WELLINGTON DIOCESAN COUNCIL

New Zealand Tablet, 28 January 1915, Page 26

WELLINGTON DIOCESAN COUNCIL

(From a correspondent.)

The fourth half-yearly meeting of the Wellington Diocesan Council of the Catholic federation was held in St. Patrick’s Hall, Boulcott street, on Thursday, January 21, The Very Rev. Dean McKenna, Y.G., presided, and his Grace Archbishop O’Shea was present during a part of the proceedings. The following delegates were present: —Blenheim, Rev. Father Fay and Miss Keating; Dannevirke, Messrs. T. Hurley and J. Cullinane; Kaikoura, Miss Girling-Butcher; Master ton, Very Rev. Dean McKenna and. Mr. M. C. O’Connell; New Plymouth, Very Rev. Dean 'James McKenna; Napier, Major Halpin; Otaki, Rev. Father Maillard; Petone, Rev. Father Quealy; Pahiatua, Mr.' P. D. Hoskins; Taihape, Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Doherty; Wanganui, Very Rev. Dean Holley and Messrs. Carmody and Redwood Wellington South, Yen. Archdeacon Devoy, Rev. Father Herring, and Mr. T. J. McCosker; St. Mary’s (Te Aro), Very Rev. Father O’Connell, Mr. F. O’Driscoll, and Mr. F. J. Dalton; St. Joseph’s (Te Aro), Rev. Father Barra and Messrs. Cassie and Parsonage; Thorndon, Rev. Father Tymons, Mr. R. P. Smyth, and Mr. M. Walsh; Woodville, Mr. W. F. Johnson; Waipawa, Mr. Duggan; Wairoa, Mr. Broad. After the minutes of the previous meeting had been read and confirmed, the Very Rev. chairman invited Archbishop O’Shea to address the council, and expressed the gratitude the council felt to his Grace for his presence, in view of the fact that he had only arrived that morning from a visit to the West Coast of the South Island.

The Archbishop’s Address.

His Grace congratulated the council upon the success of its work during the past term, and made special reference to the efforts of the Federation in contributing to the defeat of the Bible-in-Schools Referendum Bill. ,He was pleased to see that in the new Parliament a substantial majority of the members were opposed to the proposals contained in that Bill, but he warned the council that the Federation must still be vigilant, and that it must make use of every means to perfect its organisation. ' He sincerely hoped that when the delegates returned to their respective parishes they would do everything possible to increase the membership of the local branch of the Federation, and exhorted all present, both priests and laity, to take an earnest and an active interest in its welfare. His Grace referred to the question of boarded-out children, and trusted that the council would do everything it possibly could to place these children beyond the possibility of danger to their faith. His Grace also referred to the fact that the Education Act, passed in the last session of Parliament, provided that holders of scholarships at bur primary schools may pursue their studies at Catholic secondary schools, and expressed the hope that in time, the same right would be granted to the holders of freeplace scholarships. The Archbishop expressed his great regret that -he would be unable to remain with the council during the sitting, owing to the large amount of business requiring his attention, and trusted that its deliberations would result in binding the members of the Federation more closely in defence of Catholic interests. His Grace then left, and it was resolved, on the motion of the Very Rev. chairman ‘ That the best thanks of the council be tendered to Archbishop O’Shea for his address, and that the same be recorded on the minutes.’. '

The report of the executive, which was taken as read, was in part as follows : —The most important work of the half-year has been in connection with the Bible-in-schools movement. During the last session. of Par-

