THE DOMINICAN CONVENT SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 314, 25 April 1879, Page 15

THE DOMINICAN CONVENT SCHOOLS.

Ox Monday the celebration of the anniversary was made in these schools. The events of the day began in St. Joseph's School, where a short play was pleasingly acted, and some music, both vocal and instrumental, performed by the pupils, who also presented a purse containing a substantial contribution to the Cathedral Building Fund, aud the following Address :—: — •' Moist Reverend and Beloved Father, — It is with great joy and

gladness that we are assembled here to-day to congratulate you on the twenty-third- anniversary of your Episcopal consecration. We offer you more than our congratulations, but less than is clue to you, our devoted Pastor. We give you the deep, loving gratitude of our hearts for all you have done for us and for all the other children that have attended these schools during the last eight years. Under" God, we owe to you and to the nuns you brought from Ireland for our instruction, all the advantages we enjoy. Not content with making innumerable sacrifices to build and maintain our schools, and to give us good, kind instructresses, you have taught us yourself, and opened to us the path of religion and science. In return for your Lordship's unwearied efforts to promote our spiritual and temporal welfare, we shall continue still more earnestly than hitherto the prayers which we have been accustomed to offer twice each day for your Lordship, that God may spare you for very many years in health and prosperity to govern, this diocese, and give you the means of spreading far and wide schools of virtue and learning such as we enjoy here. We also beseech the Almighty to enable you to erect a cathedral worthy of Him, and we beg your Lordship's acceptance of the accompanying small contribution towards that object. Invoking Heaven's choicest graces on your Lordship, we most humbly beg your fatherly blessing on ourselves, our parents, and our homes." The Bishop made a suitable reply. In the afternoon his Lordship visited the Convent High School, where, in commemoration of the occasion, the Catholic young ladies presented him with a stole beautifully embroidered in gold. Afterwards the more advanced pupils went through some scenes from Moliere in the original French, together with an English operetta. The performance was extremely creditable, and displayed valuable evidence of the progress the pupils are making under* the care of the good nuns.