CATHOLIC CHURCH

Western Star, 8 November 1938, Page 3

CATHOLIC CHURCH

DIAMOND JUBILEE

CELEBRATIONS,

The Diamond Jubilee of St. Co-lomhcille’s Catholic Church and the Silver Jubilee of the Riverton Convent was held to-day when members and visiting Priests were present from all parts -of Southland. Since the visit of the first priest in 1860 the work of the Church has progressed throughout the years, and lb-day there stands the Church, a splendid Presbytery, Convent School and boarding school in one. of the best sites overlooking the estuary. To mark the occasion Pontifical High Mass was celebrated this morning by His Lordship Bishop Whyte, of Dunedin. A garden fete was held in the afternoon at the Convent grounds, and the celebrations will be brought to a close this evening when a conversazione will be held in the Empire Theatre. Almost 62 years ago, Catholic parishioners of Riverton achieved their great desire when the first Roman Catholic Church —St. Colombcille’s Church—was opened in its beautiful bush setting on tlie southern side of the Jacobs River, overlooking the small but thriving town of Riverton. Riverton had been one of the first places in Southland to attract ■ European settlers as there were extensive areas of good land in the district and the countryside had many pleasing lea-lures. At the outset the chief attraction of the place was its accessibility to the whalers who in the very early days carried on a thriving trade on the southern coasts of New Zealand.'

Riverton, after Russell, is the oldest township in the Dominion and at one time it was thought that the little township, on the junction of the Aparima and Jacobs River would -be the capital of Southland with its • excellent river port, but the advent of the railway terminus at Invercargill saw' the doom of Riverton’s aspirations and development practically ceased. Prior to the advent of a regular visiting priest the needs of the Catholic community were served by itinerant Marist Fathers who travelled throughout the country carrying their swags, in order that they might celebrate Mass in the more populated centres in the various districts through which they passed. ARRIVAL OF FIRST PRIEST. i But to this thriving little village- in 1860 came the first- priest of whom is any record to minister to the needs, of the parishioners. - This was the Rev. Father Moran, S.M., who. made the arduous trip to this southern whaling station, where lie stayed a. week officiating at baptisms, blessing marriages and celebrating Holy Mass. The needsof this station in an already large diocese were increasingly evident and to meet the situation it was decided that the parish would be ministered from Invercargill. Somewhere about the year. 1870, resident priests from Invercargill began to pay regular visits to Riverton, at first quarterly; but as the parish grew in size and the needs became greater, the visits became monthly. The parish of Invercargill had been formed in 1864 and in 1877 these two places, Riverton and Invercargill, were the' only ones south of Milton who had a priest stationed in them. , Father Carden, and Father Higgins were the first and the- most prominent priests in these far-olf days -when Riverton -was served from .Invercargill and regularly these difficult journeys were made over the old coach track- along the beach to Riverton. At Groper’s Bush there were numerous Catholics settled, and Mass was read in the house of Mr John Forde, the descendants of whom still live in the parish. The old Oddfellows’-Hall served as a church for' 'Riverton,' but that old landmark has since been destroyed.

EARLY EDUCATIONAL

FACILITIES.

Before the construction of thy first Catholic 'pliurch in Riverton there are records showing that an Educational Institution was in evidence. This was the first Catholic school in the district and rejoiced in the name of “Academy.’’ A search in the files of the ‘Western Star,’ 1873, discloses the following advertisement :

