CONFIRMATION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 217, 22 June 1877, Page 12

CONFIRMATION.

Osr Sunday, June 10th, His Lordship the Right Tier. Dr. Redwood Lord Bishop of Wellington, administered the Sacrament of Confirmation in the church of the Most Holy Sacrament, Curistchuroh, to over 200 children and many adults besides. The ceremony throughout was marked by that solemnity with which the Catholic Church alone can, with meaning, refresh the minds of her childreu ; and the pious demeanour of the immense congregation, which from an early hour thronged the spacious church, showed the lively interest taken in the occasion. The boys were conducted to the Church under the guidance of their excellent teacher, Mr. O'Connor ; and the girls, clad in White dresses and wearing tastefully-arranged wreaths, were watched over by the " Sisters of the Mission," whose pious labours were crowned by the beautiful ceremony for which they had made long and ardent preparation. His Lordship having, arrived at the principal door of the Church, at a fixed hour, a procession was formed ; and having gone through the ceremonies usual on the reception of prelates, he ascended histhrone for the celebration of Pontifical Mass. At the end of the Mass, the Bishop briefly explained the nature of the Sacrament about to be administered, and exhorted the children to excite themselves to true devotion. All were greatly impressed by his Lordship's words, and those to be confirmed evinced such piety during *he administration of the Sacrament as clearly showed that they were anxious to obtain all the graces of Confirmation. In the evening, after Vespers, his Lordship preached on the means of preserring the grace with which the souls of so many had been enriched that day, and encouraged all present to walk steadfastly in the practice of every Christian virtue. During the week his Lordship visited the schools of the parish, and listened with grait pleasure to the intelligent answers given by tho pupils to the various questions put to them in arithmetic, geography, history, &c. He again preached on yesterday evening, on " Devotion to thfr Sacred Hetrt of Jesus," and although the subjeot was one difficult to be clearly understood by ordinary congregations, yefc hia Lordship made every point so simple that the mo.-t illiterate must have been urged to practise a devotion intended to procure consolation for every soul. He will, it is beliefed, preach also to-morrow at last Mass, and again in the evening at Vespers, and will leave Cbmtchurch early in next week to visit some other portions of his diocese.