Here is this week’s round-up of pieces from the Batley News relating to the parish of St Mary’s. As ever, the spelling and punctuation matches that of the newspaper.
An Irish National League Club fund-raising event featured this week:
A FLAG DAY, promoted by Batley Branch of the Irish National League club on Saturday, realised £79 4s. 6d. in aid of the Irish prisoners of war. Although the day was cold, the flag sellers put forth their best efforts, and the success of the venture was due to them. A capable committee, in whose hands the arrangements were well carried out, comprised Messrs. John Deasy (President of the Branch), A. Cox, J. T. Colleran, and M. Burke, Mesdames McDonald, Tomlinson, Berry and Brennan, and Mr. Jas. Brennan (secretary).
Links between the Batley Irish Community and Ireland (which was not a sovereign nation, but a constituent part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) was also evident in a mass at St Mary’s following the death on 6 March of Irish Home Rule campaigner and MP John Redmond.
BATLEY’S TRIBUTE TO JOHN REDMOND.
Solemn Mass at the Roman Catholic Church, Cross Bank.
The Irish community of Batley paid fitting tribute to the late leader of their party, Mr. John Redmond, on Sunday morning when solemn mass was offered on his behalf in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Cross Bank. The church was crowded, and the celebrant was Rev. Father Kestelyn, a Belgian priest resident in the district. Members of Batley (John Dillon) Branch of the Irish National League Club met at their rooms in good numbers and walked in procession to the church, wearing the colours of the party and also, for the most part, a sprig of shamrock in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day. The company included Messrs. Deasy (President), M. Farrar (vice-president), J. Brannan (secretary), J. T. Munns (treasurer), H. Brearley, John Phillips, P. Flannigan (trustees), J. Smith, M. Moran, J. A. Munns, W. Gorman, M. Connolley, J. Frain, T. Gavaghan, J. Gavaghan, M. Neafsey, A. Cox, J. Cox, D. Mulligan, P. McDonald, M. Larvin, E. Guider, T. Moran, J. Flatley, J. Harkin, M. [?]ick, P. Harkin, J. Lyons, T. Dirkin, T. Tulley, James Phillips, John Phillips, T. Merriman, T. Henry, T. Cafferty, E. Elders, J. T. Cairns, M. Henry, James Morgan, J. Prendergast, R. O’Hara, Tom Meak, Tim Meak, R. Cunningham, T. Fleming, M. Finn, J. Callaghan, James Henry, John Kilroy, J. E. Berry, J. Foley, J. C. Senior, T. Egan, T. Hawkins, J. T. Coleran, J. Walker, J. T. Lynch, and Councillor N. Winfield.
Rev. Father Lea, delivering an eloquent appreciation of the late leader, said Mr. Redmond had guarded, as far as possible in his time, the political rights of their country. Of his political work the congregation might know more than he (the preacher) did, but they all knew Mr. Redmond had given his energy, his whole life, and had died for his cause; and love of country came next to love of God and love of family. It was the sacred duty of everyone to love their country, to wish it well, to work for its rights, and to uphold it to the utmost of their power. John Redmond had done just that. He had spent his life in its service, and therefore had a right to the gratitude of his fellow-countrymen, not only in Ireland, but in this country as well. It was not so much of Mr. Redmond’s political life he wished to speak – the pulpit was no place for political speeches – as the fact Mr. Redmond was a fellow-Catholic, and, as such, has been in a difficult position; for whilst striving for the political rights of his country, he had kept his eyes on the laws of God and the laws of God’s Church. He had had a difficult position, and only those who had been in such a position could know its difficulties. He could see the rocks on which both the vessels of the salvation of the people and political right might easily have been wrecked; he had had to steer the vessel between those two rocks, and he had done it well. The departed soul now had a right to their prayers. A life such as his had not been spent in vain. He had done good work for the Catholics that, as leader of the Irish political party, he had helped that party to defend their schools in time of need. When Education Bills were brought in which would have brought ruin to their schools he had taken his stand as a Catholic, he had brought his party with him in defence of those schools, and had wrecked the bills which threatened their ruin. He had a right to the gratitude of every Catholic in the country.
The final piece linked to St Mary’s was on the issue of divorce.
A public meeting is to be held in Batley Town Hall on Wednesday, April 3rd, to protest against the “passage into law of any Bill to make separation, by mere mutual consent or by legal separation order, a ground for divorce.” The speakers will be the Revs. B. O. F. Heywood (Vicar of Leeds), Father Chas. Leteux (Hunsworth), Hugh Jenkins (President of Batley Free Church Council), F. E. Lowe (Vicar of Batley) and Father J. J. Lea (St. Mary’s Catholic Church).
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