CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1069, 9 May 1882, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE KEV FATHER HALBWAOHS IN EXPLANATION.;

To the Editor.

Sir,—l do not trouble you often with correspondence, and am sorry I have to do it now; yet,' in reading yesterday's Daily, 1 think it my duty to reply to a certain article. I hope, sir, you will do me the favor of Icindly inserting this noto in your issuo of to-day. Your Greytown correspondent is, perhaps, not aware that the pastor, of .whom ho speaks rathor disrespectfully, has four other churches, besides the Greytown one, to attend and to servo, moreover, an immense district of about one hundred miles long and almost as many broad. He seems quite, scandalised at me not holding more often services in Greytown; yet, I am still more scandalised at his meddling in matters that do not concern him at all,

He ought to tell these few Catholics of Greytown: 'Why, ye good people, did you not attend Divine Survice more regularly when your pastor came faithfully twice a month to your township ] Why did you form a committee to erect a church and pay for it, and when that church was built you left your poor priest to bear the burden nearly alone—to defray mostly half the expenses? Why, in spite of his entreaties, did you allow a writ to be issued against him, aud see, without shame and disgrace, a bailiff roaming for days around his residence 1 Why did you look on with indifference to see his goods removed, sold, and himself, so to say, evicted out of his beautiful house in Carterton I And all this fur a trifling binn J £43, of which your pastor paid £[b himself.

"Why, agaiu, do but few of you support your pastor, aud allow him, in spite of the thousands and thousands of pounds he has spent in this district for the sake of your religion, to be brought before the court? Why, in fine, do you not lay your grievances before your Bishop, instead of complaining in public papers 1 I think, sir, that if your correspondent had made such reflections, ho would have had more regard for me and not listonod so eagerly to these complaints. His scruples will, however, bo relieved to know that henceforth—say when the Black Bridge is finished—l will go again twice a month to Greytown. Ido hope and pray that the Greytown Catholics will attend then more regularly, support their priest more generously, and, above all, endeavor by all means to pay off tho few debts left on their church. Apologising for trespassing on your kindness. lam, &c, A. Halbwachs, S.M.