THE MAGDALEN ASYLUM.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7125, 23 July 1888, Page 5

THE MAGDALEN ASYLUM.

THE FORMAL OPENING. Yesterday marks another epoch in the brief but nevertheless important history of the Magdalen Asylum at Mount Magdala, the occasion being the formal opening by the Right Rev. Dr. Grimes, Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch. The success that has attended the founder of this institution, the Rev. Father Ginaty, in his efforts to place his scheme before the public of the colouy and secure their sympathy and support, cannot but be a source of pride and gratification to that gentleman. The culminating point to which his labors tended, has in a measure been reached by the open, ing of the first portion of the building. Bef ore proceeding to ihe accountof the opening ceremony a brief recapitulation of what has taken place since the movement in Christchurch assumed a tangible form will not be out of place. At various times portions of the history have been published in detail. The description of the plans of the. building, the laying of the foundation-stone by his Eminence Card'nal Moran, on February liSth, lSSti , , the subsequent arrival of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, under whose immediate charge the Institution now is, have been duly chronicled in The Phess. On April 18th last a detailed account of the domestic arrangements of the Asylum, since its occupation, was published in these columns. The amount of money expended on the land and buildings up to the present time is about £10,000. During the time the erection of the building was in progress, the grounds were improved and planted under the personal direction and supervisiou of the EevFather Ginaty. Upwards of a thousand forest trees and ornamental shrubs have been planted, and are now growing wellThe trees were the gifts of Messrs Joyce, Merivale ; Gun trip and Line, Lincoln road; Kerr and Uarnett, Richmond Nursery; also a nurseryman on the Ferry road and a Christchurch firm. Mr A. Ivory, of Kangiora, also gave £20 worth of "fruit irees for the orchard. Lately the drive from the main road to the Asylum has been formed, shingled, and planted, the labor being gratuitously given by residents of the disv-rict. There arc at present over forty penitents, or children, as they are called, in the institution, and on a pinch room could be made for a few more. The laundry is the chief employment for a large proportion of the inmates, whilst others are engaged in plain sewing and fancy work, making the light boots and slippers worn in the Asylum and light woric in the garden, &c. The ceremony yesterday was befitting the occasion, and in keeping with the more important one of laying the foundation stone. To the Catholics of the district, as well as others, the event bears additional importance, from the fact of its bein.i the first public ceremony in which his Lordship Bishop Grimes has taken the leading part in this part of the diocese, since he has taken charge. From about half pa.st twelve in the afternoon, residents of the city and suburbs began to collect at the starting places of the tramcars and coaches, or proceeded to walk out to the Asylum, which is situated on the Lincoln road about five miles from the city. All the large convcvances in town were put into requisition, and carried full loads out. The trams to the .>how Ground terminus were well patronised, and private vehicles were utilised in considerable numbers. A few minutes past one o'clock there was a continuous stream of vehicle-, and footpassengers on the Lincoln road, making for the rendezvous. It was estimated subsequently that there were about three thousand people of all denominations present at the ceremony. At a few minutes past two his Lordship Bishop Grimes, in his episcopal vestments, entered the chaptl of the institution, attended by the Hevs. Father Halbwachs as deacon, Father Mornane as sub-deacon, and Fathers Kickham. Sauzean, and Ginaty. The choir of the pro-cathedral, Earbadoes street, sang the psalm " Miserere," Miss Funston presiding at the organ. His Lordship with the procession then marched through the building, and blessed each part. The nuns and penitents, while the procession marched, sang the "A«e Maria Stella," and Che choir the " Magnificat" in the sth tone Gregorian. The procession on its return passed through the chapel and into the grounds by the northern door. It then made the circuit of the grounds in front of the building, and the nuns and penitent* as they followed sang the '" Litany of the Blessed Virgin." His Lordship then entered the court yard and took his seat on a temporary platform under the wail of the building. The spectators were then admitted and disposed themselves in front of the plitfonn. The choir sang the hymn "Faith of our fathers," after which

His Lordship addressed the assemblage, choosing his text from Paul's epistle to the Komans, xiii., Bth verse, "I beseech you, brethren, love one another, for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law." It was to be read in the holy gospel according to Matthew that one approached to Christ, tempting him, and said, "Master, which is'the first and greatest commandment in the law?" and our Divine Lord answering, said, "Thou sbalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, and with thy whole miud. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The secondi is like unto it, Thou, shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments depended the whole law and ; the prophets." Our blessed Lord was asked on this occasion which was the greatest of the precepts. He added a second, though not asked, which he qualified by likening it unto the first, which refers directly unto God and to the love: and worship d ue to God alone. Those two' precepts were two parts that were necessary to comprise a perfect whole. They were two links in a chain without which it would fall and break in pieces. They were two means whereby we all obtained eternal salvation. They had come that day to the formal opening of one of the noblest institutions on God's earth, and to invoke God's blessing on what that day became sacred walls, because they were taught to fulfil that twofold precept. He thought he could not do better on the occasion than suggest a fewj thoughts upon this fraternal or Christian charity. What was it? It was a supernatural virtue whereby we love our neighbour, that was to say, all mankind without any exception. It was to practice this divine precept of perfection that that institution had been reared in their midst. Nothing could be more excellent nor greater than fraternal love. To be convinced of this he had only to ask them to meditate on the words of the text. They were told by the infallible voice oi God Himself that if they wished to t f nlnl His law they had to love their neighbor. It was the mainspring and source whence come the and harmony that reigned throughout society. Therefore they would not be surprised to learn that the Apostle of Love in his old at;e, when not able to preach long and elaborate sermons to his people, used to repeat the words, *' My dear little children, love one another." When his disciples, somewhat vexed at this repetition, rebuked him, the great St. John gave answer, " I give you no other precept than this, the first precept of God himself, ' Love one another, for love is the fulfilling of the law.'" Hence they should lay those things to heart. St. Francis of Versailles said, "I know not how God made my heart; but were He to order mc to 1 hate mine enemy, I coujd not do it; or, ao-ain, were an enemy to pluck out one> of my eyes, I would still look uponi him with love with the other." This; test was given by which we should_ be. known. Ifc was the mark in the old time; by which the Jews and Pagans recognised \ Christians from themselves. In the inspired word they read that nothing was more meritorious than that one should perform sacrifice. It would be displeasing to God if they offered a sacrifice devoid of charity. If they brought an ottering to the altar, and had aught against a brother they must first reconcile themselves to him, and then bring their offering. The sacrifice of charity and love for our neighbour was far more pleasing to God than any sacrifice devoid of charity. The Lord in promulgating that precept actually compared it to the love He had for His own Eterual Father, and a divine writer had said " God is charity." No matter how repulsive anyone might be, no matter whether an enemy or friend, all must be loved for God and in God. The action must be'universal and practical in its effects. They found this virtue highest in Christ himself, and they found it in men who were Christians and worthy of the name. They found it in those marvellous creations of Christianity—the greatest glories of the church—the various religious orders—whose practical objects were to fulfil that two-fold precept. Bat inaone he ventnrtd to say was it practised,

