THE VISIT OF HIS EMINENCE THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY TO DUNEDIN, AND DEDICATION OF ST. JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL.
On Thursday evening, the 11th inst., His Eminence Cardinal Morao, » accompanied by their Lordships the Bishops of Maitland, Adelaide, and Dnaedin, and the Hey. Dr. O'Haran, chaplain and private secretary to His Kmioence, arrived by the Southern train. His Eminence was received at the terminus by tbe Yen. Archdeacon OolemaD, and the Bey. Fathers Mackay, Puiton, 0.5.8., Walsh, Burke, Sbeehan, O'Leary, Newport.' McGrath and O'Neill— the Bev'. Father Lynch being engaged with preparations at the church— and on the part of the Catholic laity by Messrs. Callan and Petre— his Worship the Mayor, with Councillors Murray, Carroll, and Fagan also according a respectful reception to the distinguished visitor, and' we may add that the Corporation had hoisted their flag in the morning, on the Town Hall, where it flew all day in honour of the Cardinal. On alighting from the train, His Eminence was conducted to a carriage drawn by four grey horses, especially provided for the occasion by Mr. Thomas FiUgerald, in which he took his teat with the Bishops of Maitland and Dunedin, and Mr. F W. Petre; the Bishop of Adelaide, and alt the clergy present, as well as the Mayor and members of the Corporation, and several members of tha laity, following in other carriages. The vicinity of the station, meanwhile, had been crowded for some time previous to the arrival of the train by almost all tne adult members of the Catholic population, and a very large number of people belonging to other bodies, and the men of the Catholic congregation had been drawn up by Mr. John Fleming, who acted as mounted steward, and bis assistants, Merers. Dunne, Carroll, Connor, and Moloney, into a phalanx of four deep, whicb, as it was intended, should march behind the line of carriages to bt. Joseph's churcb. A passage was formed for the carriages between the ranks of this body of men, who divided for the purpose, and who cheered lustily as His Eminence and the bishops were driven past them— but, owing to the pleasure of the crowd, the idea of marching regularly was abandoned and the men followed the vehicles in broken order. The principal streets leading to the Octagon were thronged, and many people were obliged to make use of the bye-streets in reaching it, which all were anxious to do in time to see the children of the Catholic schools, who hail been stationed there— the boys under the care of the Christian Brothers, and the girls superintended by some of tbeir lay teachers assisted by members of the Society of the Children of Mary— assume their place in front of the Cardinal's carriage, and walk before it to the church. The cavalcade baiting for a few minutes, this manoeuvre notwithstanding the crowds present, was successfully accomplished' and the children Hbowed the excellence of their discipline by the steadiness of their conduct. As coon as tbe procession came within aigbt of the bell-tower of the Cathedral, tbe bell was rung, and H. Patrick's Brass Band, who had taken up their position in the yard of the old church began to play a selection of jubi ant music, of which we remarked as particular^ appropriate the •' Gloria, from Mozart's Twelfth Mass, and the feigns and tokens of rejoicing on every aide were most inspiriting. The gates of the church grounds had been shut until the arrival of tbe chilcheD, who passed through them and lined the carriage-drive on either side.'while his Eminence was conveyed to tbe door of the vestry, by which accompanied by the bishops and clergy he entered to ascend the Bishop's throne. Notwithstanding the great crowds on the outside of the church and in the stieets, nevertheless, the order was admirable, and Mr. Inspector Weldon, who obligingly superintended the police arrangemeuts in person, cannot be too highly praised for the manner in which everything passed off. It is, moreover, most pleasing to the Catholic community to recollect that not even one disrespectful word was beaid among the crowd of other denominations and that the greeting given to tbe Cardinal was most cordial. Inside' the Church bad been emptied of its seats, but certain ladies, of the congregation had adomid it with flowers and garlands and the ir*ito Eccc Sacerdot Magnnn occupied a conspicuous position. The old buildiug looked extremely well, and seemed to have put on its best appearance not only in honour of its eminent visitor, but as a farewell to the congregation that bad so long worshipped there. And in spite of the attractions and beauty of the new building there are many who keenly feel the breaking up of the associations connected with tbe old one. Tbe following address was presented by the Yen Archdeacon Coleman on behalf of the Bishop and clergy : — "To the Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord, Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney, on bis Eminence's arrival in Dunedin, in order to assist at the Dedication of St. Joseph s Cathedral in that city. 1 Most Eminent and Most Rev. Lord Cardinal,— " We, the Bishop and Priests of the diocese of Dunedin present ourselves before you to-day to offer your Emin«nce a most hearty welcome to this Diocese, and to thank you most sincerely for comine to assist at the opening of our new cathedral and to preach the dedication sermon. " We avail' ourselves of this occasion to express our sense of the honour done us by this visit of the first Cardinal of the Australasian UJiomes; and to cougratule your Eminence upon your elevation to me Oarainalate. ♦•«, "We neatly rejoiced when we heard it was tbe Sovereign Pontiff s intention to place the seal of his Holiness* high approbation on your great services to religion, literature, and the history of your fatherland. And to-day, when we behold your Eminence in our midst, we assure you that our joy is full. 41 It is with difficulty we restrain ourselves from expressing in your presence much that we know and feel in reference to your Emiru nee ; but, whilst we earnestly desire to convey to you our deep sense of the reverence wo entertain for your exalted rank and utticu and the great and lasting obligations uudei which your visit places
