CARDINAL BOURNE'S VISIT TO THE FLEET

New Zealand Tablet, 2 November 1916, Page 13

CARDINAL BOURNE'S VISIT TO THE FLEET

The following interesting record of the visit of the Cardinal Archbishop to the Grand Fleet is contributed by Mgr. Jackman to the Cathedral Chronicle: For the first time since the ‘Reformation’ an English Cardinal has gone as the highest representative of the Catholic Church in England, to pay an extensive visit to the Grand Fleet. The last occasion on which an English Cardinal visited the Fleet was when Cardinal Stuart, the last of the Stuart line, stayed with Nelson in the Mediterranean. His Eminence Cardinal Bourne, accompanied by his private secretary, Mgr. Jackman, and the Rev. J. O’Reilly, senior Catholic chaplain to the Base, arrived, borne on a torpedo-boat destroyer, on board IT.M.C. ‘ Venturesome,’* on Saturday, August 5, and was there received by the Captain and officers of the ship. The Cardinal did not embark at the port originally decided upon, but, owing to the roughness of the sea, was, in naval language, ‘deflected’ to another port, where the sea was more propitious. His Eminence’s engagements began almost immediately on his arrival; for within an hour he had again left H.M.S. Venturesome to dine with the Commander-in-chief, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe. Here a number of the senior officers of the service were presented to his Eminence, who subsequently on different occasions had an opportunity of coming into contact with practically all the others of the higher commands at present afloat with the Fleet. During the three days of his visit, the

* For obvious reasons, the names of ships mentioned here are fictitious.

Cardinal conducted three public services— Mass in the mornings and Confirmation on the afternoon of Sunday, and the blessing of the Catholic part of the Fleet Cemetery on the Monday afternoon.. In addition he addressed several times each day groups of Catholic officers and men gathered on the different ships; He made a particular point of acquainting himself with the different aspects of a sailor’s life, visiting the men’s quarters, examining the guns, visiting a turret, and having explained to him the mechanism for supplying ammunition and for firing it, thus grasping, in a practical manner, all the elements which compose the work and play of officers and men with the Grand Fleet. A hospital ship was included in the round of visits, and so his Eminence was able to speak with and cheer the sick. On Sunday morning early, Mass was celebrated on board H.M.S. Venturesome by the Cardinal’s FlagLieutenant,’ and a number of officers and men received Holy Communion. . At 10 a.m., the public Mass was celebrated by the Cardinal in the ‘ Theatre-ship ’ made fast alongside. For days before, the officers and men of H.M.S. Venturesome had worked with enthusiasm to transform the huge entertainment hall, capable of holding 1000 officers and men into a suitable chapel. The altar was laid out with altar-cloths and hung with banners, which had been either made on board or presented by the officers’ wives. Flowers and heather abounded, and the empty cartridge cases and fire buckets doing temporary duty as receptacles for the heather were artistically swathed in ship’s flags. The hall was incapable of holding even one-half of the Catholic officers and men of the Base who crowded in at an early hour. His Eminence was assisted by his secretary, and Mass was served by two officers. The service was celebrated under these unusual conditions without a hitch, as subsequently summed up by a non-Catholic officer present: ‘ The C.-in-C. was wonderful, the Flag-Lieutenant fulfilled his difficult duties admirably, while the two A.D.C.’s deserved decoration.’ There were a large number of men at Communion. They had gratefully availed themselves of the presence of priests aboard to make their confessions. Addressing the congregation, his Eminence recalled to them that that day was the second anniversary of the commencement of war. He assured them that though they were far removed from the world at home, they were not forgotten, but were ever remembered in the prayers of their fellow-Catholics. On that day above all. Mass was being celebrated in every church of the Empire, the Holy Sacrifice being offered to God to safeguard them in their perils and trials. Some of their comrades had lost their lives at the call of duty, and those who remained had greater reason to thank God for their preservation. He urged them to live lives near to God’s wishes, and reminded them that prayer for victory, important as it undoubtedly was, was not so important as a life so in accordance with the Divine Will as to be worthy of victory. He then solemnly blessed the congregation and invited them to transmit the blessing to their friends at home. At the end of the Mass, his Eminence blessed a quantity of crosses, bearing the appropriate inscription-, ‘ In hoc Signo vinces,’ and a large number of special naval medals; all of which soon disappeared before the eager demands of the congregation. At 6 p.m.. Confirmation was administered in the Theatre-ship, and a great number of officers and men were present. Opportunity was taken of the service to allow many of the Catholics of the Fleet who could not be accommodated in the morning to see and hear his Eminence. Just before administering the Sacrament of Confirmation, his Eminence addressed the congregation and explained, simply and clearly, the nature of the Sacrament. By Baptism they became Christians; by Confirmation they became strong and perfect Christians; Baptism made them children of God, Confirmation enlisted them as soldiers of God. He enjoined them to continue to do their duty nobly to thyr country side by side with their duty toGod. ' A feature of both services was the number of non-Catholic officers who were present. ' ; :

