WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 262, 10 May 1878, Page 9

WELLINGTON.

(From our owiiXferrespoiident.) * ! _ • April 30th. ■TOE setvi^es-forj'holy^ceX-^ej'e^lielil akSj.JVfary's^athedral, for ! the Catholics of the enti^ey, c,i^ jandy^je^e carried "out with -great solemnity ; commencing on Wednesday evening with the office of the Tenebra J ep- I wWc'K'kw : &6-ch&,Tvted% his'lordship'©!': Redwood; -and the Eev. Fathers Yardin, _McG.uinrress, and Kerrigan; assisted by the Marist Brothers. Holy Tliursda'y PoattecKl' High Mass was celebrated by the Bishop, after wMch-were the blessing of the holy oils and the procession of -the 'blessdd sacrament^ ' ' ¥ri the evening the Tenebrae offii3feTreas{Burigiifollo.wed'by u the washihgrof-the feet, o 'The dathedralj the decorations of whichj are, ntjwsfully^finished, when draped with the emblems of mourning whicli±he church assumes during this holy season, completed a/OQUp^afilf of strjk jug locality,. On Good Friday the Passion was sung, followed by the kissing of the foot of the cross, and the procession of ,the hlepsed, sacrament from the side to the high altar. . - His. lordship preached a most earnest and i <jeling sermon on the -various stages of the passion 'of otir Saviour to His death; on tlie' cross on Calvary's Mount, -During the delivery of the discourse the EighJ>.j.Sev. Prelate was .deeply .moved', EindTnot' a few'amongst-the congregation shed t^ars:!,..;- Themsual' collection- in_ aid -of our^Holy Father was made after the sermon. The, , services v«re brought tp,a close on Saturday, by the blessing of'-th'e "hibly water and pascnal c'an'dl^ M »< M* t»ix"' --- '-,■'- '' . t . v - -': *!_.'. On Easter Monday the Hibernian Society gave their annual 'fete, which took the form of an excursion bjrispeci&lifcrain-to-the Lower Hutt., r The;W,embjers.p i f,.tb.e, society in the,ir, .regalia, started from their hall in Bouldott-street ' headed JV by tneir brass, baud, and -marched through the main streets to the railway station, 'arid were 'much admired for their fine turn out. His j 'Lordship I)];. Redwood," with Father McGuinness and a large-number of the Catholics of the city proceeded with the excursion-. ,-^TihC' spoits were held in Mr. Parker's large paddock, bpjderiagjthe,, Hufct, River, .and, situated about a mile from the railway station, wh'icli .wasJdudly placed, at the disposal of the society. There was .no, > pr.etarratigpd., programme lut a scries of events were, got and fatr prizes p£fei;ed f . which brqught forth numbers of competitors." '''"WTaile" the athletic members of the society were holding their events in one portion o£ the ground, others amused themselves in. another part with scratch football matches, Small picnicing parties of the elder portion'of the excursionists were formed under every bush -'and -hedge,', and "everybody seemed to be making merry. The band discoursed some very pleasant music during the day. The society ate deserving" of praise in permitting no intoxicating liquors to- be/sold on the ground, /aiulfor tbervery efficient manner in which they conducted the fete. The sports were brought to a conclusion in time to get back to town by the 5 p.m. train. The proceeds of the excursion after payment of prizes, will be applied in aid of the band'fund- ' ' '' • ' " - <'. . -« -, T ' 'On Tuesday, 23rd April, at St Mary's Convent) a'plcasing though impressive ceremony took place, being the religious profession of three young ladies, and the reception into the sisterhood of seven others, who arrived here a short time since," having been brought out from Ireland by the former -Rev. Mother of the: Convent, who proceeded about two years ago, for the purpose" of collecting together a little band of those estimable teachers who in* their love for God are so willing to leave behind their -happy hoioegrand dearest friends, to sealer the seeds of piety and.knowledge aino.ug&t.the children of the -most' distant clime. The Right .Rev. Dr. Red wood, officiated,,; on the, occasion, assisted by the. Rev. Fathers Tardin and Kerrigan, and at the conclusion of the ceremony delivered an» address appropriate' to the occasion. The quiet little village iof Pahautanui, about twenty miles distant from "W ellington ,oh the main road to Fqxlou, on Sunday last, was the scone of an interesting ceremony , .and one of .a nature alike gratifying to the Roman Catholics of the .district as to those of the colony at large, who have the interest of the Church at heart, and Wish to sec her raising temples throughout the land