The Irish standard., 1917-12-15
RAINBOW DIVISION
NOW IN FRANCE
RAINBOW DIVISION
NOW IN FRANCE
With Three Sundays Spent in France
Opportunity to Hear Mass Was
Wanting But Once.

The men of the Rainbow Division,
now in France in training to enter
the trenches, are still we'll provided
with opportunities for performing
their religious duties, says the Chi:
cago New World. This division, the
first. of the national guard bodies to
go across, is composed of units of
various states and includes Minnesota
Field Artillery, under the command Of
Col Leach and 1t. Col. Donahue. The
following letter was written by one Of
the men OF the Rainbow" with the
troops in France, and tells what pro-
visions the various Catholic chaplains,
and Protestant too, make that the
men are not compelled to go without
divine service.
American EXpeditionary Force,
Somewhere in France Oct. 16, 1917.
1t might be of interest to readers,
especially to the loved ones we have
7 left at home, to know that we of the
- Infantry, formerly the and -
regiments of the Massachusetts Ma
tional Guard, although something like
four thousand miles from home, are
still attending regularly holy mass.
Our Catholic chaplain, Rev. Father
--, is still with us and laboring as
hard as ever for our spiritual and also
physical welfare. We are now in COM
Portable places and all playing the
game"
!, On our first Sunday on French soil
the portable altar was set up and all
men of the Catholic faith attended
mass at the camp in a body; officers
and men, with barred heads, each with
rosary or prayer book in hand.
After the Gospel, Father --
preached sermon which sank deeply
into the hearts of every one of us,
more so than did any of his sermons
to us back home in --. It had
punch in it, as do all his sermons to
us. A very large number of the men
received holy communion at this, our
first mass in France.
Probable Winter Quarters.
Our second Sunday on foreign soil
was spent on the troop train from -
to the place where we are now and
most likely will be for the winter.
Our third Sunday in France, and
our first in our new "home" in the
barracks, my company lined up in
front of the barracks and headed by
our commanding officer, Capt. ~,
and his lieutenants, we hiked up the
road about three miles, where we were
met by other companies of our regi-
ment, carrying the Stars and Stripes
and headed by the - regiment band,
we marched over small bridge, down
an embankment, into large pasture,
and at one end was the Protestant
service and at the other our own.
After mass two. ball games were
held between different companies, one
being umpired by Col. ----. Many
French soldiers and peasants of the
town attended mass and greatly en-
joyed the games, after which we
marched back to dinner to our respec-
tive barracks.
Wayside Shrines.
Where we are in the many small
villages are large crucifixes, about
eight to twelve feet high made of
dark, while sandstone, each bearing
a date; there is one about mile from
here dated 1882, but it is still stand
ing and almost intact.
Every day while drilling we see
French girls tending sheep just as
Joan of Arc did not far from here five
or six hundred years ago. We have
heard much of her since our arrival
and have seen her monument in the
square in the town of -, about five
miles Cor kilometers) from our sta
tion.
Last Sunday, October IA, we attend
ed mass in the Church of St. Martin,
three miles distant which the French
priest joyfully let us use. It is beau
tiful little church built about the year
1700 A hymn was sung in French by
four French girls, our own chaplain
celebrating mass.
Much could be told of the country
and it's people and conditions, but we
have to reckon with the censor. Suf-
flee it to say, we will all be glad to be
back in our own parishes again and
with the ones we left behind at home.