ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19459, 15 October 1926, Page 13

ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL.

PROVISION FOR AUCKLAND. SCHEME OF BISHOP SELWYN. ARCHBISHOP URGES ACTION. APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSION. Auckland does not possess a permanent Anglican cathedral, though 84 yearß aco Bishop Selwyn set apart a sito for one in Parnell. In his charge to the Diocesan Synod yesterday, Archbishop Averill drew attention to the fact and stated that he proposed to move that a commission should be set up to consider a plan of action. "in 1942," said Dr. Averill, "the C'hurch of this province, and in particular the Church of the diocese of Auckland, will be celebrating the centenary of the arrival of Bishop George Augustus Selwvn, and it will bo a reflection upon the ideals, hopes and work of the great bishop if no definite steps have been taken within the century to commence the building of a permanent cathedral in the city of Auckland. "It is now over d 4 years since Bishop Selwyn purchased what is known as the cathedral s-te in Parnell, and yot no steps have been taken to erect a per manent cathedral thereon, or any reai effort made to raise a fund for tho purpose. The younger generation of churchmen is probably, to a large extent, unaware of the intention of Bishop Selwyn, and for their information I ask them to consider the following facts:— Land for the Purpose. "(1) in the year 1838, when Selwyn was assistant curate of Windsor, certain actions recommended by the cathedral commissioners called forth from him a powerful defence of the cathedral system, and he propounded ft scheme for a cathedral institution which attracted considerable attention. 'The cathedral was, in his opinion, supplementary to the parochial system, a sort of bank of Bupply upon which the great body of tho clergy might draw for almost every kind of clerical assistance.' "(2) In the memoir of Bishop Selwyn by the late Rev. W. H. Tucker, this matter is dealt with at some length. Considering Bishop Selwyn's strong convictions, it is not surprising to find that ho desired to introduce the cathedral system as part of the organisation of the Church in this country. A3 early as July 29, 1842, in a Letter written to the secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Selwyn, referring to the purchase of land for Church purposes in Auckland, says: 'On the third, i.e., the. eastern ridge, nearest to the mouth of the harbour, and on high ground commanding a view of the whole Firth of the Thames, I have given directions for the purchase of 20 or 30 acres of land for a site for a cathedral and for a cathedral close.' "A Noble Site." "In a subsequent letter to the society, dated July 6, 1843, Selwyn again refers to this land. Ha says: 'The land bought for tho Church includes, as I said before, a noble site for a cathedral, distant about three-quarters of a mile from the centre of the town and commanding a magnificent view of the harbour of Waitemai.a.' ' "(3) .in the year 1859, tho first session of General Synod was held in Wellington, and in ilia address to the synod, Bishop Selwyn dealt with the question of tho transfer from himself to trustees of the very numerous properties held by him in his own name. Arrangements for the various transfers were made, and tho cathedral site was conveyed to the trustees of the cathedral trust. "Tho deed of conveyance from. Bishop Selwyn sets out clearly the user which ho intended for these lands. The cathedral site is stated definitely to be intended by him for tho site and precincts of a cathedral church for the diocese in which the city of Auckland shaii for the time being be comprised, and of other buildings appertaining to such cathedral. Commencement Suggested. "It is not my purpose or intention <.t the present- juncture to refer to the vexed question of tho cathedral trust, but merely to the intention and wish of Bishop Selvvyn to see a cathedral built upon the cathedral site in Parnell. In view of the approaching centenary of the first and! only Bishop of New Zealand, and of the provision made by him for the erection of a cathedral in Parnell, I intend, with the concurrence of the synod, to appoint a commission to consider the whole question, including the possibility of making use of the cathedral site for the purpose intended by Bishop Selwyn, and the taking of other steps toward the fulfilment of Selwyn's vision. "I fully realise that many of us cannot hope to see a stately cathedral arising on the sito acquired by Bishop Selwyn, but if wo could make some further provision for tho fulfilment of our and Selwyn's hopes, and hand on to our successors the solemn duty of commencing the work as soon as possible—at the time of the Selwyn centenary preferably —we should at least have the satisfaction of feeling tht we had done something toward the realisation of the visions and ideals of cur great bishop. "With your concurrence, I propose to ask the: following gentlemen to serve on the commission with myself, viz., tho Archdeacon of Auckland, the chairman of the Trust Board, t v e chancellor of the diocese, the church advocate, the diocesan Rpcretarv and the vicar of the cathedral parish " Site of Proposed Cathedral. In seconding a subsequent motion thanking the Archbishop for his address, Archdeacon Mac Murray thanked His Grace for his references io a permanent cathedral. The matter, said the archdeacon, had Tieen neglected too long, and the time had come for it to Va seriously considered. On the Archbishop's motion the commission referred to in his address wa3 formally set up. The site in Parnell set apart by Bishop Selwyn for a cathedral is not that upon •which St Mary's pro-Cathedral stands. It is situated on the other side of Parnell Poad, and includos the Parnell Tennis Club's courts, the properties on the corner of Parnell Road and St. Stephen's Avenue, and a number of others fronting the easter» side of the latter street. The southern, or highest, portion ot the property would be the only part suitable for the erection of a church. St. Mary's pro-Cathedral is a parish church, entirely unendowed. The present church building, which has replaced a smaller and older one. was begun in 1886 from designs by the late Mr. B. W. Mountfort and completed about twelve years later For a wooden church, it is considered to possess one of the finest interiors in existence, the massive beams of the roof giving it great dignity The church was erected entirely at the expense of the parishioners, who maintain the services without any financial aid from the diocesan funds A cathedral in the true sense, if one were established, would be supported by endowments or by the j diocese as a whole.