BISHOPRIC OF WAIAPU

West Coast Times, 28 January 1914, Page 1

BISHOPRIC OF WAIAPU

CANON W. W. SEDGWICK SELECTED.

NAPIER, Jan. ‘id.

The Diocesan Synod elected Canon W W. Sedgwick, Alissiqnor of the Diocese of Canterbury, as Bishop of Waia-

Only one name was recommended to open meeting as the result of tho deliberations in committee, and the motion was moved by Archdeacon Williams, and was seconded by Mr. T. Tanner, as, one of the laity.

The ballot being in favour of the appointment, the position was offered to Canon Sedgwick. Intimation was received by the Synod late in the afternoon that Canon Sedgwick had accepted the appointment.

A CHARACTER. SKETCH. Canon Sedgwick, who is 33 years of age, was horn at Fremantle, near Southampton, in the South of England, and is the third and only surviving son of the Rev. A. Sedgwick, recto'- of Fremantle. He received his early education at home, lion :.t -Maidstone, Kent, and St. Martin's, York, from whence he went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he look his l>.A. degree in .1881. He was ordained in 1882 by the Archbihsop of Canterbury, and served his first curacy in Walteringbury, in the diocese of Canterbury. fn 1884 be entered the navy as a chaplain;- and served .in the marine battalion at Suakim, being chaplain to the land forces and visiting (be ships.-Fm- his services he received the Suakim medal and clasp and the Khedive’s broiy-.e star. From 1880 to 188(1 be was chaplain on board 11.M.5. Thunderer, and on leaving the navy he accepted the living of St. Patrick’s, Mockley Heath, where he remained from 188G to 1889. He then became Rector of Vryhurg, Hechuanaland, South Africa, where he ministered from 1889 to 189 H. To 1890; he was Hector of Ilcdford, Capo Colony, and then returned to England, and for a few months (held a curacy at Evershot. Dorset. Till 1901 he was private chaplain to the Earl of Home, but ben:g desirous of further service in the colonies, he aeeepted the cure of Walks ri, North Canterbury, which he. held from 1901 to 1903. He was vicar of Akaroa till 1094, and then became view- of St. Luke’s, Christchurch, where If remained till last year, when Rishop Julius appointed him to the post of diocesan missioner and secretary of the Church Mission Fund. .In this position Canon Sedgwick has hardly had time to do any work, but had mapped ot t his work for the present year.

When appointed vicar of Akaroa, muter Bishop Averill, as Archdeacon of that district, Bishop Averill had many opportunities there of seeing the good results of Canon Sedgwick’s work, and his Lordship became convinced of his great spirituality, his keenness for hard work, and the fruitful results of his ministry. Canon Sedgwick was appointed vicar of St. Luke's, Christchurch, in succession to Archdeacon Lingard, who had held the position for

many years: The church building was

in a very decayed state, when the Canon took over the charge, and he set himself the task of raising sufficient, money for a new brick and stone edifice. He was successful in his endeavours, the total amount raised running into many thousands of pounds. The building was absolutely free of debt‘when it was consecrated. Bishop Averill had the pleasure of performing that ceremony, and he stated that everybody felt that the Canon had raised the money by faith an.', prayer. About two days before the Church was consecrated, a debt of over .£IOO remained, and the task looked impossible. On the morning of the service, Canon Sedgwick received ten blank, but signed,, cheques from different people in Christchurch to enable him to make up the deficiency, the whole amount being thus paid before the service. At the time, said His Lordship, the success of the undertakiog was looked upon as a most remarkable work, the whole of the money being raised at such short notice. Tito new Bishop’s chief strength is in his spirituality, his individuality, and his preaching. He takes a very keen interest in the Church of Engnet Men’s Society missionary work, and Sunday Schools. It was owing to his great success as it miss'ioner that he received his last appointment, he gave up the charge of St. Luke’s he undertook the work of the diocesan missioner in the Christchurch diccese. It was only comparatively recently that he was made Canon of Christchurch Cathedral, and it was fully expected hy many that he would have been made Dean of Christchurch. Canon Sedgwick is a powerful speak-

THE BISHOP-ELECT IXTER- / VIEWED. - HIS CHURCH WORK. Canon Sedgwick,' Bishop-elect of Waiapn, was seen by a representative of “The Press,” and-was asked lor some particulars of his experieices of Church work. “It was always my wish,” said Canon Sedgwick, “from my earliest (lays, to. work in the. Colonies. I had a great friend who , is now an Archbishop in South Africa, aml he and I were animated by the same desire, to work in ihe Colonies. My other dsire was to work in the mission held, but I never seemed to have the same direct call to mission work, I felt that it was the duty of a. young: man to do some, foreiiin service. The fact that the. friend I have referred to had gone to South Africa determined me to go there also. The parish of Vryhwrg, where I worked for several years, was in area’three times the size of Great Britain. The work involved long, lonely journeys on horseback, the nearest railway station at that time being Kimberley, one hundred miles to the south.”

“You have had a thorough training in the rough and tumble work of the Church,” remarked the. reporter,, and Canon Sedgwick concurred. “The work in the Navy,” he continued, “was very interesting. I had the honour of serving bn H.M.S. Thunderer with His Majesty the King, who was then a lieutenant. I liked tho work amongst the men, but I found one’s hands tied to a great extent owing to the desire of those ip command not to have tbe routine of the ship interfered with, Reing full of energy these restrictions made me restive, though the work amongst the bluejackets greatly interested me. The postcaptain, 1 found, however, more automatic than the the most autocratic vice;- At Waikari, my first charge’ in New Zealand, I found the work most interesting, though the conditions, being similar to those in South Africa, were not new. I well remember tbe astonishment of a sergeant in the Amuri Mounted Rifles, who, looking upon me as a new ehnm, could not, at first, understand why I was so much at home on horseback.”

Asked regarding his consecration, Canon Sedgwick said that the date of lb l ceremony depended on (ho Primate and the other Bishops, but it would he, probably, in the course of a few weeks. The consecration would, of course, lake place in Napier.

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