ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 97, 26 April 1935, Page 5

ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE

PRESIDENT HONOURED

KNIGHTHOOD FROM POPE

CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE

Eleven hundred people thronged St. Patrick's College on Wednesday night at a reception tendered by the Rector, the Very Rev. A. J. Cullen, S.M., B.Sc, and his staff to the old boys and friends on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the college. The function was made . especially notable by two things—the presentation to the National Memorial Art Gallery trustees of a portrait of: the college founder, the late Archbishop Redwood, as the jubilee gift of the old boys to the natioh, and the surprise announcement by his Grace Archbishop O'Shea-that Mr. B. McCarthy, president of the St. Patrick's College Old Boys' Assocfation, had received from his Holiness the Pope the high honour of a Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great. In addition, the congratulatory messages from the Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda in Rome and from the Superior-General of the Society of Mary, were read; They have already been published in "The Post." Long before the-time, of the reception and for a while after it had begun a procession of cars wound its way up the drive to the college building, which was bathed in an unaccustomed radiance by a battery of floodlights. Three large halls and the college gymnasium were hardly big enough for the huge attendance. The ceremonies took place in the Assembly Hall on the ground floor, and were relayed by i a public address system to the other parts of the building, where guests were entertained by a diversity of methods. Mr. Paul Kavanagh was at a central microphone and his descriptive comments kept the crowd at all times well informed of proceedings. The Silverstream College Orchestra, led by Father C. Feehly, S.M., entertained the gathering with a selection: of musical items. After the speeches supper was served. LEADING CITIZENS PRESENT. Citizens representative of every" section of national life were present. Among the official party, on the stage were his Grace Archbishop O'Shea, the Rector of St. Patrick's College, and the Very Rey. J. W. Dowling, S.M., M.A., F.R.E.S# (Rector of Silverstream College), the Very Rev. D. Hurley, S.M. (Provincial oi the Marist Order), the Rt. Rev. Monsignor Morkane, D.D., M.A., Mr. T. C. A. Hislop (Mayor of Wellington), the Hon. S. G. Smith (Minister of Education), the Hon. C. E. Macmillan (Minister of Agriculture), the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), Mr. B. McCarthy, Mr. F. V. Ellis, A.R.C.A., who painted the jubilee portrait, Mr. G. A. Troup, Mr. R. G. Ridling, principal of the Wellington Technical College, Mr. J. R. Sutcliffe, principal of Scots College, Mr. W. A. Armour, principal of Wellington College, Mr. J. N. Millard, principal of the Hutt Valley High School, arid the Hon.- V. Ward, M.L.C. Many of the prominent' citizens, were accompanied by their wives. * > CONGRATULATIONS AND APOLOGIES. "His Excellency is well.aware of the fine record of your college in the field of education, and =hopes -that every success will* continue •to attend your work," stated a letter, apologising for the unavoidable absence of his Excellency the Governor-General, Viscount Galway. Numerous message's of congratulation were received, including messages from the Hon. J. A. Hanan, Chancellor of the University of New Zealand, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, and other Ministers of the Crown, and the headmasters and staffs of secondary schools in Wellington and district. . After the singing of the National Anthem, the Rector, Father Cullen, expressed his pleasure at seeing so many present at the reception, and mentioned particularly Archbishop O'Shea, the most distinguished old boy, and all those old boys who had come from distant parts of New Zealand. He then read the congratulatory letter from the Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda. KNIGHTHOOD OF ST. GREGORY. His Grace Archbishop O'Shea announced that besides the message which the Pope had sent the college through the cardinal, it had seemed good to his Holiness to honour the St. Patrick's College Old Boys' Association through its president, Mr. B. McCarthy, of Hawera, by conferring upon him the dignity of a Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great, an honour which was regarded by : Catholics as a very high-one. St. Gregory the Great .was one of the most famous of the Popes, and certainly the greatest man of his day. He lived in the troubled tinies of the sixth century, and it was he who sent St. Augustine to convert the English and be the first Archbishop of Canterbury. The honour that had been conferred -upon Mr. McCarthy, therefore, took them back many centuries, arid ..he congratulated Mr. McCarthy, and the1 Old Boys' Association, upon receiving it. \ . "I'm sure that the confidence shown | by our Holy Father in the old boys of the college will stir them up to still greater efforts in the future for the Church and this country, and that they will, in co-operation with every section of the community, work their best for the good of all the people of the country that we all love so much," said his Grace. "I would also remind you, ladies and gentlemen, that the conferring of this dignity and the kind words of the Sovereign Pontiff show the extreme interest he takes in this part of his flock and it should inspire them with greater confidence and zeal to promote the. good of religion' and of the country." "I am deeply sensible of the high honour which his Grace has announced has been conferred upon me, and deeply sensible of the responsibilities and obligations which the office carries," replied Mr. McCarthy. He expressed his profound thanks for the honour, and also thanked the Archbishop, the Old Boys' Association, and the college for the many kindnesses shown to him during his connection with St. Patrick's. The honour was an honour for the college and for the Old Boys' Association. He appealed to, the great gathering of old boys to do all in their power to help the college to make the next fifty years as successful as the past period, of which they were so justly proud. The congratulatory letter from the ] Superior-General of the Marist Order j in Rome was read by Father Hurley, Provincial of the Society of Mary. THE CHURCH AND EDUCATION. Father Hurley said that it was the Society of Mary which had conducted the college since its foundation fifty years ago, and which had, through Divine and human means, been able to realise the great hopes placed in the work by the revered founder, Arcnbishop Redwood. The Society of Mary had had Divine aid, but the human element had bulked largely, and they thanked God that the human element had not failed. "We have been blessed

