THE WRECK OF THE PENGUIN

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8, 25 February 1909, Page 304

THE WRECK OF THE PENGUIN

CATHOLICS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES

(From our Wellington correspondent.) The following is a list of ' Catholics -who lost their lives m the wreck of the Penguin on . the night of Friday . February 12 : —Passengers : Mrs. Brittain, of BlenheimMiss Mary Doran, of Wellington; Mr. Sylvester Holcroft of Blenheim ; Mr. James Collins, o"f Charleston ; and Master Uustave Troadec, of Stoke Orphanage; crew: Mr: Frank Driscoll (second officer); Mrs. Hope (tore-cabin stewardess); Mr. John Rafferty ; Mr. G. Barnes ; Mr. G. Gaffra.

The Manager of the Stoke Orphanage, Rev. Father Clancy, S.M., was in Wellington when he learnt that one of his wards had perished. He journeyed on Sunday by land, accompanied by the Rev. Father Yenning, S.M., to the scene of the disaster, and succeeded in identifying the body of Master Gustave Troadec amongst those cast ashoro at lerawhiti. At St. Mary of the Angels', Boulcott St., on luesday a Requiem Mass was celebrated by the Very Rev. Dean Regnault (Provincial of the Society of Mary) who, assisted by the Rev. Father Clancy, S.M., of Nelson' performed the last rites over the bodies of Mrs. Brittain and Master Gustave Troadec, their funerals leaving for Karon Cemetery immediately after the Mass.

In the afternoon the funeral of Mr. Sylvester Holcrort took place from St. Mary of the Angels', the Rev .bather Yenning, S.M., conducting the ceremony. There was a very large congregation at the Sacred ileart Church, Thorndon, on Tuesday morning, when his brace the Archbishop celebrated a Pontifical Requiem Mass for the souls of all those who had lost their -lives in tho shipwreck. The Very Rev. Father Keogh, S M was assistant priest, the Rev. Father Hurley, S.M., deacon' the Rev lather Bowden, S.M., subdeacon, and the Rev. .bather Herbert, S.M., master of ceremonies. In the sanctuary wore the Yen. Archdeacon Devoy, S M the Very Rev. Father Bannon (Provincial C.S^.R.j, "" 3 Rev. lathers Goggan, S.M., and O'Reilly, S.M. A strong body of the clergy, under the leadership of the Rev. Father Mahony, fe M., supplied the musical portion of the liturgy the Rev Father Schaefer S.M., presiding at the organ, lho Sisters of Mercy had fittingly draped the sanctuary, the Archbishop's throne, and the pulpit, and with their pupils from the High School they sang very feelingly the hymn <Oh turn to Jesus, Mother, turn,' during the vesting or the Archbishop prior to the celebration of Mass. His Grace the Archbishop preached a touching sermon. His Grace pronounced the absolution after Mass, the body ?L «f? ?r? r m? n be J. ng P resent - Th e organist played the Dead March' as the congregation left the church. The clergy then proceeded to attend the public funeral accorded to the remains of those whose bodies had not £ff+i cla \ med 4, ff Amon gg s * lies e Avere two of the Catholic faith— John Rafferty and G. Barnes. The lorry bearing their remains was detached from the general cortege at the entrance to the Catholic portion of the public cemetery m Karon, and, headed by a procession of the clergy who recited the appropriate prayers as they proceeded through the grounds, members of the Seamen's Union then bore the two bodies m a reverent procession to the burial plots a very large body of the faithful joining in the last tribute of respect to the deceased. The general management of the public funeral and the demeanour of the crowd maym ay w g een adversely criticised in the public prints Mr' * i• , l m f ' secretary to the Federated Seamen's Union,' of which body there were over 500 members present, in a lIS? a to +i G NN f W % eala £ d Timc j °* Thursday, explained h?, ?Sl. ?« % °^ C %* an i d memhe ™> a "d concluded Ins letter with these significant words : < I am gratified to say that the interment in the Catholic portion of the denomTnatTo a n.' eXCe lgly Creditable to the W of that The body of Miss Mary Doran was borne to the cemetery from the Sacred Heart Church at 11.30, the fungal ceremony being presided over by the Rev. Father Bowden,

t °i n . Wednesday a Requiem Mass was celebrated at St. Joseph's Church, Buckle street, for the repose of the ??" f M^- +IHop1 HopG AYA V \ he heroic forecabin stewardess, by the Rev. Father Mahony S.M., and her funeral took Place m the afternoon at the old Catholic cemetery in se^vf Streetj whore FatL -er Mahony conducted the burial At each of the private funerals, as woll as at the public one,^ there was a large attendance of the faithful, and there were many evidences of deep feeling displayed among those' present Word was passed of edifying incidents in connection with the wreck. It was told, for instance, how two young men, one of whom, Mr. Holcroft, did not survive, finding themselves m bitter plight as they clung to an upturned boat, united m reciting a fervent act of contrixi° n ' „ Ultimately they wore separated, and the one saw the other drown with as his last words, « Sweet Jesus, have mercy on me.' '