“Catholic Academy, Riverton: for particulars respecting terms, and studies apply to D. Cameron, Rector.” The rector of the Academy, Mr D. Cameron, was a staunch Catholic Highlaud'er, who conducted his scliqol in what is now known as Palmerston Street, on the site where Keeler’s'bakery now stands. On Sunday he also was in charge of the Catechism class and at the pflests’ mass on Sunday proudly wore his tartan plaid. Unfortunately at the time it was not- possible to find the names of those who attended that little academy, the forerunner of the splendid Convent School which is situated at the rpar of the Church in Riverton to-day. By this time the Catholic population of Riverton had grown to such an extent as to warrant the stationing of a resident priest in the town arid on the resignation of Father Carden from the Invercargill parish, Father Higgins assumed charge of the Southland district;. Father Higgins was fully aware of the field for work round and in Riverton and lie, with indefatigable enthusiasm and energy, began to -work for the establishment of a church in Riverton. ERECTION OF CHURCH. In the meantime the parishioners had not been idle in the matter and before Father Carden’s departure bad already begun to culled for tint very, purpose, having gathered the sum of £3OO towards the erection of the'r church. This was soon to he an accomplished lact an-1 one memorable day in 1875 tenders were called for plans and specifications ■if a rii'tab’o building. The members of tin' C. ni-'/h tbe !mitten at the time were Messrs .Klip. Funic, Morgan Hayes, Roderick Murchison. Malaehy Eenihan and John Hall. The architect in charge of the building was Mr F. Bunve.ll, of Invercargill. the contract price being £6OO and the builder Mr Connelly, who had recently arrived from Tasmania. The site for the church was the gi.'t of Mr Donald Cameron, of Nokomai, who offered the. land on the condition that the church be named after one of ( lvnna’s Saints, St. Columbeille. This was agreed to and the building went '.■'lead. The 1 timber for the slmctnr* was milled from the hills id the hark of the ridge where Ihe church now stands. was all hand-dressed and pit | sawn am! is even mav in a wonderful . -dele of presei vat 'on. When the Mil j]’ -bytery was pu]b-<l down jus! n cantly the 50-ycar-nhl timber was found to be in as sound a stale as when -put ‘ into the original structure,

MEMORABLE DAY

Sunday, February 18th, 1877, saw aJ

day dawn which was to prove' the fruition to all the labours and hopes

of the Catholic parishioners of Riverton when Bishop Moran, who was the first bishop of the diocese of Otago and , Southland, which had been formed in 1869, assisted by Father Kelly (Melbourne), Higgins, O’Leary (late of Lawrence) and O’SulTTvan, blessed the new church and the Riverton Parish bad • a proud and permanent place of worship. The extent of the parish at that time was exceedingly wide, extending to the north of Nightcaps and Wrey’s Bush and to the south to Orepuki and : Te Wa-e Wae, where the descendants of / the Griffins and the Fordes still live. I At that time there was no Tuata-pere to be served as settlement had not then extended so far. Travelling was done by the resident priest on horseback and by gig where «the tracks allowed a wjieeled vehicle access, but for the most part, visiting was done oil' horseback. A gathering of almost three hundred people assembled for the ceremony, including members .of the St. Mary’s Choi)-, Invercargill. On that memorable occasion a “Missa. Cantata Coram Pontifiee” was sung by the Rev. Father P. O’Leaiy. Ilev Father Kelly preached from the test, “Man shall not live by bread alone,” and when Father Higgins made an appeal for funds, banknotes and sovereigns, as well as .a gold watcli and chain, were handed m to help- to pay off the remaining debt. Bishop 'Moran paid tribute to Mr Donald Cameron, who had given the beautiful site and bad contributed liberally in other ways. The church had been dedicated to a Saint common to both Scotch and Irish—Sl. Columbcille, ; who, though an Irishman by birth, was a Scotsman by adoption and the apostle and patron of Scotland. FORMER PRIESTS RECALLED. The first resident priest in the newly- - formed parish was the Rev. Father Kehoe, who died a few years ago in Auckland. The following is a list of the priests in charge of the church at Riverton since its inception:—Father Thomas Kehoe (1877-1885); Father Walsh (1885-1899). Father M. Walsh was transferred in 1899 to Invercargill for three years. Then came Father M. Keenan. 1889; Father N. Vereker, 18901892; Father M. Walsh, 1892-1900. In 1900 Father Walsh was transferred t 0 Wrey’s Bush on that district being made a separate parish. Father O’Dea was the next priest in charge for 1900; Father M. Sheehan 1900-1905; Father P. Murphy 1905-1919; Father D. Buckley 1919-1930, and Father Fenelon, who. assumed charge in 1930 and is still at St. Columba’s.

