PRESENTATION TO FATHER GROGAN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 45, 7 March 1884, Page 19

PRESENTATION TO FATHER GROGAN.

{Hawera Star, Feb. 12.) LAST night the Catholics of Hawera assembled in the church to present a testimonial to the Tver. Father Grozan The ehafr wm occupied by Mr. O'Shea, and there was a largTa^enda™ c. Fath™ Grogan, Obastaemon, and Mulvihill having taken their seata in th« chancel, Mr. William J. Gaerin read the foiling addreT.l " Testimonial to the Rev. Father Grogan, S M " (From the Catholics of Hawera.) ♦w^? c t rfm i Re !; F ? her '- It » with feelings of infinite regret Slir e t rd^u yoar P r °i ected departure, and we are of ££ ™Lf ~ should be wanting in that great quality of recogniziSrSTn^lv^*! 611^ 70^* o .^"^" 11011 ' aQ expression of SK2 £5 f atlt ° de bom ™' Darin S four years you have been £i^J? o yOU 11 2TB2 T8 friends (and no enemies), and SS "? """*, of r? at creed or Profession-will sincerely monrn your loss as a dear friend, la temporal, as well as spiritual, W w y r^ et f a lr yßakl , n^. ad7i i cr ' and natty among as could KS J?£^ 7 •!? consolation afforded by your wise counsel. Many a bed of sickness has been cheered by your presence, and the last moments of many a dying person have been brightened by your consoling words. With the zeal of the First Apostlfs you obeyed the nek call— not considering the distance, and paying no heed to the roughness of the weather or the time of the summons— and brought sweet comfort to the departing eoul in tbe form of the Holy Estrelne Unction. In the confessional, by your fatherly and lucid advice and teachings, you have brought many a poor soul back to God : and ijom the pulpit your learned discourses have been listened to with interest, and have borne good fruit. You have, in all your actions worked assiduously for the great cause of religion, as evidenced by the wonderful progress made in this district during your term of sacred effice. When you arrived— a stranger in a strange placeyon had to commence work under great disadvantages. In the first place, there was a very heavy debt on the church property ; secondly, improvements were badly needed ; and, lastly, the education of our children was m a deficient state. With all these drawbacks you carried on your work nobly, and all obstacles have been gallantly surmounted. The debt has been cleared off, and the parish is now in a flourishing Condition : two splendid churches and a presbytery nave been erected in the district, and the education of the rising generation has been well looked after. We could descant at great length on the many other advantages gained by your residence amongst ue, and are sure that your name will always be venerated in this parish. We part fro» you with mingled feelings of pleasure and regret ; pleasure because your intrinsic merit has been recognised (m the fact of your promotion to a larger parish) and regret at losing one who has made himself so beloved. ° " Dear Father,— You may rest assured that we will always remember you in our prayers, and feel confident that you will sometimes think of us. "In conclusion, we respectfully request your acceptance of the accompanying gift (which we present eon amore\ and we now bid you a hearty farewell. " " Signed on behalf of the Catholics of Hawera, •'William J. Guebin, Ed. O'Shba, "WILLIAM GITEBIN, THOMAS MALONE, " EDWABD CTJLLINAy, AI.FBED J. KIRK." The testimonial was prepared by Mr. W. Gordon, of the Survey Department, New Plymouth, and was a tasty specimen of the draughtsman's art. Ihe address proper (owing to its length) was printed, and the remaining portion was nicely illuminated. The border was of floral design, aad at tbe top and bottom the ecclesiastical emblems were introduced. Mr. Gordon exercised great taste and judgment in the carrying out of his work, which will further increase his reputation as a skilful draughtsman! The Rev. Father Grogan, in replying, said there was one thing in the address which approached an error, and it lan through the whole address— thanks and praise were given him which should really go to the parish, to the people of the par^h. Had tbe address been read a month Bince, he did not think he could have answered it but owing to his departure having been delayed, he did not feel it so much as he did at first, and, consequently, he might be able to make a few remarks upon the beautiful sentiments so elegantly and gracefully expressed in the address. As to the difficulties of "the position when he had come to the parish, the address spoke quite correctly The condition of the parish at that time was not encouraging to a priest who had never been troubled in that way. The congregation was divided— some were with the priest, some against him, and the parißh had passed through a crisis wh?ch he hoped it would never have to pass through again. The finances were not in a healthy condition, the debt bein ? about £750. When the Bishop appointed him, he said—" It is a pity that a prieat should be saddled with a debt like that in a scattered district like Hawera; however you must work your way up." There were 29 or 30 creditors, whose debts ranged from 16s up to £128, and it was not pleasant to have two or three— or perhaps half-a-dozen creditors calling of a morning and asking to be paid. There were only two or three of the creditors belonging to the congregation, but he must say that when they saw the congregation in earnest, they behaved very well, many of them making reasonable allowances off the amount owing to them. TJaier these circumstances he was soon able to pay off the debts «o that it became a matter between himself and the parish. He could not help now saying how greatly he was obliged to those creditors for the manner in which they had acted. With regard to the performance of hisduties as a priest, he could only say he had done nothing but what any zealous and faithful Catholic priest would do. It was their duty to rise,|nomatterwhathourofthenightitmightbenorwhatthedistaoceto be travelled, and attend to the call of the sick, and if he had not done it he should hold hold himself responsible before God for a gieat crime committed. That was the reason why he had never hssitated in tbe performance of his sacerdotal duties. As the address stated, he had

