HOLY CROSS COLLEGE, MOSGIEL

Otago Witness, Issue 2410, 10 May 1900, Page 23

HOLY CROSS COLL EGE, MOSGIEL

THE OPENING FUNCTION.

Mo3giel Hojse, the costly, commodio.is structure which for so many years has been a land mark in the picturesquely-situated 'hul-i township of the Taieri Plain, has lecently been secured by Bishop Verdon, and hence'oith will be known as- Holy .Cioss College. It will be the-, future home of the students- v/ho have deeded to make .themselves fit for the vocation of \ the priesthood, and doubtless it will mark the foundation of the establishment ia this, the centre of the feitiie Taieri Plains, ol an ecclesiastical institution tliat^vill hereafter ri'-al the famous seminary which, under the auspices of j Cardinal iVToraii, has been founded o:i the j heights of Manly, near the New South Wales j capital. A moj.e appropriate site tOi the college could scarcely have been chosen. The sarabriouo climate of the Taieri. is well-known, the rnanj pleasant resorts -which exj.si, withinthe confines oi the plains will afford m?ny attractions to the students m their leisure houi'o while the iiecment lailwpy communication j places it within esay access oJ: th? city. The house itself is admirably situated ior the purpose of a college. It originally cost a veiy considerable amount of money, and, judging by the size of the hallway, the extent and number of the jooms, and the costiy manner m wh'cii the .interior oi the place has beenfinished, oae can leacLiiy see iiov; its construction i'i\ olved a veiy great outlay. The size of the dining room can be imagined by the fact j that between GO and 70 peisons fpt cown in it to lunch, and yet scarcely moie thin half the space was utilised, while there aie other rooms in the place nearly as large. The functions o.i Thursday commenced at 10.30, when pontifical high mass was celebrated ill the Chdrch ot tne Immaculate Conception. The building was crowded, v gieai rn<my people having come from JJunediu and tao country districts by lail and load. Bishop \ erdon wa a celebrant ; Monsignor Mackay, assistant priest ; Father 'Lubrnan (Timaru), cleacoii ; Father O'Donr.ell (Uunecun), subdeacon , Fathers O'Neill (Milton) and Cleary (Dunedin), deacons at the tin one; and Father Murphy, master oi ceremonies. The nuisic of the mas.3 was rendered by the choir oi SI. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin, under the direction ot Mr A. Vdlhs (organist) a±id Mr Ward (conductoi). 'lhe occasional sermon was preached by the Rev. Dean Burke (Invercargill), who, in the course of an eloquent and impressive discourse," icferred to the higher functions of the priesthood of tits new dispensation, fiom the bapt.sm oi. the infant child .to pleaching, advising, absolving, and offer.ng up the mystic sacrifice. It behoved a priest, he said,, to ba, in the woids of Si. Paul, mild and ''affable, i-objer, just, and holy, to edify the faithful ii his conversation and "his charity and his" faith. Such virtues should distinguish those who are imbued wath the doctrine and spirit of the apostles. They should lead lives immaculate, and be unto others ss angels on earth. This was not the language oi mere oratory, but of cold, cautious, theologians, like St. Thomas Aquinas, s-.nd the language of well-consideied decrees, like those of the Council of Trent. The chuich, so far as she could, insisted on the excelling goodness through her canon law and the course of training she gave her Levites. In order to form the priestly character, she established seminaries that were entirely apari from the distractions of common life, with their daily routine of early rising, mental prayer, self-examinafion, recollection, and study, and placed upon those in holy orders the obligation of strict and perpetual chastity. At the same time, she adorned the minds of the Levites with learning in order to fit them for the office of -teachers, preachers, and advisers. Hence the syllabus of the seminary embraced a, long course of studies in literature, philosophy, apologetics, dogmatic, moral and pastoral theology, church history, Biblical studies, ecclesiastical law, and honiiletics. The speaker then detailed at length the bearing of the decrees of the Council of Trent on ths question of provincial and diocesan seminaries. ( The ceremony of blessing the college was jointly performed by Bishop Verdon andBishop Grimes, of Christchurch.

At the termination of the religious functions, which extended over three hotirs, a large gathering a&sembled in the dining room of the college, whore a sumptuous luncheon awaited them. Bishop Verdon presided, and on his right was seated Bishop Grimes. Besides the latter, there were also present — Dean Burke, Dean Foley (Christchurch), Monsignor Mackay (Oarnaru), the clergy of Dunedin and .suburbs, and the clergy from various parts of Otago. Archbishop Redwood, of Wellington, was prevented from being present owing to his being engaged in Blenheim, while telegrams were received from all parts of the colony conveying good wishes for the future welfare of the college.

