NEW BISHOP OF WELLINGTON

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25129, 10 March 1947, Page 6

NEW BISHOP OF WELLINGTON

CEREMONY AT ST. PAUL’S

CONSECRATION OF THE REV. R/H. OWEN

(P.A.) . WELLINGTON, March 9. The Rev. R. H. Owen was to-day consecrated a Bishop at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. To-morrow night he will be enthroned as Bishop of Wellington. The consecration ceremony was performed by the Primate of New Zealand, Arcnbishbp West-Watson, in the presence of Bishop Bennett (Aotearoa), Bishop Stephenson (Nelson), Bishop Simkin (Auckland), Bishop 'Fitchett (Dunedin), and 35 clergy of the diocese of Wellington. A large crowd assembled before the church before* 10 a.m. Only a portion of the crowd was able to gain admittance, which was by ticket. Those in the pews included the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Sir Patrick Duff, and Lady Duff, Mrs Owen, wife of the Bishop-elect, Mrs Wallis, widow of Bishop Wallis, Mrs Coleridge, a daughter, and Mr S. T. C. Sprott, a son of Bishop Sprott, representatives of families who have worshipped at St. Paul’s since the days of early bishops. Amongst the congregation, too, were parishioners from all parts of the diocese, some of whom had brought food to stock the new Bishop’s larder.

Rarely has so imposing an ecclesiastical scene been witnessed in New Zealand as the procession entered the front of the church and moved on to the chancel during the processional hymn. The Cross preceded a choir of boys, women and men, under the Marshal, the Rev. F. M. Kempthorne, who was followed by representatives of lay readers and 35 clergy of the diocese of Wellington. In the second section of the procession, the verger preceded the Diocesan Secretary-Registrar, Mr S. T. C. Sprott, the Provincial Secretary/ Mr L. H. Wilson, the Church Advocate, Mr F. T. Clere, the Chancellor, Mr H. E. Evans, K.C., lay and honorary canons, the Archdeacons, and then the Bishopelect.

Then came the bishops, led by the vicar’s and parish wardens', Messrs E. D. Cachemaille, and L. J. Retallick. respectively, the precentor, the Rev. W. Langston, the server, Canon N. F. E. Robertshawe, the vicar, Canon D. J. Davies, the commissary, the Rev. Archdeacon F. H. Petrie. Each bishop was preceded by his chaplain. Then came the primatial staff and finally the Archbishop, followed by his chaplains.

The Archbishop, standing at the altar, opened the service with the Lord’s Prayer. The Bishop of Auck* land read the Epistle, and the Bishop of Dunedin the Gospel. The address from the pulpit was given by the Bishop of Aotearoa. Bishop Bennett began by saying thatthe Bishop-elect would notice that on great ceremonial occasions the Maori people would plait -wreaths of the kauwhau tree and would give thought to those who had gone before. Inis beautiful and Christian thought carried with it in the circular wreaths the idea of world without end. Death did not close the individual- nor creation, and the green of leaves denoted that the memory of those who had built in the past was still green. So, with those who had laboured as Bishops in the Wellington diocese, whom he recalled.

Bishop Bennett extended to the Bishop-elect and Mrs Owen a very warm welcome and assured him, on behalf of his clergy, of their loyalty and their sincere co-operation. The Bishops of Dunedin and Nelson presented the elected Bishop to the Archbishop. The Archbishop then demanded the mandate for the consecration, which was read by the Chancellor of the Diocese, and the consecration proceeded, culminating in the laying on of-hands by the Archbishop and Bishops present. . . , The rest of the service consisted of the delivery of a Bible to the new Bishop by the Archbishop and the receiving of the sacrament by the Archbishop and other Bishops.