FATHER VENNING'S FUNERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1606, 25 November 1912, Page 5

FATHER VENNING'S FUNERAL.

. ft . ! CORTEGE A MILE LONG. ' j 40,000 PEOPLE WITNESS THE i ' PROCESSION. MILITARY BURIiL. j In tho gale and the dust of yesterday'■ . ■ afternoon, 40,000 people assembled'to wit-'" i ness the funcral of the late* llev. Fatheri C. J. Venning. The funeral ranks ' amongs the largest that Wellington lias" . i ever seen. ...... ' j By two o'clock in the afternoon thous- i ands of people were assembled in Hill Street, outside the Basilica. The Basilica j itself was crowded to the extreme, and ' hundreds who' desired to attend the service which was held prior to the departure for Karon Cemetery, were unable j to obtain oven standing tooiu. . ~ 1 The procession did not move away ..from tho church until after three o'clock, and ; by that time an enormous throng had i fathered in tho thoroughfare, ltoughly, it was a procession of quito 20,000 people. •' ■ Thousands lined the footpaihs and other 1 placcs, and witnessed the oortege wend its i way 6lowly, solemnly to the burial ground. At Anderson Park a huge crowd i stood with uncovered heads as the gun- "J t carriage was drawn by. At the Botani- i cal Gardens thero was another great'ad- I dition to members who were paying their i last rospects to one who, it was evident,' . j was dear to the people of the city. The , | Northland viaduct and the hills of that ~ suburb were dense with people, who watch- i ed tho cortego pass, and many of whom ,' joined the procession. From above the ' '.{ Northland tunnel hundreds of others were ; spectators, and so on right out to Ivarori i Cemetery, where the gathering totalled between 25,000 and 80,000.

It was a military funeral,' Father Venning having ten a chaplain in the Fifth, ( Battalion. In addition, the various" Roman Catholic institutions, in which lie- V had taken a very lively interest, were re-" presented in great! force. The Hibernians, who included representatives from centres outside Welling-' ton, led the procession. They were particularly strong numerically, and both the men's and the women's branches were in attendance. The men's and the women's : i branches of the St. Vincent de Paul' Societies of the city, the Children of Mary, the Catholic Club, the St. Patrick's College Old Boys, and Catholic Cadet Corps; also occupied prominent positions. The ■ battalion band played en route to tho cemetery. , Among the relatives of the late Father Venning who were present were his father, and his mother (Mr. and Mrs. John Venning,"; of Timaru), his six brothers, and his four sisters. .

The cortege was over a mile long, and': included 70 vehicles. It took twenty minutes to pass .'a certain, point. .... ' ■In all; the "Eoman" Catholic-Churches yesterday morning references were made to the admirable character of Father Venning, -and particular praise was bestowed on him for his untiring zeal in caring for the needy of the city, and in assist - ing the variouG societies which exist with- , in the church. • '

;; Eev. . Father Hickson conducted the; service ,in tho Basilica prior to the leav-- : ing for the cemetery; and the graveside service .was conducted, by tho Rev. Fathes 'Augustus Venning, a brother of the deceased.