First Annual Communion and Breakfast
The first general Communion of the Catholic Girls’ Movement was held in St. Patrick’s Cathedral at the 9.30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, and all the clubs associated with the movement were represented in the gathering. The Vicar-Apostolic of Kimberley, W.A., Most Rev. Dr. Raible, was the celebrant of the Mass, and he was assisted in administering Communion by Rev. B. McGrade, chaplain of the organisation. Plain chant was sung during the Mass by the boys of St. Vincent de Paul’s Orphanage, South Melbourne, under the direction of Miss Honiss.
A Communion breakfast was afterwards held in the Cathedral Hall.
Miss E. Robinson, president of the movement, congratulated the girls on their mass demonstration in honour of Christ the King, and thanked his Lordship Dr. Raible for his co-operation. Fr. McGrade outlined the objectives of the C.G.M., and paid a tribute to its founder, Miss Robinson, who was assisted by officers of the Catholic Women’s Social Guild, who had fostered the new organisation. At present the movement includes about 17 units, and it is hoped that in the near future every Catholic girl will belong to it. Fr. McGrade also reviewed
Catholic girls’ organisations abroad, with special reference to the Grail, which he saw at work in Berlin, and the Jociste movement, which numbers about 110,000 members in Belgium and 100,000 in France. He expressed the hcpe that the Grail would soon come to Melbourne, and that the C.G.M, would associate itself in the splendid! work this organisation was doing.
Bishop Raible spoke of the problem of the Australian aborigines, whom we have shamefully neglected. At least 75 per cent of the workers in Australian mission fields are foreigners, he said. In his own diocese of Kimberley not one Australian is doing anything for blacks. One member of the Catholic Girls’ Movement has already volunteered for work in Kimberley, and he appealed for more Australian girls to join her.
Mrs. McDonald, president of the Catholic Women’s Social Guild extended an invitation, on behalf of Dr. van Kersbergen of the Grail, to any girls who wished to take part in the Grail training course in Sydney from January 8 to 15, and the camp in the Blue Mountains from January 16 to 23. The cost is £3/3/- and £2/2/- respectively and arrangements can be made through the guild.
SOURCE
Catholic Girls’ Movement (Advocate (Melbourne, Vic. : 1868 – 1954), Thursday 18 November 1937, page 18) (Trove)