunday evening, by Mr. J. M. Reilly, for some time master of the ketch Patteson, which is now doing the work of the steamer Southern Cross, and will do so for the duration of the war. The Southern Cross, said the speaker, is the seventh vessel of the same name, 295 tons burthen, the successor of the little vessel used by Bishop Selwyn, and later by Bishop Patteson. Referring specially to the group covered by the mission, Mr. Reilly recalled that, .through Selwyn’s influence, this was largely increased-from the area originally sketched out, and actually stretched to a point 30 degrees north of the Equator. He spoke of the manner in which Bishop Patteson came into the mission field after hearing a great address by the founder of the mission, and recalled that with him perished a New Zealander, Joseph Aitken, and a native priest. Children were brought to the mission’s schools from distant islands, some to be passed on to advanced schools to become pastors and teachers, who would return to take the message of the Gospel. • The standard of the secondary schools compared well with that of New Zealand schools; two boys were being trained in the Dominion.

“There is,” said the speaker in conclusion. “urgent need for a continuance, if not an increase in the scope of the health work, in the islands, and therefore I hope and trust the people of the church in New Zealand will give liberally and so enable the work to be continued.” The music for the service had been selected'to suit the Lenten season, and to give a mission atmosphere. Four of the minor passion recitatives and arias were sung by Mr. K. Farmer, of the Nelson Cathedral Choir, and the choir sang the chorale, “God So Loved the World,” from Stainer’s “Crucifixion.”