us, we beg leave to say that amongst your many claims Upon on* gratitude few, if any.are regarded by us as greater than the found* ing of tne great ecclesiastical college which your Eminence ii erect* ing at Manley, and which, Tn common with you, we hope and pray may become a second Maynooth. " We cannot conclude this short address, which so inadequately expresses all we desire to say, without tendering to our Holy Father oar best thanks for recognising your merits by raising you to the highest position in hit power and for tbe honour] which your Eminence's elevation has bestowed upon all Australasia. " Again welcoming and thanking your Eminence, we beg to ask a blessing for ourselves and our flock. " Signed on behalf of the clergy of the diocese of Dnnedin." The following; address from the laity was then read and presented by Mr. J. B. Callan :— " Most Eminent Lord Cardinal, — We bid yon welcome to Dnnedin, and desire to express our gratitude for the honour which you confer noon us by being present at the opening of our long* desired and much-needed cathedral. "We salute your Eminence as a prince of the Holy Roman Church, and beg of you to accept onr homage, if not as an adequate expression of what is dus to your exalted rank, at least as a sincere effort to fulfil tbe duties that devolve upon us, and which it is onr pleasure, as well as our privilege, to perform so far as our circumstances will permit. " We further desire to assure your Eminence of the esteem felt among us for you as a prelate whoso reputation for exceptional abilities and for great and varied attainments has long been Known to us. "As yon will perceive, Lord Cardinal, our surroundings are modest compared with what )on have b-en accustomed to in the Old World and what you now possess in your archiepiscopal See of Sydney. Your Eminence's penetration, however, will not fail to note the promise that abounds. You will see marks of the progress that has been made daring the last fifteen years, in whioh, under the able rule of our beloved Bishop, the Catholic religion among us has arisen from the ground, so to speak, and entered upon that onward march to whose success, we are convinced, your Eminence's position as head of the Church in the Southern Hemisphere will contribute in no light degree. "Your Eminence, therefore, will graciously appreciate our position as that of a Catholic community of re&nt origin, and will receive our expressions of respect and reverence as those of the pioneers of an important centre of the Catholic religion, and the people of a diocese whose astonishing prog rets in a few short years affords the best earnest- of its future prospects. " Signed on behalf of the Catholic laity of Dunedin, " John B. Callan. John CabbOll. " Fbakk W. Pbtbk. Michael Fagan. " Fbancis M ben an John F. Pebbin." His Eminence, in reply, said : " Gentlemen, — I beg to return you my sincerest thanks for the beautiful addresses which you have picscnted, and for the more than cordial welcome which you have accorded me. I must feel for ever grateful to your venerable Bishop for affording me the opportunity of paying this most agreeable visit to your great Colony. Coming amongst you I anticipated no little treat, I bad read a good deal about the unrivalled scenery of your western coasts, of your lakes and mountain ranges. I had beard of the energy, not surpassed by any of tbe other Australian Colonies, with which your citizens had developed the vast mineral and agricultural resources of this district and made your fair city the commercial capital of the Colony ; but I am happy to confess that tbe reality has far surpassed my most golden anticipations. I rejoice still more to learn that in matters of religion you have given no less proof of earnestness and energy than in material things. Your devotedness to the faith of your fathers, your fervour in piety, your generosity in deeds of charity, your munificence in the cause of religion have merited the highest eulogy, whilst affording abundant proof, if such were needed, that the Catholics of Dunedin are determined to yield to none of the Australian Colonies as loyal yeomen and as Christian citizens. This spirit of true piety which pervades the whole Australian Cburch presents a cheering prospect to those who have at heart the best interests of these Colonies and look forward to the bright future which awaits them. Not one of our Southern Colonies has attained its centenary. Some of them, like your own, have not celebrated tbeir first j übilee. And yet all of them, whilst cherishing loyal affection for the Mother Countries, assert libeity as their birthright, and, growing in giant strength, display those characters ics which mark out an imperial dpstiny. And when all this is linked with the earnestness and devotedness to the cause of God which we sec around us on every side, may we not rest assured that at no distant day the great Christian principles of social life shall be realised in this Southern world ; that it is justice which ennobles a nation, and it is truth that makes us free f In the Old World we see many countries smitten by the principles of false •Liberalism, sinking in decrepitude or torn by anarchy and social strife. True liberty, heavenly born, is guided by justice, enlightened by truth, inspired by charity. It is mild, it is gentle ; it respects the rights of others, it loves peace, it does injury to none. But false Liberalism, inspired by the spirit of lying and iniquity and deceit, assumes the mask of liberty only that it may the more securely enslave its victims. It proclaims liberty of education, that it may do violence to the conscience of Christian parents and may enforce secularism in tbe schools. It takes for its watchword a free Church in a free State, and yet its whole aim is to enslave the Church under State despotism. It emblazons equality on its banners, but it is the equality of communism the equality of crime, the equality of slavery. It assails the one true equality by which as children of the common Father we kneel at the one altar to offer the homage of the heart to God, and respecting each other's rights, extend brotherly affection and true charity to all. At the present day false Liberalism i flvis its worst. ip to Hciikoii ami exalts human nature as divine. Ihe Catholic Church casts down these idols of self-worship.
