CHRISTMAS DAY.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16404, 26 December 1918, Page 10

CHRISTMAS DAY.

CHURCH SERVICES, -

CATHEDRAL

Holy Communion was celebrated at the Catnedrai at 7 and 8 a.m. yesterday, Choral Kucnariat at 11* and evensong :tt / pjn. Spvoial anthems were sung t>y tho cnoir. 'Xno offerings at all services were dovoted to St. Saviour's Orphanage.

The pulpit at the morning sen-ice was occupied by iiiflhop Julius, who, in the course oi his sermon, decla-red that Christmas lor a long* tune past to many hc.*J been as a body without eoul. Let them ask 99 men out of a hundred v.*hafc Chrietmas meant to-day, and they would not be a-blo to say. Chris&maa to-day woe associated tho minds of manv as a great function of the State, which provided for amusement, joyouaneas, the giving of presents-, etc. The spiritual significance of tho occasion was over • looked. a-s it the fault of our act iu these days that Christmas for a long timo past hard boen for many a body without a eoul? There always seemed to him a want of 6oul. Tho soul was not there. One go: c. groat deal else in the canvass, rt ut - not semi. There was something wrong with our commercial lite; it was energetic, hut somehow it wanted a ©oul« The-same thing applied to our scientific life. It seemed, however, that God had been leading us back to the vision. For four years or more we had been keeping no Christmas; wo had been feeling too sad. AVe thought it si mutilated festival and even now Christmas -could never be the same thing again. To many of those who had suffered from pestilence, who had suffered through tho war, who had suffered loss, a Christmas came and told ■ them the joys that could never come again. But that was all of the body, just the outwaid form. Ii one grot to the real thing it brought peace, even to the stricken. AVe had to get back to the reality. We kept our Christmas, but it was a sham, tho joy was artificial; we showed kindness, but only to our friends. "Wo had forgotten that spirit of love to all the people. Class luitreds - were more bitter to-day than they had been for many years past, but they would not have been if we had properly kept Christmas. Christmas should fetch us out a* the pestilence did looking after one pnother, caring for one another. ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL. Thero wero iaige congregations at the Roman Cattioiic oathixnai yesterday irom (i a.m. onwaras. At il a.m. tnoio was iJonuncai. nigii ansa, Ilia Loiasnip JSuhop iirouie being ctico.riin,t, tlie itov. .turner ilucKiey usBishuit pucet, and tlio Rove. leathers Jjong and i''ogarty deacon and sub-deacon respectively. The choir contributed Haydn s imperial Mass, tne "Adeeto -b'ldolea" being suns' un, tne oueitory, and tne "iiailclujan" ohorui as ii recessional.

His JLorae-mp, speaking from . the test, "Glory be to Uod. in tho Highest," dwelt upon the appropriateness of tne Ulirisv-mas message of peaco tnia year, when hostilities had ceased, and when foundations were being laid of what ho hoped would bo a permanent peace. Appropriate it was also, iio added, after tho liberation of tho community from the ravages of the epidemic. Gladly, as head of tho lloman Outholio Church here, he sent on. their behalf a niessugo of congratulation to: their soldiers, who would shortly bo returning home, nobly done. His Lordship concluded •by thanking tho choir, the Altar Socicty, the sacristan, the collectors, and religious teachers and other Church workers for . their highly appreciated services, throughout tho yea:. Tho sanctuary . and oratories ■ wero beautifully decorated by the ladies cf the Altar Society, urrier tho' direction ii Mrs Maclaren. The C.rib, designed by the sacristan, 11 r £\ Gnhagan, occupied olio of.-the eide chapels. In tho evening solemn vesper* wero held, at which his Lordship, And tho Kev. Fathers Buckley, Long, and' Fogarty officiated.. In his sermon Bishop Bfotfie dwelt upon tho mystery of tho Incarnation, explaining tho prophecies fulfilled and beipg fulfilled in relation to' Christ." At . the conclusion of the day's ceremonies the choir wero entertained at the Bishop's house. •

Masses were celebrated yesterday in the presence of largo congregations at the Sacred Heart Church, Addington, by iho Hov. Father Long, St. Agnes's, Halswell, by the. Kev. Father Buckley, and at St. Aniie's. Wcnlston, and Our Lady's, Sumner, by the llov. Father Fogarty. •

At tit. Barnnbas's, Fendalton, a ca'rol ser- ! vico was held la-si, tiui.May. evening, ami-yes-terday thero wero lour celebrations ot tlie Holy' Communion, with 2jo communicants. Tho churcii was tabteluliy dccoratcd with white and red flowers. Ganon T; A. Hamilton olhciated at all the services, and preached an appropriate sermon-011 tlie words: "And 'tho glory of tho Lord shone round about them'' (Luke ii., 19)- Tho "Christinas Mes--sago" of the Defence Department to' Dominion soldiers and the Army Xtu-sing Service was read at all the ' sorvicce. The 'Christmas hymns were.-heartily -sung by the cqrigregaiidn. ' The "anthem was "liehold I Bring you Good Tidings." Miss J. Black, Mus. Bac., presided at tho organ; There wero three celebrations of Holy Communion at St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Ashburton, yesterday, each of which, was conducted by tlie Kev. Nelson Wright. A special carol 6ervic© was held in the evening, after which tho choir visited tho Hospital and tho Tuarangi Old- Men's Home and eang carols. A,united Christmas service, under the auspices of the Christchurch Ministers' Association, was hold yesterday morning in St. ; Paul's Presbyteran Church. There was a -large congregation, which participated in the service with much fervour. The Rev. John Paterson (Presbyterian) .conducted tlie service and offered the opening prayer.. .The Rev. H. Allen Job (Congregational) iead;'portions of the Old and'.Now Testament, and Major Nowby (Salvation . Army) offered prayer. The Rev. E. P. Blamires (Methodist) gave an interesting address descriptive of a vieit he paid at Christmas time to Bethlehem, taking as his text- Luke ii., verse. 15: "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem." In the course of. his remarks Mr Blamires re- ; ferrod to the question which had arisen re-, garding' the birthplace of Christ, and dealtwith the evidence that supported the claims of tho city of David, Bethlehem. ' During; the ecrvice hymns appropriate to the season were sung, and the choir contributed the anthem, "And the Glory of the Lord (from Handel's "Messiah"). Tlio organist, Mr Raynor Whito, the. "Hallelujah" Chorus at tho conclusion of tho service.