RETURN OF BISHOP VERDON

Otago Witness, Issue 2862, 20 January 1909, Page 84

RETURN OF BISHOP VERDON

. lj> WELCOMED BY HIS DIOCESE. The Right Rev. Dr Yerdon, Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, reached the Bluli hy the steamer Warrimoo on the 18th i^st., after a visit to Italy, England, and other parts, an-d came on to Dur.edin by the second express There was a great concourse of people on the Railway Station at 7 o'clock to meet his Lordship, including members of the local Roman Catholic clergy end visiting cWgy, members of the religious Bocieties oonnected with St. Joseph's Cathedral, and many members of the Dunedin diocese. Several of the clergy went to Mosgiel to accompany the Bishop to Dunedin, and the train brought in several other memibers of the clergy from districts to the south. On alighting from his carriage the Bis'.vop was heai-tily welcomed by members of the Reception Committee, and escorted, though not without some difficulty, through the crowd en the platform to bis carriage ■at the main entrance. A procession was then formed consisting- of present and past pupils of the Christian Brothers' School, aaembers of the Hibernian Society, and Jh*tnbera of the Reception Committee, and, headed by the Mornington Band, marched to St. Joseph's Cathedral. In Lower Slfcuart street the horses attached to the bishop's carriage became restive, and, refusing to proceed, it was necessary for his lordship to transfer to another carriage. AT THE CATHEDRAL. The Cathedral was crowded to its utmost £>ap~city by the large numbers who thronged to welcome his Lordship back to Dunedin. The bo\-s of the Christian Brothers' Schooi were massed at the chancel 6teps, and the Hibernian Society, some 80 strong, in regalia, lined the central aisle. The procession was received at the Cathedral doors after the manner of the customary ritual, end the priests in their robes, together with the acolytes, passed in procession up the aisle, and his Lordship was conducted to the throne at about 7.30. The service of the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament then took place, during which the Te Deuin was sung by the choir as a song of thanksgiving, and the benediction service being j concluded, Father Coffey approached the j throne, and addressing his Lordship, said that he had to apologise for i the unavoidable absence of Monsignor MacIcay, V.F.. Monsignor O'Leary, Y.F., Fathers O'Donncll, O'Neill, Walsh, and Keenan. In the absence of the above de- ! volved upon him the honour to present to , hie lordship the following address of welcome from th© clergy and laity of the iliocese of Dunedin: — THE ADDRESS. To the Right Rev. Michael Yerdon. D.D.. Bishop of Dunedin, on the occasion of his return from his visit ad limiua, January. 1903. , May rt please your Lordship, — On behalf ' of the Catholic clergy and laity of the ' diocese of Dunedin we bid you a hearty , welcome back from your long 1 and arduous journey. Our thoughts have followed you •with affectionate interest during your ' travels by sea and land; we have been with you in spirit at the great Eucharistic Congress, and amid the splendour of the solemn ceremonies that marked the Sacerdotal Golden Jubilee of our Holy Father Pope Pius X. We recall with grateful hearts the fatherly feeling which moved you to travel «o far afield to render to your Chief Pastor and ours an account of the flock committed i >to your care; we thank jou for your anxious thoue'ht and kindly and prayerful effort on our behalf, and for all that you have done f jr the advancement of pfety and charity and education during th© whole of your fruitful and beneficent episcopate of 13 years. 'We greet your Return wilih the deep respect and the warm affection which bind the hearts of true Catholics to those who are i placed over them in the onerous dignity of the episcopal office. We rejoice at the renewed health and vigour which you have bxoug-ht back with you as one of the bless- ' inga of your travels, and wo pray that it ! may be the earnest of long years of fruitful service for the Church of God in this choce=e of Dunedin. Signed on behalf of the clergy and laity of the diocese: " i Clergy. Laity. I 3 Monsignor Mackay, J. B. Callan. MLC V.F. C A. Shiel P. Monsiguor O'Leary, J. J. Marlow M. Walsh ' J. O'Neill *»V Burke, V.F. C. Columb P. C"j*mimh J. Coney. Adm. J. O'Connor. W. P. Rodgprs, Hon Secretaries. In handing the address, in red letter, haiwteomeiy bound, to his Lordship, lather Cbffejr went on to say that he had aico , **Ty great pleasure in "tendering to him a > tok«i«, being an envelope with an enclosure of A cheque for 500 sovereigns. THE BISHOP'S SPEECH. Tho Bishop, who had risen on Father Qaßey commencing to address him, ad- ' BMased his hearers as his very dear friends. I ?Je thanked them, he said, most sincerely ' , s fiv the very kind — he must say enthusiastic , — manner in which they had welcomed him. { , Ho was indeed pleased to see such a large , number of people here assembled to receive him on his return to Dunedin. The beautiful woixk of welcome which they had ad- j dressed to him gave the reason for this de- | ' monstration. In a true Catholic spirit the\ , ' wished to show their respect for the epieco- ' ' P&l office, and their Jove and reverence for l r the sovereign Pontiff from whose presence he had just returned. As they knew, his Journey to Europe was not a mere pleasuie ' trip, but had been undertaken, by him in ' 4&>e discharge of his duty to pay his homage | 1 to the sovereign Pontiff, hie Holiness Pope , < Pius X, and to 1-ay before him a report ' < 6p the state of the dioce«e committed to ' his care. It had boon his privilege to be ' received in audience by the Holy Father ' ' almost immediately after his arrival in 1 Rome in April, and again on the day before * he sailed frQtn Naples in Da^mber. In his t paternal solicitude the Holy Father had in- 1 quired about many thirgs concerning their t temporal and spiritual imprests, and it con- < > eoled him in xhc nii<l-t of hi« many earrs to '- hear of the zeal and enerzv of our clergy, , t the fakh and generosity cf tho peoplo, aid ( i the disinterested and self-sacri6cin£ effete j i of the 3,006. nuns and brothers who weie < labouiiug so successfully to spread the bles- ■ t \kings of a good religious education among 1 ihe* children. In his official report on the 1 J progT&ss made in the diocese during the J i vmt 12 years, he was able to teJl of over I 1