dedicated to the honour and glory of God. The occasion was the consecration, of the new Roman Catholic Church #f J tho Sacred Heart of Jesus, which has been erected by the Catholics of *the district,, assisted by their neighbours of every denomination, and the evei\goneTous Catholics of Wellington. When it is remembered that the Catholics of the' district of Pahautanui arc comparatively few and scattered, . and mainly composed of the settler class, it redounds highly to their honour, and shows in a most conclusive manner that the spark of their holy religion is far being dead among them, when they to °k upon themselves the ▼ .'cction of this church in their midst, and the accomplishment of" which has boon to them a source of deep-felt joy, as was manifest to the most casual by the ceremony of Sunday last. The building stands upon half an acre of la'nd,' purchased for the purpose of a church and cemetery. II is situated in an exceedingly picturesque position about a quarter of a mile from the- township, on tho side of a gentle slope fronting the sea, with a lioavy belt of " forest primeval " for a back ground, from the shades of which the sharp, plaintive note of the tui is poured forth into the freshi atmosphere. Ontbis occasion, when nature seemed to have put on her gayest colours, and directed her minstrels to join in their sweet music with the solemn psalms of the Church, the ceremony of /Indication was ouc tho remembrnncs of which will linger in the, minds of those present for some time to, come. The building viewed from the exterior, tliough not an imposing, is still a tasteful and appropriate structure, and Reflects great credit ou the architect, Mr.'Turnbul), who has produced syrrie beautiful designs of architecture for Catholic purposes in Wellington" and 'its vicinity. The new church, which,' is 1 of. the early Gothic "style of ar- " chitecturo, is 38 feet in length, 18 feet in breadth, and about 14 feet in height, and will seat about IQO people. It has five windows on cither side, with two on either side' of' the entrance. ' Above the altar is a large stained-glass window, and a circular one is placed'ovcr the main entrance. There is a sacristy attached to the building, with doors leading into the church, one on either side of the altar. With the exception of the altar and sanctuary, which are of a light varnish colour, the interior of the building is not yet completed, but when

-this-is-effected; andthepews and "seats varnished, it wiff Add' greatly to its appearance. The total cost will amount to abdut £200, of which £160 has been already subscribed, leaving a debt of £50, which the committee hope' soon to have cleared off. / , The interior of the church was beautifully decorated with ferns and evsrgeens>;; an archway of 'the same festooned -with.>creepers glistening with benies of various hues, was erected in front of the ea-fe^-ry/rJierje.was a^large^ttendance of. ; the residents of .the, district °pM . enpanuiati qns,, besides several,ladies and gentlemen from Wellmg^on},tiie" J ttimib l er pf ,^hom t would jbeT mqre v cohsid^i ; ajile,"nad" not the morning ; appeared so K t%eatening. * Jmmediatejy,be."fore/the~ ceremony bf consecration commenced the following address was,pres.ented I toxins Lqrdship r Dr,, l ßedwopd: ; — , *- -w , „',--, r ' , .^ To tie Right R^yererid/F. Redwood.; Bishop bf Wellington, &c, Jtt JW* i P'Pj e^ se y° lu> j^rdship,— My, Lord,, with most sincere, pleasure 35&a,deptbi of, gratitude which, we feel-more than we can express, ' "!^j*ke Catholics, of Pahautaniu and Porirua, meet here ; tb-xiay to give I J*Wi Lordship -a^ea-cty, welcome. We have been long r waiting for an opportunity: to feel the presence of your Lordship in our' midst, but I "being few and vqry much scattered, we had no lit place, wherein to ■ meet together and receive your Lordship. -By very great exertions 1 and the help of kind friends to whom we express our sincere gratitude, i here now standsthe "building which we ask- your Lordship to dedicate ! to, the" glory, of; God, under the title of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 1 Deign therefore to-bless it with the rites of our holy Church, and I deign "also to call down the blessing of heaven upon us,- your children, [ and upon all who have giveD their generous assistance." , : ; ' , THis Lordshjp'expressed his thanks for the veiy. cordial reception ! accorded, toMiim, and congratulated the, congregation on the -good (work theyt had accomplished.' He tendered Jhis -most sincere' thanks i to all who had in any manner contributed to' the work', arid invoked upon all.bf .them the blessings of divine ,Providence. " ' His Lordship, assisted by, Rev. Father Yardin,,then proceeded with the ceremony of consecration. The exterior a!nd interior of the church having ,been blessed, 1 and the altar, prepared, the door wasthrpwn operand the congregation entered. 