Opening and Consecration of St. Joseph's

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1649, 13 June 1887, Page 2

Opening and Consecration of St. Joseph's

The consecration took place at .B o'clock on Sunday, when Archbishop Redwood was assisted in the ceremony by the local priests, the Rev. Fathers Mulvihill and McKenna, and by Rev. Father Kerrigan, of Wellington. His Grace celebrated mass immediately after, at which the candidates for confirmation and many others went to Holy Communion. The sisters had provided in the school forall who made their first communion and for persons who had come a long distance to receive confirmation. At 11.15 the children attending the convent schools and many of the congregation formed a procession at the presbytery, and conducted the archbishop to the church, at the door of which he was met by Rev. Father Mulvihill, who presented him with a crucifix to kiss, holy water, &c, and conducted him to the throne prepared for him. His Grace returned to the vestibule, where the address was read to him by Mr. E. Cullinan, as follows : — To His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. Redwood, S.M., Archbishop Elect of Wellington.

My Lord Archbishop, — We hail with sentiments of unspeakable pleasure your Grace's presence amongst us on this occasion. We wish to unite not only with the Catholics of the other parts of this district, but with those of the whole archdiocese in heartily congratulating you on the dignity to which our Holy Father the Pope has lately raised you, and we hope and pray that you may be long spared to wear the pallium and to promote the interests of religion amongst us. We presume to hope that your Grace is pleased to 6ee the efforts we have made in the cause of Catholic education. Since your Grace last honored us with a visit, a little convent—the Convent of the Holy Infancyhas been established in our midst. Our schools have been placed in the hands, and our children under the able management, of the good and devoted Sisters of St. Joseph. Under the fostering care of the good sisters there has sprung up in our midst the Society of the Children of St. Mary, and under their management has been placed the nucleus of a lending library. During the past three years we have also paid a debt of £256 that remained due on our old church, and under the patronage of St. Joseph we bave endeavored to build a church more worthy of the worship of God. In doing bo, we have tried to incur as little debt as we possibly could, but notwithstanding nil our precautions we bave been compelled to contract a small liability. However, we hope, with the able assistance of your Grace, to remove our liabilities in the near future. BeggiDg your Grace's blessing on ourselves and families, on our church, our priests, convent, and schools, — We subscribe ourselves, your Grace's devoted children in Jesus Christ, the Catholics of Hawera.

On his Grace's return to the throne he replied to the address. He expressed his admiration of the building in which they had met. He l-eferred to it at an ornament to the district, a credit to the Catholics and an honor to the church. The highest praise was, be thought, due to the contractors lor the manner in which they had executed the work. They had performed their contract in a style most creditable to themselves and most satisfactory to those who bad charge of it. He was glad to take advantage of the opportunity of thus testifying in their favor. The address had touched on the way in which the Convent School had progressed, he congratulated the people on the support which bad been given to it, but reminded them that those who devoted their time, their wealth, and th'-ir youth to such work surely deserved a oordial and generous support, sueh 'as had been and, be believed, would be accorded to them. He noted with pleasure the establishment of the nucleus*, the beginning of a lending library and trusted that it would be fostered and develop into a large and flourishing institution. It waa a reading age, and people, especially young people, would read; if they could not obtain good books they would read bad ones. He therefore looked on this as an istitution which should make it its aim to supply useful and sound reading especially for the younger members of the community. He was pleased to learn that they had since his last visit paid off £256 of debt off the old church building, and did not doubt tUt that they would soon, perhaps that very day, succeed in paying off the Bmall debt which was still owing on the handsome building in which they then stood. They had generously supported heir church in the past, and by the display of a like liberality in the future, he looked forward to the debt being speedily effaced.

At 11 30 the principal service of the day commenced. A Solemn High Mass coram episcopo celebrated by Rev. Father Mulvihill, assisted by Rev. Father Cassidy, of New Plymouth, as Deacon, and Rev. Father M'Kenna, of Hawera, as sub-deacon. Rev. Father Kerrigan acted as Master of Ceremonies. The singing of the Mast was beautifully rendered by the Choral Society. At the conclusion, the Archbishop preached an earnest and eloquent sermon, more espenially addressed to the confirmation candidates. He regretted that he had been obliged to reject a few of the children who were presented to him. But their parents bad not been careful to teach them their catechism. The children could read, so that it was not an account of general ignorance that they were unable to be accepted as candidates. He therefore urged Catholic parents that it was their bounden duty where they lived away from the towns and at a distance from their own schools, where the priest could seldom visit them, to devote especial care to the religious teaching of their children. He exhorted them thst it was their duty as soldiers of Christ to make some sacrifice of pelf for the support of their library, their school, their priest, and their church. To the young men before him he said if be were asked as a layman how they could best earn the respect of their fellowoien he would be inclined to cay to them " by being faithful to your religion," for there was nothing that men more honored and respected in daily life than consistency and faithfulness. And the man who was without affectation and in all simplicity faithful to his God was certain to earn the respect of all those of bis fellowmen whose respect was worth having. Before confirming the candidates, he urged the rest of the congregation during the ceremony to examine their hearts and consciences since the time when they had been confirmed, and to see whether they had not frequently proved traitors to their duty as soldiers of Christ. The parents and the friends of those about to be confirmed were invited to pray with great intensity and fervor that the children should be strengthened in their faith so that parents and children might one day again meet together in joyful union in the world to come.

His Grace afterwards aministered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 66 candidates. Towards the conclusion of the services a collection was made to pay off the debt on the new church when nearly a hundred pounds were paid or promised. In the evening vespers commenced at 7. Rev. Father Mulvibill officiated at vespers. The Archbishop preached a second time and a solemn Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament was given by the Archbishop assisted by Rev. Father Cassidy, as Deacon, and Rev. Father McKenna, as Sab-Deacon; Rev Father Mulvihill aoted as Stole Deacon.