&Ss?^'«=2^M=^ SB H™, 7 hhe bad d^ ne no more than his duty. What greater fi^S? C °*w a , P™** 1 ""* to world than when engaged l in SS^^ I *^,* 116 youn e- which mad e tbfnf good Sl?^i 1 ?i. a( ? iel Tu and JJ i fittthfal en » B t'"a°B? Consider how the holy SSta tai? h ««J ~^d them and educated the children, whJ had in turn earned on the good work. Why should prieate in the El d J he S? te S°» fc doing the same thing, and 8O fulfilling factions before God and the people ? He should always feel I jSSf^- m c W 2 rk> "I? he boped tbat ia f atare P e °P ]e ™Wde the£ TWrfl 011 W ° U -? !t c th , e £ W t re rieht in the action were taking. The address said the debt h&\ been wiped off. That required SXiTS O^ Th . erew f88fc»lf 88fc »l some debt owing, but in the meantime SrfSLSfS it 6*6 * gaud * aud ,° tber cx P ense s incurred. So far as the ffi^L f WaS c ? no * va g> however, that had gone, and the present nont^w 11 77 n °^ in ?'^ H He. c hoped tbat before W there would be SSSrS % to *"%* part ot the addresß whiQh Btate <l that the people of the parish would continue their prayers for him, that was 1* i lf part to bim> There was unioQ between priest and people, and that union was more ;than natural—it was supernatural— and rnnM eXlßfcßo i Ong . a3 i lfela9fced - Asfar M he was concerned, he should never forget the people of thia parish. In his longest and dreariest ]ourneys-undertaken, sometimes, when health would have b^l^T- Se ?r nn v tt tt a J lder^ kin S them - h e lad always met with SSfa v rl *°. the burden, and on Sundays they came E£ f ?w v t ? xldren - T hey had always assisted Mm to that degree that he bad never had to ask anything from them. He waß ?£1 to forget such a people. For anything he had done let them thank Almighty God— not him. He should never forget their kindness, and he hoped it would be extended to Father Mulvihill. ile thanked them for the beautiful address and for the gift which accompanied it, and he thanked the ladies of the Altar Society forall they had done, not forgetting the beautiful present they had made him a short time ago. He thanked the parents for the manner in which they had sent their children to school, and he thanked the children for the piety and diligence they had shown. He must also thank ± ather Chastagnon for his kindness in coming there that'evening. in conclusion he Icommended Father Mulvihill to their prayers and sympathetic support. Father Chastagnon made a few remarks expressive of the pleasure it gave him to be present that evening, and went on to speak very highly of Father Grogan. Father Mulvihill also gave a sb Tt address, in the course of which °c said he knew the people of Napier longed for the return to them of father Grogan. As for himself, he could not hope to come up to the standard of Father Grogan, but he would promise that be would endeavour to follow in his footsteps, and he asked for their assistance. Father Grogan took the opportunity of saying that be saw many strangers there that evening, and he thanked them for their kindness and sympathy, as it was all of a part with what he bad experienced while in Hawera. At bazaars or public meetings they were always assisted by persons who did not belong to the Church, and he felt deeply thankful, only hoping that this would continue to be so in the future. The blessing was then pronounced, and the proceedings termi-

About a month since, when it became known that Father Grogan was to be removed, a meeting of the Catholic congregation was 7»- Z' Jt was uuanin ii ou?lyo u?ly decided to petition His Lordship Bishop Redwood anent leaving the rev. gentleman in this district. The Bishop replied as follows :— " St. Mary's Cathedral, MTI o . T "Wellington, Dec. 31, 18«3. Dear Sir,— -I would gladly, if it were possible, accede to the request made to me by the Catholics of Hawera. and leave them Jather Grogan, who has worked so well in their midst, but I have to look to the general good of the diocese, which requires his servic ,s in another field. While, therefore, I am deeply touched by your affection and gratitude towards your venerated pastor, I cinnot see my way to alter my decision. I* may, however, as a partial conso* lation in your loss, inform you that the priest who will replace * ather Grogan is one fully worthy of all your devoted esteem, aid one thoroughly able to carry out your zealous undertakings. ' With best wishes and cordial benedictions at the opening of the new year, " I remain, dear sir, " Yours very faithfully in Jesus Christ, „,.,_.„ " Fbancis Kbdwood. " Mr. W. J. Guerin."