THE ROMAN CATHOLICS.

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 45, 21 February 1917, Page 13

THE ROMAN CATHOLICS.

SOME BELOVED PRIESTS.

A PARISH FOR OVER FORTY . YEARS. ...

The Catholic Church in the Wairarapa also has an interesting' history, and serves to mark the wonderful progress the district has made in various directions. In 1876 the, Wairarapa was constituted a. parish by the Right Rev. Dr. Redwood (now Archbishop), , who appointed the Rev. Father. Halbwacks its first rector.' Previous to his 'appointment, the: spiritual wants of the Cathp-. lies of tho district were attended to by; the Revs. Father Pe'titjeaiyGouthenoire, M'Caughy, Chataignier,' ' and ' Yar'din, who made periodical visits to; the few. Catholics who were scattered over that country which extended from. Palliser Bay to the Manawatu River; and from the. Tararua Ranges to the coast. We who live in the age of motor-cars have but little" idea of the hardships those pioneers had to endure as they tramped over the -roadless plain or climbed the bnsh-clad hills, carrying their swags upon' their backs. They were truly the good shepherds seeking the sheep of' their flocks. ' . ...

EARLY MINISTRATIONS. When Father Halbwacks took charge of the district there, was neither, church nor. school nor residence. But, nothing daunted, the good Father set to. work and very soon had'a church in, each of the principal centres—namely,. Featherston, Greytown, Carterton, Masterton, and Tenui. . Carterton, being, the most central,, as well as being at that time the most important town in the .Wairarapa, was chosen as headquarters. A section of nine acres of land having been obtained' in the 'southern .end of- the township, a fine priest's residence was erected on it. From here Father .Halbwacks carried on his work for about five years, visiting his pebplewin the different places round, about. Ho had many difficulties to contend with! Flooded rivers, slippery tracks, and dangerous swamps were frequently to be met with by the traveller in those, days, but Father Halbwacks never shirked his duty or failed to keep an 'appointment; and so, whether it was sunshine or rain, his familiar form, seated behind his pair of. 1 ponies, and accompanied by . his big dog, would be sure to be seen at the ap-. pointed time and place. MASTERTOX MADE HEADQUAR- ' TERS. In 1881 or 1882 the growing importance of Masterton made it necessary to have the priest's residence changed there from Carterton. Accordingly, from that time Masterton became- the centre of the mission. Father Halbwacks continued in charge till 1884, when he was transferred' to the West Coast, and his place at Masterton was taken by Father Treacy. Father Treacy proved himself'a worthy successor, and for four years he carried on the work of the mission with great success. In 1887 his place was taken by Father M'Kenna, now Monsignor and Vicar-General of the Archdiocese. During his terra of 29 years the Monsignor has done much in the interests of religion in the district. Soon after his appointment he recognised that the increasing number of his people required more attention than he could give to them, so in 1888 ho applied for and obtained as his assistant his brother, Father Torn, then just arrived from Ireland. At that time the Forty Mile Bush

was but sparsely populated, but as the country was opened up settlement developed and townships sprang up in different parts of it. Fahiatua was the, first to spring into importance, and here in 1889 an acre cf land was secured and a small church erected on it. As the town and district developed, Father M'Kenna made provision for the future extension of the Church there by securing a block of fivo and a-half acres of land convenient to the church. In this he showed his foresight, for in 1894, so important had the place become that it was constituted a separate parish, with the Rev. Father Tom M'Kenna its first rector. Since then great progress has been made in Church affairs in that portion ■of the country. An additional church has been erected in the district, whilst at Fahiatuii more property has been acquired, and a larger and more pretentious church has taken the place of the first one. A commodious priest's residence, a, splendid convent, and a successful Catholic school mark the progress of what was once the bush portion of the Wairarapa district. PEOGEESS ELSEWHEEE. With the increase of population, other townships claimed more attention, and so, in 1896, a church was erected at Martinborough, one in Eketahuna . in 1898, and one in Mauriceville in. 1905. Cailerton church was enlarged in 1889 and Masterton church in 1902. In 1901 another division of the district took place, when South Wairarapa was constituted a, parish, with headquarters at Carterton. The. first resident priest of the newly-constituted parish was Father Cahill, who took up his residence in the presbytery erected 25 years before by Father Halbwacks. During the time that Father Cahill had charge he ,had the church shifted to a morel central position, and though he met with considerable opposition it is now admitted on all sides that the step was a wise one. In 1905 Father Bowe replaced Father Cahill in Carterton, and remained' in charge for five and a-half years. During his time the work of centralising the mission was further advanced by.the erection of a fine up-to-date presbytery alongside the. church on the new site. A beautiful new' church was also erected by him in 'Featherstori before he was transferred to Dannevirke. In 1913 Father Kinkead took charge of Carterton, and he was negotiating for the purchase of a splendid property for convent and school, purposes when he went as chaplain on the Hospital Ship Maheno in 1915. During his absence the Rev. Father O'Beirne has been in charge, and he has been successful in. completing the negotiations begun by Father Kinkead, and has purchased a property upon which there is a residence that will serve admirably as a convent. Already the builders are busy erecting, a school which was expected to be in readiness at the beginning of the school term.'

It will thus be seen that what was one district in 1876, with, only one priest, is now divided into three, with four priests to minister to the spiritual wants of the Catholic community. The establishment of St. Bride's Convent and St. .Patrick's School is dealt with separately under the heading of educational development.