PRESENTATIONS TO THE REV. FATHER KEHOE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 7, 5 June 1885, Page 21

PRESENTATIONS TO THE REV. FATHER KEHOE.

(Western Star, May 23.) About noon yesterday a number of members of the Roman Catholic persuasion in Riverton assembled at the Shamrock Hotel to take leave of their pastor, Father Kehoe, and present him with a purse of sovereigns and an address, prior to hia departure for Auckland for the benefit of his health. The presentation was made by Mr. O'Reilly, who (addressing Father Kehoe) said : I have been requested by the congregation to present you- with a purse of sovereigns and a testimonial. We had expected that Orepuki, Wrey's Bush, and Otautau would have conbined.with us in this testimonial, but we suppose there was not time to do so, and that each of those districts will act separately. Mr. O'Reilly then read the following address :—: — " Riverton, N.Z., May 22, 1885. " Rev. and Dear Father, — " On behalf of your Riverton congregation we assemble on this occasion to present you with a small token of our esteem and to bid : you farewell. " During the past five years you have labored amongst us in the service of God, building churches, gathering congregations of the faithful, mild towards all men, apt to teach, patient, with modesty admonishing, and we cannot but feel that this is a sorrowful occasion, for we know that the time has come when the pastor and his flock must part. " In delicate health yourself, you have been ever ready to attend the call of the sick and of the dying. At all hours, in all seasons, in every part of your wide-spreading district, you have always been found willing, never murmuring, cheerful and hopeful, bringing comfort to the sick, joy to the dying, as becomes a true soldier oft the Cross, a priest of our Holy Church. "We fervently pray that God may restore you to health and give you length of days, and that wherever you may labour in the fold, you will remember us in your prayers until we meet, through God's mercy, in the Kingdom of Heaven. 11 "Sour faithful children in Christ. — " F. P. O'Reilly, Hon. Sec." (Here follow other signatures!) Father Kehoe said : Gentlemen, before formally replying to your kind address, I have a few remarks to make regarding the material progress made in church matters during the last five years. I will first refer to Riverton. Five years ago when 1 arrived here you had a new and substantial church which had just been erected, but which was encumbered with a debt of over £200. Since then you have secured a site for a presbytery, and built on it a com* modious and substantial house. The grounds have been laid out and fenced in ; and all this has been done by only a few people, the congregation being very small. This building and site, costing £350, has been pud off, and the debt on the church greatly reduced. Five years ago you had to pay £18 per annum for interest on the borrowed money, now you have only to pay £7 a year interest on the debt. I should perhaps refer to other portions of the district. The first I will mention is Wrey's Bush, which is comparatively a new settlement. The Catholics in that district, being so far away from any other church, resolved to build one for themselves ; so they set about the work and procured a site of three acres, fenced it in, and built thereon a substantial church capable of seating comfortably over 200 people. That church, it is true, is not altogether free from debt ; but from what I know of the people lam convinced it will not remain very long in debt. In other portions of the district the same progress is being made. In Orepuki the site for a church has been procured,' while in Diplon a site of 2 acres has been presented for a church by the Agricultural Company. I now come to Winton. When I came to that district, a site had been procured for a church and there was some little money in hand towards the building fund. Since then a handsome and substantial brick church has been erected, and the grounds all fenced in, and, I am happy to say, there is not a penny of debt on the church : and, I might add, what seldom occurs, the committee are looking out for a safe investment for the substantial balance they have in hand. So much for temporal progress ; and I may safely say that your spiritual progress during the name time has been proportionate to your material. Father Kehoe then read the following reply to the address :—: — My Dear Friends, — I wish to thank you very much for your address, expressing as it does so eloquently so many kind and, may I not say, flattering compliments to me. My feeble efforts in the building of churches and gathering of congregations would indeed be of very little avail, had they not: been nobly seconded under the blessing of God by your willing and energetic co-operation. Indeed I must say that since my first coming amongst you, that though not possessed of an abundance of the world's wealth, you were always ready to contribute to every good work undertaken for the promotion of the interests of religion. You kindly refer to my readiness in attending the cases of the sick and the dying. This indeed, has ever been to me a labour of love and if I have had to undergo some slight hardships in the performance of these duties in this large district, your kind sympathy, hearty welcome, and your cheerful " How are you Father," more than made amends for ; the long or nightly ride ana rough roads. With thanks, too, I take your generous offering, which perhaps under different circumstances I might hesitate to accept. Now that we are parting I cannot without feeling a pang of sorrow say gcod-bye to kind friends I have known so long, leaving where I have spent some of the happiest years of my life. Again I thank you, and ask your prayers for me, and I promise to remember you in mine at the altar of God. After wishing Father Kehoe (who leaves for the North this morning) bon voyage, the meeting dispersed.

A very pleasing incident took place in the town on Saturday. It was the presentation by his fellow townsmen of a gold Albert to

Rev. Father Kehoe, who is leaving Rtverton for Auckland for the benefit of his health. The present was subscribed for by a number of prominent and leading residents. 8. G. Instone, Esq., was selected to make the presentation. That gentleman, in bis usual happy manner, in making the presentation added the request that the Rev. Father would accept the gift as a mark of the high esteem in which his character wag held by the outside public and of their appreciation of his gentlemanly bearing and diligence in performing the duties of bis sacred calling, and as a kindly remembrance of his sojourn in their midst, and their sincere wishes for his health and happiness, father Kehoe replied in suitable terms, thanking them very much for their handsome and valuable present and kind wishes, stating that though the gift was from those outside his own congregatioo, it would not on that account be the less highly prized by him, and that it would be kept by him as an endearing memento of kind friends in River ton. The Albert, which is of chaste design, showing in no small degree the intricate beauties of the goldsmith's ait, was purchased at the local firm of Woolf and Co.