Bishop’S Death

Rev. Dr. A. Raucaz

AFTER 30 years of devoted mission work in the British Solomon Islands, Rev. Dr. Aloysius Raucaz, S.M., Titular Bishop of Telape, died in hospital in Sydney in July.

Dr. Raucaz arrived in Sydney by the Malaita on June 24, and was taken im mediately to the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, suffering from malarial fever.

His condition became very serious, and he passed away on July 22.

Born in France in February, 1878, he received his early education at Mount Ducon Preparatory school, and, later, studied for the priesthood at Belley and Montbel. In 1902, he was ordained a member of the Marist Order.

Arriving in Sydney early in this cen tury, he was appointed to the Catholic Mission’s headquarters at Visale, in the South Solomon Islands, as the Group was then known. For 17 years he was engaged in valuable missionary work on Malaita, New Georgia, Florida, San Cris toval, Ysabel, and Guadalcanal. On the death of Rev. Dr. J. E. Bertreux in 1920, he was consecrated Bishop of the British Solomon Islands at Hunter’s Hill, Sydney, by Archbishop Cattaneo.

He was an expert mechanic and en gineer, and helped to build the Cate chists’ school, which he founded at Tan garare. The Sacred Heart Cathedral at Visale and the new mission station at Malaita were both built under his direc tion.