in our rectors," he said. "They were men of deep culture and understanding, of broad vision, and of real devotion to their work." Speaking generally on the subject of Catholic education, Father Hurley paid a tribute to the teaching work done by the State, but expressed the Catholic view that the State did not go far enough. Consequently, Catholics felt compelled to take upon themselves the duty of providing the extra education, whatever it might cost. They did not build their schools in any spirit of challenge or opposition to the State, and he could assure the Hon. Minister of Education that there was no body j of educators in New Zealand more loyal to his Department and its syllabus' than the Catholic teachers. They might not always see eye to eye with the syllabus, but in the spirit of loyalty and obedience which they taught their pupils they adhered to it. They held out the hand of friendship to all educators, whom they regarded as co-opera-tors in the greatest of work. FRIEND AT VICTORIA COLLEGE. "I feel that we owe a deep debt of gratitude to one who is here with us tonight, and that is Professor John Rankine Brown, of Victoria College," said Father Hurley. Many of the college fathers had studied the classics under the instruction- of Professor Brown, and every, one of them had spoken ' the highest praise for the culture and learning they had derived from him. In the last twenty-five years, at any rate, Professor Brown had played an indirect part in the giving of culture to the boys of St. Patrick's College. ■■ On behalf of the fathers of the college, the. speaker stated that St. Patrick's College had never striven for results for results': sake. Their effort had always been to build up the boy and make him a good citizen for the land in which he was to live and for the eternal hereafter. He thanked all those who had stood by the college in the past. -. ■ The Minister of Education thanked Father Hurley for the. expressions of cordiality he had extended to the State system of education, and from his own experience assured. Father Hurley that that feeling was reciprocated by the teachers and officers of his Department throughout New Zealand. He was pleased to be present at the historic gathering, which was of importance to the whole Dominion, as St. Patrick's College had a great reputation throughout New Zealand for its scholastic and athletic attainments. Mr. Smith made complimentary reference to Archbishop O'Shea, and followed it up in lighter vein with references to his Grace's former prowess on the Rugby field. Other distinguished students of the college were mentioned by the Minister, and he spoke of the college's distinguished war record. He congratulated Mr. McCarthy on the high honour he had received, and assured him that all Tar,anaki would rejoice in it. "In my own view," he said, "in all the centuries that have passed, one of the greatest things that has happened is the Christian civilisation, and one of the greatest things today is to maintain that Christian civilisation."^ He congratulated the college on the attainment, of its golden jubilee, and hoped that the present boys would find inspiration in the splendid traditions of the past. • ■ i J PRESENTATION OF PORTRAIT. Archbishop O'Shea then unveiled the portrait of the late Archbishop Redi wood, and Mr. McCarthy formally presented it as the jubilee gift of the old boys tO'Mr. Hislop, acting chairman of the trustees of the National Memorial i Art Gallery.