CHURCH OF THE REDEMPTORIST FATHERS, WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 33

CHURCH OF THE REDEMPTORIST FATHERS, WELLINGTON .

1 In our illustrated page* will be found A view of the exterior of the new church of the Redemptorist Fathers, opened by Archbishop Redwood last month. The new church is at the top of Hawker street, Oriental Bay, Wellington. The opening ceremony was solemn and impressiveAmong the dignitaries of the church present, besides the Archbishop, were : Bishop Grimes", Right Rev. Mgr. Mackay (Oamaru,', and Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly (Thames;Pontifical high mass was celebrated by Bishop Grime 3. Archbishop Redwood was the preUcher. In. the course of his discourse he said that the church which they had just solemnly opened would not be & parish church but a, public oratory. It would not be used for the baptism of ir.fants or for the administration of the saara,ments of confirmation or matrimony, but it would be a place where confession, woutdt be heard, benediction given, and above all where the sublime sacrifice of the mass ■•(pukf be celebrated <day by day and year by year. It would be a public oratory belonging to tihe fathers of the< congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, which! was founded by St. Alphoneus Liguori dim ing the eighteenth century in the Kingdom of Naples. The members had gone about preaching to the poor, and especially to the neglected ; they took vows of poverty, obedience, and 1 chastity, and their rules were approved in 1749. The branch of the order in 'Wellington had required a church in connection with their work, and now they had got it. It was, by tihe way, the first church in New Zealand to be dedi-; cated toVthe honour of St. Gerard, one' of the most famous and saintly of the lay brothers of the order. At the erection of the church he (the archbishop) greatly: rejoiced, for he felt that erne of the greatest works he had ever accomplished during bis long episcopate was the introduction and) foundation of this religious order in the archdiocese. He expressed his gratitude to Bishop Grimes for coming such a lone way, and at such gxeat inconvenience, and also to the visiting priests. ■ The Very Rev. Tather Olune, C.SS.R., also ' thanked his Lordship Bishop Grimes and the visiting clergy. He said that ta date he had received gifts for the church to the value of £2100, in addition to cash donations amounting to £1630. All the windows of the church would be gifts, andt all ■of stained glass, though owing to default on the part of the makers plain glass ones had had to be put m temporarilyThe altar also was but temporary, for a grand high altar of marble, with moaaio panels* had been given, and- was _ now oni the way out. Many .choice paintinge, silver candelabra, alabaster vases, the .gong, sanctuary lamps, and other furnishing? were also gifts. The Tablet states that about 90 of tha invited guests were entertained, at -luncheon, by the Kedemptorist Fathers. During the function it was announced that further donations and 1 th& ' morning collection had brought the total contributions in money and kind up to £4100.