FAREWELL TO THE REV. FATHER BARTLEY, S.M., M.A., NELSON

New Zealand Tablet, 9 November 1916, Page 41

FAREWELL TO THE REV. FATHER BARTLEY, S.M., M.A., NELSON

On Friday, October 20, Rev. Father Bartley, S.M., M.A., was appointed by his religious and ecclesiastical superiors chaplain to the Featherston Military Training Camp. A wave of regret passed over the whole of the extensive Nelson parish, and the people 'embraced the occasion of the concert and. social in aid of the Catholic Field Service Fund to express their regret, and prove the sincerity thereof by several handsome presentations. St. Mary’s spacious . hall was crowded to excess. At the interval the Rev. Father Tymous, S.M., surrounded on the stage by the members of the Catholic Federation committee said:—When we pass in review the various effects of the present disastrous war : when we spell out the cables of air raids, think of the slaughter of armies- read of the agonising sufferings of the wounded and the dying ; gaze on the cinematograph pictures of sinking vessels, we are indeed appalled ; but these effects do not make us fall in a deathlike faint, drive us mad, nor derange our nervous systems because our ears are not violently struck with the cannon’s roar, nor are our eyes filled with the sights of blood and sufferings. There is one scene, however, which does bring (he war home to us, which does affect us, makes the warm tears to flow and the heart to ache, and that is the departure for the front of those we love: the loving husband bids farewell to the sorrowing wife, the fond father gently loosens the tightened grip of his child’s fond embrace, the brother bids adieu to his anxious sister, the lover takes leave of his would-be bride, the priest, clad in khaki, goes forth from his weeping people. We meet this evening, with sorrow in our hearts, to say good-bye to Father Bartley. In a few days he sets out for Featherston Camp to train in spiritual matters our heroic soldiers before they set sail for the scene of war. Father Hartley was one of the first priests to volunteer: about four months ago he again incidentally reminded his ecclesiastical superiors of his*desire, and once again about six weeks ago he came to me and said : ‘ Father my heart yearns for the souls of the soldiers, to work for them, to die with them.’ In deference to my wishes and for the love he bears you, he refrained from urging his claim. On Friday last the sudden telegram came appoint in" him chaplain to the Featherston Camp. You are losing a good Driest and a sympathetic friend ; I am deprived of a willing and hardworking assistant, a confrere ever loyal and affectionate. That the promotion is well deserved, that the confidence placed in him by his religious superiors is merited, you all well know. Father Bartley’s keen intellect, well trained in school and college, in seminary and university ; his sympathetic and affectionate heart, his unbounded energy, combine to make him a leader whom the soldiers will look up to, respect, love, obey. Our hearts go with him to Featherston. May his keen wish to follow the men to the tienches be granted, and may he soon be marching with brass band and waving banners through the paved streets of Berlin. Mil. B. J. Frank said he was sure ho was voicing the feelings of every Catholic in the district when he said that they all regretted to learn of Father Bartley’s projected departure from Nelson. At the same time he congratulated him on his important appointment to the position of Captain-Chaplain of the New .Zealand Forces , and while our loss would be great, he was sure the appointment was a very happy one, and Father Bartley would be the right man in the right place, and would be popular with all our boys going to the front. Father Bartley’s great services to the"’ Church, his masterly sermons, and his punctuality to all his duties were well known to them all. Amongst his many duties was to attend to the spiritual wants of the Catholic boys of the Stoke Training Farm, and the splendid effects of his work there would be understood when he said that ■ every boy was - a weekly communicant.

