Diocesan News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 17, 24 April 1902, Page 4

Diocesan News

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

(From our own correspondent.) April 21. The Bishop at the early Mass, and priests at all the other services on Sunday strongly urged the pf-i>ple to devote a greater part of their leisure to the 6tudy of works bearing on their holy religion, and the perusal of good < atholic lit-rature. The claim of the Tablet, to a far wider cirole of reaiers in this city, was eloquently advocated and ihe splendid Hervice it has rendeied the Churo.h in and out of New Zealand warmly comment d upon. The Christchurch Catholic Club began its weeitly meetings for the winter session on Tuesday evening last. Mr. J. H. H (< yward, vice-president, occupied the chair, and there was an excep.ioually

large attendance. Sixteen new members were elected. An application to organise a football team was granted, and the members purpose entering toe the junior competitions of the season. All departments under the control of the club were reported to be in a prosperous condition. The evening was filled in with musical and other items of a social character. For the ensuing three meetings the Journal, card tournament, and a lecture will form the respective programmes. The parochial library, now under the control of the Catholic Club, has been reopened. The volumes have been re-classified and numbered and the bookshelves present a particularly neat and orderly appearance. To enable this work to be carried out the library had of necessity to be closed for a time, and now that the reading room and circulating department are available to subscribers it is expected the privileges will be largely taken advantage of. His Lordship the Bishop has just contributed many new aud popular volumes to the shelves and placed a number of entertaining and instructive magaeines and periodicals on the tables. On Sunday afternoons a young lady will be in attendance to enable pa rons to return and take out books, and on week nights members of the club's executive will in rotation take charge. The South Island section of the Tenth Contingent which left for South Africa on Saturday contained 500 troopers with officers. Of these 150 were Catholicp, or about one in four— a fair average probably of all previous contingents. We are one in seven of the population, consequently this proportion would have been more than could have been expected of us. Our critics raise a cry of ' stuffing ' the public service with Catholics, when, as has been conclusively proved, we are not represented to a greater extent than one in twenty ; but this is a different matter. It is quite another affair enjoying the emoluments of the State and risking one's life in your country's cause. Whilst we fight the Empire's battles with the pick of our Catholic manhood, our critics with smug oomplacency, prefer to do their ' killing with the mouth,' as Rudyard Kinling haß it. The Very Rev. Dean Foley, who acted as chaplain for the eighth contingent at Addingion camp, was requested by his Lordship the Bishop to undertake a similar duty in regard to the tenth which received such an enthusiastic send-off on Saturday last. The Very Rev. Dean who has displayed a remarkable aptitude for this particular service visited the camp early in the week where he received much courteous consideration and assistance from the officers in charge, including Captains Lindsay, McGee and Fisher. Here he found 150 Catholic troopers exclusive of officers. By his (the chaplain's) arrangement these mustered at the Pro-Cathedral on Wednesday night where they were prepared for their religious duties by his Lordship the Bishop, the Very Rev. Dean, and assistant priests. At six o'clock on Thursday morning Ma3B was celebrated at the camp in apartments suitably arranged by the Government storekeeper, Mr. O'cSuliivan, and Mr. Paisley. Dean Foley was celebrant, and in appropriate terms addressed those present, many of whom received Holy Communion. Lieut. Butler was in command, and Mass was served by Trooper Harry Redwood, nephew of the Archbishop of Wellington. William Redwood another of the family, is a member of the eighth contingent now on active service in South Africa. At the conclusion of Mass the Very Rev. Dean distributed to he Catholic membei s of the contingei t, prayer books, rosaries and other articles of piety, the gift of his Lordship the Bishop.