OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PERTH. ES TABLISLIED 1874 Registered at the G.P.O., Perth for tran,mission by post as a newspaper. NO. 2,361.
PERTH, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1948.
20 Years of Prayer to Convert Australia
450 Hay
'PHONE B 6950 Street, Perth. Box A3 5, G.P.O
PRICE THREEPENCE.'
.
Perth
SEVENTY-FIFTH YEAR.
Hard Labour For 1,400 Nuns consisted of 1,400 Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. in U.S.S.R. "They gave us an impression
of wretchedness, the same imFourteen hundred Nuns, 0e - pression that we must have givported from the Eastern Zone of en them. Some of them still Germany to Russia, have been wore their religious habits, forced into such hard physical dirty and torn; others were labour as 'building bridges and dressed in even more deplorable working in the mines, according rags. to a report of the Swiss "Kipa" To Work in Mines. The Catholic Australia Moveagency, which quotes the signed 'I was able to speak with two ment is perhaps unique among statement of a returned German of these Nuns, who told me that the many apostolic movements prisoner of War. in 1946 men had come to arrest in the Commonwealth. It calls Now, in 1948, the On January 5, a German pri- them in all the Houses of their no conventions, levies no fees, soner of war returned from Order .in the Eastern Zone of publishes no circulars or bulle- Bishops of Australia Russia, signed before ecclesias- Germany. are so favourably tins, has little organisation and tical authorities the following "They had been assembled in less publicity. It is exclusively disposed towards the statement, the agency says: Pomerania with a view to mass a movement for prayer-prayer "We left at the station Staldeportation. One of those to for the conversion of our coun- C.A.M. and its aims, ino on October 12, 1947, to re- Ohom I spoke came from Starthat we find the try. turn to our country. Up to that gard, the other from Leipzig; The Movement is now twenty very day we had been working one was 34 and the other 39. So prayer being said at years old, a humble work begun in the mines at Stalino. far as I could judge some of the Benediction in aland directed, as far as human "At the moment of our depart- Nuns with them were 50 years most every diocese agency is concerned, by a handure, the contingent that was to old or more. ful of seminarists, a committee replace us disembarked from a of the land. "From 1946 up to quite lateof three students for the diotrain which bad just come in. It ly these Nuns had had to work cesan priesthood studying at on the reconstruction of the Corpus Christi College, WeIrri- by the Hierarchy of Australia Dnieper bridges. But one day bee and New Zealand, and included they were assembled for a secPurpose of C.A.M. in the official Catechism issued ond deportation, and were told Naturally the opportunities under their authority. that they had been detailed for which ecclesiastical students Over the last ten years a sucwork in the mines, that they One of the most popular visi have for any active apostolate cession of committees has been would find themselves better fed or direct teaching of the Gospel responsible for the printing of tors to Melbourne for the Chureh there, that they would work in are very limited. Their course the prayer leaflets in batches of Diocesan Centenary Celebrations the mines until April. and after of studies is not only long, cov- no less than 20,000 copies, which next month is certain to be that they would be able to return ering a period of eight years, have all been distributed to the Father Sydney MacEwan, the to their homes. tenor, but crowded with a necessarily Catholic colleges and convents of world-famous Scottish "The two Nuns did not conceal wide range of subjejcts. Nev- Australia. The prayer has also who will attend as personal refrom me that they did not beertheless, as a direct result of been distributed by seminarists presentative of the Archbishop lieve a -word of all these prothe deep impression made upon studying at St. Patrick's Col- of Glasgow (Dr. MacDonald), mises, save only that they were them by the International and lege Manly, N.S.W. The stu- whose doctor has forbidden him destined to work in the mines. Eucharistic Congress held in dents of former years are now to travel because of ill -health. "They were very downcast and Sydney in 1928, the Corpus priests scattered only not Ten years ago Father Mac discouraged, and the worst of Christi .students of that year throughout Victoria, but in every Ewan, who is known abroad as their sufferings was to be at the rallied to a call made by their part of the Commonwealth. "the Scottish John McCormack," mercy of the supervising troops, Rector, Very Rev. Albert Power, During this time, too, not only forsook a brilliant career on the to such a point that they envied S.J., to work and pray for the were the greater number of all concert platform to enter the the lot of those of their sisters conversion of Australia to the the Catholic schools of the Com- priesthood. first Australians who had died. true Faith.l Towards the close monwealth reciting it daily, but heard his charming voice in 1934"Death, in fact, did not frightof that year a general meeting many had adopted another prac- 36, when he toured the Comen them at all; they even hoped of the student body of the college tice of the Catholic Australia monwealth Shortly after his for it to come as soon 'as posdecided to seek permission to Movement-namely, the offering return to Scotland, and at the sible, for in their position death make an organised effort to get of Holy Mass and Communion height of his singing career he could only be a deliverance. people praying for that intention. monthly, on a fixed day for the surprised everybody by announc"Unendurable Outrages." A special Prayer for the Conver- Conversion of Australia. In ing his intention to leave the "The twO Sisters of Charity sion of Australia was composed In 1940 this organisation was re- world and become a priest. He said: by one of the students, which sponsible for the publication of began his philosophical and the"'Under -nourishment, dressing has since been indulgenced by the a second leaflet, "I Must Always ological