OPENING OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, GORDON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 26, 26 October 1883, Page 23

OPENING OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, GORDON.

XThe Mataura Ensign, October 19) SrmpAY last wag a red letter day ia the annals of Roman Catholicity in these parts, witnessing as it did the opening of the neat little church at Gordon, just completed by Mr. T. Latham, the well-known contractor. The building occupies a good site. The exterior is pi aia and somewhat sombre looking ; inside, however, the church is decidedly comfortable looking, and the altar and its surroundings are of an exceedingly chaste and attractive design. When full the buildinowould probably seat, some 250 people, and nearly this number assembled on Sunday last, wintry as the weather was. A worse day in the whole year could scarcely have been selected, a biting southwest wind raging and heavy showers of rain falling at brief intervals. 1 hat there should have been such an attendance must have been gratifying to the resident priest, especially when it is considered that a charge of half-a-guinea was made for admission to the sacred edifice. Shortly after 11 o'clock the dedication and blessing proceeded, pontifical high Mass being held. The celebrant was Bisnop Moran and the deacon and sub-deacon were Fathers Burke and Fitzgerald respectively. Throughout the ceremonial was most impreasiv °, this being in no smill measure due to the efforts of a well-trained though small choir who had practised Mozart's 12th Mass assiduously for the occasion. Mr. Brett presid-d at the organ, and Mrs. Brett rendered specially valuable assistance during the servica, giving the parts allotted to her with a gracefulness and precisioa begot'e-fonlv of a trained voica and great practice. The ceremony ove \ a c )lle*tion was taken up, and we understand the gross r>rocse <s of tbis added to the tickets, will slightly exceed £100, an amount that would have been nearly doubled had the day been sufficiently fine to enable those living at a distance to be present at the ceremony. Still it will reduce the debt on the church to £170. In the coarse of au address on the occasion.

Bishop Mo ran said that day -was for all of them a memorable one, marking as it did an epoch in Catholicity in these parts. This holy and important dedication vroald have its yearly anniversary, and no other festival would take precedence of this due. But from another point of view special iaterest attached to this dedication • tins second Sunday in October was the anniveisiry of the dedication of the churcbea of Ireland, the land from which most of those present had come. The associations connected with that d-iy brought forth indescribable feelings. Not only did they bring to mind the land of their birth, but aanpitomeof the tmicry of their country and Church. He had told them the dedication of that church would be a memorable event in after years, but only so that church, not to other churches. If so, then why were they celebrating that day the dedication of all the churches in Ireland 2 The answer would disclose an important and touching history. St. Patiick, the singularly gifted apostle of Ireland, was sent there fey the Pope after many lon<* years of preparation for this important mission. When 16 years of°a»e he was brought into the country in captivity, and until 22 years old he remained a captive, being delivered in a wonderful way. Providence had designed him for a great mission, and after his escape from Ireland to France he was soon in preparation for his work. It was not until he was 60 years of age, however, that he was sent to Ireland. He offered th 3 gospel to the people of Ireland, and he confirmed his right to make that offer by stupendous miracles. He arrived at the great age of 120 years before he slept in the Lord and received hia reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. During these 60 years he preached the gospel throughout Ireland, everywhere confirming his mission not only by the austerity of his life but by tbe sanctity of his work, tbe purity of his teaching, and by the most stupendous miracles, amongst them the raising of not less than nine people from death to life. On one occasion he restored to life a man who had been dead 27 yeais, and this man lived for fifteen years afterwards. Almighty God gave St. Patrick power to work these miracles in order to confirm his mission. By these means he converted tbe entire nation, and when they considered the life he led and the miracles he performed it was not surprising that the people he converted became both zealous and devoted. Religion was cultivated. Schools were established throughout the land, at which numerous students were wholly maintained by the people. Great monasteries were also established throughout the country. Spread this picture over a period of 300 years and an entire nation, and some idea could be formed of the state of Ireland during the fifth, sixth, and ssventh centuries. Peace for the Christian, peace for his religion, reigned Iv the whole history of the Church of God they could find no parallel picture. The people attained to an eminent degree of sanctity, and spreading into other lands brought to these nations also the light of the gospel. A wonderful picture that of the zeal of the Irish Church 1 But this state of religious prosperity was destined not to last for ever. After these three centuric, there followed three centuries of deep conflict, great humiliation, and terrible losses. The Danes invaded the country and spread desolation througbtout the land, exhibiting a sp> cial enmity towards the priests of God and the churches, monasteries, and schools, every one of which before their final defeat by Brian Boro'nihe they had succeeded in demolishing. Then there was a dark period in the history of the church. When the Danes were at last driven from the laud, when the great culminating victory was won, the homes of religion were desolate, but religion had not died. Faith still existed, and the fight of the Irish people had been more for their altars than for tbeir homes and lands. But their state after such a conflict could not be a desirable one. Yet the cation was still Christian, and Christian to the core. They repaired their losse?, and though they could not celebrate theanniver-aTy of the dedication of their cburches, because their churches no longer existed, there was one great f .stival instituted to embody the. dedications of all. That was the festival they were celebrating that day in this remote land. They the. descendants of those men of whom he had been srjeakW were dedicating that day a new church to the same God—* church in which the same faith, would be preached the

