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Anzac ¥¥ar Dead Honored
At IMIany Requiem Masses
rJvHROUGHOUT the Archdiocese of Sydney and in country
dioceses special ceremonies were held to commemorate*,
Anzac Day.
Veterans, servicemen still with the forces, war widows, prominent civic,
professional, and business identities, relatives and friends of those members of
three armed services who died in action were present.
At almost all parish churches in Sydney, Requiem Masses for the repose of;
servicemen who died in World Wars I. and II. were celebrated.
At St. Mary's Cathedral j
three former chaplains offici
ated at the Solemn Requiem j
Mass, at which His Lordship
Bishop O'Brien was present
in the sanctuary.
The Rev. Father H. Law cele
brated the Mass, and the Rev.
Fathers C. Donovan and P. Rey
nolds, O.F.M., were deacon and
sub-deacon, respectively.
The Mass commenced at 11.15
a.m., in order to give exservice
men who participated in the an
nual Anzac Day march opportunity
to attend.
The Cathedral was crowded.
The Rev. Father John Roche, a
former chaplain with the R.A.N.,
who preached the occasional ser
mon, said:
'Once the lawful leaders of
the country have decided that it
is necessary to declare war, the
call to arms for the vast majority
is a call to defend their country
against attack and possible destruc
tion, and, more personally, for each
individual, a call to defend his
immediate relatives and depend
ants from the horrors of invasion
and occupation.
'Such, surely, were the motives
which moved most of the men and
women whose memory we revere
to-day to take part in the strug
gles in which they lost their
lives,
'For men and women who acted
thus, we must always have the
greatest reverence, especially
when we call to mind the suffer
ings which had to be endured in
the carrying out of their duties,
both by those who died and those
who fought with them.
'We do not praise war itself
on this or any other day — at best,
it is tolerated as a necessary evil,
a last means of avoiding greater
evils.
'But we do and should praise and
show appreciation of the noble
deeds' that so many ordinary men
and women performed during the
two wars of our lifetime.
'At the same time, we ordin
ary men and women who survive
them, and enjoy the benefits won
by their deeds, should resolve to
show a similar nobleness in the
light against the peace time ene
mies that attack the nation and
its families.
Communism An Enemy
'Such enemies are Atheistic
Communism, which would destroy
national unity, and divorce, and
other social abuses which would
destroy and are destroying fa
mily life.
'Such enemies can be defeated
only by the heroism of the ordin
ary men and women of the nation —
by their being ready to place the
present and future welfare of their
country and families before tholr
own immediate interests.
'During wartime there were
other heroes away from the battle
area who must not be forgotten
— the parents and wives who were
at home and worlcod hard for their
absent sons, daughters and hus
bands, whilst they waited and pray
ed for tholr return.
'Those often Buffered greater
anguish of mind than the servico
men themselves becauso they did
not know and could only imagine
exactly where or in what dangers
their loved ones might bo.
'Theirs was a dilllcult part in
the struggle — a part devoid of ex
citement or glamor with much
austerity and tho constant dread
of hearing tho worst newa.
'Wo pay trlbuto to all faithful
wives,' fathers and mothers to
day — but wo pay special tribute
to those who did rocoivo the worst
news in those dnys, tho news of
the loss of a loved ono.
'And we offer them tlio comfort
of tho beautiful -words of i5*©
? of to-day's Roquiem Mass. In
them we are reminded that in
Christ Our Lord lies the hope of a
blessed resurrection, so that those
who are saddened by the fact of
death may be consoled by the pro
mise of eternal life to come . . .
'for to the faithful, life is chang
ed, not taken away by death, and
when the house of this earthly so
journ is dissolved, an eternal
dwelling-place is prepared in
heaven.'
'It is our earnest hope and prayer
that Christ Our Lord and Judge,
who suffered and died for us, is
merciful to our fallen servicemen
and women because they, too, suf
fered and died for us. Through
His merciful forgiveness of what
ever faults they may have fallen
into, may they rest in peace in His
eternal dwelling-place.'