studies at Scots College, in rags, and vermin we could Holy See and officially recognis- Pray," which it was hoped might Rome, in 1937, but when war gladly put up with, as we could ed in 1937 by the Fathers of the help members of the Catholic broke out he was forced to reeven with sickness and with Fourth Plenary Council of Aus- Church to raise their hearts to turn to his native land. At St. death, but what is unendurable is tralia and New Zealand, who re- God in prayer This particular Peter's College, Bearden, Dumthe outrages inflicted on us by commended its daily recitation. leaflet has been appreciated by bartonshire, he completed his 'Decree No. 213.) many patients in hospitals visit- course of studies and was or- FATHER SYDNEY MacEWAN. the supervising troops. "'The soldiers come at will A Growing Work. ed by the ladies of the Catholic dained at Glasgow in June, 1944. into the living-huts to summon Within eighteen months of the Women's Social Guild. Now aged 31, Father MacEwan wide interest has been aroused in the Sisters under the pretext of launching of the Movement in The granting of permission is stationed at St. Andrew's Ca- his visit, since the Australian organising medical inspection be1928, some 10,000 leaflets of the for the recitation of the Prayer thedral, Glasgow,. Australian - Broadcasting Commission an- fore they are posted to their rePrayer for the Conversion of for the Conversion of Australia nounced that he had accepted a spective labour-units. Australia had been distributed, at Benediction of the Blessed contract embracing 13 broad"'If there was no more than and some of the students were Sacrament in the diocese of Mel- Peter, to whom wtis given the cast recitals while he is in Aus- that it would be bad enough, but, busy writing brief instructions bourne was a source of particu- power to rule all Christ's flock, tralia. The first concert will be unhappily, the pretext serves on points of Catholic faith and lar satisfaction to the Movement Oven those who are not yet of heard on Saturday, May 1. only to bring the Sisters out of practice which, however, in spite in 1942. His fold, but whom Christ wishes Father MacEwan's records of the best endeavours of several Now, in 1948, the Bishops of to bring to Himself, so that not still occupy a high popularity their huts. It happens also that generations of their fellows, Australia are so favourably dis- only Australia, but the whole ranking with Australian and in the middle of the night drunken guards come to search for the have not yet been published. posed towards the C.A.M. and world, "may be one flock under New Zealand listeners. When Sisters.' How poor were their financial its aims, that we find the prayer one shepherd." he was last in Australia he made "These Nuns told us all this, resources is reflected by the fol- besing said at Benediction in alThe little flame which was lit many friends, and with a number lowing extract from the minutes most every diocese of the land. from the fire of the Interna- of them he still maintains a naturally only with much hesitancy and reticence, but, it was of the annual meeting held in Present Activities. tional Eucharistic Congress held regular correspondence. clearly the sad truth. More1931: "It was decided that a box This year's small committee of in Sydney, now nearly twenty over, other similar experiences for 'subscriptions be placed at the the Catholic Australia Move- years ago, has been carried, were already known to us. College notice board ,and that ment elected a few months ago is through the years, into some two 50 Had Died. the committee should arrange for again reprinting the prayer hundred sanctuaries by the "The Sisters of Charity also printing, according to the leaflet, this time with a new de- priests who have since been orsaid that when they left Dnjeproamount reecived by subscrip- sign. This design represents dained from Corpus Christi ColPetrovsk they had numbered tions." These limited the next the meaning of the prayer which lege-all of them at one time acFIRST SUNDAY IN MAY. about 1,500; more than fifty had edition of the prayer to 2,000 is addressed to God through the tive members of the Catholic The annual procession in hon- died on the journey, and an equal However, through the intercession of the patrons of Australia Movement, but it has copies. of Our our Lady of the May will number were expected to die generosity of the clergy and Australia, Mary, Help of Chris- not become a great light, a light be held at St. Columba's Church, of the many schools which had tians, St. Francis Xavier, and enlightening all the people of Forrest Street, South Perth, on within the next two or three days. become not only centres for the St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus- our land. May we not hope that the first Sunday in May, at 3 p.m. "All the Nuns still wore the dis'ribution of this Prayer for that Australia's people may be this year's great centenary One of the Jesuit Fathers will crucifix prominently on their the Conversion of Australia, but one in the Faith which centres gathering in Melbourne will fan preach. breasts. When the time came in which it was recited daily, the about the offering of the Perfect it to a brighter flame. The Children of Mary invite for them to go, they cried, 'Send total number of copies of this Sacrifice of the New Law, the Cards with the Prayer for the the members of parish our greetings home.' Even the prayer reached 20,000 by the be- Holy Mass. The design sym- Conversion of Australia may be to march with them thatsodalities day, and hard-bitten among us had This number 1937. of bolises that the Catholic Faith had from the secretary, Catholic later to be their guests at after- most ginning tears in his eyes. Never shall was almost doubled in the next is one not only in its worship, Australia Movement, Corpus noon tea. The cadets from we forget that sight; it haunts two years, during which time the but also in its government by the Christi College, Werribee. Aquinas College will form the me still to -day witen I think of Prayer was officially recognised Pope, the lawful successor of -Gabriel ward of honour. it"
Growth of a Seminary Movement
Priest-Singer to Broadcast
South Perth Procession