The Anglican Church.

Otago Witness, Issue 2298, 17 March 1898, Page 50

The Anglican Church.

SOME four years before the arrival of the John Wickliffe and Philip Laing, Bishop Selwyn paid his first visit to the South Island of New Zealand. Bishop Selwyn's life and work are so well known that it is hardly neccss sary to say more than that he was consecrated Bishop of New Zealand on Sunday, October 17, 1841, in the chapel of Lambeth Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury ;

that lie sailed from Plymouth for his antipodean diocese on St. Stephen's Day, December 26, 1841 ; that he learned the Maori language on the voyage to New Zealand by the aid of a Maori lad named Rupai, whom he had engaged in England as servant ; that after a fairly prosperous voyage by way of Sydney the Bishop arrived at Auckland at midnight on Sunday, May 29, 1842 ; that his first act on landing was to kneel down on the sand and give thanks to God; and that he preached his first sermon in New Zealand (in the Maori language) on Sunday, June 5. As stated above the Bishop paid his first visit to the South Island about four years before the arrival of the first immigrant vessels to Otago. He came as far as Akaroa in the Richmond , a miserable schooner of 20 tons, but there left her with the intention of walking overland, in order that he might minister to the Maoris at their villages. He visited the natives at. Timaru, at the River Waitangi, at Moeraki, at Waikouaiti (where he stayed at the house of Mr. Watkin, Wesleyan missionary, and catechised his natives), and at Otago Heads (where he left a native teacher whom he had baptised at Moeraki). Thus far he had come, partly on foot and partly in a large sealing boat belonging to the natives, heaving found it impracticable to walk the whole distance ; but he now took a passage in the schooner Perseverance for Ruapuke, where he found that the Maoris had already received some religious instruction by a native missionary sent down by Mr. Hadfield, though no European missionary had previously visited them. The Bishop found about 120 Europeans in Foveaux Strait, with their half-caste families and about the same number of natives. To use his own words when addressing an audience in Dunedin in 1865 "he married the Europeans to their native wives and baptised about 70 children." He also found a knowledge of Christianity among the natives about Stewart Island, and remarked at the time that he did not believe there was a spot in New Zealand

where the Gospel had not been made known. The next recorded visit of Bishop Selwyn was on June 14, 1848, when he stayed two or three days and was well received by the newly arrived immigrants. Some three and a half years later the Rev. J. A. Fenton was sent to Dunedin by the Bishop to organise a church, that gentleman arriving at Port Chalmers on the Ist January, 1852, and conducting a service in the courthouse on the following Sunday. A meeting of members of the Church of England was held in the courthouse on the sth January, 1852, with Mr. Strode in the chair, when the following gentlemen were present : Messrs. A. R. C. Strode (in the chair), W. H. Valpy. C. H. Kettle, David Garrick, H. Robison, L. A. Berney, C. Smith, W. Filleul, Sutton, Mayo, Foster, Carnegie, Longuet, Geo. Smith, P. Crow, Hopkinson, Partridge, Woolley, Barr, McKain, Willstead and Seed, and Drs. Williams and Richardson. The meeting appointed the following gentlemen a committee with instructions to confine themselves to raising money for the maintenance of a clergyman. Messrs. A. R. C. Strode, C. Smith, H. Robison, Carnegie, Woolley, Mayo, Mosely, Sutton and Dr. Richardson, with power to add to their number. Mr. Garrick was appointed hon. secretary, and Dr. Richardson treasurer. The hon. secretary was instructed to write to the " Governor-in-Council asking for the grant of a site for a church, school and parsonage." The following were the trustees appointed : — Messrs. W. H. Valpy, A. R. C. Strode, E. Lee, Sutton, Dr. Williams and Dr. Richardson. It may here be mentioned that Dr. Richardson had. before coming to the colony, interested himself in the establishment of an Anglican church in Otago, and had raised a sum of £300 for the purpose, besides some church accessories. He also wrote to the proper authorities requesting the grant of a site for a church ; but this was refused, and the correspondence was piiblished in the Otago Witness, a strong leader appearing in the next issue commenting on the matter. A vote of thanks was passed to him at this the first meeting of Churchmen "for his great exertions" in their behalf. It was then resolved unanimously — "That an address to the Rev. J. A. Fenton be immediately proposed by the members of the Church, expressive of their gratitude for his voluntarily coming amongst them, where for the last three years his valuable services have been so much needed." At the first committee meeting it was reported that the sum of £85 135. 6d. had been collected, and Messrs. Pillans, Hertslet, Steele, and Lee were added to the committee, and the Bishop of New Zealand was made a trustee : Mr. A. R. C. Strode being appointed minister's churchwarden and Dr. F. Richardson people's churchwarden. Mr. Fenton's parish comprised at that time the whole of Otago, and he had on his committee representatives from such widely separated districts as the Clutha and Waikouaiti. On the 10th March, 1852, the committee thanked the Rev. Mr. Creed for his visits to Dunedin, and for his performance of the services of the church during the period before the arrival of Mr. Fenton, and also sympathised with him on the manner in which he had been attacked by Captain Cargill for so doing. At this meeting a member was appointed to select a site for a church, etc., and he recommended the Octagon. During the year the Rev. H. G. Johnston had been added to the committee of the Church and took an occasional service for Mr. Fenton. He subsequently took charge during Mr. Fenton's absence on a holiday. Mr. Johnston is now rector of Wiyilescombe, in England. There were stated to be 285 Episcopalians and 1,317 Presbyterians, besides members of other denominations, in the settlement in February, 1853, and at the annual