At St. Brigid's Church, Marrick
ville, cadets from the De La Salle
College formed a guard of honor
round the catafalque while the
'Last Post' and 'Reveille' were
sounded.
Suburban Ceremonies
Celebrant of the Solemn Requiem
Mass was the Very Rev. Father
Raymund Ouvrier, C.P. The Rev.
Father Joseph Mason, C.P., was
deacon, and the Rev. Father Paul
Johnston, C.P., sub-deacon.
Priests of ' the Passionist Com
munity sang the Gregorian Mass.
The occasional sermon was
preached by the Very Rev. Fa
ther Aloysius Nesbitt, C.P., who
saw action as . a chaplain in the
Middle East and New Guinea
through the last war.
Father Aloysius traced the his
tory and meaning of the term
'Anzac,' and the ideals which
prompted the men who gave it.
'There are those to-day who
would seek to glamorise war, but
the men who have seen it are
loth to speak about it.
'There was no glamor on the
hell-swept shores of Galllpoli, in
the snows of Greece, in the desert
of Tobruk, or in the mud of New
Guinea,' he said.
Father Aloysius said that peo
ple to-day should heed and imi
tate the lessons the Anzacs had
taught by their heroism, their pat
riotism, and their unselfishness.
At the Solemn Requiem Mass
in Mary Immaculate Church, Wav
erley, the Rev. Father Dominic
Tuohy, O.F.M., watf celebrant, and
the Rev. Fathers Adrian Burke,
O.F.M., and Kieran O'Connell,
O.F.M., deacon and Bub-deacon, re
spectively. Tho Rev. Father Vian
ney Kane, O.F.M., was master of
ceremonies.
Many distinguished personalities
were among the huge crowd which
overflowed the church, including
Mr. Bede Kenny, V.C.
The first four rows of seats were
occupied by relatives of old boy»
of the college killed in action.
Military cadets from the Chris
tian Brothers' College, Waverley,
assembled at the school, and
marched in slow march through
the church on to and about the
sanctuary.
Australian Colors
Standard-bearers carried the ca
det colours and the Australian flag.
A picked guard took up posi
tions in the sanctuary and lieuten
ants of the corps served the Mass.
A fanfare was sounded at the
Elevation o' the Host, and the
'Last Post' and 'Reveille' afteq
the Mass.
The occasional sermon was
preached by the Rev. Father Ber^
nard Quirk, O.F.M., who outlined
the purpose of the ceremony.
Anzac Day at Riverview com
menced with, Requiem Mass in tho
Dalton Memorial Chapel. The cele
brant was the Rev. Father J. Caaey,
S.J., Rector of the college.
The Rev. Father Michael Scott,
S.J., headmaster of 'Campion'-
Hall, preached the occasional ser
mon. Cadet-Lieutenant J.. Ram
say, I. McDonald, P. Proust, and
H. Carter served the Mass. '
The ceremonial guard comprised
Cadet-Lieutenant M. Desmarche
lier, in charge, and Corporals W
Ingall, K. i£vans, J. Knight, C.
Meagher, B. Russell-Smith and D,
Smith. *
Around the catafalque were Ser
geants r. jjaiton,- ju jvicivay, w.
O'Brien, and B. Regan.
After Mass the cadet unit par*
aded on the field near the chapelr
where the inspection by Brigadieij
J. R, Stevenson, C.B.E., D.S.O.i
V.D., took place, before wreath*
were laid on the College War
Memorial.
Staff Sergeant G. E. Barr.
D.C.M., sounded th© 'Last Post.'
Father Casey addressed the
large gathering, and the salute
was taken by Brigadier Steven
son.
The Very Rev. Monslgnor 'W. J.
Hurley, P.P., celebrated Requiem
Mass at St. Anne's Shrine, Bondft
Beach, for all parishioners lost in
action.
Many relatives ot the deceased
men received Holy Communion dui*
lng the Mass.
Requiem Mass for the repose
of tho souls of all deceased past
students of St. Stanislaus' Cot
lego, Bathurst, was celebrated at
St. Vincent's Church, Asliflold, at
9 a.m.
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