FATHER GALLAIS ON HOSPITALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1906, Page 4

FATHER GALLAIS ON HOSPITALS

Tliu very inclement weather interfered with* the attendance) at the Church of tiie Sacred Heart, Recfton, on Sunday night. But, notwithstanding, there was a good number present. During the course of the evening the Rev. Father Callais preached an eloquent and stirring sermon from Matthew sth, v. 7, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." Ho spoke of the times before the Christian era when the.motto of the world was "vac vietis," when Cacser led Vercingetorix to Home to insult the brave chief and hilled him with ignominious tortures. There was then 110 thought of mercy, women were mere chattels, and deformed children were done away with ; when slaves were looked upon "as things to be slain and tortured at thy whim of their masters. Then from the manger of Bethlehem there came a new sense into the world and in the Carable of the good Samaritan we had (he

germ of (he hospital. The germ flourished and since then where Christian religion had gone, it had founded its monastery with its hospice and' sanctuary for those in crime or oppresed. Then there came those pious nurses, the Sisters of Charity, who went out even on the battlefield to succour and comfort; and at the present day we had no town where there is not a hospital. He had been told of the efforts of a poor French priest, who made the first attempt to found a hospital on the West Coast in the early days of the diggings, and he was proud that those efforts should have been the forerunner of the many hospitals which were now to be found on the West Coast, And there was no man so poor in mind as to grudge the aid to the afflicted, the comfort to those who had worked in the dangers of the early days, and who found assistance and succor at the hospitals to-day. He appealed to litem as a Cat Indie priest to set aside something every year towards the assistance of so Christian an institution. No man who was born of woman could refuse the appeal to succour. "Unless we have charity, what, profited) a man." Charity covered a multitude of sins. As they \vt-i\- merciful they would oh lain mercy in Urn end.

The choir, conducted by Mr Phillips, contributed several sacred items, while Mr Hution contributed the solo "When Night is Darkest,"' and Mrs Phillips sang the sacred song "Galilee." Mr Anderson played the violin solo "Cavatina."

the collection in aid of (he renovation of the Women's Ward at the Church of (he Sacred Heart on Simday night resulted in £5 17s bein» col cefed-a record, considering the bad night. This, with 5s forwarded since, made up ,-, total of £6 2s J,,, angahua Times.