1*22 neyr churchss erected, 11 now convent* established, many new schools opened, aiid various other works undertaken for the benefit of the young: and the old, all which works -were accomplished by the zeal and energy of the priests and nuns, aided by I the whole-hearted generosity of a faithful people. His report also told of flourishing confraternities, and of the fervour with which so many of the people approached the sacraments and discharged all their ' other duties. PETER'S PENCE. His Lordship went on to say that it had given him great pleasure to lay their very generous offerings of '"Peter's pence" at the feet of the Vicar of Christ, for they i aJI knew that though the Holy Father praei tised the strictest economy, his expenses were great, and that he had to tru*t entirely to the charity and generosity of the faithful for his support. OLD HOME SCENES. i They would be pleased to be-ar that he had enjoyed himself during his travels, for though he went to Euiopo in the discharge of his duty, he need scarcely tell them that it gave him very great pleasure Indeed to revisit those places in v.hich .he had lived and worked in former dajs, and to meet again many very dear old friends. He •esteemed it, too. a very great privilege to be able to take part in the great Eucharistic Congrees in London, and to be present at the magnificent jubilee celebration in St. Peter's at Rome, on November 16; but ha could assure them that though he had good reason to be satisfied with the results of his jcumey. yet Dunedin was seldom absent from his thoughts, and had circumstances permitted he would long since have ci't short his programme and returned to Dunedin. Ho had come back with renewed health and vigour, and during the days that might yet be given him he truated that he should be able to work with renewed energy and earnestness for the w«lfai*e of the flock committed to his oare. He thanked them very sincerely for their more than generous offering. God would reward them for this, and for many similar acts of genercsity and charity. His earnest and constant prayer would' be that God would shower down abundantly Hi* choicest graces and blessings upon them. THE PAPAL AUDIENCE. They might be interested to hear a brief account of the 11 months he had spent away from them. He had had a most delightful voyage to Napi*f, and had nrrived at Rome at the beginning of Holy Week. There had been mam grand ceremonies, and he bad been privileged to take part in <some of the great functions. A few days afterwards he was accorded an audie.noa with 'his Holiness the Pope, and it gave him the greatest pleasure to be able to say that the Holy Father seemed to enjoy most excellent health, and to be fitted for the \igorous and acthe d'scharge of the many and onerous duties whioh were imposed upon him. He had had the privilege of 25 minutes' conversation with the Holy Father on the state of the Dunedin Diocese. He had. been Irecnlv. interested in their welfare. He had told the Holy Father that they bad hare in Dunedin a most excellent Catholic newspaper, and had spoken in high terms of praise of the faithful zeal •nd sustained energy displayed by the editor of that newspaper. He had urged that some majck of approbation be conferred by hie Holiness on the editor, and the Holy Father had graciously acceded to the request, and had promised to confer upon Father Cleary the title of Doctor of Divinity. He might also mention that at his last audience he had presented a most excellent jubilee number of the Tablet to the Holy Father. The number had attracted a groat deal of attention, and had been very highly pia'sed. Tho Holy Father had been gieatly pleased with it. and bad noticed some music, which he had explained to him was the song of the Irish pilgrims. His Holiness wae also attracted by the pictures, and expressed himself highly peat-ed with that beautiful edition. Personally he bel.eved that it was a matter of great conocr.n for the diocese to be possessed of such an excellent paper. He had often bee.n told that it was the br=.t Catholic newspaper published in the Southern Hemisphere, and he hoped the editor would continue to labour for the good of Mother Church. THE STATE OF IRELAND. Sjjeaking of Ireland, hit Lordship said that he traversed the length of the island from the Giant's Causeway to Cork and Valontia, and had been greatly pleased to find what a va^t improvement theie was in the appearance of things. The people were much more prosperous looking, and l.he children were clean, neatly clad, and Intelligent. I7nder t.fve La-nri Law mans people hud been able to pi. : rha-c small holdings, which they ha,-I fc-r.A-1 well and rendered prosperous. Theie wcie mans impro\eme.i!s. arul the people weio full of xmrage and hopeful. Th-- county councils k *ad done weli whatever had been entrusted to (hem, and labourers' cottages had ber n srectod and were eutwtantval. comfortable duelling-. The new University Bill was x>n-.idered bj those in a position to judge A \i to bo, if not perfect, an act capable >f being lmpioicd upon till it became one sf the most useful for Ireland. THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS. It had also been his high pri\iiege to ittend the Euchari&tuc Congress held at London, whioh had been admirably carried out. All the meetings had been ittended by very la,rge numbers of peopL-. Cho scene in the Albert Hal', where the Papal Legate had been rceentd by th-o uis'.iops, was a nugniiic-nt one, ard the >vi ding and its approaches were thronged ,\.t'i emthubitis'ic and cheering ciowd*. Tlj2 jnthus ; a«m was indescribable wh<>n 15,000 Jatho.'ic childran* parsed in prooees'on urcugh the streets of London, which, of mukc, were don^y crouded and although rafne was euspcr.-Jed, still the titmo=t good i amour ard c derlincss prevailed. Then ho; 2 wa> the sc:ne on the Sunday in the ;reat Cathedral, wheie no less than 80 jisliops and six cardinals were present in hen roba.L with ma*iy nut red abbots, ar,d he multitude of tho^o in priestly attire, rhoj ccuLd haidk tj-rceiie how grand was he ftoene. Then there was the procession n ;he afternoon, at w Inch 100,000 people -sere present, and, in suite of the dense irow-dc. even those urr-o did not belong to hem aet^d with the lr.ost becoming e-spect and reverence towards them. The Eucharistic Congress in London had been n every way a magnificent success, a monument to the energy, fidoiin, and zeal cf the

