THE MISSION IN CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 240, 7 December 1877, Page 9

THE MISSION IN CHRISTCHURCH.

Since my last communication to you, His Lordship Dr. Redwood and several priests have arrived liere, and yet with all this increased assistance, and although His Lordship sits in the Confessional, the mission will not be closed before next Sunday. Every day brings in, its quota of poor frail humanity, some hardened sinner or old toner and "the cry is " still they come." During the past week immense crowds of people, some of them coming very long distances, have been attending the services. The missionary is certainly reaping a rich harvest in this portion of the vineyard. On each of the two Sundays that he has been here, the church, at both the morning and evenine services, was so densely crowded that the people had to be allowed inside the altar rails in the sanctuary, around the Bishop's throne, and right up to the altar steps. It was deemed advisable, on last Sunday in order to make room for the people, to prevent children under twelve from coming to last Mass. and with all this many persons were unable to get inside the door of the church. We had High Mass, eoram EpUcopo, with Bey. Father M'Namara as celebrant Rev Father Gouttenoire as deacon. Rev. Father Ginaty as sub-deacon] and the Tery Rev. Father Henncbery as assistant priest at the throne The choir performed Haydn's Ist Mass. Offertory, "O, Salutaris "by Himmel, sung by Mr. Loughnau with great effect. It was by far a larger congregation than that of the preceding Sunday, and much as the people expected to hear, they certainly never dreamed of the surprise that was in store for them. It was known that Father Hennebery would deliver his gieat sermon on Temperance, and administer the pledge some time during the mission, but no one ever expected that it would come off so soon. The sermon, if I may go back to it, is peculiar. It proves the drunkard to be a sinner of the blackest dye, in his drunkenness breaking every one of the commandments, and this is proven and illustrated by a number of skilfully and well chosen anecdotes, which are dovetailed into the discourse, and fit m so admirably that they seem part and parcel of it. While all of these illustrations show up the horrible effects of strong drink, and are chosen from life, some of them are so ludicrous and told with such effect, that it is impossible to maintain one's gravity. Even His Lordship and his priests inside the sanctuary were obliged more than once to yield to the unconquerable impulse to laugh ; and strange, no one feels that they do wrong, for they cannot help themselves. It was about two hours and thirty-five minutes from the time the preacher ascended tbe pulpit until he came down, and when all was over the good Father was evidently fatigued, and no wonder. The sermun produced such an effect through the town amongst the Protestant population that Father Hennebery has been requested to deliver it in some large public hall in the city for the beneht of those whose religious prejudices prevent them from attending our church. He has not yet replied to this request, but if he does so and consents to it, there is every reason to believe that it will assume a public character, for many of the well educated and respectable Protestants of this place are becoming tired and disgusted with the follies and absurdities of Good Templary. The converts are becoming so numerous since the mission began that it is necessary to put back tbe evening devotions until half-past seven— half an hour later— in oTder that that half hour may be entirely devoted by Father Ginaty to their special instruction, without as has been up to this the case, one coming now and another .again throughout the day. I have heard various estimates given of t ather Hennebery's age. I may inform you that he was born in 1830 he is therefore in his 47th year. He is a native of that dear old land' which has given to the world some of its greatest men, and to heaven some of its greatest saints— a land that may be called the evan°-eliser i of the nations, a land that since the day that Patrick put it on the right track has never turned to the right nor to the left, but through weal and woe has fondly clung to that direct unerring path that leads to life, to heaven, and to God. He belongs to the order of the congregation of the precious blood of Christ, and you will be able to form a sort of slight estimate of what he is doing in the cause of temperance, when you hear that within the last three years he has given the pledge to about one hundred thousand people. It must be borne m mind that Father Hennebery did not come to New Zealand for the purpose of delivering controversial sermons. His first, his great object is to gain over erring Catholics, to point the way to Heaven to those of Ins own faith who stand in need of his advice, and to bring Catholics, good and bad, to a closer and more intimate union with their God. But while doing this in a very effectual way, he does not ignore the fact that a great many Protestants who nightly come to hear him, have also souls to be saved, and for their benefit, as also for, the more solid instruction and grounding in the faith of his own flock, he usually expounds the dogmas of the Church, and proves conclusively that to Catholics, and to them alone, belongs the Divine prerogative of certainty " in matters of faith, and that now, as m the days when Dryden wrote the Church of Romf is still, " Tte milk-wbite hind, unspotted and unchanged ;" and that in her alonw is to be found truth, and that " Majesty, Power, glory, strength, and Beauty, all are aisled, In this eternal ark of worship andeflled. m. . , , „ RATHKEALENSIS. Chnstchurch, Nov. 28.