We adore God, and Him alone. Wo honour Beaton and fan&n "■.SSVV s *?*" 1 b * Ood ' bat we ho " oor * fc lh « •»■»• *•■» BeTelation, agift divinely given as at the guido of Reason ; and we honour toe Church, tbe depository of the sacramental tracts whioh alone can -elevate and sanctify and ennoble our nature in its fallen itate. If the Church is ever on the battle-fit Id, ever engaged in warfare, it is because she is ever assailed by false Liberalism. She i* the guardian of Troth, and false Liberalism wag.>s war against Truth. She is the guardian of Virtue, and false Liberalism would trample upon Virtue. Bhe guards the children so loved by our blessed Lord, and false Liberalism ever seeks to enslave those children and lead thorn enchained as captives at the chariot of its triumph. But true liberty to the best ally of holy Church, a pillar of support to her whilst she fulfils her heavenly destiny, whioh is, as the Apostle teaches, "to renew all things in Christ." In the spirit of this liberty, we are MDerou and indulgent towards those who do not share our views. Divine hope is oar breastplate of defence against every enemy that ■Mails as. Charity is the weapon of our warfare. No matter how ▼talent maybe the storm that rages around as, oar heart shall not fail, for oar confidence is not on earth, bat in heaven. The words of the Apostle are the charter of oar hope : * This is the victery which oonqaereth the world, oar faith.' Again, gentlemen, I beg to thank foo» We may add that both of these addresses were true works of art. Tbatof the Bishop and clergy had been lichly and exquisitely engrassed and illuminated on vellum and mounted in silk by the Dominican Nuns, and was beautiful in the extreme. The Nuns had also with equal skill and beauty engrossed and illuminated the title page of the laity's address, which was made up in book form, the body printed in German text, with mauve ink, and red ornamental border, on tinted paper, by Messrs. Jolly and Connor, and the whole bound in red morocco with gilt edges and gold lettering and ornamention, by Messrs. Fergusson and Mitchell. The work in each instance had been admirably done, and the resalt was most creditable to the tradesmen of DunedSn — The presentation of the addresses was followed by Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament, at which his Eminence officiated.— His Eminence, then left the Church and re-entering his carriage was driven to the Bishops palace, where a choir in the grounds received him with a Vteat which had a very fine effect.— A display of fireworks afterwards took place— and numerous bodies of people remained in the surrounding streets and roads until a late hour — Everything as before passing off with the utmost order and good humour.— The Bishop's palace and grounds as well as the grounds of the old church and the cathedral had been prettily adorned for the occasion— ln front of the palace the device "Welcome Son of Brave SS l 7 5l la f d .'\ WM dtoptayed in green ftnd goM, and an arch erected in front of the principal door bore on one side the motto, in red with raised white letters " Welcome, " and on the other "Ad Muttos Anno*."— In front (of the cathedral just under the parapet was hung, in blue with white letters, the device •' Sit nvmm beatiJotephi fcwwfwrtim. '—At the North gate of the grounds, an arch was formed with foliage and flowers, and the devices, on the one side, in red and ■"T'-ii " Lmnd I*.te1 *. te D °°»a««n omnea gentes,"— and on the other in blue and silver " Magnificat anima mea Dominvm." The South gate was ornamented in a similar manner, and had the devices— " Cor Jem flagraru amrre nottri," and " Ecce tmeerdot magnw " Arches were .also erected over the gates of the old church grounds, and bore the devices respectively, the one of "Intrmboadaltare Dei" and" Sancte Joseph, era pro nobis," the other of "Cead Mile Fadthe," the whole being the work of Mr. D. W Woods, who displayed very good taßte in the design and much skill in directing the ex< cution. The Christian Brothers also had the gate of their convent over-arched with boughs and flowers, bearing the jJTV2ri™k < $ a / mct EBtE 8t "v !? gold lelters on • Breen ground, Cead Mtle Faxlthe. Over the door of the Dominican Convent the word -Welcome was displayed, and along the front of the Nun's H.gh School ran the device in scarlet and gold, " Cead mile failthe, Mggartharoon. In the enclosure fronting the Bishop's gate the STJ n*^* iF 88 ? £ 0 " 88 J < ?n? n * yellovr ground-was displayed, and Mr. 0. Bunbury in hi B adjacent garden had run np a lanre and handsome flag, with the old Irish greeting once more, but this time FSZd MU^FaMe™ "^ " gITCD in a ° IrUh diction «y» On Friday, His Eminence Cardinal Moran, accompanied by the Bishop of Adelaide Maitland, and Dunedin, 'and • KSSri 5e clergy, visited the Christian Brothers' School. The party first went through the various roomp, inspecting the several classes, and the boys were then assembled in the large room, where a programme of musical selections were gone through in a very creditable and pleasing manner. The programme was as follows .-Chorus, Welcome I welcome I singing class; recitation, "The voice and pen," Master Hall ; solo, •• Dreaming of home," Master Murr>hv • recitation, "People will talk," Master Heley O'Keli L™Jh. S T?, g C . ftn* reci * ti0 ?,' " DimM ™ d Dollars," Master Lynch duet " All s well I " Masters Murphy; 'ccitation riSi? das? ' ChOrUß> " A Bon g f " r tbVPope? 5 pupil^by Mi°ter D Cort d t^l WM *" Pre9eDted ' ° n behalf ot tbe n .1! M * y ul t pleB "f yGBr B " lI I n ence.-We, the pupils of the Christian Brothers, beg m<*t respectfully to be allowed to unite in welcoming yo " Md J ' he prelates by whom you are accompanied on this your first visit to Dunedin. We have prepared this little address as a mark of respect to your Eminence, and as a sign of our devoted attachment to oar Holy Father the Pope, whose near representative you are Xti^ iS*™ 6 ? to F1?F 1 ? tbe great bleMi "g of • religious and Christian education, which our zealous and beloved Bhbojhas been careful to provide for us, and we trust that we will show by our conduct in after life that we have profited by the religious training we receive. We hope to ever prove ourselv. s devoted sons of Holy Church. In conclusion, we thank you for the high honour which you have done ua in visiting our ecbwJ, and earnestly beg your
