Diocesan News

New Zealand Tablet, 5 October 1916, Page 25

Diocesan News

ARCHDIOCESE OF WELLINGTON (From our own correspondent. ) September 30. Advice lias been received that Sapper James P. Daly, son of Mr. M. Daly, of Wright street, has been wounded while fighting in France. He left with the Australian Forces some months ago, and was an old Marist Brothers’ school-boy. In making an appeal for subscriptions for the relief of the distress in Ireland at St. Anne’s Church, Wellington South, the Rev. Father O’Farrell, S.M., said we have no cause to be ashamed of the men who participated in the trouble. They were talented men and some of the best that Ireland could produce. They were in the majority of cases good Catholics, and their noble and edifying deaths were already bearing fruit, for a large number of British officers who witnessed the noble, Christian, and edifying deaths of the patriots of 1916 were now receiving instructions preliminary to being received into the Church to which these gallant men belonged. Sister Anne, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Deamer, who, with another inmate of a convent in Belgium, Mother Brendan, was fortunate enough to get safely out of that country, has arrived in Australia, greatly to her parents’ relief, and that of the community to which she belongs. Just before the arrival of the two ladies by the Osterley, Mrs. Deamer received a letter from her daughter, the first for two years. They had waited from January till June for their passports, and but for American intervention would not have got them. They were the only two British subjects in the convent. No letters had been received by Sister Anne for two years, and on arrival in Holland she found a pile awaiting her, and was able at last to get news of her relatives. She was delighted to be back in the sunshine of Australia after the gloom of Europe, where the constant cannonading results in almost constant rain. Great care had been taken of all in the community, and Sister Anne and Mother Brendan

arrived looking very well, and knew far less of the dreadful happenings than people far off from them; At first there was a good deal of excitement, when, the village was shelled and taken by the enemy. But fortunately the convent escaped injury, and the Huns in possession of the village were a fairly decent lot, as there were no murders or atrocities in the village. For a while the convent was full of wounded, and even the aisles of the chapel were filled with mattresses; the Sisters gave up theirs willingly, and the older Sisters did invaluable work in nursing. At first there was an inconvenient shortage of food, but the country folk managed to send them supplies, so they were never actually in want, and were even able to help the poor who came to their door for relief. On the way out of the country there were many sad sights, fields full of soldiers’ graves, and terrible desolation. The Concert Chamber of the Town Hall was crowded to the doors last Thursday night, the occasion being the annual entertainment given by the pupils of the Marist Brothers’ School, Hawkestone street. The entertainment was fully up to the standard of former years, and the youthful performers and their instructors are to be highly congratulated on ■'the capital showing they made. The physical drill and the dumb-bell exercises were particularly well done, and the playing of the Marist Brothers Old Boys’ Orchestra was quite a feature of the programme. Recitations and musical items, all of a high order of merit, were given by J. Skedden, C. Simpson, B. O’Brien, G. Lacey, F. Reeves, and H. Gregory, and the entertainment was brought to a close with the production of the famous breach of promise trial scene, Bardell v. Pickwick. The performers, who displayed a full appreciation of the humor of the playlet, were—J. Skedden (Judge), C. Poppelton (Sergeant Buzfuz), J. Quirk (Snubbin), M. Reeves (Mrs. Cluppins), J. Shivan (Mrs. Bardell), B. O’Brien (Pickwick), J. Griffin (Winkle), F. Reeves (Sam Weller, jun.), J. Connor (Sam Weller, sen.), R. George (Crier), F. Gamble, J. Hawker, J. O’Brien, W. Gamble, W. Lacey, N. trimmer (Jury). Mrs. Quirk and Misses T. Cudby and Eileen O’Brien played the accompaniments. The Rev. Brother Louis and his capable assistants (Brothers Luke and Oswin) are to be congratulated on the successful result of their efforts. The following is a list of successes achieved by the school within the last twelve months:—One scholarship at Sacred Heart College (Auckland), December, 1915; two scholarships at St. Patrick’s College, December, 1915; three junior free places, Junior National Scholarship Examination, December, 1915 ; 24 proficiencies in Standard VI., December, 1915. The winning of the 6th Division (A) Championship and the North District Primary Schools Competition (Wellington Football Association), September, 1916. t

