FUNERAL OF PRIEST

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 6 March 1935, Page 8

FUNERAL OF PRIEST

TRIBUTE TO FATHER McLaughlin. IMPRESSIVE STRATFORD' CEREMONY. The funeral of Rev. Father McLaughlin, late of Stratford, which took place yesterday, was attended by a. very large number of both clergy and.’ laity. The cortege left the church after Requiem Mass, for which ceremony the- church was full long before 10 a.m.

The celebrant was the Rev. Father Minoguc, New Plymouth, while Rev. Dean Nolan, Kilbirnie, was deacon', and Rev. Father Griffin sub-deaeon. Rev. Father Brooks, Stratford, was master of ceremonies, and present in tho sanctuary was Very Rev. Monsignor McManus, Palmerston North, who delivered the panegyric in the absence of the Metropolitan of New Zealand, the Rev. Archbishop O’Shea. Other members of the ' clergy who attended the services were: Rev. Fathers O’Donnell (Waipawa), Forrestal (Inglewood), Linehan (Takapau), Breen (Manaia), Hanratty (Marton), Lynch (Levin), Nolan (Ivilbirnic), Barr-Brown (New Plymouth), Harnett (New Plymouth), Dr. Kelly (Pungarehu), McDermott (Eltham), Rohan 1 (Lower Hutt), Douglas (Opunake), Riordan (Otaki), Hegarty (Feilding), Gcrraghty (Patea), Phillips (Taihape). In delivering the panegyric, Monsignor McManus said that His Grace Archbishop O’Shea’s indisposition prevented him from being present to join with the people of Stratford in paving tribute to their pastor.

Rev. Father McLaughlin had lived a full and useful life,. and since, his ordination in 1916 had given his best in the service of Jesus Christ, said Monsignor McManus. It .was fitting that his mortal remains should be brought back to the last parish in which; he lived -most of his life, for Dan McLaughlin was a Taranaki boy. In 1916, when he was ordained, he entered' the ranks of the priesthood at a time w'hen the demand for chaplains at the war had 1 seriously depleted the ranks of the clergy in the arch-diocese. For the first two years he had laboured in his home town of Patea and endeared himself to all. Then he- became parish priest at Takapau, a widely scattered district, and a difficult parish, to work. But despite the difficulties and drawbacks he served with, distinction’ 1 and then at the behest of his superiors -who recognised his intellectual brilliancy, he went to the Holy Cross College at Mosgiel, where he became a professor and took part in the training of the men who' were to be ordained' priests for service throughout the Dominion. The work and the responsibility of a professor at an ecclesiastical college was very great indeed.

The service at Kopuatama Cemetery was conducted by Monsignor McManus, a portion of the service being sung by a choir of priests. The pallbearers were Messrs L. Coley, C. Massey, M. G. Dwyer, J. O’Neill; T. Iremonger and J. Hartley. The remains of Father McLaughlin were brought to Stratford by the express on Monday evening, a guard of honour being formed.’ at the station by members of the Hibernian Soeiety. Brothers Dwyer (2), Hartley, Coley, Pooley and Massey were pall-bearers, and as the casket was carried from the van to the hearse the crowd on the platform reverently bared their heads. Preceded by the parish priest (Rev. Father Kennedy) and the Rev. Father Brooks, the hearse slowly proceeded to the Catholic Church, followed by members of the Hibernian Lodge, the Holy Name Society and parishioners. At the church the Children of Mary waited in regalia formed up in two rows. The casket was taken into the church and placed before the altar, where .prayers for the dead were recited by Father Kennedy, assisted by Father Brooks. The Rosary was recited, led by Father Brooks, who conducted another short service at 8 p.m.