NEW ZEALANDERS IN FRANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 May 1917, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN FRANCE.

A CHAPLAIN'S IMPRESSIONS. An interesting letter lias been just received by the Rev. Father Maples from Father McMenamin. the senior Catholic Chaplain with the New Zealand Forces in France. Father McMenamin, under date March 7, writes ■ follows: 'Early this year snow lay everywher.' for weeks, and you coul.l gallop a horseon the ice covering the -anals. Now things have improved, though to-day 'we have a freezing day and I can hanllv hold the pencil. I feel stronger and belter than I have felt since I left New Zealand, and am quite happy here. Lh">' for the soldiers in France is much more comfortable thai en G.illipoli. Her', for the most part, we are billeiid in decent farm houses, and the food is excellent and abundant. Things are fairly quiet on this particular sector although as I write the guns are pumping in tlio lead till the noise resembles one contiu::ous roll of thunder. Bishop Cleary wii*. en the front for some weeks, and I did a gread deal of riinhing about. I was glad when he went away, as he had no regard for his own safety, ami I was nervous lest anything should happen tn him. He i now in Ireland. So far I, as Chaplain, have been delighted with the facilities. In every villago there is a church, and the parish priests are kind enough to let us use. the churches at any time. Iha had ai many as mry men for Confession and Holy Communion it night before going into the tren'ches. I have been agreeably surprised to find the men so agreeably disposed. Judging from many of the men I met in the English hospitals, I. h.id formed rather gloomy ideas of the spiritual dispositions of the Catholic men in France, I thohght that this long continued war was doing them harm. lam glad to sa» now that the men arc responding really well. There arc still a number .of civilians in all the villages; how many, one does not realise until Sunday comes. With a number of old priests about, (hero are three Masses every Sunday, and the Church is always full. It is great to hear the sabots rattling on the cobbles as the people trot along to Mass at 5.30 on a freezing morning."