'In a 'few minutes every available scat was occupied, while, many, were Happyviri obtaining standing room; After the gospel, the Bey. Father Yardml-ead a list of the contributions towards the erection of the church, amounting to S&ls.o,, besides which presents of vestments arid altar ~ ornaments had ! been made and promised. He thanked them all for their generosity and in particular tho^e, of other denominati ms who had -lent a fielping hand. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Bishop having assumed his canonicals, preached a most eloquent and logical sermon, which was listened to thrpughont with the most devqut attention, taking this tex,t from the Ist chapter of John, " Behold the Lamb of God,: •b"ehold' Him whd'take'th away the sins of the" world." This was the ; great mission of Jesus Christ,' who had died on the crose to expiate 'the sins of the world — and of- the Catholic Church, His representative .upon earth— which was to efface the sins of _ men in this world. No ■more appropriate words could be chosen to illustrate the mission, of i the Catholic Church than those words of St. John. He had come ; there to be -useful to them and toinstruct them, and not for" the purpose of making a show. Men of the world said that the aim of the Catholic Church was to make a show\~ The' object of the Catholic Church did not aim -at making a show. Wherever she went she wasigreat, and whatever she did .must make an impression. It was in .spite of herself that the Catholic Church made an impression, and it was solely ou account of her greatness. Her object was to rescue the , souls, of men from sin and bring them into the friendship of God, so." that one day they may praise Him in heaven. The whole aim of the Catholic Church was to do away with sin, and she would rather prevent one mortal, sin from being committed in this. land, than,' for instance, she would cover all New Zealand with railways, or have all its cities properly drained, or see the prosperity of all the' nations of the universe. The mere material misfortunes or good fortunes, of the world, were as nothing in the eyes of Jesus Christ, compared with sin. Jesqs Christ did .not come into the world to tell men how to secure riches or become great, but to take away sin and show men how to save their souls. That wasthe mission of Christ and of His Church. His Lordship said He was there to instruct ; and then, at great length, and in the plainest terms, pointed out the nature and different kinds of sins and transgressions against God, and showed with what base ingratitude man treated God, who had done so much for him and without whose benefit man could not for a moment exist. Some men of the world contended that there was no hell. The existence of an eternal hell of .material fire is expressly mentioned in scripture, wherein it is described as " everlasting -fire,"' '' unextinguishable fire," and, compared to an undying worm; it was" also, consonant \yijth reason: It, was but- rational that the soul,- having used nature to rebel against God that God should use nature, and one of the elements 'of nature, fire, to punish. But even if fire were absent, there was au Undying remorse which would, consume the soul. His Lordship concluded by thanking those who had assisted by their contributions towards the erection of ,the church, reminding them that a small debt still remained, and towards-.tlae .payment_J>f .which_ he trusted they would all contribute according to their means and the dictates of their conscience. He invoked the choicest blessings of heaven to attend them and theirs in all their undertakings. A collection was then made which realised the sum of '£18.- "■ ' After Mass, the sacrament of confirmation was administered by ' his Lordship to one young girl, after a full explanation of the nature of the sacrament. — The Bishop, with the Rev. Father Yard-in and a number of gentlemen, from Wellington, were entertained- at an- excellent dinner at Hillon-s-hotol, -the-menibers of -the committeej-Messrsr-Mulhei'n . ■ - -Goldfinch, Nash, -and -Murphy ; who are deserving of the highest comvmendatiori, for the very satisfactory and efficient manner in which everything entrusted to them was carried out.