BISHOP SADLIER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 226, 12 June 1918, Page 6

BISHOP SADLIER

TO GO TO THE WESTERN FRONT

HIS DUTIES TO BE DIVIDED

The Bishop of Nelson (Kl. Kev. C. Sndlicr) is to leave New Uoalajiii shortly on a vis.it to tho Western iiont. During his absence the Bishoo oi Wellington will administer coiih'riiia' is m Alarlborough «ml iNelsoii, and ihu ..?nui> of Christchursh will act einiiluriy in, the southern and West Coast Darts, oi: the diocese. Mcrring to his approaching departure, Bishop Sadlier, in_ the course of his sermon at the Kelson Cathedral on Sunday, said that a rumour had been going about that a cull would come to ono df the Anglican. Bishops of New Zealand to lav asido his work here in order to visit the soldiers at the front. How had that position been created? Why should a New Zealand Bishop go Howe? Were there not over a hundred Bishops in England ? Now, every Bishop in England had his own special work, among populations larger than tho population of New Zealand. Four of tho English Bishops, with, a staff of four thousand chaplains, had been ministering to British, soldiers on, the Western front during the last four years. Across the 'water there was a Church in which he wop ordained and in which he ministered for many years. The Australian soldiers at the front lml never been without ono of their Bishop:) rince the war began, '''ho Americans, having entered th 3 war, had set the> New Ze , .ind Church an example. One> of the first things that the Church in America did was to withdraw Bishop Brent from his important work in tho Philippine Islands and send him witlu their earliest troops to France. New Zealand i:p to tho present had been the only Dominion which had not sent ono of its Bishrps to minister to ifa soldiers at the front. Were their boys lc?3 worthy of the best that they could give them? Why was it that they had not sent a Bishop Ion? ago? Hβ had seer* some time ago a petition from the An« plican chaplains of New Zealand, askinsf that one of their Bishops should zo to the front.

"That petition immediately bocaran a subject for grave consideration on tlio part of those in authority," said Sadlier. "and now a request has como unanimously from them that I 6hould go. You ask mo why. And my answer is that I'suppose the unanimous decision of the Bishops is due to the fact that I am the youngest,' and also to the fnct that for nearly twenty-five years I have been engaged in military work, and that I possess the military rank that is necessary. With this request of the Bishops there conies an assurance of the warm» est co-operation of the military authorities. And now there las been issued a commission from the Primate on bohalf of himself and the other Bishops of the province, and that commission has been placed in my hands. I cannot refuse to obey this commission, bocause if I did so you would be, ashamed of it, and I shonld.be ashamed of rayself if I allowed any persona! motives to interfere in a work to which thero was a call from the whole Church of the province" Giving what he called a Divino bal-ance-sheet, Bishop Sadlier said the Nelson diocese had a Church of England population of about 25,000. The number of Church of Euglai d boys on active service at the front was 35,000. That showed upon -which side the spiritual responsibility lay. Those were tho facts which caused the Standing Committee of-the Nelson Diocesan Synod the other day to> give him their unanimous advice to accept the commission which had been placed in his hands. The commission was issued on June 5, and now ho was a man under orders. Hβ would go Homo as senior chiplain of the New Zealand Forces. In his work at the front he would be concerned only with those who were members of the Church of England. He would have nothing to do with the chaplains of other denominations. Hβ was sure there would be a contimiauco of the brotherly love which had been shown on Friday and on other occasions, but from the strict business point of view he would he coucerned with tho 1 Church of England , chaplains alone. Hi* militnnr rank would enable him to have control* of tin , Anglican chaplains who; were under military discipline. Tho ninki a chaplain was given did not confer upon, him any military title; it was only .given for the purposes of military efficiency. "I shall Teceive no military pay." added the Bishop. "My position will enable me to act as chaplain upon tho troopship on which I shall make tho voyaso i Home, and for tliat I shall get a passage and I shall bo given rations. Any personnl expenses to which I may bo put <lurin? my'ahjwie will lip paid by the •Church of Enelaml Military Affairs Committee in Wellington. But I shall receive no salary or stipend."