The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-03-04
# THE FRONT
MANY SERVE IN RANKS, AND RE.
VEAL CALLING ONLY lF EMER,
GENcY DEMANDS WIN FAME
AS HEROES.

Thousands Of priests and monks
who some ten years ago left France
in consequence of the anti-clerical leg
islatiOn focked back to their country
at the call of danger, says CORE
ispondent of the New York Sun. The
recognized chaplains or aumoniers, eX-
cept for the kept and large cavalry
Ecloak bearing the gallons of their rank,
look very much like other priests.
The chaplains in the English army
wear the regulation khaki officers uni
form, even to the khaki shirts and
soft collars, the only distinguishing
feature being that their rank is de-
noted by black gallons
The cure sac au dos in the French
army wear the ordinary uniforms of
the French army and are only dis.
tinguished when occasion brings out
their sacerdotal character For in
stance, nothing is more touching than
to see some young Breton giant pri-
vate suddenly singled out from the
ranks and given temporary prece-
dence among officers and General to
read funeral service, all his superior
officers kneeling down humbly beside
his standing figure and then, the serv.
ice once over, the soldier priest going
back to the ranks.
Ministrations at Front.
Sometimes it is in the hospital that
the priest is discovered. There is
sudden agitation among the long line
Of sick beds; a wounded soldier after
a serious operation has taken a turn
for the worse and the doctors are con.
sulting as to getting priest who shall
administer the last rites of the church
A faint voice attracts attention and
a nurse hurries to see what is the mat
ter. Sister" says the voice from the
pillows, Il am priest; can give him
absolution il you will hold my hand"
And as the whole ward lapses into
silence the wounded hand is helped
to make the mystic sign and the saw
ing words that bring peace to the dy-
ing man are uttered, Ego tie absolvo."
Nor are they less prominent on the
field of battle. They are among the
bravest and, what is more, often serve
as q stimulus to bravery in others.
The other day in France, for example,
among four promoted from the ranks
upon the battlefield, three were priests
in orders.
A story is told that in order to make
sure of a surprise attack huge cure
crawled out from the French trenches
and silently strangled the German SEN
try, thus preventing an alarm being
Igiven. Again a Jesuit priest, Revel
by name, Joined the Garibaldian vol
unteers and eventually became Cap
tain. Yet another story is told of an
Iabbe, who was a Lieutenant, upon be-
ing asked would he accept the leading
OF company, an honor which entailed
certain death, replied: "My Captain,
am Frenchman and priest" With
that he turned to his men, gave them
absolution and led them on to death
but to victory.
Father Firms Death.
| The deeds of personal heroism on
the part of these priests both of the
fighting and non-fighting character
have burned themselves into the
memories of the French and English
armies. The death of Father Finn,
chaplain of the First Dublins, for ex-
ample, is typical of the heroism of
them all. During one of the landings
at the Dardanelles under heavy ma
chine gun fire Father Finn saw some
lTommies fall on the beach and asked
permission to go down to them, get
ting hit on the shoulder as he ran
down the gangWay of the liner River
IClyde. Bleeding profusely, he man
aged to crawl to the men, to whom,
though in agony himself, he managed
to administer extreme JUNCTION. Hard
ly had lie finished when bullet
caught him in the head. Before help
could be got he expired, his last words
being: care we winning, boys? Are
we Winning?''
Father Lane Fox Of the London
Irish actually took part i'll the charge
at Loos, as did Father Freeland, at
tached to cavalry division. Both alb
solved those who were shot as they
| fell and arrived in the German
trenches along with the troops.
Perhaps nothing can obliterate one
midnight funeral Of British General,
rivalling as it did the famous burial
of Sir John More at Corunna. Only
the small electric torch of the chap
lain gave light, but now and again the
whole assembly would be suddenly lit
up by the flash of bursting German
shrapnel. The ordinary salute was
impossible, for that would have re-
vealed their position to the enemy.
AS the commanding British General
left the graveside he remarked: "A
true soldiers burial. We couldn't fire
volley, but the enemy have given
him one for u.s."
Religious services are difficult to
conduct at the front-and take place
under the strangest conditions. One
priest writing home told OF celebrating
mass in granary, through the open
door of which came the sound of dis
tant rifle fire, with shells shrieking
overhead and the building rocking
with the vibration of the heavy guns.
The automobile has proved bless
ing to the priests. and one writes tell