The chalice of First World War chaplain Father James Joseph McMenamin was handed over to New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) chaplains during a Mass at Sacred Heart Church, Petone on Sunday.
The NZDF will take to the chalice to Belgium where it will be used in services in Nieppe and Mesen/Messines as part of the commemorations to mark the centenary of New Zealand’s involvement in the Battle of Messines.
On July 9, 1917, after the Battle of Messines in Belgium, McMenamin was conducting a funeral service for fallen soldiers when the enemy fired a shell into the congregation.
Six soldiers were injured, and McMenamin was killed.
He was buried originally in Belgium, but was reinterred at the Nieppe Communal Cemetery in France.
His chalice, a gift from the Petone parish, was returned to Sacred Heart Church. The chalice has been used during services ever since.
The stained glass window positioned behind the altar, in the church was dedicated to McMenamin when it was rebuilt in the 1930s.
The NZDF will take the chalice to Belgium where it will be used in a graveside service at Nieppe Communal Cemetery on June 8, and a mass for McMenamin in St Nicholas’ Church later that day.
That’s a day after the National Commemorative Service at Messines Ridge British Cemetery and a Sunset Ceremony at the New Zealand Battlefield Memorial.
Source
