HISTORIC CHURCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13672, 13 February 1908, Page 6

HISTORIC CHURCH.

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. 7 THE RECENT ADDITIONS. The ceremony of the solemn dedication in connection with the additions recently made to St. rick's Cathedra] will be performed on Sunday, the 23rd inst., by Cardinal Moron, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. The additions to the cathedral, which were necessitated by the needs of a rapidly-growing congregation,. were commenced in the latter part of 1906 and completed in the early part of last year. The chinch was reopened and blessed on April 21 last year, and it has been used for the services since that time, the dedication ceremony having been post" poned tiil the present month, in order that it might, bo performed by Cardinal Moral i. The fine cathedral, in the possession of which the Roman Catholics of Auckland manifest no inconsiderable degree of pride, is the culminating point of an interesting record of successive stages of progress, from small to large, and from large to greater proportions, extending back almost to the foundation of Auckland. The question of building » church in this city was first considered in 1841, and on duly 29 of that year the inaugural meeting in connection with the project was held. At that time there were between 300 and 400 members of the Catholic Church in Auckland, and at the meeting they subscribed the sum of £65 10s towards the building fund. Bishop PompaUicr, who then occupied the position of Vicar Apostolic of Western Oceania, was on a visit to Auckland at the time, and he obtained from the Governor a grant of an allotment of land in Wyndham-street as a mission station. Towards the end of the following year a wooden building was erected for the purposes of a temporary school and church, with a residence for the priest, the Rev. Father Petitjenn. The structure was of a very unpretentious character, and the "residence" of the priest consisted merely of a portion of the schoolroom screened off. Shortly afterwards the movement for the erection of the stone church (which was removed only the year before last in order to make room for the latest additions) was set on foot. The foundation-stone was laid and a start made with the work in 1846. Various dif- ; Acuities had to be surmounted, the limited j state of the building fund being on© of ; the most formidable. The Catholics, ; however, all set to work with a will, and those who were, unable to provide money contributed in labour or material. Father Forest,.who supervised the erection of the church, was architect, foreman of works, and general manager, ami, in addition to his other duties, he assisted to quarry out the stone at Mount Eden. Tim building | was completed in 1847, and dedicated.on March 19, 1848, by Father (afterwards Bishop) Viard. I When the stone building had served the j need of the congregation for about a quarter of a century, Bishop Croke, who succeeded Bishop Pompallier in the See of Auckland, inaugurated a movement for the building of a cathedral in keeping with the advancing importance of the parish. No definite' steps, however, were then taken, but the movement was kept in view, a building I fund being steadily accumulated. In 1879 Bishop Steins succeeded to the bishopric, and iu that year a successful bazaar was held in aid of the building fund. The late Bishop Luck succeeded Bishop ' Steins in 1882, and in the following year it was de- ' cided to erect the first portion of a brick j i cathedral of Gothic design, with a.; spire, , alongside the stone church, at a cost of £5500. The foundation-stono was laid on May 1, 1884, and on March 15, 1885, the building was opened and blessed in the presence of Archbishop Redwood. Although snipe that date the parishes of Devonport and the Sacred Heart (Ponsonby) have been cut off from the cathedral, and joined into separate parishes, the congregation of St. Patrick's has continued to increase at such a rate that the necessity for increasing the accommodation by completing the cathedral according to the design adopted in 1883 was forced npon the authorities of the Church. At a meeting held in June, 1906, it was decided to proceed with the work, and it was accordingly carried out and completed last year. The new building, which increases the seating accommodation by about 400, in addition to providing more space for ceremonies, comprises an addition of 40ft by 40ft to the nave; a north and south transept, 40ft by 39ft and 40ft by olft respectively; a main sanctuary, 40ft by 16ft; a main sacristy, 20ft by 16ft Bin; a boys' sacristy, 25ft by 9ft; and two side chapels.

Tho internal appointments arc all in keeping with the fine external appearance of tho building, and the entire work reflects much credit on all concerned in its completion, particularly on Bishop Lenihan, to whom the success of the project is principally due. His Lordship has devoted a great deal of time and trouble to the work, and the stately building that now adorns the site on which the humble wooden church of about SOffc by 12ffc was raised in 1841 is a lasting memorial to his labours and those of others who have given so liberally of their time and means in making suitable provision for the requirements created by the ever-growing expansion of the parish and diocese.