THE SISTERS OF NAZARETH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2, 12 January 1905, Page 5

THE SISTERS OF NAZARETH.

(From our Christchuroh correspondent.) The Sisters of Nazareth for Ohristchurch arrived at Wellington by the ' lonic ' from London on last Wednesday. They wejre met at the wharf in the Empire City by the Yen. Archdeacon Devoy, S.M. (Provincial) and Very Rev. Father Lewis, S.M., V.G., and driven to the convent, Hill street, where, d ( uring their brief stay, they were mpst (hospitably entertained by the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters reached Lyttelton on Thursday morning, where they were met by the Rev. Fathers Martuane, Cooney, Mahony, and O'Connell and most cordially welcomed. 'Ihey were also met by the reception committee of laymen, including Messrs. E. O'Connor, P. Bjurke, J. Barrett, J. R. Hayward, G. R. Hart^ and J; J. Wilson, and Press representatives. A special firstclass railway carriage was reserved by courtesy of the railway officials, in whicn the whole party came on to the city. Owing to indifferent health his Lordship the Bishop did not feel eiqual to the task of going to the port, but in company with the Very Tlev. Vicar-General met the Sisters on their arrival at the Christchurch Railway Station, and extended to them a hearty welcome. Mr. W. Hoban, chairman of the St. Patrick's Day, celebration committee, alao met them at the station. Carnages were here awaiting, and the party was driven first to the episcopal residence and then to the convent ot the Sisters of the lVTTssions, wheire flic new arrivals received 1 the kindest of greetings. They were finally escorted to the Nazareth House, where the ladies' committee en&aged in the work of preparation were assembled to again welcome them. His Loorttship the Bishop, addressing the gathering, said : Our long cherished hopes are at length fulfilled. For m,ore than a decade of years thousands in Canterbury and Westland have sent up fervent prayers that the Almighty, in His infinite goodness, would grant us the privilege of a foundation of the Sisters of Nazareth in our midst. To-day we have the consolation to know that our prayers have been answered. Hence our first and pleasing duty is one of heartfelt gratitude to the Giver of all good gifts for sending you amjongst us. Our next is to thank your excellent Mother-General for so graciously acceding to our request Do have a branch of your illustrious institute in Christchurch. To you, dear Srsters, we beg to tender a most cordial welcome. Welcome,, a thousiand times welcome, to our hospitable shores. Welcome, generoius souls who, imitating the Divine Master, devote yourselves so ungrudgingly to the service of the Most High, and to tJhe relief of the poorest and. most suffering portion of humanity. In welcoming you, we beg you to accept our sincerest thanks for practical proof of the highest form of religilon you give us is the great sacrifice you have made in bidding farewell to home and friends and country and so fearlessly encountering the perils of the deep to come to the very antipodes, at the sole call of charity which to you is no other than Love Divine. This charity alone has led you to come so far to soothe the sorrowful, comfort the distressed, and act as ministering angels to the aged and infirm,, the orphan, the cripple, and the poor and abandoned incurables. Without presuming to pr,ophesy, I may confidently assure you that the daily exercise of this your noble, dvvine mission, will wkv for you the sympathy, the help, and the affectionate esteem of all classes of siociety irrespective of race or religion. For I know well that in the fulfilling of your God-like mission,, the sole claims upon your charity will be those of the greatest want and suffering. Well may I promise you the cordial co-operation of all members of the community, the clergy, the people, and the Press, which has already more than once spoken mjost sympathetically ot you and your great work. Before concluding may 1 be allowed to aad that when two years ag,o 1 spiokeTbl: your coming to Christchurch in the near future, a wealthy philanthropist said to me, ' Well 1 must say that the noble-hearted Sisters are the right ones to undertake and carry out any philanthropic works.' At yiour own request, my dear Sisters, your home in Uhristohurcii has been furnished witih what is only barely necessary, lTie ladies and gentlemen present looked upiqn it as a labor ot 7ove to prepare it as it is. Had general appeals been made we are s;ure tbat