meeting on the 14th March, 1853, it was resolved to instruct the committee to "take the necessary steps for the immediate erection of a church, and to commence the building of the parsonage as= soon as they shall have funds in hand for that purpose." This resolution led the committee, which met after the annual meeting, to request an architect to .submit a plan for the church, "and to leave it to the architect's discretion whether the windows brought from England by Dr. Richardson should be made available." On Monday, 24th August, 1853, it was resolved to purchase the house belonging to Mr. E. B. Atkinson for a parsonage, and certain alterations were authorised ; a week later a further resolution was carried that a wooden church be erected, and tenders were called for it forthwith. The tenders were too high, and the plans were modified to provide " for a plain oblong building about 50ft x 22ft. 6in." The Governor had granted the Octagon (then known as Moray Place Reserve) as a site for the church, and it was resolved to fence it in ; but there was such an uproar about the proposed grant by those who were not members of the Church that it was not confirmed. After an unseemly wrangle over the alleged misappropriation of money which had been subscribed for a definite

object to a purpose for which it was not intended, the project of building a church was abandoned, and on the 20th March, 1855, it was resolved to pxirchase the " property on which the courthouse now stands and buildings attached" with the church funds at the committee's disposal, on the terms offered by Mr. David Rot-s." This was accordingly done, the building being first fitted up as a church and subsequently enlarged. The courthouse stood on the section now occupied by the Hardware Co.'s block of buildings and part of Cumberland Street. The courthouse building was used untifa part of the present building was erected and made fit for occupation. Such, then, is a brief outline of the early struggles of St. Paul's, the pioneer church of the Anglican communion in Otago. Mr. Fenton's parish, as has been said, at first included practically the whole of Otago, and at times its wide extent caused great inconvenience, as for instance on one occasion when Bishop Selwyn arrived unexpectedly, and wished to hold a confirmation. This was impossible, as the first knowledge Mr. Fent on had of the Bishop's arrival was when he met him in the church already robed, .and it would have taken days to communicate with his parishioners interested in the confirmation. Bishop Harper was appointed to the new diocese of Christchurch in 1856, and in 1857 paid his first visit to Otago, when he rode overland to Invercargill and had a narrow escape of being drowned when crossing the Mataura. In 1858 Mr. Fenton intimated his intention of resigning on account of failing health, but refused a proposed presentation from his congregation, advising them to devote all their energies to providing his successor with a parsonage in a more central position. Mr. Fenton removed to Waikouaiti, where he opened a church which had been built solely at the cost of Mr. John Jones. Mr. Fenton's temporary successor at St. Paul's was the Rev. A. H. Wyatt, that gentleman taking charge till the arrival of the Rev. E. G.