Eminence's holy blessing. (Bigned on behalf of the pupils), "J. 0. Caktwkll H. T. Griffin M G. J. Hatook W. A. Woodb " J. J. M'Guibe J. N. Mbbnan." His Eminence the Cardinal said : " My dear young friends,— l thank you very much for your really beautiful address, and also for your excellent singing and admirable recitations. They remind me very much of the old land, and to whatever place I go, in which Christian schools are established, there I find the same sort of devotedness to the traditions of the fatherland of you and of me. Here we have, in this really fine school, a young battalion of 300 who will make their mark on society, trained up under those devoted Brothers who have achieved such success in tbe cause of Christian eduoation in the old lands, and who have come to continue the same class of work here under the Southern Cross. I crongratulate your illustrious Bishop on having snoh labourers, and I myself hope soon to have them in my own diocese of Sydney. Again I thank you for your kind address."' His Lordship Bishop Moran then spoke a few words complimenting the boys on the spirit they had displayed in tbe reception of his Eminence on the proceeding evening. The boys then knelt and received the Cardinal's blessing, and subsequently three cheers were given for the Cardinal, three for Bishops Murray and Reynolds, and three for Bishop Moran. Before tbe scholars were dismissed, the Cardinal's private secretary (Father CHaran) presented each of the pupils who took part in the singing and recitations with a medal blessed by the Holy Father. His Eminence, the Bishops of Maitland ami Adelaide and, some members of the clergy were afterwards taken by the Bishop of Dunedin for a drive round the suburbs including Caversham, Mornington, Boslyn, and the North Kast Valley, with whose scenery and marks of progress the party declared themselves much pleased. In the evening St. Patrick's Brass Band met in the grounds of the Bishop's palace, and played a variety of good music in honour of the Cardinal, His Eminence at the conclusion of the serenade coming to the door and graciously acknowledging tbe compliment which had been paid to him, and particularly expressing his pleasure at hearing tbe selection of Irish airs performed, which he said reminded him of his native land. Three cheers were then given for the Cardinal, and the Band, together with a considerable audience,who had assembled in the neigbourhood of the grounds, dispersed . On Saturday His Em nence held a reception, which was attended by numerous ladies and gentlemen of the Catholic congregation, and several members of other denominations.— ln the afternoon, His Eminence and the Bishops were driven to Purtobello, and expressed themselves much pleased with the scenery of the Peninsula. In the afternoon also, the Bishop of Auckland arrived, accompanied by the Bey. Father* Luck, 0.8.13 , and Paul— and, we may add, that among the compliments paid to Dr. Moran on thn opening of his cathedral, not the least has been the visit of Father Paul, who for twenty-eight years bad not before absented himself from his own parish of Onehunga, where he has proved a pioneer champion of the cause of Catholic education, always maintaining excellent Catholic schools, and resisting the encroachments and exactions of Secularism, in what* ever way they were made. — In the evening tbe Bishop of Wellington arrived by the Cbristcuurcb express.— The following members of tbe Catholic clergy, besides those already mentioned, were also present in Dunedin : The Key. Fathers M'Enroe, S.J. (diocese of Dunedin), Walsh (2), Aherne (2),Hallanan, Foley, o'Donnell, Kickham, H'Kenna, and O'Connor (diocese of Wellington). The weather on Sunday morning appeared very threatening; there was a thick mist, and those who got up t) attend the early Masses in the old church— where the Holy Sacrifice was offered for the last time, beginning at 6 and ending at i) a.m. — were very much alarmed lest a heavy downpour of rain might bo the jesulr. Their fears, however, were Dot realised, and nothing more than the mist occurred during the day. At 10 a.m. the Most Key. Dr. Moran, attended by cross-bearer, acolytes, and assistant priests, circumambulated the walls and blessed tbe new building, and shortly afterwards a procession of the school children was formed at the old church and marched down to the front of the Bishop's house, where they took their place so as to line on either side a passage extending from the gate of the palace to tbe north gate— openiug on Smith street — of the cathedral grounds. At 11 a.m. a procession consisting of cross-bearer ; acolytes (wearing each a purple Foutane and white surplice) ; censor-bearer, the clergy presnnt in the town, walking two and two, the Key. Fathers Purton and Luck, 0.5.8., clad in the habit of their order, and immediately preceding the Most Rev. Dr. Luck, who was vested m a Benedictine bishop ; the bishops, in order of seniority, as follows, the