T “ ■ j • -rv.n - • V. . ' -w* ■ Lament, a Bill was introduced by the Minister of Education, authorising the taking of a; referehdum ohfthcr . question of making Bible, lessons compulsory.: in the- - State schools of the Dominion. This proposal was considered by the Federation to inflict a grave injusticeC upon those who could not conscientiously .' approve -of such religious instruction, and a petition was presented to Parliament by members of the Federation, in every electorate in the Dominion. Much evidence was taken by the Education Committee of the House of Representatives, and the case for the Catholic community was most ably stated by his Lordship Bishop Cleary oh behalf of the Federation. The best . thanks ; of the council are due to Bishop Cleary for his , able ? presentment of the Catholic position, and the same should be accorded the general secretary, Mr. , Girling-Butcher, for his untiring energy in connection with the matter. The question of holding a gathering of Catholics from all parts of the archdiocese on the lines of the successful gathering in Southland in February last, was referred to your executive committee by the last half-yearly meeting. As the archdiocese covers such a wide area, the proposal was considered impracticable. The committee is of opinion that a number of local gatherings—say each Deanery holding a picnic or sports meeting on a holiday most suitable to the —would more likely meet with success. The question of preventing the sale and distribution of objectionable literature has received much attention during the period. It was found that booksellers were in all cases quite willing to withdraw from circulation any works which Catholics might deem offensive, and in many cases asked to be informed from time to time of the names of such books. A case occurred recently at Petone, where a person was found distributing a pamphlet of a highly indecent nature to children leaving the Catholic school-grounds. The matter was instantly reported to your executive by the secretary of the Petone committee. The case was • referred to the head office, with a recommendation that it be placed in the hands of the police. This was done, and the offender was convicted in the Magistrate’s Court, the total amount of the fines and costs being over seventeen pounds. The executive commends the action of the Petone committee to the .notice of all parish committees. The matter of children committed to receiving-homes, and afterwards boarded-out at the cost of the State, has also received much attention by your executive committee during the period. The Education Department was approached by the Dominion Executive, and it agreed to send .Catholic children to homes approved by the Federation. At the last halfyearly meeting, the question of providing a marque© for the use of the Catholic members of the military forces was referred to the executive committee. The executive has to report that a suitable marquee has been purchased at the cost of £ls, and that it was sent to the camp of the Expeditionary Force at Awapuni, ' where it was much appreciated both by the priests and by the men. Your executive committee has taken an active interest in the welfare of the Catholic members of the Expeditionary Forces/ A contribution was made to the cost of the outfits of the chaplains with the • Forces. A supply of C.T.S. pamphlets was placed on board the troopships, and Rosary beads and other devotional articles were distributed. It is to be regretted that in many cases the business of the Federation does not receive the attention that might reasonably be ex- , pected. In some cases, no account has been rendered by the parish committee of the moneys received on account of the Federation. This •is a most serious matter, and one that requires urgent attention on the part of the committees concerned. The executive ear- - nestly begs the laity to take the interest they should in the work of the Federation for the defence of our common interests, and trusts that the present year will witness a great advance in the membership, and earnest attention on the part of the parish committees. The balance sheet showed that the total receipts, including a balance of £BO 5s lOd brought forward, were £165 5s sd, and the expenditure £lO3 5s 2d, leaving ,a credit balance of £62 Os 3d. Speaking to the report, the secretary said that the

greater part of the expenditure, apart from dues to the Dominion Council, were of an extraordinary nature, and that the finances, of the council were in .a sound position. ■f « Mr. ; Cullinane ; said that the executive was, to be congratulated upon the manner in which the business had been conducted during the past term. The most ! pressing need at the present time, was that the organiser should pay a visit to the outlying districts. * Mr. Girling-Butcher said that some difficulty had been met in making arrangements to visit all the parishes in a - given area during the same tour, but he had endeavored to do so as far as possible. There were insistent demands for his services from portions of the Dominion not yet visited. Mr. ‘Walsh also congratulated the executive upon its report, but regretted the conclusion arrived at with reference to the proposed Pan-Wellington gathering. The report and balance sheet were adopted. The secretary read the report of the C.1.C., which showed that much good work had been done during the past half-year. Eleven oversea vessels had been .met, bringing altogether 120 Catholic immigrants. Those going to other parts of the Dominion had been given letters of introduction to the parish priest and the Federation secretary, and lodgings found for those remaining iii Wellington. The committee was in communication with the London Catholic Women's League,

and the general secretary of the Hibernian Society in Belfast. The need of a hostel for Catholic girls awaiting employment was very urgent, as it was difficult to get suitable lodgings for girls amid Catholic surroundings. In consequence of this, girls had been sent to hostels conducted by other religious organisations, and the committee requested the Diocesan Council to do its best to provide the equipment for such an institution. The secretary stated that he considered the report a very fine one. It was a modest record of good work well done, and he moved that it be adopted, which was agreed to. The delegates reported upon the condition of their several branches. The reports as a whole showed that satisfactory increase in the membership had taken place in many cases. Mr. Broad said that before the council proceeded further with the business, he felt it his duty to call attention to the magnificent fight on behalf of the Catholic community which Bishop Cleary had conducted, and he moved— ‘ That this council desires to place on record its sincere appreciation of the invaluable services rendered by. Bishop Cleary in the interests of Catholic education, and especially thanks his Lordship for his successful defence of the Catholic position before the Education Committee of the House of Representatives, upon the question of the Bible-in-Schools Referen-