Edwards. Shortly after this churches were opened at Invercargill and several other districts, some parishes having subscribed £50 towards the passage of their clergyman. Rev. Mr. Green came from England to Oamaru, but did not stay and was then succeeded by the Rev. A. Gifford who remained in charge of Oamaru for some thirty years. The Rev. Mr. Tanner took charge of the Invercargill church, and the Rev. Mr. Williams officiated at Popotunoa. The province of Otago, including Southland, was now made a rural deanery and the Rev. Mr. Fenton was appointed Rural Dean. During the years 1859 and 1860 the committee of St. Paul's Church had discussed the necessity for building a church of a more commodious size and in a more suitable location than the old courthouse. At the first meeting, at which the Rev. E. G. Edwards presided (on the 14th July, 1859), a motion had been carried affirming this necessity, but it was not until the 7th April, 1862, that the tender of Mr. Robert Given for the building was accepted, and on Sunday, April 6th, 1863, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Christchurch. The building was not complete, cloth being hung before most of the windows, but it was desired to open it on Easter Sunday, and as the Bishop was in Dunedin a postponement coiild not be made. Mr. W. Carr Young took a most active part in a canvass for subscriptions, and held himself responsible for meeting the calls of the contractors as the work progressed. We now come to a time when the population had increased sufficiently to warrant the erection of another church in the city. The Rev. Edward Grainger had for some time been assisting Mr. Edwards, but it was thought advisable that the parish should be divided, and that Mr. Grainger should take the northern half. The corner stone of All Saints' Church was therefore laid by Bishop Harper on Saturday, February 11th, 1865, the first contract being for the nave and baptistry only, the amount of the tender being £1,300. St. Matthew's was built a few years later, and there arc now churche.s in Caversham (St. Peter'b) and Mornington (St. Mary's). In the country districts, too, the church was advancing, and in February, 1866, t\v foundation stone of a church was laid at Tokomairiro, where the Rev. R. L. Stanford was stationed, the Bishop of New Zealand opening the new building during his tour of the goldfields in the winter of that year. For some years it had been thought by Churchmen that Otago and Southland should be separated from the see of Christchurch and made a new diocese as soon as practicable. In 1862 the Rural Deanery Board had requested Mr. Fenton to write to the Bishop of Christchurch on this matter, and population increased so rapidly in the two years following that it was now deemed advisable to make an effort to carry the proposal into effect. Bishop Selwyn was very anxious that this see should be created, and with that object Bishops Selwyn and Ha,rpcr came to Dunedin immediately the General Synod of 1865 was closed. The Standing Committee of the Rural Deanery was called together and it was suggested by Bishop Selwyn that the Board should request him to ask the Archbishop of Canterbury to recommend a clergyman fit to be appointed to the proposed new see. The Bishop then appears to have taken it for granted that his suggestion would be adopted, for it seems he wrote to the Archbishop on the matter between the date he made the suggestion and the time the Rural Deanery Board met. When that body did meet they by a majority adopted " the previous question," as an amendment to the Bishop's suggestion. It was this unauthorised request of Bishop Selwyn to the Archbishop that caiised all the subsequent trouble with regard to the appointment of Bishop Jenncr. The Bishop

of Christchurch, in a letter written in 1873, vouches for the fact that no concurrence on the part of the Rural Deanery Board had been made in the application of Bishop Selwyn, and no authority had been given him by the General Synod in 1860, nor by any previous Synod. However, the request had been made, and the Archbishop promptly nominated the Rev. H. L. Jenner. At the beginning of 1860, Bishop Selwyn received a letter from the Archbishop advising him of the above selection, when the Primate immediately requested Bishop Harper to convene a meeting of the Rural Deanery Board. The Board met on February 22, and carried the following resolution, on the motion of Mr. R. B. Martin :— " That as a, sufficient provision has not yet been made for the support of a bishop, it is not expedient to take any action at present with a view to confirm the conditional appointment of the Rev. H. L. Jenner, more especially as the appointment has been made without the authority or concurrence of the Board." A further resolution was carried much to the same effect, but adding that both resolutions should be forwarded to Dr. Jenner, " through the Presidcntof the Board" (the Bishop of Christchurch) ;

but when that gentleman received the decisions he promptly vetoed them, and Bishop Jenner bitterly complained of this afterwards, saying in a printed letter to the Bishop, "Had T been allowed to receive these resolutions, you may be sure I should not have presented myself for consecration." In 18(56 BishopSelwyn paid a visit, to Otago, and raised upwards of £1,500 for the bishopric endowment, and after his successful efforts wrote to Dr. Jenner from Tokomairiro, addressing him as "My dear Bishop of Dunedin," and Bishop Harper, when he found opponents of the formation of the new bishopric and Churchmen generally subscribing to the endowment fund, appears to have thought that the resolutions of the Deanery Board had been withdrawn. During his visit to Otago, Bishop Selwyn wrote another letter to Archbishop Longley. urging him to ijroceed with the consecration of Dr. Jennei 1 , in which he used the following words :— " The General Synod expressly requested the Archbishop of Canterbury to place our constitution in the hands of any .clergyman whom he might select, and obtain his written assent to it before he recognised him as bishop-designate." This misled Dr. Jenner into the belief that

