REFUSING THE RITES OF BURIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 3861, 9 July 1875, Page 2

REFUSING THE RITES OF BURIAL.

The ‘Pleasant Creek News? gives thp following particular* of a circumstance thepp yery recently. “The funeral of ou? lute town-man, Mr Vinceugo Bercjch, took pj*oo yvs erday rfternopn. and was largely attended. He was held in great ef irnaiion by the old alluvial miners on this hj id, to whom he and bis respected widow many times showed acts of friendship that are not likely to be soon forgotten. A painful impression was created when it became known that the resident Catholic clergyman had declined to perfqrm the usual offices of the church the grave. It is stated thpt father Mppr's was first applied to the usual way, but re? fused to officiate, alleging as a reason that thp deceased had not attended church regularly. Up father Herbert being applied to, hj« |s said tp have first pleaded jndisposi. tiop bat subsequently to hare intimated plainly that he would take no steps in the matter, as the non-performance of the customary sacred rites would" act as/ a warning to th >«e Catholics who habitually neglected attending Church, ’i he rev. gentleman is a'so credited with having added that hut few Catholics would be found jo*, log the funeral precision, a la.iman, who has sometimes, lefbre a Path olio clergyman became resilient on Mtawell, read such pang qf tfie worship as are not res rved exclusively for the clergy, was next appealed to, fiqt fie also declined. Whether the above b§ corfept or not, it is qe taiu that nt» prjest attpndpq the fupeiah and that the only ceremony performed at the grave was the reading of a prayer for the dead by Mr J. P. i rouette, an old and valued friend of the late Mr Btrcich. Mr i routte will ever be remembered kindly both by tm-mberi of his own and other Churches for preventing unmerited contumely being show.i to the remain# of oqs of ttie most respected of our local citigens, be may sleep i s well and rise as happily through the humbly-uttered prayers and wishes < f many earnest neighbors and friends, who v« uert his go <d and kindly qualities, as though all the available power of the most aspiring Church in the world bad be- n exercised on the occasion of bis obsequies.”