people, and to the magninimity and toleration of the great English race. THE PAPAL JUBILEE. The Bishop then went on to say that he had assisted at the great Papal Jubilee heid at St. Peter's, Rome. Here 400 biehopo were present in mitre and cope, and no less than 35 cardinal^. There were mam ceremonies, and all of the greatest magnificence. The singing was very beautiful. It had, indeed, been the scene of a lifetime. During his tour he had many opportunities of seeing things such as were only likely to be seen once in a lifetime. The Holy Father from morning till night was busy granting audiences and receiving deputations. He received thousands of people, and at length, overcome by fatigue, had been ordered by his physician to keep his room for some days, and even his bed. All audiences were, therefoie, suspended, but a*, he (Bishop Verdon) had come from tlu extreme ends of the earth, his Holiness had graciously consented to see him, and had recehed him in his prnate room. Through him at this ardience the Holy Father had bestowed his blessing on the people of the Uunedin Diocese, and in temporal matters also had wished them happiness, prosperity, and e\ cry success. " And I," concluded his Lordship, %> wish \ou the fame. I thank you once again very sincerely for your cordial reception." The- clergy taking part in the service wcr?:— The Bishop of Dunedin (the Right Rev. Michael Verdon, D.D.), Dr. Cleary D.D., and Fathers Murphy, M'Mullar^ Howard, Ryan, O'Roilly. D. O'Neill O'Malley, Coffev (A dm.), 'Buckley, Liston,' Corcoran, Lynch, and Hearne.