PLACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 32, 8 February 1915, Page 3

PLACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP

Following is an extract from a semiofficial publication of fifty years ago : — "There are in the City of Wellington nine places of religious worsliip capable of seating in the aggregate 2556 persons and having an average attendance of 1710. Following is a detailed Jisfc of the churches and their sittings :— Two Episcopal, St. Paul's and St. Peter's 716 Two Roman Catholic, St. Mary's and St. Joseph's 700 One Wesleyan Methodist 450 One Primitive Methodist 250 One Free Church of Scotland ... 200 One Congregational Church ... 90 "Ere long some important additions will be made to the ecclesiastical buildings of Wellington. In August, 1865, the foundation stone of the new Parish Church at Thorndon was laid by Sir George Grey, and the building, which is to serve as the Cathedral of the Diocese, is now steadily progressing towards completion. St. Peter's Church has been considerably improved by an addition to each of tha wings, while the foundation stone of a new Congregational Church was laid on 2nd October. It is also anticipated that a new Church of Scotland will be built in place of the present ancient and decaying structure. The meetings of the new Congregational body are* being held temporarily in the Athenaeum till the new church is ready, la the country districts the places of worship have of late become more numerous. The Huttdistrict, including the Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, and Taita, has now ten churches, viz., three Church of England, two Roman Catholic, two Wesleyan, two Primitive Methodist, and one Presbyterian. The Wairarapa is still very insufficiently provided in this respect, there being only a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at Greytown, while at other places in the district divine eervictt is performed in schoolrooms or private houses at distant and irregular intervals. Karori, Tawa Flat, Johnsonville, and Pahautanui each possess a church, as do the West Coast settlements. Wanganui has four churches. ... It will thus be seen that year by year, as the province advances in temporal prosperity, better provision is being made for the spiritual wants of its settlers."

"Two bushrangers last week 'stuckup' and robbed several houses in the Oamaru and Waitaki district. Their career was short. The police followed on their track, and the scoundrels were speedily captured. One of the prisoners, it is said, is identical with a witness who gave evidence in favour of an alibi on Riordan's trial for arson in Dunedin lately." — Evening Post, 28th ,Jjme, 1865»