CELEBRATION OF ANZAC DAY.

New Zealand Tablet, 8 May 1919, Page 28

CELEBRATION OF ANZAC DAY.

To the Editor.

Sir, —The recent haphazard celebration of Anzac Day has given some of us "furiously to think." With the civil celebrations, or want of celebrations, I am not here concerned. The absence of "any general religious observance amongst Catholics on that day is, however, matter of fair comment. In comparatively few towns in New Zealand was there any celebration of a religious character to mark the day : few were the Requiems for our dead. Many of us who were born in this land and love it dearly are concerned at the aloofness of the Church in the matter. We cannot, of course, attend the "combined services" or whatever else these celebrations by non-Catholics are called; purely then it is all the mpre desirable that we should

keep the day in our. own Catholic way. It will be calamitous if no 1 place can be found in the polity of the Church in this land for the observance of such a national festival. There may be room for differences of opinion as to the wisdom of the landing; none for differences of opinion as to how they quitted themselves, those men who died at Gallipoli.—l am, etc., Pahiatua, May 2. H. McSherry.