younger preceding the elder — Bishop of Auckland, Bishop of Wellington, Bishop ot Maitland, Bishop of Adelaide, Bishop of Dunedin— eacb, wilh tbe exception of Dr. Luck, wearing the mozetta, soutane, and biretta, of rich purple silk, with rochet of cambric and lace ; the Cardinal, vested in the cappa magnet, of magnificent watered pilk, the mantel lett a, tbe silken Euchetto or skull-cap, and biretta— allot a bright red, or, to describe it more accurately, of the colour known to ladies as cerise— and with his stately train borne by two acolytes. As tbe procession passed between the lines of children, the girls scattered flowers before the feet of His Eminence, and tbe sight was a very beautiful and imposing one — tbe children cairying various banners, the boys wearing the ribbons of the sodalities to which nnny of them belong, and tbe girls, dressed, for the most part, with wreaths and veils ; also several of them wearing the ribbons of religious societies, and largely decorated with rosettes aud scarves of cardinal colour, in honour of His Emiuence. As the -procession entered tbe church, the choir began to Bin* the hymn of salutation to a great prelate, " Ecce Sacerdot JUagnut," which, in truth, His Eminence Cardinal Moran looked every inch to be. Nature has endowed His Eminence with a commanding presence and stately bearing, and good breeding has made of him a courtly gentleman — admirably, and on all occasions, maintaining the dignity of hia exalted poaitiou, but of the ntmost
simplicity and kindliness of manner, and unfailingly affable, the eklef thing remarkable about him being the consistent conduct of a Christian priest. And here it may not be oat of place to speak a word or two in description of the building as it appeared at this moat interesting moment of its existence. The architectural details, with all their technicalities, we have already published— shortly after the foundation stone bad been laid on January 26, 1879— and let us not forget to remind our readers of the impetus given to this undertaking by the exhortations of the good missionary, Father Hennebery, whom many of them remember with so much and such weli-merited affection, we shall, therefore, confine ourselves now to describing the buiiding as it appears to the ordinary spectator, whose knowledge of architectural terms is limited, or, perhaps, wholly wanting.— The church is approached by paths leading the one from a gate opening on Smith Street, or to the north of the entrance, tbe other leading, to the sonth of the entrance, from Battray Street, but which, after a little will be removed to make way for a broad flight of steps in front of tbe porch— three or four of these, however, are already constructed and lead up from the path of asphalt to the floor of the porch which is of concrete.— The porch is supported by clustered pillars which form three wide entrances, and over the groined roof is situated the organ loft. — The roof, of Oamaru stone.is a beautiful piece of workmanship, and in its central boss is seen the first of Mr. Godfrey's exquisite carvings that strikes the eye of those who newly approach the building. It consists of a cluster of foliage with birds climbing on it, and is masterly in all its details. Two of the mouldings of the arch over the principal door of the church have also been in some degree carved, as specimens of what the whole is to be, and are also very beautiful.— On the right band side of the porch as you enter, is the door of the north tower, not as yet completed, and which leads into the baptistry — also possessing a groined roof of Oamaru stone, ornamented with some of Mr. Godfrey's carving.— On tbe left hand side is the door of the southern tower, completed, and which contains tbe stone stairs leading to the organ loft, and, in the clerestory with louvre windows, the bell. As you enter the church by the principal door the most striking feature that meets the eye is the arch of the transept — now forming that of the temporary sanctuary, and which has been most tastefully carved by Mr. Godfrey junior, with a wreath of ivy leaves, and other ornamentations, this arch, moreover, forms the termination of a lofty and finely groined ceiling, executed in stucco with ornamental bosses by Mr. D. W. Woods, and most delicately tinted. A ceiling of the same kiud, has been erected over the temporary Sanctuary— The arch of this Sanctuary — already described, is supported on clustered pillars of Oamaru stone, of which, we may say here, the whole interior, with the exception of the bases of the walls and pillars, which are of blue stone, is constructed, and which clustered pillars form the last of tbe row that on each side of the nave, and uuited by arches, support tbe clerestory — or portion of the walls which rises above tbe roofs of the aisles.— The capitals of two jr three of these pillars have been carved by Mr. Godfrey and it is intended that all of them, as well as the walls above the arches shall be similarly ornamented. — Opposite the principal door, and directly over tbe altar is the great western window, of beautifully wrought tracery in Oamaru stone, and which is eventually to be filled with stained glass symbolical of tbe seven sacraments, but which is now glazed with cathedral glass of a pattern and colours that are the'particular invention of the architect Mr. F. W. Petre, and which does* infinite honour to that gentleman's talent, as indeed does the whole building which is a veritable work of genius, and whose exquisite proportions are hardly to be exceeded even by those that have given to the Church «f St. Oven its chief celebrity. Tbe altar underneath is not yet completed, but tbe portion