Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 18 March 1915, Page 34

Notes

Held Over Owing to extreme pressure on our space, a quantity of late correspondence is unavoidably held over. The Late Bishop Grimes On the occasion of his episcopal jubilee, less than three years ago, Bishop Grimes was the recipient of many notable tokens of personal affection and esteem from the visible Head of the Church, the Holy Father himself. In addition to a cordial cable message granting his special Apostolic Blessing, his Holiness Pius X. was pleased to appoint Bishop Grimes a Bishop Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, to make him a Domestic Prelate, and to proclaim him noble in the form entitling him to rank with those nobles who are born of parents, both of whom are of the order of Count. The appointment as Domestic Prelate made his Lordship a member of the Holy Father’s household and the honor of Bishop Assistant at the Pontifical Throne was at that time enjoyed by only 14 other Bishops in the English-speaking world. The Holy Father conferred, also, on his Lordship, through the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the further distinction of Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre ; and the star and insignia of the Order were worn by his Lordship on this occasion, for the first, and, as he prophetically remarked, ‘ probably for the last time.’ A Deserving Charity Charity, like mercy, is twice blessed, blessing him that gives not less than him that takes. For months past the people of New Zealand have been contributing freely to a perfect multitude of calls, yet nobody seems a bit the poorer, and there is always a little left for a really deserving cause. Some time ago we published an article which gave a hint that the great work carried on by Father Bans at the Crusade of Rescue, London, was seriously imperilled owing to the financial stringency caused by the war. The response on the part of our readers was quite surprising—cheques both numerous and substantial coming freely to hand. The following note of acknowledgment, which we have received from Father Bans, speaks for itself:—‘Thank you very much indeed for the amount you have sent me, collected by your valuable paper. lam indeed grateful to you for your great kindness in calling attention to our great need. I have received several other donations from your readers. God bless you, and all who have helped in any way. I am sending you a receipt for the full amount, and have sent acknowledgments to Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Collins. Wishing you and your paper much success. —I am, yours sincerely, * E. Bans.’

The Plight of the Belgian Nuns His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne (the Most Rev. Dr. Carr) has received the following • letter, which throws an interesting light on the plight of the , unhappy nuns of Belgium, on the need for help, and on the profound gratitude with which assistance is received; ‘ Bishop’s House, ‘ St. George’s Road, Southwark, S.E. ‘ My dear Lord Archbishop, Allow a humble brother in Christ, the Auxiliary Bishop of his Eminence Cardinal Mercier, Archbishop of Malines, to send you the hearty expression of his deep and respectful gratitude for the generous assistance which your Lordship conveyed, through his Eminence Cardinal Logue, to our poor nuns in Belgium. I have the great honor to acknowledge two drafts, each of £SOO, for that purpose. I have already distributed a part of the first cheque. How happy and grateful they looked ! There are hundreds of them in the United Kingdom, deprived of everything. Their convents and schools are burned ; their spare money in many cases was found by the Germans; they had no clothes but what they were wearing at the moment of the flight. All our cloistered nuns at Malines and in some other small towns had to flee, as well as the others : it was a very sad sight to see the crowded streets and roads filled with groups of old and crippled nuns, dragged along by their younger and stronger Sisters. Rumors had been spread about the bad behaviour of the Germans towards the nuns, and the poor creatures fled for their lives and their more precious purity and integrity. I could not say how far these rumors were grounded, but the fright was tremendous. Well, my dear Lord Archbishop, your extreme kindness and generosity afford some comfort to these poor souls. I’ll forward, of course, the amount of the two drafts to Cardinal Mercier, but I presumed to relieve already here in various instances the poverty of our afflicted nuns. — I beg to remain, mv dear Lord Archbishop, with the deepest respect, your very humble brother in Christ, ! A. Dewachtee. Auxiliary-Bishop and Vicar-General of his Eminence Cardinal Mercier. 1 I am the guest of the most hospitable Mgr. Amigo, Bishop of Southwark, S.E. ‘ December 30, 1914.’