COMPLIMENTARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue 7054, 25 October 1900, Page 2

COMPLIMENTARY.

PRESENTATION TO FATHER POWER. The " Welcome Home " tendered to the Very Rev. Father Power last evening was very Buccessful, despite the extremely unfavourable weather, St. Joseph's school-room being fairly well filled by pariaioners and their friends. Among those present were the Rev. Fathers Goggan (of Wellington), MeGrath (Patea), and Johnßton (Stratford), His Worship the Mayor (Mr 0. E. Major), and Messrs Bunting, Haughey, Whittaker, Batchelor, Bartlett, Rauch, 0. Haughey, Higham,. and D. Sullivan. Mr Bunting presided. Apologies were read from the Rev. Father Treacy (New Plymouth) and Messrs Wilkinson and Fennell. The chairman said they had assembled that evening to welcome Father Power, after his well-earned holiday, and to accentuate their confidence in his administration of the affairs of the parish. They were pleased to know that he had enjoyed his holiday, and that it had done him good. The speaker referred in felicitous terms to the part Father Power had taken in the Catholio Congress held in Sydney, and said it was gratifying to know that We merit as a preacher had been recognised in the many places he bad visited during his travels. It had fallen to the lot of the speaker to take part in several functions similar to the present one, but never had he experienced such feelings of pleasure as on this occasion. He wished Father Power " Cead mille failthe," and then read the following address : — To the Very Rev. Father Power.— Rev. and Dear Father,— We heartfy | welcome you on your return to Hawere after a well-earned holiday, and il seems to us an opportune time to give some token of our appreciation ol your many personal good qualities, anc of the manner in which you have, sinc< taking charge of the Hawera parish carried out your priestly duties. Wi feel, as Catholics, that we have much t( be thankful for in having as oui vicar one who, imbued with the apostolii spirit, has ever been ready to sacrifici his own comfort in order to attend t< j the spiritual and temporal needs of hii I flock. During the time you have beei in Hawera a vast amount of work hai been done by you, as evidence of wbicl we may point to the great improvemen that has been effected in the churcl property, the value of which has beei greatly enhanced during the last threi or four years. That you may be lon| spared to continue the good work is tfo heartfelt wish of your parishioners, whi will be pleased to know that your holi day was in every respect enjoyable am invigorating. As a practical proof o our love and respect, and in recugnitioi of the earnestness with which you hay laboured in the interests of Catho licity, we ask you to accept the accora panying purse of sovereigns, given coi amore. After a humorous preface, Fathe Power said it was evident those wh had framed the address had picked ou what they were pleased to consider hi good qualities, and had totally ignore his disagreeable ones. While the cours adopted was certainly an amiable one he was pleased to know that he was no .bound to follow it. Rather, lik Hamlet, he preferred to -hold the mirro up to Nature, and " give honor wher honor was due." In St. Joseph's paris! a lot of work had undoubtedly been done but they could hardly award him th credit. The honor was entirely thi meed of the parishioners. He, perhaps had contributed £100 in the last tw years, they had given fifteen times a much. That was not flattery; it wb truth. The address stated that he ha | often sacrificed his own comfort in orde to attend to the welfare of his flock, bu that was a little thing to say for a priesi especially when he was an Irishman an the bulk of bis people were Irisl While keenly alive to the excellenc of English and Sootch Catholics, th speaker said there always existed betweoi Irish Catholics and their priest a dee] feeling of affection ; a feeling that hai existed for fifteen centuries, despite th machinations of political caballers am intriguers. He had enjoyed his holida; immensely, and during his travels ha' met many of the friends of his earl days. On Lake Wakatipu he had ha an enjoyable time with three colleg chums, in Sydney he met a Vicar General to whom he had impartei Greek and Latin, also an Administrate with whom he had played marbles ii their youthful days. After seem all he could of the "lions" o the sister colonies he had visited h had come back convinced that our king Egmont, was incomparably superior t any Australian scenery. The reveren gentleman paid a tribute to the merit as a host of Bishop Lenihan, and dwel on the beauties of Auckland as see; from Mount Eden. He referred shortl to the work of the Catholic Congress ii Sydney, a Congress which the leadinj papers acknowledged to be a wonderfu gathering. As outcomes of that Con gress there would be established ai Australian Catholic Truth Society, i Catholic Press Association, and mission to non-Catholics. The New Zea landers had held their own at the Con gress, the sermons by Archbishop Red wood and Bishop Grimes being notable while a paper by Father Clery (editor o the Tablet) and a speech by M: Martin Kennedy, of Wellington, wen also noteworthy. In conclusion, h< returned thanks for the address and the purse of sovereigns, and announced thai shortly he hoped to be able to devote more of his time to Hawera, as the Archbishop had promised him as curate the first young priest who came fron Home. Such an one, from his owr Alma Mater, had just arrived at Albany En a humorous vein, Father Powei then bespoke for Father Goggan a hearty welcome, that gentleman being on a risit here for the good of his health. Father Goggan returned thanks for the rind things said by Father Power, and saused some merriment by his allusions ;o a rivalry which Father Power had laid had existed between them when >oth were in Wellington. For many rears, said Father Goggan, he had mown Father Power as a good, zealous iriest, who, in season and out of season, jid his best to promote the glory of lod. The people of the Hawera parish lad an estimable priest and an able cholar, who clothed his language in arse and elegant diqtiaa. The Mayor ateo Bpoke. After expresslg his regret that the weather had revented many country people attendlg, he said he was glad the holiday had enefitted Father Power. He would aye liked to have heard more from mt gentleman about the Congress in ydney, which, said the speaker, marked i epoch in the history of the Catholic huroh in the colonies. He was pleased i hear the way in which Father Goggan id, as an old friend, spoken of Father ! awer, and expressed a hope that the rmer would leave here recuperated in >alth. During the evening, musical items sve given as follows : Pianoforte duet, iss Ryan and Mr Messiter; Bong, iss Frances Espagne; song, Miss munins ; pianoforte solo, Mr Messiter. le accompaniments were played by issea Chloe Espagne and Flynh. The joint secretaries for the function sre Misses Coffey and Haughey. The address is being illuminated by a Sisters of Mercy, Wellington. Father Power has decided to divide ) purse of sovereigns between the ir churches in the parish,— Hawera, thaiu, Manaia, a,qd JSaponga,. BEWABKABLE ODRK OF BnETJMATISM. Kenn4, Jackson Co., Wa., Ya. tbout three years ago my wife had an ick of rheumatism whioh confined her ler bed for over a month and rendered unable to walka step without assistance, limba being swollen to double their mal size. Mr S. Maddox insisted on my ig Chamberlain's Pain Balm. I pursed a fifty-cent bottle and used it >rdingto the directions, and the next ' : ning she walked to breakfast without stance in any manner, and she has not a similar attack ainoe.— A. B. Pabsons. ( isitors 'to the Show will find a well i jted stock, largest variety, keenest as in boys', youths' and men's clothing lie Economic. You "will also find a d range of men's mercery, including v , caps, dress shirts, regatta shirts, S is shirts, wool shirts, ties, union shirts, ib, braces, &c, at The Economic. v i. f v