with more heroic love and devotion than in the houses of the Nuns of the Good Shepherd. The sight of holy women consecrating themselves by vow to relieve bodily suffering wrung from a modern writer, an infidel philosopher, those words of admiration—"Perhaps there is nothing grander on earih than the sacritlee made by a delicate sex, young, beautiful, and often of high birth, in order to devote themselves in hospitals to that collection of human misery, the sight of which is so humiliating to human pride, or so revolting to our delicacy." Was it not still more heroic to stoop to heal spiritual infirmities far more awful than the merest bodily diseases? To rescue, watch over, and love and serve those the bare sight of whom pure-minded men recoiled from with unconquerable feelings of repugnance and disgust ? Was it not the heroism of Christian charity for virgins, whose purity was symbolised by their white robes, to receive with sympathy and compassion and tenderest love unfortunate creatures whose lives were branded with infamy? What was the secret that impelled all that was noblest and purest in human nature to treat with religious reverence and loving respect those who were pointed at by the world with the finger of scorn and contempt. It was that they were vowed to practise to the utmost perfection this great precept of love, and walk in the footsteps of Him who was born to this world, who lived ana suffered and died, shedding his last drop of precious blood for poor sinners. Like the founders of the Holy Institute, they had heard and barkened to the Divine call, leaving all behind to follow the Good Siiepherd, who had taught them the worth and excellence of that golden precept. His Lordship then related a pathetic anecdote relative to Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, who attended a dying leper, because she saw in Him a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There was now, the speaker continued, a leprosy eating away the vitals of society, a class of crime-that mothers were right in withdrawing the mention of from their children, and to save them from this detilemeut these Sisters of the Good Shepherd had obeyed the voice of God and sold all to give to the poor. They had striven night and day to remove this leprosy, to save those who had fallen or who were on the brink of sin. Would they not help them and trust in Christ i or would they be silent spectators of the work of Christ ? When he (the speaker) came into that institution and saw those devoted sisters robed in white, the emblem of purity, he received a silent sermon more eloquont than words. Would they not help by thuir presence and cooperation? Had they not, some of them, longed to be on earth in the days of the Good Shepherd, and would they not then ha ye given the fairest days of their existence to minister to the wants of Jesus Christ? They need not mourn nor regret. They had God's infallible word of truth that " If ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto mc." This was necessary to fulfil liod'a law. Not to turn away their faces, lest God should turn away his face from them. What they gave, it should be with gladness. Thus, to co-operate in the saving of those poor souls, they would perform a work more pleasing than the creation of millions of worlds; and thus realising the nobleness and excellence of this form of charity, they would shrink from no sacrifice to re-create and redeem souls already purchased at an infinite price—the last drop of the life's blood of an incarnate God. When the Good Shepherd came to gather them at the last great d;iy He would see that divine charity was stamped on their faces, and He would treat them as they had so treated Himself. He (the speaker) hoped they would consider accordingly. The Rev. Eather Ginaty then ascended the platform, and thanked his Lordship for his presence that day. He also thanked tne audience for their attendance; Messrs Greig and Hunter, the contractors of the building; and Mr Weybourne, the Clerk. of Works. In thanking the Press for its assistance to him during his mission, throughout the colony on behalf of the Magdalen Asylum, the rev. father said that everywhere he had been it had, given him coi\lial support. He then made an appeal to those present for contributions in aid of ths institution. He said that in ajl his travels he had never met "with a single refusal. Several gentlemen then collected the offerings, after which the benediction was pronounced in the. chapel. The spectators then inspected the building. The proceedings throughout were taken great interest in by those present, and the Bishop's eloquent address was listened to with close attention. A move homewards was then made, and town was reached about half-past five. In the. evening the Rev. Father Cummings, S.M., preached to a large congregation in the ProrCathedral, Barbadoes street. He took his text from the parable of the good shepherd. He showed the nature, necessity, and advantages of the Magdalen Asylum, and dealt with the subject in a very lucid, forcible, and touching manner. The deep interest taken in the subject was clear from the manner in which the attention cf the congregation was rivetted by the discourse, which occupied an hour in' delivery. His appeal at the end was practical, in encouraging the people to co-operate by procuring work for the inmates of the Asylum. At the close of the services his Lordship Bishop Grimes stated that the contributions, on behalf of the Asylum, at the ceremony and at the Cathedral, apart from promises of a considerable sum, amounted in all to over £300.