WAIKATO DIOCESE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 49, 28 February 1927, Page 12

WAIKATO DIOCESE.

BISHOP APPEALS FOR FUNDS. MANY IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED. APPEAL FOR £50,000. (From Our Own Correspondent.) . HAMILTON, Sunday. Bishop Cherrington is asking for a total sum of £50,000, in order that the Church of England in the Waikato district may minister adequately to - the needs of its adherents.

Having made a survey of his diocese, the Bishop addressed a letter to every adherent of the Church. In this he said that the standing committee had already appealed for £10,000, and about £7000 had either been paid or had been definitely promised. But since this appeal was made the experience of the standing committee and the knowledge the bishop had gained had .made it evident that the Church had very much more to do in the diocese than simply maintain the work, which was found to be in existence when the diocese was created.

To provide a stipend for an archdeacon, to permit vicars' stipends to be increased,' and to assist parishes to provide for additional clergy an income of £IGOO a year was wanted. To provide his it.would he necessary to raise a capital sum of £29,500.

For the efficient carrying cut of much of the work of the bishop an episcopal chapel was required, involving an expenditure of £500. Bishop Cherrington said that he was giving this sum and would build a chapel as a memorial to his wife and mother.

The accommodation of St. Peter's Cathedral, Hamilton, was totally inadequate for diocesan purposes or for the parish of Hamilton itself. Only 350 people could at present be seated in the cathedral,'which was still in an uncompleted condition. It was estimated that the completion of the cathedral, including the nave, vestry and lady chapel, would cost £10,000. The people of Hamilton were setting themselves the task of finding £5000 of this amount iu the near future, and it was hoped that the diocese would help to find the balance. For all these needs the bishop said he was, with the support of the standing committee, asking for a total sum of £50,000, and he appealed to the diocese to co-operate heartily in raising the amount.