Diocesan News

New Zealand Tablet, 26 February 1914, Page 35

Diocesan News

-"- ARCHDIOCESE OF WELLINGTON (From our own correspondent.) February 21. A. meeting for the purpose of starting a Ladies' Club was held last Sunday r evening, under the presidency of the Ve'n. Archdeacon Devoy, S.M., at St. Anno's Hall. The lady stallholders at the forthcoming St. Joseph's Bazaar will commence a series of 'euchre parties on Tuesday next, in order to raise funds for furnishing the stalls. " Mr. George Girling-Butcher, secretary and) organiser of the N.Z. Catholic Federation, left by the Main Trunk express to-day for Auckland, to conclude his itinerary in that diocese. The Very Rev. Dean Regnault, S.M., will, in conjunction with Bro. J. J. L. Burke, represent St. Patrick's branch of the H.A.C.B. Society at the conference of the society to be held.in Auckland on Wednesday next. The many friends of the Rev. Brother Virgilius, of Auckland and late of Wellington, will be pleased to learn that he is recovering from the recent serious operation which he underwent at Auckland. He is at present in Wellington for a change, before again taking up his d\ities at Auckland. The following ladies and gentlemen have been secured for the St. Patrick's Night concert :—Miss Ida B. Moran, a mezzo-soprano lately come from Sydney; Miss Agnes Segrief, a local favorite ; Mr. J. McGrath, the Dunedin baritone; Mr. L. O. Hooker, the Hawera tenor; Master Ben O'Brien, the talented violinist; and other leading local talent. St. Patrick's Day will be well celebrated this year. In addition to the usual city celebrations at Newtown Park and the Town Hall, the Hutt and Petone branches of the H.A.C.B. Society have combined for the purpose of holding an amateur sports meeting at the Recreation Grounds, Lower Hutt, and a social . at Petone in the evening. . The residents of Rona Bay will also hold their usual Irish concert. , • The Invercargill Hibernian Band, which has made itself famous by its, performance at the Auckland Exhibition, arrived on Monday evening, and departed on Tuesday. On Monday evening, as many of the local Hibernians as could be got together at short notice, rallied around the champions and entertained them at an impromptu supper. Bandmaster Wills has been the recipient of scores of congratulatory • messages from all over, the Dominion on the excellent performance of his. band. .-, ;y •. ' -;;. fc/ ; ' : '.• ;• : ; ■••..' .;... ~.'•.■.-•„.:.'..•;-..■ . •■•"■ i - A meeting of the "St. Vincent V de Paul Society, under the presidency of Bro. B. Ellis, was held in St. Patrick's- Hall last Sunday afternoon ; there was. a fair attendance. The principal business transacted- was the reconstruction of St. Patrick's Seamen's Conference, which of late has -not had sufficient active members to cope with the volume of work handled by this important and very necessary-branch of the society. " Several new members were proposed, and v the officers es would be pleased to receive I further applications from young men § willing to undertake the work. It was decided to have a paper prepared dealing > with the works ij of the - conference, showing what has been 1 done in : the past,

and. what it is proposed to do in the future. , The Very Rev. Dean Regnault, S.M., who was present, promised to devote one of the services at the forthcoming mission by the Marist Fathers in St. Mary of ; the Angels' Church, to the seamen in port on that occasion. ~• As a result of this meeting it is expected that a fresh impetus will be given to the work.. : '', : ;:t The members of the Wellington Catholic Club assembled in force at the club rooms on Friday night, the occasion being a farewell to Mr. James Ward, (the club's late secretary), who is about to be transferred to Taumarunui. Mr. J. L. Leydon presided, and expressed the keen sense of regret felt by members at the departure of their guest. He referred to the thorough and self-sacrificing manner in which Mr. Ward had carried out his duties as secretary. His work would always be remembered by the Catholics of Wellington. He asked the guest of the evening to accept a case of pipes from the members of the club, as a small token of their appreciation of his services. Mr. G. Dee, the oldest executive officer of the club, Mr. M. Walsh, on behalf of the H.A.C.B. Society, and Mr. C. Gamble (Mr. Ward's successor as secretary) added their tributes to the work of their guest. -i In reply, Mr. Ward thanked those present for their gift. He had had considerable experience of Catholic clubs in various places, but considered that the Wellington members were hard to beat. He, however, urged upon them to make a renewed effort to place their club well in the foreground of Catholic organisations, He recognised that his departure meant the loss to him of many friends, but he would always cherish the memory of his connection with the Wellington Catholic young men. ' '■.. ;, An impromptu programme of music, song, and story was gone through, and revealed the fact that the club possesses a good Seal oT talent of no mean order.