The annual meeting of " the Friends " at Blackfriars, Oxford, on Trinity Sunday, was attended by a numerous company, who travelled down by coach from London accompanied by the Fr. Provincial, O.P., Fr. Chas. Halpin, O.P., Vicar-Provincial of Grenada, B.W.I.; Fr. Humbert Everest, 0.P., ex-Provincial; and Fr. Leo. Moore,
0.P, At Oxford they were joined by Friends in the neighbourhood and from Woodchester. The Provincial presided at the meeting. He was followed by Mr. Richard O'Sullivan, K.C., President of "the Friends."
The meeting was asked to send greetings to those unable to be present, particularly Mrs. Bullough, to whom a special message of remembrance was sent; to Mr. and Mrs. Leitch for their drawing-room tea on the occasion of the anniversary meeting for Fr. Bede in March last: to Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan for the printing of all notices sent out to Friends; to the Catholic Press for the publicity accorded in their columns to the activities of the association (and without specifying, added Mr. O'Sullivan, may we not add our sense of the great improvement in our Press during the past year), to Mr. W. A. Stuart and Mr. Harry Wallack who, with that " persistive constancy " characterised by Fr. Bede as the great attribute of friendship, had again as in the past years. undertaken the arrangements for the
day's outing. All friends and supporters were asked to give their patronage to a jumble sale to be held for the funds, probably at the Interval Club, in the autumn. The announcement by the Hon. Treasurer (Mr. George Belford) that the collection for the year had fallen a little below the average, stressed the importance of these supplementary efforts. A special donation from an anonymous Friend has brought up the total to a little below £200.
A vote of thanks to the Prior of Blackfriars and his community moved by Mr. Raby was seconded by Mr. Gathorne-Hill, and responded to by the Prior.
A short lecture followed by Fr. Walter Gumbley, O.P., F.R.Hist.S., on Some Notable Dominicans in pre-Reformation England, material for which was drawn from little-known sources: the sketch of the great periods of the Order in England, beginning with that of the Three Cardinals. including Robert Kilwardby, great archbishop of the greatest of English kings. Edward 1: the period of Wycliffe, when Dominicans furnished the hulk of the material for the refutation of the Wycliffe heresy; down to the Council of Trent which owed so much to the Friars of St. Dominic.
The Provincial, in his sermon which, with Compline and Benediction, brought the day to a conclusion, seized the opportunity of Press Sunday to read the Letter of the Master General of the Order on the power of the Press and the support which the Catholic Press. in particular, should receive from all who had the interests of the Church at heart.