they would have been responded to most readily and generously. Having accompanied you ihither we now leave you witn tne hope tnat your stay therein may be most pleasant and fnuitlui with many years of health and strength t,o fuliU your noble vocation. Mr. 19. O'Connor, president of the Society of Sfr. Vincent de .Haul, said there was great scope for the Sis. ters ol iNazaretn in Lhristchurch, and he tendered them a 'hearty weloome to tineir midst. As was well known the Society he represented was an organisation to assist in the relict of the poor, and the Sisters could rest assured tiiat the .Society would most cheerfully co-ope-rate witn tnem m all their endeavors, lie felt sure that the S-isteia would be welcomed by the people of Canterbury as a whole. On behalf of the Rev. Mother and Sisters he thanked sincerely his Lordship tthe Bishop for sentiments of welcome, appreciation, and encouragement so eloquently expressed. Mr. G. K. Hart said he had been honored by a request from his Lordship and his colleagues on the committee to welcome the Sisters of Naz&retih on behalf of the non-Catholic portion of the committee. He did so with the utmost pleasure, because the great work the Sisters had come so far to carry out was one in which people of all denominations could join. Therefore he felt sure tittat when the 1 people of Canterbury came to understand the mission of the Sisters they would as heartily welcome their advent as those taking an active part in their reception that day desired to do. On behalf of the representatives of other denominations on the committee., he desired to tender a welcome to tire Sisters, and express a hope that their work in Christchurch might prosper and progress exceedingly. The visitors, in company with the newly-arrived Sisters, then inspected the Nazareth Home, and expressed themselves* as greatly pleased, the arrangements made by the ladies' committee for their reception being very complete. In corniectiion with Uhe establishment of their work in this city the Sisters have issued The Following Circular :— Nazareth House, at Hammersmith, London (of which the above new foundation is a branch), waß founded by the late Cardinal Wiseman in 1851. It has since made wonderful progress in the development of its different branches of chanty, and has effected an incredible amount of good, both spiritual and temporal, among that portion of our race — ttie least attractive, and consequently the most to be pitied— namely, the aged and infirm destitute, and incurable, orphan, and abandoned children. 1 o both these helpless classes a permanent home is oftered ; the aged are received irrespective of creed and country, and the orphan and abandoned children are cared for and trained by the Sisters for domestic service or trades. The institution has no funds. For the support of the poor it depends entirely on the alms of a generous public — for which purpose the Sisters go abroad daily to collect food, alms, left-oR apparel, old linen, furniture, in a word, anything and everything which the charitable can afford for €ne suffering helpless members of their Divine Master. It is chiefly from the produce of this quest that the necessaries and the comforts of life are provided for their poor. There are now twenty-seven Houses of tihe Order in England, Ireland, Scotland, Alrica, Australia, and New Zealand, where thousands of poor — men, women, and children— find food, clothing, shelter, and the care and tenderness so much required in their helpless condition, to make tfiem happy. It is a well-known fact what great service the Sisters rendered in South Africa during the late war, not only to persons of all classes, bot fco the sick and woundad soldiers, to whom they gave up their own part of the convent and nursed with such tender care. T^he Sisters fulfil themselves, with pleasure arid affection, every office, even the moSt menial, which charity can siuggest ot human infirmity miay require, towards their poor charges, caring for each of them with the tenderness of a mother, making their beds, washing their linen, cleaning their rooms, cooking their food. They minister to them in their infancy, when old and decrepit, infirm and sick. Their one aim and objetett is to brighten the lives of all who need their help and aid. The means of support for these great establishments come from the hands of God's providence. The Sisters go out each day, regardless of the weatiher— ot the heat oi summer or the cold of winter —to collect alms, food, clothes, etc. They are well received in private houses and snops, and have free access to all the markets. They have »o permanent funds. Their poor are ftie poorest of the poor, but are however, the respectable, the deserving poor. As to 'the chiklren, it is enough to say* that they are parentless and penniless.

Such is the Institution now founded in Christchurch on a humble and restricted scale, as all the other houses of the Order commenced. Of their success we are sure, for the Sisters have unflinohing, never-failing confidence in the good providence of Gad and the charity of the public of every denomination. They have been much encouraged by the kind feelings already expressed by the good people of Christchurch, and their great desire to have the Sisters amongst them. To the charitable,, therefore, they now appeal for subscriptions and help. They confidently expect that all classes will unite In assisting their great undertaking. Alms given to the poor is simply, as we know, money lent to the ;Lord, who will repay the lender a hundred fold. Famines, then, residing in Ohristchurch and other towns of N.Z., will confer a favor, and do an act of charity to Jesus in His poor, by allowing the Sisters to call for their alms. o r even the broken bread of their tables. One of the most sacred duties imposed upon the Sisters by their rule is to pray for their benefactors, feeling confident that 'Gad will hear them in behalf of those who have fed tjhe hungry, clothed the naked, and that He will remember His promise—' Whatsoever you &o unto the least of these, you do unto xue.'