finished is superb, tbe carving is in Mr. Godfrey's most finished and delicate sty le, and tbe gilding and painting have been carried out in the most skilful and judicious manner possible. Tbe doors of the tabernacle are the gift of Mr. Godfrey and consist of ancient carvings in wood of tho Nativity and tbe Resurrection executed by a master's band. The gift is most choice and valuable, and co far at least as the colonies are concerned, may be considered unique. On the epistle side of tbe altar and separated by a grating from the sanctuary is the temporary chapel of the Dominican nuns, and on the gospel side is the door leading into the temporary vestries. Everything in connection with all these is neat and in harmony with the building generally. Tbe windows of tbe clerestory are of cathedral glass of various colours tastefully arranged, there being seven on either side, and the windows of tbe towera and that on each tide of the round or rose window in front are similarly glazed. Among the chief beauties of the church, meantime, are to ba reckoned the seven stained glass windows that have been erected in the aisles out of the fourteen that, within the next few months, will be completed. Of these there are four on the gospel side, that nearest the altar being erected by the Dominican nuns and consisting of representations of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Sienna, the great saint of the rosary, and champion of Catholicism, and tbe grandest female figure of the middle ages, in the well-known and historical habit of their order. The pictures are charmingly executed and the colouring is rich in the extreme. Next comes tbe window of tbe Christian Brothers' boys representing St. Aloysins of Gonzaga, a youth himself and the special patron of youth, and the grand old Irish saint and missionary, Columbanus the founder of the great monastery of Luxeuil, and a spiritual father of southeastern France, of Switzerland, and north-westtrn Italy. Next is tbe window given by Mr. John Brennan and representing two saints particularly venerated by the Irish race, St. John tbe Evangelist and St. Patrick whose history we need not explain. Next is tbe window of the children of Mary representing the Annunciation and remarkable for its etherial and spiritual tone. On the epistle side the window nearest the altar is that erected by Mrs. Anne Murphy in memory of her husband the late Mr. Michael Murphy, still remembered with much affection and respect in Dunedin. The figures represented are those of St. Michael the archangel and St. Anne, the one being the German ideal of the saint very finely rendered, and the other a singularly majestic and beautiful presence. Next is the window of the Society of tbe Sacred
Heart, with the Divine Bedeemer and Hii Blessed Mother— and next the window of the H.A.G.8.8., with St. Lawnnoe O'Toole, the mat Archbishop of Dublin— whose patriotism it now reproduced by hit worthy successor Dr. Walsh, and the Virgin Saint par emeeOenee of Ireland, the light of Kildare, St. Bridget, whose pore and modest beauty is well imagined. These windows are the work of Messrs. Mayer and Co., of Munich, and their execution bears out the unrivalled reputation of the firm. As pictures they are perfect and tho colouring passes all praise. We may add that, as well as the seven remaining windows of tho aisles, the same firm hare been com* missioned to supply glass for the rose window over the principal door and all are expected to be placed sometime about Easter Sunday.— Beautiful as the windows are, however, they are not one whit above their surroundings, and Mr. Petre's architecture, and Mr. Godfrey's carving, are only properly set off by them. The carving is that appropriate to Gothic buildings, strange7monsterß and fiends, saints and sinners, foliage, fruits, and flowers, in endless variety, ne two being alike, and nothing repeated. The invention of the artist was only equalled by his skill in execution. On the arrival of the procession in the Sanctuary his Eminence ascended the Bishop's throne, where the man* telletta was let fall to his feet by his attendant chaplain. The prelates and ecclesiastics having taken their places, Pontifical High Mass was commenced, the oelebrant being the Bishop of Adelaide, with the Eev. Fathers Mackay and O'Neill as deacon and subdeacon respectively, the Bey. Father Burke Master of ceremonies, and the Bey. Fathers Sheehan and Newport, deacons to his Eminence. Toe sermon which followed the Gospel was preached by the Cardinal and was the following (as reported, by our contemporary the Daily Time*) :— " In that day shall be suug this canticle in the land of Judab : Zion tbe city of our strength, a saviour, a wall, and a bulwark shall be placed therein. Open ye the gates, that a just nation that keepeth the truth may enter in. The old error has passed away. Thou wilt keep peace— peace because we have hoped in Thee. You have hoped in tne Lord for ever — in tbe Lord God mighty for ever " (Isaiss, c. xxvi., v. 1, 2, 3,4 ) My dearly beloved in Cbrist, you keep to-day a solemn festival, and it is to me a privilege to be associated with you in this day of your rejoicing. You have erected this noble structure to the honour of God, and in the spirit of the prophet you rejoice. You shall have a soog as id the night of the sanctified : a solemnity and joy of heart to come unto the mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty one of. lsrael. This beautiful cathedral shall long remain a monument of your faith. It shall speak to your children and to your/shildren's children of the earnestness of your piety, the devotedness of your seal, and of your generosity in the service