After the luncheon was disposed of,

Bishop Verdon rose to propose the health of the Pope. Before doing so he expressed his thanks for the kindness of the visitors in assembling there that day. It was a happy day for them. They had begun a- great' work. It marked the comniencement of a new chapter in the ecclesiastical history of New Zealand. — (Applause.) It pointed to progress. It showed that great pi ogress had been made in the pest and they hoped that that progress would be continued in the future. Sixty-three years ago there were neither priests nor bishops in New Zealand. Thirty years ago there were only two bishops and few priests. Only a few years ago the ecclesiastical piovince of New Zealand was separated from Australia, and la3t year they had their first piovincial synod. Now, that day they saw Eome of the fruits of that synod. To whom was the great progress which had been made within these few years due ? It was due under God to the sovereign pontiff, ihe Pope. The Vicar of Christ had been watching over His flock, even at the utmostipart of the earth. — (Applause.) Sixty-two years ago he sent out the Marist fathers, who worked so zealously for years, and who still continued their laboius with stich benefit in every colony. It was the holy Father Leo XIII, the present Pope, who ordered the holding of the first provincial couccil last year, and it was he who directed the council to establish an ecclesia-slical college. He took an especial interest in it, and it was at his expressed desire that they were there that day to inaugurate the college. It had been begun auspiciously under his blessing, find he trusted that it would prove as fiuitful in its lesults a& they all could possibly desire. — (Applause.) He called upon them to drink to the health of the Sovereign Pontiff.

The toast was enthusiastically drunk. The Rev. Father Headen sarig "A song for the Pope," and those present joined in the chorus.

Bishop Verdon stated that they were there foj a special purpose. They were there to open an ecclesiastical seminary. It was a religious celebration m a way. They were gathered together a.'i Catholics, and scarcely thought it necessary, m fact, to piopose any toast, except such as were connected immediately with the gathering. But Catholics were as thoroughly loyal as any peo£)le in the world. — (Loud applau&c.) As part of their patriotism and loyalty were according to their teachings, it might not become them if they failed to drink -to her Majesty tho Queen — (applause, — and therefore he would ask them to fill their glasses and drink to the health of Her Majesty.

The toast was received with much enthusiasm.

Bishop Grimes rose to propose tho toast of " Success to the College." In doing so he said that it was certainly a red-letter day for the diocese of Dunedin^ for Bishop Verdon, for hi*

dsvoted people, and for the wiiole of NeV 7 -, land. — (Applause.) It was not only m < .' v ence to the wishes of the Holy Father, bu , a ?.o in obedience to the wishes of the councils oi the church, and notably of the Council of Tren., that that great work was then being inaugr.mted. He must confess that he was there thpn day with mingled feelirgs of pleasure and of i egret — pleasure because of tlie noble and holy nature of the work, which he himself had thought of when he had been a. few months in his own diocese, and the realisation of which, had been the dream of his episcopate ever since ; ,md regret -that it wag not established ♦ In hi" own diores-o.— (Laughter.) When he wag told that one of i'le principal things to be i\zcussed at the Provincial Synod was the futiue seminaiy lift hastened from the other sido o:' the world to attend it, and lost in so doint; to the tune of £2000 or .63000. If he hod no"', - ..n tends J the synod he might have had his cathedral begun before this. — (Laughter.) When tli3 question of the seminary of the province of New Zealand came up, he was surprised, and he thought the other bishops were too, when he learnt what Bishop Yerdoa had done in such a shoi-t time after he began to rule over his diocese. — (Applause.) When he told them that ha had a place, or was on the point of securing ;u ploce, for the seminary, that he would open it, and only wished their -co-operation and prayers, without appealing to their pockets, it seemed to him a brilliant idea.— (Laughter and loud applause.) The enthusiastic applause with which his words were received showed him- that they v, r ore of the same opinion. — (Renewed laujhtsr.) He confessed that he' had it in lm own mind to suggest thst the seminary should be in his own diocese, but alter what the J3 shop of Bunpdin had told them he recognised it would be a very ungracious thing to pay anything ivrther about it, and that all that iernained to be done wps to do all in their power to make it a success. — (Applause.) He ieli. suie it would be a success. — (Applause.? "What they saw that day was an earnest of what! they should see a little later on. deferring to the students that would occvipy the seminary, tho Bishop went on to say that it was the wish of the Holy Father to have priests born of the soil, belonging to and bred in the country, educated there. — (Applause.) He was quite sure that the laity would do all they possibly cculd to rnak'e that beautiful college what they all wished it to be — a seminary where would be prepared priests who would devote their lives to the glory of God, and for the good of souls. — (Applause.) He asked them to charge theit glasses and drink to the success of the college. The toast having been honoured, The "Rev. Father Ryan, vice-r.ectbr of the college, responded. He thought they might congratulate themselves on -the large and representative gathering of the clergy and laity assembled- there that day. It had given him no small amount of pleasure to notice The cordial manner in which they toasted the success of the new institution that had just been. ble3scd and opened. The building did not re-m-esent merely the fact that so much timber and brick and mortar had been dedicated to a definite religious purpose. It represented more than that. It marked a new departure — he might say an epoch in the history of the Catholic Cii-uxh in New Zealand, it betokened the fact that they had reached a stage of progress when, after 60 years of ecclesiastical work, New Zealand ceased to be a purely missionary country, dependent altogether on the uncertain supply of priests from the old country.—(Applause.) It indicated that *he "' —"ii in this colony was deemed, strong and us enough to pxovide for the training ana , .cation of its own priesthood. The ctrenionies o£ that day-.told of high hopes for the future of the church in the colony— a future ior which, the seminary of the Holy Cross was a preparation. As a priest of New Zealand, he had" watched with deepest interest the maugura-> tion of the institute. ,It was likewise his privilege to look upon this great new work from a more intimate standpoint — that of one who had been honoured by being associated with it from the time of its inauguration. — (Applause.) For that rea&on he thanked them doubly for their presence that day, and for tho interest they had shown in this new evidence of Catholic activity in "the colony. With there, therefore, he wished from his inmost heart the Provincial Ecclesiastical Seminary of New Zealand a full measure of every blessing. — (Applause.) To his mind, there were several things which, combined, bid fair for the success of Holy Cross College. First, the undoubtad need of such an institute of ecclesiastical education. This need had been formally, acknowledged by the fathers of the first Provincial Council held in Wellington last year. It had been brought home to the door of every diocese in the colony by the perennial difficulty of securing secular clergy. Secondly, it would seem as if Providence had specially re.served the inauguration of the college until the advent of one who had had experience in tho working of ecclesiastical- seminaries. Such a one they had in the person of the first rector of Holy Cross, Mosgiel. ' There's a Divinity that shapes our ends ; rough hew them how we will." A further promise and earnest of success lay in the interest, in the great goodwill, that had been displayed towards the new seminary -from the moment it was projected, in the Wellington Synod. The magnificent situation, too, of the college and the salubrious climate of Mosgiel would be strong inducements to many young men of the neighbouring colonies who had a vocation for the priesthood tc seek education here. — (Applause.) Last, but by no means least, there iay the hope of many a blessing in the fact that the eeiemonies that day opened very appropriately with the invocation of the Divine benediction in the institution — an institution which was to be directed exclusively to promoting the gi eater glory of God and the good of His Holy Church. There, of all other places and occasions, the words of the Psalmist applied :

" Unless the Lord build the house, in vain Iwvo they laboured that build it." To Him, then, wno made the mustard seed grow into a great tree, so that the birds of the air came to settle in the branches — to Him and His blessing thsy commended the work. With the right rev. proposer of the toast, and with them all, he wished it a hearty God-speed. — (Applause.)

Monsig'ior Mackay proposed the toast of " The Hierarchy, and in doing so regretted that his Grace the Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of the Province •was- unable to b.3 present. The toad was duly honoured, and responded to by Bishop Grimes.

Other toasts honoured were: "The Laity," Proposed by the Re-". Father O'Neill (whe undo an exceedingly witty and felicitous speech), and responded to by Mr J. B. Callau ; "" The Clergy," proposed by Mr F. W. Petre, and i esponded to by Monsignor Mackay ; and "' The Press," proposed by the Veiy Rev. Derm Burke, and responded to by the Rev. Fathei Cleai-y (editor of the Tablet) and Mr H. L. Griffen.

The proceedings closed with the to?st ol '" The Health of Bishop VeiJon," which was accompanied with musical honours.

The rector of the college will be the Bishop himself, who will take up his permanent resi-

dence at the place. The appointment of vicexector has been confcried upon the Hey. J. Ryan, who for some time past has been connectecl with the Cailied'-al at Diinedin, and litwill be assisted in his piofessorial duties by the Rev. M. M. Byan and the Eev. M. A. He&den, B.x\. The letter are ainoiigsfc the tmesis who were sesured for work in Ihe diocesa by Bishop VeicJoa during his recent visit to Europe. It ia not yet definitely known heny many students will at once take up thenstudies at the college, but a large number aie ■'expa^ted from all parts of the colony.