On Monday morning the Cardinal and his secretary both celebrated Mass on board H.M.S. Venturesome, and on Monday afternoon his Eminence blessed a portion of the Fleet Cemetery. A large number of officers and men were gathered there to see him. His Eminence addressed himself above all to th& officers and men of the destroyers who had borne the brunt of the recent action and who had lost so many of their number in the engagement. Discussing death and eternity, he developed the doctrine of Purgatory, explaining that even as good Catholics must first be purified by suffering, they should help their departed friends, by praying for their souls. By His mercy they themselves had been spared and they owed, therefore, a special debt to God. He enjoined them to live ever prepared to die and to bear with patience the difficulties that now surrounded them. The congregation then recited the *De Profundis ’ ; many officers and men were afterwards presented to his Eminence. As he left the cemetery, the Cardinal was lustily cheered by his naval audience. On Tuesday morning, the Catholic officers and a great number of men received Holy Communion from his Eminence ; and in the afternoon, before leaving, a Catholic group was photographed and his Eminence addressed the ship’s company. He spoke affectionately of the historic traditions of the battleship, to whose action-list had now been added ‘ Jutland, 1916,’ and assured them that whenever in future he read of the doings of the Grand Fleet he would read with a wider understanding and would look especially to see what had been the fortune of his friends on board the fighting- Venturesome. He had long wished to visit the Fleet, as he realised he could only hope really to understand their life by actually seeing for himself what was so truly and happily known as the ‘ Silent Service.’ The destroyer that brought the Cardinal to the Venturesome once again approached to take him else■where, and the following day found his Eminence on board H.M.S. Entente, in another paid of the scene of war. The arrangements made for the visit were as excellent here as in the case of that just described. On the Thursday, all the Catholics were gathered together on one ship, so that the Cardinal should be spared the fatigue of boarding all the vessels and repeating what he had to say on each occasion. Previously, however, to the great parade, Confirmation was administered to a certain number of men, who afterwards joined their companions for the principal service. The chief points of his Eminence's address may be summarised by the memoranda that their chaplain thought well to have printed as a memento of the Cardinal’s visit. Thoughts from the Address of His Eminence Cardinal Bourne to the Catholics of the Fleet, August, 1910. ‘l. It is the proud boast of the Navy to be “always prepared.” You have to be ready at every moment for whatever may befall you. Make use of all the opportunities that you now enjoy of hearing Mass and approaching the Sacraments. Keep yourselves in God’s friendship by frequent and earnest acts of sorrow for anything in your lives that may have been displeasing to Him, and thus be ever ready for the moment in which, perhaps quite suddenly, He may call you out of this life. ‘ 2. Never forget that it is God alone Who can grant victory. Live in such a way that you may be ever worthy in God’s sight of the victory that we so earnestly desire. Let there be nothing in your lives to render you or your country unworthy of this blessing of victory we humbly beg from God, Who alone can bestow it upon us. As you look back hereafter upon these days spent in defence of King and Country and Empire, be able to say that you are better men in God’s sight because you have been privileged to take part in so great a cause. Avoid everything that might one day cast a shadow on your memory of these days. ‘3. There is no victory without sacrifice. The greatest victory that the world has ever seen, the First Easter Sunday, was preceded by the greatest sacrifice, that of Good Friday. Your lives are a daily sacrifice —of comfort, freedom, home, and friends; you may be called

to make the highest sacrifice, even that of your lives. Make every sacrifice, great and small, not grudgingly or grumblingly, not as a mere matter of routine which ; you would shirk if you could, but generously - and wholeheartedly, offering all to God Himself in union with the sufferings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Thus, by your daily sacrifices you will gain the victory which without such sacrifices no man can win.’ His Eminence was more than once the guest of the officers in the wardrooms of their ships, when the more official occasions did not call him elsewhere. At this particular base the Cardinal went ashore to speak to some of our soldiers who were encamped hard-by. The following Saturday, August 12, the Cardinal was at yet another centre, and on the Sunday celebrated Mass and gave Holy Communion to a very large number of officers and men. His Eminence spoke to them in very much the same vein as above, insisting especially on the lesson of the gospel of the day—use and neglect of opportunities. His words were also concerning the arrangements made for the spiritual care of the Catholics of the Navy, which have recently been so much improved, so that now they have opportunities that before the war were not available. The Cardinal came away from his visit to the Fleet full of appreciation of all that is being done for our men, and bearing with him a very happy memory of the kindness and courtesy shown to him by the Com-mander-in-Chief and all his officers.