MIXED MARRIAGES

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3990, 27 August 1929, Page 1

MIXED MARRIAGES

4. ar ctibisi-iop ke ILY‘ s CONCERN.

POSITION IN SYDNEY,

Sydney, August 8

Dr. Kelly, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, is gravely concerned at the number of mixed marriages celebrated in Sydney and I heir effect upon the people of I hat State. Speaking; at Sr. Marys Cathedral, Dr. Kelly quoted figures relnliiia; to ihe cathedral parish from 1f,25 to 19:29, ami his facts covering those four years were frankly surprising. .Four years ago, no

sard, the Roman' Cal holier population of the parish was 6390. Today it was 6609, made up of 1238 families. As the civil population of the parish was 25,000, the Roman Catholic population was slightly more than one-fourth. Indifference to faith, owing to Roman 'Catholic children attending State schools and to mixed marriages, caused him with considerable regret to have to make public the fact that of 841 marriages celebrated in St. Mary’s parish in the last three years, no fewer than 501 were mixed marriages. ’

Continuing, Dr. Kelly said that tin; Roman Catholic was either right or ho was wrong, and if lie believed himself right, as he should do, lie must hand down his faith to iris children. Every Roman Catholic man should have a Roman Catholic wife, and every Roman Catholic woman a Roman Catholic husband, and they should bring up their children by good example. Out of 501 mixed marriages celebrated in the parish it was known that IS9 couples were faithful to the conditions imposed upon the parties at the time of the marriage. Of the Roman Catholic population of the parish there were 1311 who absented themselves from church services, and 13-30 who .did not avail themselves of the sacraments of the church.

Dr. Kelly’s announcement as to the number of mixed marriages lias created a great deal of interest throughout the State, and although the figures he has cpioted do uot give nn accurate indication of the prevalence of mixed marriages among the Roman Cathole population of New South Wales, the actual nuinbeir is surprisingly large. Of course, the'cathedral is the centre of religions life, and many marriages of people from the country districts, and even from other States, are consequently performed there. This applies especially to mixed marriages, which, often being of a contentious nature, are more frequently celebrated in the cathedral than in other places ox v. orship. Last year 58 per cent, of marriages in the cathedral were mixed, and the percentage for the previous three years was 54.