dum Bill, and that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Bishop Cleary forthwith.’ Mr. Cassin, in seconding the motion, said that everyone. appreciated to the fullest extent the selfsacrificing labors of the Bishop of Auckland. • ;/ Very Rev. ;Father O’Connell, speaking on behalf of the clergy, said that it was impossible ,to over-esti-mate the services that Bishop Cleary,, had rendered to the Catholics of this Dominion. Speaking with an intimate knowledge of the facts, he said that while the Bill was before the committee, his Lordship had often labored far into the night, in spite of severe disabilities in the way of ill-health. Tire motion was agreed to unanimously. Mr. Walsh, on behalf of the Thorndon parish committee moved— ‘ That an auxiliary organiser should be appointed, and that such officer should be a priest.’ Mr. Cullinane seconded the motion on the ground that it was impossible for one organiser to attend to all the requirements of the Dominion. Very Rev. Dean McKenna, speaking as VicarGeneral, pointed out that it was-impossible to spare a priest at present for such a purpose, moreover, he was of opinion that it would be entirely out of place to expect a priest to be assistant organiser. Mr. Duggan said that this was essentially an organisation of laymen, and that instead of looking to the clergy for help, the laity should offer help to the clergy. On behalf of St. Joseph’s parish committee, Mr. Cassin moved That financial members, who remove from one parish to another, inform the parish secretary of their new address, and the secretary will, on receipt of such information, notify the secretary of the committee in that parish.’ Mr. Parsonage, in seconding the motion, pointed out that some such rule was necessary in the larger centres where there was a shifting population. Very Rev. Father O’Connell and Very Rev. Dean Holley supported the resolution, stating that it would be of great assistance to the parish priests. The motion wan agreed to.

The amendment to the rules submitted by the Dominion Executive was then considered. An amendment to rule 4, altering the date of the ending of the financial year to June 30 was approved without discussion.

At this stage the Very Rev. Dean McKenna retired, having to return to Masterton, and the Rev. Father Daly (vice-president) assumed the chair.

The proposed amendment to rule 8, paragraph (a), which provided that five residents of Wellington be elected to the Dominion Council, evoked some discussion.

Mr. Hoskins, in moving that the proposed Amendment be agreed' to, said that 1 the principal reason for the proposal was, that the members of the Dominion Executive, who performed all the functions of the Dominion Council when the latter body was not in session, found themselves without a voice in the -proceedings at the meetings of the council. - - Very Rev. Father O’Connell seconded the motion on the ground that the executive was certainly entitled to its full share in the deliberations of the council.

Mr. Johnson moved as an amendment —‘ That the proposed amendment be struck out, and the following be inserted in lieu thereof—“ That five members of the Federation resident in Wellington be elected to the Dominion Council annually at a general meeting of the parish committees of the city convened for that purpose by the secretary of the Diocesan Council.” ’ The amendment went on to prescribe the rules to be applied to the election of the members of the council and Mr. Johnson in moving it, said .that his only object was to make the field of selection of the members to be elected from the city as wide as possible, so that the best men available could be elected to the highest office within the gift of members of the Federation.

O ____ - Mr. Duggan, in seconding, the amendment proposed by Mr. Johnson, expressed himself as strongly in favor of the principle of election by the committees. Very Rev. Father O’Connell said he was in favor of the principle of the amendment, but suggested that a better way would be for each parish committee to •nominate two members, from -whom the council could elect the five members required.

Rev. Father Daly maintained that the constitution of the Dominion Executive was defective, and that it was quite possible the executive may not be representative of the general body of the Federation. The amendment, proposed by Mr. Johnson, was carried by 15 votes to 5.

The proposed amendment to rule 9 was agreed to without discussion.

A notice of motion from Dannevirke, that Diocesan Councils pay half the expenses of delegates to the council, the parish committees providing the other half, was referred to the executive committee, with authority to act.

Rev. Father Daly stated that as the camp at Trentham was situated within his parish the duty of attending to the spiritual needs of the members of the forces there devolved upon him, there being no resident chaplain in the camp. The authorities had granted the use of the hall for Mass on Sundays, and it was suitable for the purpose, but the great need was a place

to hear confessions, and that might be used as a writing room, etc., for the men. A site for a building would be granted, and a. suitable one could be erected at the cost of about £125.

It was moved that the matter be referred to the Dominion Executive with a recommendation that each parish committee in the Dominion be asked to contribute £l.

Rev. Father Daly said that it was a matter of urgency, that something should be done by the council at that meeting.

Mr. Duggan moved as an amendment —‘ That the sum of £25 be granted towards the cost of the building required.’ The motion was withdrawn in favor of the amendment, which was agreed to. It was further resolved that the administration of the fund be placed in the hands of the Rev. Father Daly, and that the council’s contribution be sent to him.

A vote of thanks to the secretary for his services during the past term was carried, and a. similar vote to Rev. Father Daly concluded the business.