There were also the weekly catechism classes at the country schools, besides the hospital, old people’s home, convent, and girls’ orphanage to visit, and when one considered the vast parish of Nelson,: —extending from Carluke in the east to Puponga in the west, and the Howard Goldfields district in the south—which is served by Father Tymons and Father Bartley, Catholics would understand what a vast amount of work there is to attend to of which Father Bartley took his part, and these many calls on their time prevented the priests from visiting their parishioners as oftep as they would have liked. Besides discharging his priestly duties with great credit to himself, Father Bartley also proved himself a worthy citizen. His recruiting sermons and addresses to the boys going to the front were fresh in their minds, and it was due to his liberal-mindedness that he made many friends outside his congregation. Father Bartley wished to cultivate a feeling of good citizenship amongst all people, and he recently told his congregation in one of his sermons that he did not think much of the charity of the Catholics who only extended it to members of their own fold. Mr. Frank said he was sure Father Bartley would throw himself heart and soul into the work before him and cover himself with distinction, like the other good priests who had preceded him. In conclusion, Mr. Frank, on behalf of the congregation of St. Mary’s Church, wished him health, strength, and God’s blessing in the great work before him, and asked his acceptance of a wristlet watch suitably inscribed, and a purse of sovereigns as small tokens of the affection and esteem in which he was held. Mr. Frank then called for three cheers for Father Bartley, which were lustily given, and the audience rose and sang ‘ for he’s a jolly good fellow.’ On rising to reply Father Bartley, who was greeted with loud applause, .said ; I wish it were in my power adequately to thank you for the honor shown to me to-night and the handsome gifts which I owe to your generosity. But to speak of all that is in my heart is a task to which lam all unequal. It has long been known to you that I have longed to work amongst the dear gallant soldier boys who these 26 months past have been between me and the enemy, and a chaplaincy in the firing-line is a post of honor I have long and eagerly ambitioned. And yet the news of my appointment has brought to me the most poignant regret, and it is a hard wrench that takes me away from Nelson, its people, and my work amongst them. I think that hardest of all is it to leave my dear boys of the training farm at Stoke. Fifteen months ago my superiors made the experiment of taking me out of the college and sending me to parish work here amongst you. That the experiment has proved pleasurable to me and has not proved disastrous to you I attribute to your great kindness, and, above all, to the splendid generous help that Father Tymons extended to me. His zeal, his energy, his encouragement and spirit of perfect comradeship have been to me more than I can tell, and more than I can ever repay. Still I feel that my call to my camp chaplaincy is a call to a glorious apostolate. Who can put into words all that we owe to our fighting men ? All that they have, all that they are is their gift to us. I have nothing better in my life than what I wish to give to them, and that is—ray priesthood. What noble work has been done by the Red Cross and kindred organisations I But that has been for the bodies of our gallant men, and it is to be my privilege now to work for their souls. I hope to be excused if the picture I conjure up is harrowing to those whose dear ones are away, but I wish to speak of how, as a priest, I see those dear lads. , To my mind comes a picture of the amphitheatre of old Rome; I see the gladiators before the Emperor’s throne, and as they pay their homage, the cry goes forth Caesar moritnri ie salutamns.’ And as our brave boys march to "the troopship, and as their glorious manhood salutes the flag;’ they, too, as I see them, are ‘morituri.’ Ready to die, at least, are they, and there is a hunger in' my heart to help them. Every interest of theirs appeals

to me, but my ruling passion- is to safeguard the interests of their immortal souls. Thus, dear friends, am I torn between two desires. It is bitter hard to go, and yet you could not bid me stay. Nelson and its people of every creed have been more than kind to me. I have loved my work amongst you with Father Tymons. Go where I may, I never expect to see a place as beautiful as the Nelson Province; my work has become part of my life, and I am loth to leave the loyal, affectionate people who have entered into my inmost heart. Still my trust is that, when this cruel war. will have ceased and God’s mercy will have ushered in an era of blessed peace, my superiors may send me back again to you and dear little old sunny Nelson. Three hearty cheers for Father Bartley were called for and loudly responded to. The following contributed to the excellent programme- Jacobsen, Misses Clarry, Hanby and Stapp, Messrs, Bird, Thomson, Condell, Richards, and Bud man. An orchestra played two overtures, and Miss Edith Frank, A.T.C.L., played the accompaniments. Presentations were received also from the Catholics of Wakefield. Waimea West, Motueka, the parish school, the high school, and the orphanage.