. His Grace Archbishop O’Shea will perform the opening ceremony of the new church at Taumarunui, now being erected by the Rev. Father Forde. Mr. W. F. Johnson, diocesan secretary of the Catholic Federation, addressed large meetings at Pahiatua, Feilding, and Hamua in connection with the special campaign effort to secure 5000 additional members for the Federation from the archdiocese. Messrs. J. E. Gamble, M. Walsh, and R. Sievers also addressed a large gathering at Petone on Sunday evening for the same object. The final meeting of the committee which organised the function for raising funds for the St. Joseph’s Orphanage, was held last Saturday evening, Mr. J. J. L. Burke presiding. The balance sheet disclosed the splendid balance of .£227. This amount will be handed to the Sisters on Sunday next by the members of the committee, who will make the journey to the ■Upper Hutt for that purpose. A bazaar and sale of work were opened this afternoon in the Goring Street Hall by his Grace Archbishop Redwood for the purpose of raising funds to liquidate the debt incurred in the building of the Thorndon suburban church-school for the Catholics of Karori, Kelburn, and Northlands. There was a large attendance, and the stallholders and their assistants had a busy time. The function will be continued tonight and for several more nights next week. The Rev. Father Smyth and his committee are to be congratulated on the excellent results achieved. The Marist Brothers’ School, Newtown, has again distinguished itself by winning the Public Schools’ Rugby Championship. Prior to this season teams from the Marist Schools were debarred from competing. This year they were admitted, and proved their superiority. The final match on Friday last was most interesting and caused great excitement. Needless to say that boys from the rival schoolsMarists and Terrace State —were present in large numbers around the ground. Five members of the Marist team were selected to represent the Wellington team against Christchurch last Saturday. At the last meeting of the D Battery, F. A. Reserve opportunity was taken to farewell Lieut. J. Duggan, who goes into camp next month. Lieut. Duggan took a very active interest in the formation of the Reserve, and the chairman conveyed to him the best wishes of the members. The lecturer for the evening was Lieut. Duggan, who took for his subject ‘The Historical Evolution of the Gun.’ A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Lieut. Duggan for his able and instinctive lecture. Lieut. Duggan is well known in Catholic circles, being a prominent member of the Dominion Executive of the Catholic Federation, M. Association, and the H.A.C.B. Society. He has just recently completed a successful organising trip of the archdiocese for the purpose of assisting in the special campaign of the diocesan council to enrol 5000 additional members. On Sunday a subscription was taken up in all the churches in Wellington in aid of the starving poor of Dublin who are suffering as a result of the recent rebellion in that city. There was a hearty response, with the result that £2/2 was collected and further sums have been promised, which will bring the total to about £3OO. The collections from the several parishes were as follow:—St. Anne’s (comprising Newtown, Island Bay, Seatoun, and Kilbirnie), £62: St. Joseph’s (Buckle street), over £7O; St. Mary of the IT l ! (Bukotfc street), £7O; Basilica (Thorndon), £4O ; St. Gerard £3O. The response given is regarded as a magnificent tribute to the generosity of the Irish people of Wellington, who have also contributed loyally to the various patriotic funds. The members of the Hibernian Society took up the collection at the various churches. • i ??? Sirifc of sporting rivalry was shown last night at the Marist Brothers’ School in Tasman street when the school’s football team and their opponents were entertained on the occasion of the presentation

to the Marists’ team by the Wellington Rugby Union of the schools’ football shield for the current year. Brother Egbert presided, and in addition to representatives of the other schools in the city there were present a number of sympathisers with the school and representatives of the Rugby Union. The boys were heartily congratulated by the visitors on their success in winning the shield in the first year they competed for it. The respective captains of the teams in the final exchanged congratulations on the result, the Marist captain describing the final game as a ‘stunner/ and the Terrace school captain saying that whilst his team regretted losing the shield, they were pleased it was won by an honorable opponent after a hard-fought game. Refreshments were provided by a number of ladies, and the school orchestra supplied a varied programme of vocal and orchestral music. MEETING OF DOMINION EXECUTIVE OF THE CATHOLIC FEDERATION. The first meeting of the newly-elected Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Catholic Federation was held last Wednesday. Mr. J. J. L. Burke was reelected chairman. ' It was decided that the parish of St. Gerard s should be given representation on the executive. Official correspondence was read showing that the Catholic field service fund has been registered under the War Regulations Act, and pleasure was expressed at the response that has already been made to the appeal for subscriptions. A letter was read from the Minister of Railways stating that he could not see his way to recognise the Federation in the same way as friendly societies in regard to railway concessions for picnics and similar occasions. Interesting reports were received from the diocesan councils regarding the ogress of the Federation. Auckland reported that Monsignor Gillan is conducting a ‘ recruiting ’ campaign throughout his district with splendid results. Monsignor Mahoney will join in the campaign at a later date. From Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin it was reported that an active propaganda was in progress, and that good results had been achieved.