ST. MARY'S CHURCH, WANGANUI.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 215, 8 June 1877, Page 15

ST. MARY'S CHURCH, WANGANUI.

Fkom Wanganui we hear of the dedication of a fine new church, built under the direction and by the zealous efforts of the Rev. Father Kirk, and designed by Mr. Thomas Turnbull, architect. The dimensions of the building are 96 ft. by 40 ft., and with a height of 36 ft. The style is th« florid Gothic. The chancel is divided by three arches, so that two side chapels are formed, of which one is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and the other to St. Joseph. The church was opened and dedicated to God under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on 20th May last, his Lordship the Bishop of Wellington officiating, and delivering a most eloquent address, in which he referred to the growth of the Church, and described its spread as well in England as in the Australian colonies. The ceremonies in connection with the event were finely carried out, and in particular those in which members of the laity took part — such as the procession and the choir— and which showed careful training and the fruits of loving ze,al on the part of all concerned, and especially of those who were engaged in their conduct. The reception given, to his Lordship on his arrival in this distant part of his diocese for th« purpose alluded too, is deserving of a word of comment. Hardly in the most favoured lands, and where Catholicism is general and long established, could a bishop of the Church have been more fittingly received. The Children of Mary, bearing a banner of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, together with some hundred children and members of the Altar Society, and a considerable force of the H.A.C.B.S. and of altar boys, carrying a banner of St. Patrick, and all under the direction of the Rev. Father Kirk, awaited the steamer in which his Lordship was expected to arrive ; and immediately on the arrival of the Bishop, •which was greeted with hearty cheers, he was conducted to a carriage and four and driven to the church, where he was presented with the following address : — To His Lordship the Eight Eev. Dk. Redwood. May it please your Lordship, — With feelings of the greatest respect and affection, we, the people and pastor of St. Mary's Church, Wauganui, approach your Lordship to bid you once more welcome to this part of your diocese. Since your first visit to us we regret to say the trials of our beloved Holy Father Pius IX. have been ever on the increase ; we beg to assure your Lordship, as representative of our Saintly Pope, that we deeply sympathise with him ; and we pray God to hasten the triumph of the Church, and grant to the venerable Pontiff to see it, and close his reign in peace. We sincerely commiserate in their sufferings the persecuted members of the Church in Germany, Italy, and elsewhere. To your Lordship, personally, we, with the Catholics of this diocese, are very much indebted for your zeal in the cause of God, evidenced by the various missions established and the large number of priests brought to your rule since your arrival in New Zealand, and by the firm stand you have taken against godless schools and their pernicious effects. In compliance with your expressed wish, we have established good schools, and we are resolved to deserve your Lordship's approval by our warm support of them. We beg to tender you our grateful thanks for your generous kindness in coming to honour us, at much inconvenience to yourself, on the occasion of the opening of our church, of which we feel sure your Lordship will admit we have reason to be proud. We cannot conclude our address without a word of commendation for those gentlemen, Messrs. Cruickshank and Tawse, who have so beautifully and satisfactorily executed the works of the church, so ably designed by the deservedly popular architect, Mr. Thos. Turnbull. Begging your Lordship's blessing, and wishing you a long and happy Episcopate, We remain your obedient children in Christ, The Pbie6t and Congregation or St. Mart's Church, Wanganui. In reply, his Lordship expressed not only pleasure but surprise at the admirable reception given him, but with that humility, which we have elsewhere observed in the words of the Bishop, he attributed the homage shown him to the fact that he was looked L npon as a representative of the Holy Father. His speech was throughout characterised by the pleasure excited by the cheering circumstances in which he found himself, but the fatigue consequent on his passage prevented him. from speaking for any protracted time. Scenes like this are particularly grateful at this time of trial for the Church, and they, moreover, furnish an additional proof of the value of a zealous pastor, and the blessing such an one confers upon his flock. In conclusion, we are happy in congratulating the Eev. Father Kirk on the successful conclusion of his labours, in providing a sanctuary suitable for the celebration of the Divine mysteries.