The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-07-27

the Knights have decided to institute
service clubs in the large metropolitan
centers at home. The need of these
clubs has been keenly felt in the great
cities, where soldiers and sailors and
their relatives halt en- route and from
the encampments. The clubs will
serve as centers for accommodating
the men and their relatives, and will
be equipped with all the essentials of
comfort and recreation that are to be
found in the camp buildings.
Two of these service clubs are al
ready in operation in Boston, and at
the recent meeting of the Supreme
Board of Directors in Detroit, Mich,
$4,000 was voted for the erection of
service club in that city, while no
less than 100000 has been appro-
priated for service clubs in Greater
New York.
The clubs will be one of the most
welcome features of the welfare work
at home, and will form an efficient
complement to the splendid work be-
ing done at the camps, making a COM
prehensive and complete chain of
service for the men so that wherever
they may be located, in camp, in great
cities, or in France and Great Britain
(and, when arrangements are COM
pleted, in Italy, the K. of C. sign
Everybody Welcome and Everything
Free for the Men Here and Over
seas" will greet them at all strategic
points.
Religious Phase.
With this marked advance in the
physical side of the work, the relig-
ious aspect is by no means being over
looked. Anybody visiting K. of c.
hall in any camp and interviewing
the Chaplains there will learn how
vitality the Catholic men appreciate a
Chaplains services. At all hours of
the day and night the Chaplain main
tanned by the order is on hand to hear
confessions and give comfort to the
men and their relatives who may be
visiting them. So large is the num-
Der of Catholics in the Army that,
as is demonstrated in practically
every camp in the country, naval and
military, it is physically impossible
for the regular army and navy Cath
Ollie Chaplains to tend to all the men.
Knights of Columbus Chaplains are
rendering a most important service,
as innumerable officers have testified.
Nor potriply n lei
the U. S. Military Forces, will sail
overseas in the near future to make
personal survey of the spiritual work
being done by the men. AS head of
the Catholic Chaplains, Mgr. Hayes
has already made tour of many of
the encampments at home, and the in
formation he has thus gained at first
hand is invaluable to him in directing
one Of the most vital works helping to
maintain the excellent morale of the
American forces.
Supreme Convention.
At the Supreme Convention of the
Knights of Columbus, to be held in
New York on August 6 and T.
delegates from all over the country
will obtain a personal insight into the
magnitude of the work, for which
the American public has given no less
than $12000,000, the larger part of
which has already been expended
With the full programme of work for
the present year calling for a great
multiplication of effort in every de-
partment, for large increase in per
sonnet and scores of new buildings
with their necessary equipment, be-
sides huge amounts of supplies, it is
no cause for wonder that several
times the millions spent during the
first year will be required to maintain
and extend the work on an efficient
basis during the present twelve
months. The budget, as at present
outlined, calls for sum of over $780,
100000 for the ensuing year-approx-
imately one million dollars a week.