DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

New Zealand Tablet, 4 November 1915, Page 25

DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

(By telegraph, from our own correspondent.) ■ November 1. A social by St. Benedict’s Club will be given on next Wednesday evening in aid of the Wounded Soldiers’ Fund.. Rev. Father Farragher, of the Sacred Heart parish, Ronsonby, has been away in the province officiating, and his place has been temporarily filled by Rev. Father Kehoe. Rev. Brother Clement, Provincial of the Marist Brothers in Australasia, arrived this morning from Sydney by the Niagara on his round of inspection of the various houses of the Order in the Dominion. In honor of his arrival a beautiful green flag, with Irish harp thereon, was to-day flown from the flagstaff on the Sacred Heart College grounds. St. Mary’s Convent High School, Ponsonby, has just received the following results from the National Business College, Sydney:—Shorthand (Junior Division)Maude Fanthorpe, 100; Lily White, 96; Noel Jones, 90. Bookkeeping (Elementary Division)— Maude Fanthorpe, 99. Junior Division White, 100; Noel Jones, 98; Mary C. Ryan, 96. One of the Auckland wounded soldiers from the front, who this week returned by the Tofua, said that the heroism and devotion to duty displayed by Rev. Father Dore, Catholic chaplain at Gallipoli, were the subject of eulogies from several of the men. Trooper J. Patterson, of the 11th Auckland Mounted Rifles, said that Father Dore was always in the thick of the fighting! On one occasion he was sent to Lemnos for a rest, but when he heard that the men were going

into action, he went across to the Peninsula again/ though he could hardly walk, arid he kept in the firing line all the time. ' : ’vc ■■■■/;*

A well-attended meeting was held at St. Joseph’s Convent, Alexandria road, Remuera, Auckland, for the purpose of forming a branch of the Mercy Guild, which has for its object the making of comforts for our wounded soldiers in the hospitals and the hospital ships, and has its headquarters at the Sisters of Mercy Convent, Ponsonby, Auckland. The president of the league (Mrs. J. J. O’Brien) gave a resume of the work already accomplished, and, after various matters were discussed, it was arranged that this branch should by the guild for the hospital ship. The following officers were elected ; President, Mrs, Harvey vicepresident, Mrs. Sims; secretary and treasurer, Mrs. Frost.,

Special offertories, by direction' of his Lordship the Bishop, were taken up in the Catholic churches in the city -and suburbs yesterday in aid of the Wounded Soldiers’ Fund. Special appeals were mad© from the pulpits to our people to support the fund. Very Rev. Father Cahill, speaking at St. Patrick’s . Cathedral, pointed out the grave obligation we were under to those brave young soldiers wtio had had the spirit and strength to voluntarily risk their lives, and to endure the hardships and sacrifices incidental to modern warfare, that our interests might be safeguarded. Therefore, he said, it was a matter of justice rather than of charity to see that these men, who gave up their means of livelihood from a pure motive of patriotism, and who came home to us sick and maimed, should be provided for by a part of the substance of those for whom they risked everything. Though the members of the congregation had given and were giving freely to the various patriotic funds, it was fitting that the Church as an organisation, should make this special appeal.