ANGLICAN CHURCH

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 8

ANGLICAN CHURCH

RESCUE WORK UNDERTAKEN IN DUNEDIN. Bishop Richards presided over a meeting in St. Paul's Schoolroom on Thursday afternoon, called for the purpose of coifeidering in what way the Sisters of St. Anne, who are starting a home fox the purpose of carrying on rescue work in connection with the. Church of England, may be assisted. There was , a good attendange of * ladies. Canon Mutter, of Christchurch, .was present, and he 1 addressed the meeting on the need that existed for social work in connection with the Church of England, both here and in other parts of New Zealand. He explained that this question was under consideration at the time war broke out, and consequently they had not been able to get any sisters from Home to undertake the great work which was waiting to be done. Correspondence relating to this work had reached the sisters connected with thss Order of St. Anne, in America, and a number of these sisters had offered to come out to New Zealand to undertake the work of the Church relating to the care of girls who had strayed from the path of rectitude. Four of these _ good sisters had already arrived in Christchurch, and a property had been purchased by the Diocesan Property -trustees at Styx, and which in addition to the buildings, comprised some 89 acres of good land. Here it was proposed to establish the rescue home of the Church of England for the whole of the South Island, and where it was hoped that girls who through lack of proper control or through unhealthy xsurroundings had got into. trouble. The movement b '»d the backing of the chief magistrate in Christchurch as well as other leading citizens, who realised that it was most necessary. Mother Mary Francis and the other three sisters did not ask to be paid for their services; all they looked for was their food and clothing and the opportunity to carry on a very necessary work, The Church had been slow in making a start, while other "-organisations had been doing a splendid work for many veaTs. It had been computed that 35 per cent, or 36 rrer cent, of the girls in the larger homes in the dominion belonged to the Church of England and it was the duty of the Church to care for them. A resolution of thanks to the sisters for coming to New Zealand to take up this work was carried, and a local committee consisting of Mesdames Hill-Jack. Neville. Arundale. Miss Williams, and Sisters Boys and Elizabeth was set up to assist the home from Dunedin.