same adorable sacrifice be offered up. After having called these things to mind, was it not natural that they should give thanks to Almighty God for the wonderful faith of those children of the men who heard St. Patrick preach 1 That faith had continued the same in prosperity and adversity in all lands. Other people and nations had lost their faith, but the Irish people bad retained this great gift, the first, most necessary, and most important of all. St. Paul told them that without it it was impossible to please God, and that be that believetb not shall be condemned. By faith only could they hope to see the face of God ; by faith only could they hope to pursue moral lives. Without faith they had nothing meritorious, and could attain to nothing great or gocd, but so long as they preserved that gift they could possess great things. They had great reason to be grateful to Almighty God for this gift, which should be so cultivated that all would attain the end destined for them. Now, after waiting long ; after many trials, they had succeeded in erecting that beautiful church. It was admirably finished and a credit to all connected with it — a monument of faith, piety and generosity. He prayed Almighty God to take these things into consideration and bless them abundantly. But they must not forget that the erection of _ that church strengthened and increased obligations previously existing ; it gave them graces and blessings which must be cultivated. They must be zealous in the discharge of all their religious duties. If, having the opportunity, they became lukewarm or indifferent the very sacrifices they had made to erect that building would be sources of condemnation. It was hardly to be expected, considering their position and their other needs, that the church would have been opened free from debt, but only a small sum remained on t"he building, which *^puld not unduly press them, and which he felt sure would be Miickly wiped away. If it were possible he would most earnestly iesire that afttr that day no debt existed on the building, because it was now given to God and the gift shonld be complete. He urged that a complete gift to God should be made even at a little sacrifice. Everything we possessed had been given to us by this great and good God, and why therefore should we be niggardly and avaricious, why should we fear to be generous to God, who had assured them that for the little they gave, a hundredfold in this life would be returned and everlasting happiness in the next? Before the proceedings terminated, Mr. A. A. Macdonald, of Reaby, came forward and presented to the Bishop the following address, which was beautifully illuminated :—: — " Address of the Catholics of Gore to His Lordship the Most Rev. Dr. Moran. " May it please your Lordship,— We come to offer you our respectful welcome and to show our gladness at seeingyour Lordship amongst us— a gladness increased by reason of your being here to open our church, the first Catholic church in this neighbourhood. Allow us to offer you our thanks for the marked consideration you have given this recently rising portion of your diocese, by raising it to the condition of an independent mission, by appointing a resident priest here, by watching with care the progress of our little community and the erection of our church, and by coming to open it to-day with your own hands. " Allow us to express, before you. our esteem of your labors for your people, and most particularly of your labors in the matter of education. In common with all Catholics, animated by the Catholic spirit, we desire to see our children trained under a really Christian educational system ; no other can we approve of ; no other can we conscientiously adopt. We are not at all satisfied with that presently established for us by Government ; it is in our case a grievance, aninjustice. We recognise in your .Lordship an. able exponent of our claims — an able defender of our rights. We highly appreciate all your efforts for the Catholic educational cause in the past. We are happy in having an opportunity of publicly showing that high appreciation at the present time, and giving you our applause. We pray you to continue the same efforts with vigor unabated in the future. " Kindly accept this expression of our deep admiration of your energy and zeal in advancing Catholicity in this distant portion of the One Fold. We congratulate you on the success that has attended that eaergy and zeal. The many missions established by you and the many Catholic schools now in hopeful working condition in this diccese, are the testimony of that success. '• Declaring to your Lordship our filial obedience, and promising you our best co-operation ia all your wise and zealous proposals, " We remain your Lordship's most devoted and obedient children in Christ. " The Catholic People of Gobe." Master J. Mulvey also read an address from the children of the district to the following effect : — " Address of the children of Gore to the Most Bey Dr. Moran." "May it please your Lordship, — We the children of the Gore district present ourselves at your Lordship's feet to bid you welcome k and *o tell you how happy we feel in seeing amongst us one of whom we have heard so much. We hear that, almost daily, you speDd a portion of your time amongst children instructing them ; that week after week you advocate the cause of Catholic education in the Press ; that you are always ready to undertake any journey, fatigue or labor to promote this cause ; that no consideration will prevent you from smiting, with a heavy hand, the man who sets himself up to oppose or damage the cause — in a word, that though you have so many weighty duties to attend to you seem to make this the one only business of your life. Much as you have done for the older members of your flock in establishing new missions and opening new churches, | you have done more for the younger menders in providing them with bo many Catholic schools of the best kind, those conducted by persons who laying aside all others cares devote themselves exclusively and from a motive of pure fraternal charity to the Christian education of children. 11 By reason of our small numbers, we are presently compelled to attend those schools ia which no religious instruction

is given : in which nothing is done to instil into our minds respect for God and His religion — nothing to kindle in us a love for his Church — nothing to tell us of its glorious history and traditions ; but in which, on the contrary we move in an ua- Catholic atmosphere ; in which the tone of thought and expression is bitterly hostile to our religion ; in which, in fact, everything even to the prizebooks put into oar Catholic hands as a reward for our industry, breathes enmity to the Catholic Church. Deprived of the advantages of Catholic schools, and compelled to have recourse to the hostile State schools, how justly may not we envy the lot of children more fortunately situated, and how fervently should we not long for the time when a Catholic school shall be opened here?