IB .Arcnoisiiup iitiu uuen auinunseu uy him ureiicrai oynou iv 3lect a clergyman cis bishop, to obtain his written assent to the onstitution, and then to recognise him as bishop-designate. The 3sult of the letters of Bishop Selwyn to the Archbishop and Dr. enncr was that the latter was consecrated by Royal mandate " a ishop in New Zealand." When it became known in New Zealand nat the consecration was to take place, Bishop Harper wrote to •r. Jenner informing him, inter alia, that "no formal resignaion of that part of my diocese which lies in the provinces of >tago and Southland has been sent in by me," and he hazarded rie conviction that the authorities in England intended the leneral Synod to settle the question of territorial jurisdiction. Ifforts were then made to increase the bishopric endowment md, and in February, 1867, this fund amounted to £4,336 7s. lOd. L t a meeting of the Rural Deanery Board in (hat month, at which lishop Harper was present, the Board carried a resolution in :hich it was stated that the. Board recognised the duty of making reparations for the reception of the Rev. H. L. Jenner, he having cen consecrated Bishop of Dunedin, by providing a suitable residence and completing the endowment fund, but this was only carried by 6 to 11. Up to this time, the only objection to Dr. Jenner was on account of the insufficiency of the bishopric endowment, but a report was gaining ground that he was one of the ultra-Ritualistic party in the Church, and serious alarm began to manifest itself. Had the Bishop been able to come out at once, he might have lived this down by hard work, tact, and discretion ; but he was prevented from doing this, and his appointment became more and more unpopular. Mr. W. Carr Young went Home in 1867, and attended a function at St. Matthias' Church in which Bishop Jenner took part, and wrote out immediately that he "had witnessed the most extravagant scenes and heardJ the grossest doctrines that ever disgraced a so-called Protestant Church." The Bishop, however, wrote to the Rural Dean (the Rev. E. G. Edwards) that he had no intention of forcing a ritual such as that at St. Matthias' on his diocese. The Rural Deanery Board thereupon thanked Mr. Young, but decided that it did not feel justified in dissuading the Bishop from undertaking the charge of the see. It was eventually agreed to refer the whole matter to the General Synod, which met in 1868, with the result that, after a very prolonged sitting and heated debate, it was resolved—" That whereas the General Synod is of opinion that it is better for the peace of the Church that Bishop Jenner should not take charge of the bishopric of Dunedin, this Synod hereby requests him to withdraw his claim to that position." A bill was then passed enacting that from the Ist of January, 1869, the provinces of Otago and Southland "shall thenceforward form a separate and independent diocese, to be called the diocese of Dunedin," and the new see was to continue under the charge of the Bishop of Christchurch ivntil a bishop was appointed to it. Bishop Jenner then paid a visit to Otago, and addressed meetings in Dunedin and elsewhere

throughout the diocese, but was inhibited from preaching by Bishop Harper. The first meeting of the Synod of Dunedin was held on the 7th April, 1869, and after several days' sitting a motion declaring the Synod's willingness to accept Bishop Jonner was lost by a considerable majority, and that gentlemen went Home almost immediately. The diocese remained under the charge of Bishop Harper until the breaking up of the General Synod in 1871, when the second Synod of the Diocese of Dunedin was held and the Rev. Samuel Tarratt Nevill, M.A., elected bishop, he being consecrated on Sunday, June 4th, 1871. Thus ended the Jenner muddle, and since that time the lines of the diocese have been cast in comparatively pleasant places. The diocese is not a rich one, but it has pushed on the work of the Clrarch in as rapid and thorough a manner as has been practicable, as will be seen from the following cxtrac ifrom the last Synod report :— Clergy, 22 ; lay readers, 44 ; churches, 39 ; other places of worship, 34 ; parsonages, 15; Sunday school teachers, 192; communicants, 1,531; church districts, 52. In electing Bishop Xevill the Synod of 1871 made a good selection for the diocese. Dx*. Nevill has from time to time raised large sums of money in England for the benefit of

his diocese, and on the erection of Sclwyn 'College — which, undoubtedly, owes its existence to his untiring energy — a friend of his endowed it ■with a magnificent library, in securing which Bishop Nevill has conferred a great benefit on the community. For many years the Bishop agitated for a cathedral, and at length secured St Paul's (the mother church) for the purpose. When St. Paul's was made the cathedral of the diocese the Yen. Archdeacon Edwards retired on a pension, he having had charge of that parish for some thirty-six years, and has since resigned his archidiaconal office. The Rev. Mr. Edwards was during the many years he held the incumbency extremely popular with all classes of the community. Some very able men have from time to time held incumbencies in the diocese, and among others at the present time may be mentioned the Very Rev. Dean Fitchett (who for sonic twenty years has had charge of All Saints'), Archdeacons Fen ton, Beaumont (of Lawrence), Stockcr (of In vercargill), Robinson (of St. Paul's), Canons Richards (Warden of Selwyn College), King (of Oaversham), Dodds (of Clutha), Lucas (of Waikouaiti), and others.