Father A. Fenelon, the present priest in charge, was born in 1898 at Myshall, Cai-low County, Ireland. He attended school at . De La Sal(e Brothers at Bagnalstown and later at St. Patrick’s College, Carlow. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1921 and arrived in New Zealand in 1922. For a number of years be was stationed at removing thence to Gore. After a period of service in Gore, Father Fenelon was placed in charge at Cromwell, Central Otago, leaving there to take charge at Riverton in 1930.

ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOL. During Father Murphy’s period as priest in charge another important land-; mark in-the .history of ' the. Catholic Church in Riverton was set up when in* .1913 a school was established, under the control of the Sisters of Mercy. In later years further improvements were added to the original school when a new Sanctuary and Sacristy were built. To’day the -original edifice with its added improvements will serve the requirements of the parish for many years to come. . Then fifty-nine years after the key had been turned-for the first time in the Presbytery by Bishop Moran, a similar ceremony took place when his Lordship Bishop Whyte, associated with Mousignor Howard, the Very Rev. Father O’Neill and the Rev. Fathers Kava-nagh, McGettigan, Martin, ‘ l‘enton, Fenelon and Henley, opened the new Presbytery, which provided a more satisfactory residence -for the clergy. The total cost of this modern and most beautiful structure was £2OBO, the .contractors being Messrs G. E. Beer and Sons.

: MONUMENT TO PIONEERS. Sixty-two years of concerted and active endeavour have brought the Church, Presbytery, Convent and School to their present state of perfection where they stand o.u a. glorious situation overlooking the waters of the estuary —a monument and a tribute to those hardy pioneer’s of those far-off days who planted the seed which has developed into the sturdy tree. To-day the parish of Riverton includes five other churches and the territory covered extends to Tuatapere, Otautail and to the Iron Bridge and up to Moriowai. With the celebrations 'the parishioners experience a feeling of joy and responsibility—joy in the realisation of the progress achieved over sixty years of work, and responsibility in the knowledge that the wqrk goes on, inspired by the .efforts of their pioneering forbears, whose foresight and effort bad secured to the parish of Riverton the blessing of a place of worship of their own.

CONVENT AND SCHOOL JUBILEE. Movements were put on foot in 1912 to have a Convent and a. school attached to the Church and in 1913 this became an accomplished fact when on February 2nd, 1913, the Convent of St. Columba and the school were opened and blessed. Tlie ceremony wa.s performed by Monsignor O’Leary, owing to the unavoidable absence of His Lordship Dr Verdun, and be was assisted by the Rev. Father Janies Coffey (Dunedin), Rev. Father Murphy (Riverton) and the late Rev. Father P. O’Neill (Winton). Solemn. High Mass was celebrated in the Church and immediately afterwards a procession led by the Invercargill Hibernian Band., and comprising acolytes, the clergy and the Sisters of Mercy proceeded to the. Convent ior the ceremony. Four Sisters were the first- to take charge of the new Convent and school and these wore accompanied by - the Head Superior, Rev. Mother Mary Kostka. and her companion. Mother Mary Patricia, OPENING OF SCHOOL. 'On .Monday. February 3rd. 1913. file M-lmol was opened with a roll number of 47. the first name f n be nh'-od or i lie roll being that of Sarah Mnco : , v ’"King (C |||.||: o-.|-nl|od on t !>■)(■ dnv WOIT "Mioi Hue. Tin l‘- -“-A ' Jolm | "..„i;i-.,,, (■;•„•„ w-,-1. 'an. Ceoi"!' Eap'nm, Lauf" McKenzie. I’rd Houlihan and .Timas Ward, As (fie F.'hoi;! grew in numbers I her arose the need for aowninwla-

tion; therefore to meet these neetla a, new dormitory was built in 193# at the cost of £IOOO. This proved a decided advantage for children who lived hi the districts surrounding Riverton.

Further alterations and improvements were carried out this year when the school was remodelled at a cost of £6OO. The old room has been completely altered and brought into line with the most modern school buildings, allowing for a maximum of light and air. Each room has adequate heating apparatus and each opens out on to a commodious corridor.

There are five Sisters now at the Convent, the Sister in charge being Sister Philomena, one of the original Sisters who came to the Convent- in 1913 when it was first upene.l. The roll number of the school is in the vicinity of 85 at the present- time.