" Mindful then of your Lordship's unceasing anxiety and labors to promote the true interests of the children of your flock, we approach you to express to you our feelings of gratitude and to offer you our little word of welcome on the occasion of your first visit to Gore.

" Asking your Lordship's blessing, we remain your Lordship's obedient and affectionate children."

Bishop Moran replied at considerable length. These addresses* he said, were beautiful compositions, and they contained statements peculiarly consoling to him at the present time. It could not but be to him a source of great satisfaction at hearing them express the pleasure they experienced at seeing him there that day to open their beautiful church, and he was sure few things would have given him greater pleasure, so^bat the feeling was reciprocal. In the course of his discourse that morning he had found it appropriate to make some references to the sacrifices and zeal of their forefathers in establishing Obristian education, and he had done this without any anticipations of the sentiments contained in these beautiful addresses, which he had not had an opportunity of reading before. Perhaps ifc was just as well that it should be so, because it had left them entirely free to give expression to their sentiments, and his reply was equally spontaneous. They were deserving of ail praise for erecting such a church — pastor and people alike. It was a credit to them ail. It would, he trusted, stand for many years as a monument to the liveliness of their faith, to their practical piety and open-handedness. The expression of their sentiments with reference to the question of education was especially gratifying. Ha was not prepared to accept all the eulogies they had been kind enough to lavish on his poor exertions— exertions which he must make to remain true to his position' in the Church. It was his business to preach the gospel, and instruct the old aud the young, and to ward off all dangers which assailed their faith and the purity of the moiala of his people. If he was bound to preach the gospel and catechise the children, be was equally bound to provide them with sound education in which there was no danger to the purity of their faith and the soundness of their morals. The duties were inseparable. To do all this was a primary duty, in the discharge of which nothing would excuse him — no dangers, no fear of labour. If he were to make no effort to provide Catholic schools, he would fail in the discharge of his duty and be an unworthy and injurious servant. But even the providing of Catholic schools would not discharge all his duties in this respect. There had been established in the country a system of education which contained intrinsic dangers to the faith and morals of his people, and it was his duty to teach ia season and out of season, with a loud voice that all might hear it, that there were perils inseparable from their system of purely secular education. So that what he had done was not the outcome of excessive zeal or warmth of feeling : he was simply discharging a duty from which nothing would exempt him. For these reasons it struck him that he did not deserve the eulogies of the Gore people and others for his exertions in the cause of Christian education. Were it in their power to accept the secular system of education in force in the country they would gladly do so, but a strict sense of duty compelled them to make incessant efforts to provide an education for their children free f torn the defects of the present system. Could they accept it, they would be spared a lot of labor, unpopularity, and money. If they undertook all the labor they did, if they placed themselves in a position of antagonism to their fellow-citizens, and if they opened their purse 3 widely, it was surely apparent that it was done from an absolute sense of duty and nothing else. They were not engaged ia battling with the present nystem from year's end to year's end for the fun of the thing or out of a feeling of opposition. Nothing but a strict sense of obligations would lead men to such a course. The teaching of the Church in all ages told them they were bound to provide a strictly Catholic teaching and training for their children, and if they failed to carry out these injunctions, to strive to obtain for their children such an education as he had mentioned, they would in point of fact cease to be Christians. He was not bound to say whether th<Jse who ruled at this time were Christians, but the system of education they had forced on the people was un-(Jbri-tian and anti-Christian, and in its principle it was utterly and absolutely Godless. It failed to train men to believe that they were the creatures of a Supreme Being, the children of ' Jesus Christ, and that they were bound to know and serve God from' their earliest infancy. To fight for a different system to that existing was an obligation on themselves and their children, and so long as he held the position be now beld he would warn them of their dangers and fight for a better state of things. Did be not he would cease, to be a Christian, and not only be- unworthy of the position of a Catholic Bishop, but unworthy of the status of a rational man. He passed no judgment on others. He was speaking on a principle, and it was not necessary that he should say more than he had that day given ut'erance to. It pleased him to find they were so well instructed, and he firmly believed that at a fitting time they would do all they could to establish a Catholic school in Gore. He trusted the sentiments contained in these two addresses would be their sentiments for ever, and that they would transmit them through their children to their children's children.

In the evening the Bishop again preached to a good congregation on the particular devotion of the present month — the Rosary. The discourse had special reference to prayer, and was attentively listened, to throughout,