ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 98, 28 April 1930, Page 9

ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE.

NEW SCHOOL BUILDING. FOUNDATION STONE LAID. < ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD'S RECORD. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Sunday. About 5000 people attended the blessing and laying of the foundation stone of the new St. Patrick's College at Silverstream this afternoon. The new building, which is being erected on a magnificent site in the Hutt Valley, 17 miles from Wellington, will cost £76,000. The grounds of the college will extend over BSO acres, through which the Hutt River flows, and the college chapel, which is being given by the Old Boys in memory of their former comrades who fell in the war, will cost an additional £13,000. The first St. Patrick's College, which stands near the Basin Reserve in Wellington, was founded in 1884 by Archbishop Redwood, who then laid its foundation stone, on which he had inscribed the words, "This small stone is great in hope." To-day, 40 years later, the same founder laid the stone of the successor of the old St. Patrick's. On the latter stone appear the words: "This stone, the fruit of a hope, was laid by Francis Redwood, Archbishop of Wellington, in his ninetysecond year." The occasion was a memorable one in the life of the veteran cleric, and it marked the great success which has attended the first Catholic boys' college in New Zealand that he founded. ■ Some 300 boys on the college roll made the erection of a new college a necessity. The southern boundary of the grounds of the new college will be formed by the beautiful Memorial Park recently acquired by the City of Wellington, and the Herctaunga golf links adjoin the northern limits. The facade of the new buildings will be a hundred yards in length. A spacious assembly hall, behind the main block, will be the most noticeable feature of a large quadrangle. A Distinguished Assembly.

The representative nature of to-day's gathering showed that the function had been rccognised as of Dominion-wide importance. In addition to Archbishop O'Shea (Coadjutor Archbishop' of Wellington), Bishops Brodic (Cliristchurch), Whyte (Dunedin), and Liston (Auckland) there was clergy from all parts of New Zealand, including the Ilev. Dr. Buxton. On the platform were the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, civic representatives, and several members of both Houses of Parliament, including the Hon. C. .T. Carrington, M.L.C. Archbishop Itedwood, accompanied by the bishops and clergy, proceeded through a guard of honour of the present students to the foundation stone, which he then blessed and laid. He then delivered an address with vigour and eloquence surprising in one of his great age. After acknowledging the enthusiastic welcome accorded him, his Gracc said he had deemed it one of the greatest days of his life when he had laid the foundation stone of the first St. Patrick's College. It was the fruit of hopes that had now increased a hundredfold. "' > •••• 'His Grace then went* on to sAy that the Catholic ideal looks to the training of the whole man. and thinks in terms of education of the complete human being, soul and body. It considers him united with God, his Creator, in preparation for his eternal destiny, which is to enjoy God for all eternity as the reward for his having obeyed the commands of God by fulfilling all his duties in every line of life, social, civic, economic and national. "In working out his destiny, man is not exempted from usmg natural means for his perfection by improving his mind and his heart to reach the standard of civilisation around him. Thus, Catholic education deals with the whole nature of man, it trains him in every particular so as to fit him for all liis relations with his Creator and with all his fellow human kind." In conclusion, the Archbishop said that the college now being erected would do its 'part in preserving Christian civilisation, which was a duty now of immense importance for the stability and wellbeing of the Dominion as a whole. "Built Without Wealth." Archbishop O'Shea, an old boy of St. Patrick's College who entered its doors when thev were first opened 45 years ago, said 'that the old college had been built as the new college, its successor, was being built, without endowments and without wealth, and without the assistance o£ one penny of the taxpayers monev. including the contributions of Catholic taxpayers. The only endowment had been the blessing and the pravers of the archbishop who founded it, and the zeal and devotion of the Society of Mary, who had conducted it with success. He recalled that in his farewell speech to the boys of Wellington College, the late Governor General, Sir Charles Fergusson, had said: "Stick to the faith in which you have been brought.up; that is the only sure foundation on which you can build." Dr. O'Shea added that among the many wise and true words of advice uttered bv his Excellency during his term of office, he had spoken none of greater wisdom and truth. Bishops Brodie and Whyte added their congratulations on the continued success of the college and their best wishes for the great new enterprise. Bishop Liston hailed the new college as being of great advantage to all New Zealand, for it would instil into generations of boys a love of God and devotion to their country. "It will give to God the things that are God's, and it will render to Caesar, and even a little more than is his due, the things that should be given to him. Very rich in promise. I trust and hope that the new college will be fruitful of the blessings of God, of great assistance to the Catholic Church, and of lasting advantage to the land we all love so well." The rector, the Very Rev. J. Dowling, S.M., M.A., said the new college was a monument to many men, and he was confident it would be worthy, of its magnificent site and worthy of ranking with the best of the country's secondary schools.

The rector announced that donations for the college building had been received from Archbishop Eedwood ( £1000), the Society of Mary ( £1000), priests of that society who were former pupils' of the college (£1000), Mrs. Macarthy Reid (£1000), Miss Emily Johnston ( £1000 for a science bursary), Dr. P. F. McEvedy, president of the Old Bots' Association {£500), Mr. Harry Sullivan (£1000), Sir Joseph Ward (£250), and the collection taken during the afternoon had resulted in a further sum of £1200 in cash and the promises of an additional £600. The function ended with three cheers for Archbishop Redwood led by the college boys, who also gave their warcry.