The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-04-07
REV. JOHN CHADWICK.
HHE CHAPLAIN OF THE BATTLEsHlP
MAINE

The Third Catholic Priest to. BE Appoint
:. ed Naval Chaplain-The Work of q
Priest on Man-of-war-C Character of
the Mass at Sea-sailors' Funerals.
An uppermost thought in the minds
Of many American Catholics, when the
first tidings Of the terrible disaster that
recently befell the United States war
ship Maine in the harbor Of Havana
seaohed these shores, was whether the
Catholic chaplain of the vessel, Rev.
John P. Chadwick, was among the Off
oars who escaped death. Happily their
anxiety was speedily allayed, for early
in the days following Immediately after
She loss of the ship came the news that
all the officers, with two exceptions 9TH
or than the chaplain, had escaped in.
jury, and upon Father Chadwick de-
volved the mournful and solemn duty of
conducting the religious services over
the remains of the victims of the disas-
ter, to whom the citizens of Havana
gave an imposing public funeral.
Rev. John P. Chadwick, the chaplain
of the i'll fated Maine, is priest of the
New York archdiocese, who, previous to
his appointment to his present position
by President Cleveland, was attached
as curate to st. Stephens church, East
Twenty ninth street, New York. He
was the third Catholic priest to be ap-
pointed naval chaplain, his predeces-
sors in that position being Rev. Charles
II. Parks, also of the New York diocese,
who received his appointment in 1888,
and Rev. William II. j. Reaney of the
Baltimore archdiocese, who was made
q chaplain in 1892. Since Father Child.
wick was appointed, fourth Catholic
chaplain, Rev. E. H. Fitzgerald of the
st. Joseph diocese, who for several
years was connected with the Catholic
Indian bureau, has been named; SO that
at present the Catholics have four of the
"a naval chaplaincies, an all made
quate share, since fully one-half of
United States bluejackets are said to be
Catholics.
The chaplain of the i'll fated Maine
contributed last September a very inter-
esting article, "a Parish Afioat," to
Donahoe's Magazine, the following ex-
tract from which will give the reader
an idea of what naval chaplain's work
aboard ship consists: "The chaplain's
chief duty" wrote Father Chadwick,
sis his Sunday services.
1.-THE naval regulations about the
proper observance of Sunday are very
strict and command that captains of
ships to which chaplains are attached
shall have divine services offered on all
Sundays when the weather and circum-
stances permit. 1t is seldom that divine
service is omitted. The attendance is
entirely voluntary for officers and men,
although the regulations exhort both to
be present. The time and place for di-
vine service are fixed by the command
ing officer, who must consult the con-
veniences of the ship and the require
ments of the Sunday functions About
is minutes before the time the boat
swain sounds his whistle and gives the
rather grotesque order to the division in
charge of the work to rig church. The
compartment wherein 1 celebrate mass
will hold about $50 men.
"It is the least INSTRUCTED apartment
aboard ship and the most suitable for
our purpose. The benches for the men
face the altar, OH one side of which is
an organ and on the other side are
chairs for the attending officers. A ]
small room in the compartment serves
as sacristy. When the preparations
are finished, word is sent to the officers
in charge of the deck, and at the ap-
pointed time the church bell tolls, and
the church pennant is raised above the
stars and stripes''
After abiding to the fact that this
church pennant, which is small. tri-
angular flag showing the cross, is the
only one ever placed above the national
flag, Father Chadwick describes the
character of the mass at sea, with
choir of sailors singing hymns and the
deep voices of the tars answering the
prayers after mass. The attendance at
these masses varies, of course, accord
ing to circumstances, but the Names
chaplain says it often mounts to 600 or
700. On grand feasts military high mass
is celebrated, and the naval chaplains,
when at sea, say mass daily in their
own rooms. Then, too, the chaplain
has regular confession and communion
days, generally once week, and when
other vessels than his own are near he
is expected to minister to the spiritual
needs Of the Catholic sailors OIL board
them. Some ships. Father Chadwick in
formed us, have morning and evening
prayers, which are called Quarters,
and the chaplain is often asked for
beats, scapulars and agnus deis by the
men. . y
In this article of the Names chaplain
is also given an account of the way in
which sailors funerals are conducted,
and mournful interest attaches to the
subjoined extract at this time: "Fhe
regulations require that Christian burial
be provided for all men who die in the
service If possible, the body is inferred
with the rites of the church to which
the deceased had belonged. When this
snd dnty is required at sea, the ship is
hove to. the flag displayed at half mast
and the officers and men are mustered
on deck to pay their last tribute to the
departed. The funeral services follow,