VICAR INDUCTED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20731, 19 May 1937, Page 8

VICAR INDUCTED

KENSINGTON-OTIPUA PARISH On Monday evening, in St. Peter’s Church, Kensington, the first Vicar of the newly constituted parish of Kensirfgton and Otipua, the Rev. H. I. Hopkins, was inducted into the cure of souls in the district. The induction service was taken by the Ven. Archdeacon H. W. Monaghan. Before a congregation representative of both town and country sections of the parish, the made the customary declarations and oaths, declaring his loyalty to the customs and doctrines of the church and to those set over him in it; and then knelt to receive from the Archdeacon the Bishop’s license instituting him as Vicar of the parish. A procession was then held to the font, the prayer-desk, the lectern and the altar where appropriate prayers were offered, and the new Vicar promised faithfully to fulfill the duties connected with the various services of the church. • In an address to the congregation the Archdeacon spoke first of the message of Whitsuntide and of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church. It was, he said, a most appropriate time for a man to be beginning his ministry in a parish. He wished the newly-arranged parochial district well in Its life as a separate cure, commended their Vicar to the prayers and sympathetic support of the parishioners and concluded by counselling him never to allow social and other interests and activities to overshadow the spiritual side of the life of the parish. Subsequent to the service an adjournment was made to the Church Hall where speeches of welcome were made by Messrs Moffitt (churchwarden), Whitehouse, Coutts (Pareora), Arden (Otipua) and Miss Bee (Kingsdown). Mr Hopkins suitably replied.