ARCHDEACON DEVOY.

New Zealand Mail, 27 August 1902, Page 39

ARCHDEACON DEVOY.

gfIVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS.

' Cnnday the Venerable ArchdeaOn Sun „ 'Provincial of the Manst con Deroy. P Zealand, celebrated the Fat anniversary of his elevatin'the priesthood. In accordance hi omi wish, the event ffl ?£pt strictly private, and only bv the religious ceremonies ap®ar . . fhe occasion. pr n m of an old and respected stock in 3 °™' Cmnty, Ireland, the present Q» e ® s „„ n „ a yo early indications ot ArCh tSon g for the ecclesiastical life, bis . after completing his course at the *“<*?*", Seminary, Mountrath. he fSc Society of Mhrists, at Duni°‘,l There he studied for a period vears , after which he proceeded f tee to perfect his theological to trai f gome years > absence, he co r to Ireland, and was ordained Str the I‘te Most Kev Dr M«- & a n, Archbishop of Armagh and ” e . ’ r „ii Ireland. Since then his ffrthasbeen most i y identified with New Zealand, where he first landed in the 3h of January, 1879. For six years (. ministered in various parts ot Canterbury afterwards filling the post of * SStor at St, Patrick’s College, Be Street, for a similar term. At Si expiration of that period, he was appointeu to the pastoral charge of le Am parish, and there he has since continued to reside, being promoted sucnessivelv +o the offices of vicar-general, archdeacon and provincial of the Markt Order. A little over twelve months afo he attended a Chapter of the Order in France, and whilst there, animated by a natural desire to revisit the scenes of his boyhood, he took a trip to the Old Country, where his name and that of his family are justly esteemed. In Wellington, where the venerable priest has long been a familiar figure, he has done much m promoting the religious and educational advancement of the Roman Catholic inhabitants ; and ho is held in the highest esteem by people of all classes. At St. Mary’s Church, Boulcott street, on Sunday, Solemn High Mass, coram pontifice, was celebrated at 11 a.m., Archdeacon' Devoy officiating as celebrant. The Rev Father Mahony acted as deacon, the Rev Father Galeruo sub-deacon, and the Rev Father Herbert master" of ceremonies. The music of the Mass was excellently rendered by a full choir and orenestra, under the direction of Air F. Oakes, and there was a large congregation present. Preaching after the First Gospel, the Archdeacon took as his text the words: “The Lord hath sworn, and He shall not repent. Thou art- a priest for ever according to the Order of Melchisidech.” iOStii Psalm, 4th verse. After dealing in an impressive discourse with the duties and responsibilities of the priesthood, and the exalted character of the office, the preacher went on to say that that day twenty-five years ago, on the feast of St. Bartholomew, he had the supreme happiness of being raised to the priesthood by the late Archbishop of Armagh, in the Church of the - Alarist Fathers, Dundalk. Five other confreres were ordained the same day, one of whom, a most deservedly popular, zealous and devoted priest, the Very Rev Father La Reunetal, was at present in Sydney, where his friends had united in celebrating his silver, jubilee in a manner worthy of the occasion. Another, the Rev Father Freisse, was at present on the mission in New Calewhere his distinguished brother was bishop. A third was now professor in one of the Marist colleges at Barcelona, Spain; the remaining two had long since gone to their reward. Of these, one, the Rev Father Dicker, had been drowned while pursuing his missionary labours in the South Sea Islands; the other, th© Rev Father Aluncaster, who had been a class-fel-low and very particular friend of his own, had succumbed to that dreadful plague, yellow fever, while voluntarily attending the stricken patients at Jefferson, New Orleans, where the parish clergy had previously been carried away by tile plague. Father Aluncaster had cheerfully yielded up his life in performing the. noblest of all duties—layuig down his life for his fellow-man-fne preacher went on to say that of his own ecclesiastical career, extending over a quarter of a century, lie hacl spent over twenty-two years in New /eaJand—six m Canterbury, six in St. trick s College and the remainder in the parish cf Te Aro. During the time he had been with them, aided by 2 zealoa3 confreres, and devoted People, he had worked to promote the advancem t 0 f the churches and h altlloa &h he did not hope lunSofv? to , seG bls golden jubilee, as bv A n “ g ] lty God s P ar -d him, aided to a6Sl f ance ’, h& b °P e d to bo able end cam* t to - W ? rk 7 80 that whea the end came, he might be able to say, with feht ri 1 the good teA'M tle W‘h. As. to the rest! tiee to! • a u d J Y P ' f i >r me a epown of juswill’m bbo the just Judge, L der , t 0 mG in day.” . ’ clergy of as \ n6xt a conf erence of the be hdd +i deanery of Masterton will d at the Archbishop’s house, and

the members of the conference, as well as several other priests who are expected in Wellington in honour of ’Archdeacon Devoy’s silver jubilee, .will be entertained at dinner the same evening at St. Mary’s Presbytery.