of God. The admirable site which you have chosen, the structure itself —so chaste in its architecture, so perfect in its minutest details, so harmonious in all its parts— sufficiently attest that you wish to leave nothing undone that even the material temple should be in some way worthy of that Divine Majesty which comes to dwell herein. You have erected this noble structure to the glory of God. To-day it pleases God to accept your offering, and henceforth this shall be the Hous? of O<>d, the temple of His majesty, tbe sanctuary of His glory. But in the words of God, this material structure is a type of Holy Church — a symbol of the one true fold of our blessed Lord, and hence in manifold ways this work of your own hands becomes an abiding monument of your faith, of that faith which Is the foundation of your hope and which is the dayspring of your spiritual joy. There is nothing on earth to be compared to Holy Church. There is nothing so bright in the firmament ; nothing so ennobled by God. It is brighter than tbe sun in his might ; it is more exalted than all earthly things ; it is the work of God's own hand ; and even as the material sun is created to shed its light upon this earth, even so it is the destiny, the mission, of Holy Church to bring the Divine light of Gixi to the minds and hearts of tbe children o( (Jbrist. It is the repository of God's law, the sanctuary of His truth, tbe abiding temple of His presence among men. And hence, indeed, may we not in tbe spirit of the prophet rejoice and intone that canticle of the land of Judah : " Ziou, the city of our strength, a saviour, a wall-, and a bulwark shall be placed therein. Open ye tbe gates and let the just nation that keepeth the truth enter in. The old error has passed away. Thou wilt keep peace ; oeace because we have hoped in Thee. You have hoped iv the Lord God for evermore ; in the Lord God Mighty for ever." It pleased our Divine Saviour in instituting His Church to select 12 poor fishermen of Galilee, and to make them the heralds of His Divine truths to all nations till the end of time. He gathered them around Him, and he addressed to them the words of blessing : "As the Father has sent Me, I send you. You are the light of the world ; tbe salt of the earth." Our Saviour did come to bring to the minds of men the light of Divine truth, and to their hearts those sanctifying graces that would make them true children of God ; and He sends forth those humble fishermen, heralds of Divine truths and channels of the sanctifying graces, to sanctify the children of God. He gathered them around Him, and He said that he would ask the Father that He would send the spirit of the truth to abide with them for ever more and to teach them all truth ; and in fulfillment of His prayer we see our Divine Saviour, after His resurrection, breathing upon the Apostles aud saying to them, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost." And again, as they knelt in prayer with the Holy Mother of God, behold the heavens are widely opened, and the spirit of God, under the forms of tongues of fire, cornea and dwells upon those chosen apostles. Again, He is assembled with them upon tbe mountain summit : and addressing them He says, " Go ye forth into the whole world, and preach My Gospel to all creatures." All the world shall be the fold of the apostolic mission, and not this chosen nation or that ; not one tongue, or tribe or people ; but all tongues, nations, and peoples — all were to receive the Gospel truths from the lips of those apostolic missionaries. And before our Divine Saviour ascends into Heaven, once more He gathers those chosen disciples around Him, and He repeats these blessed words : " All power is given to Me, in Heaven and upon earth; go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, and behold I am with you all days, even unto tbe consummation of the world." Ob, solemn 1 ob (J striking words I Our
Saviour sets forth Hit own Divine title, to impart to them the mission which God alone could gire. He seta forth His own title, all power is given Him in Heaven and upon earth . He is the King of Kings, the Creator of all things here below ; He has the splendour of His substance, the brightness for His power : the myriad hosts of Heaven ! they unshe&th their swords to* obey His command ; and though the nations here may rage against God, and the peoples may speak vain things, yet all their vain designs, their wars against God are controlled by His omnipotence ; they shall be obedient to His behests. And thus invoking that supreme power which is His in Heaven and upon earth, He gives to His apostles tbe Divine commission : "Go ye and teach all nations, making all nations My disciples, teaching them all to observe all things that 1 have commanded you." Behold an universal jurisdiction: was given to the apostolic body. It was not to be limited by time or by place. It was to extend from the rising to the setting of the bud, from sea to sea, and to embrace all nations and all tongues. And it is not for a time ; it was not to be intermittent in its apostolate ; it was to be for all days and to last until the consummation of ages. Bat oar Divine Saviour further adds, " Behold I am with you always." These are the words of the charter of the seed of Heaven upon the apostolate of those missionaries of oui blessed Lord. They are words of Eolemn import ; they declare that it is the power of God Himself which give strength to them to pursue the mission entrusted to them. It is His Divine Truth that shall be the seed of Heaven upon their lips, and it is only through the efficacy of His own Divine power that they can impart to tbe children of Christ the graces, the mercies, and the love God has entrusted to them. They are words of solemn and Divine import, and in the sacred Scriptures the same form of words is used a thousand times. Whenever we see a missioa entrusted to man we see that it is only the power of God that can give efficacy to it. We see how the leader of tbe Jewish people was told to go to Pharoah aud to lead forth his people from tbe Egyptian captivity ; and when the Jewish leader would cry out to God, " Who am I, O Lord, that I should stand before Pnaroah and lead Taj people from this land of bondage? " God replies to him, "I am with you." This solemn phrase is the seal of Divine power and Divine mission, and no human power can defeat that mission ; but it shall be executed faithfully as God commanded. Again, Joshua was told to cross tbe Jordan to lead tbe people into the land of promise. He cries out, N Who am I, O Lord, to face these enemies who are there awaiting the chosen people ? " But the word of God is, " I am with you "" — it is the pledge that God's power and God's wisdom shall guide this commission that it may be faithfully fulfilled. Again, so it was with Gideon when he was told to go forth and to smite the enemies of God, not in the number of the army of the chosen people, but rather in their fewness, and through tbe power of God. Aud again, the solemn words are met, '■ lam with you " ; and these were the seed of Heaven that the army of God's people should not be overcome, should be victorious in every combat. And so again and again at every page of Sacred Writ, and in our own text are these solemn words. They were the pledge to the apostles that though they were weakness itself in the Bight of the world, they were not invested with tbe power or tbe wisdom of this world.yet their mission could not fail till the end of time. Throughout all time their mission should be fulfilled to bring the light of Divine Truth to the minds of the child rea of God, and to bring the graces of God's mercy and live to the hearts of Jhs children. But the Church-— if it wax to last to tbe end of time if its missionaries were to go forth from sea to Be a and unto the bounds of tbe carth — was to be still one Church ; they were to be one chosen fold of Christ, and it pleased our Blessed Saviour to establish a central see, to link all the scattered parts in one, and make tbe scattered members one living body to be quickened by the Spirit of God. The evangelist tells us that our Saviour was leading His apostles on tbe banks of the Jordan into the plains of Cesarea, and that as he approached ibat beautiful city He addressed to St. Peter these words: " Tbou art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it ; and to tbee shall I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever tbou thalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and what thou ■hall loose on earth shall be loosed also in Heaven." It was not without reason, without mystery, that the evangelist tells us these words were addressed to the chosen apostle before tbe city of Cesarea. Beside that great city, founded by Philip, there arose a giant mountain rock which was at the same time a bulwark to the city and a beacon to those who were afar off. and on the summit of that mountain rock King Herod had erected a gorgeous temple, which he sought to set in opposition to the Temple of Jerusalem, and on which be lavished all his wealth that in magnificence it might surpass the Jewish temple. And standing before that giant rock, with Herod's Temple erected thereon, our Saviour says to the chosen apostle : " Upon tbee as upon a rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell, no matter bow they rage ronnd it, shall not prevail against it ; and to thee will I give the keys, the symbol of My supreme power ; that you may be My vicar upon earth ; and whatsoever you bhall bind up>u earth, it shall be bound in Heaven, and what you looie on eartn it shall be loosed also in Heaven." Mysterious woids and glorious utterance of our bleßsedLord, who is the true Rock strengthened with eternal Btrength and subsisting by Hisown eternal firmness, and to that weak disciple He imparts a share of His own strength, that it shall b j tbe foundation of the Church, and that the gates of hell and sin and death — no matter how those powers may rage round that Hock of Ages — shall never prevail against it. And how tiuly has the promise of our Divine Saviour been fulfilled .' From age to nge— aye, an! fiom year to year — the powers of sin. and hell and (lc;\th have never ceased to rage and to foam and to dash against the rock of Peter ; but all their efforts have been in vain, and the more they rage round ihat divinelystreagthened Rock the more clearly we see engiaved deeply and deeply upon the face of that Rock th.i words of our blessed Lord : " The powers of hell shall not prevail agiinst it." An'l agiin our Saviour says "To whom I shall give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. "It was by this very symbol that the apostle described our Divine Saviour coming in tbe power of His strength, iv the glory of
His majesty to judge* the world — " He shall come with the keys of the Kingdom upon His shoulder." And now oar Divine Savioar, who bears those keys of His own rig ut, as King of king*, ai tbe Word of the Father, He tells that chosen apostle, " I will gire to thee the keys of the Kingdom." Our Divine Saviour was to Himself the Spiritual, the Divine Head of tbe Holy Church, but he wished that there should be a visible head who would bind together even in a visible way all tbe scattered parts of the Holy Church, that they may have a visible head, and to the apostle chosen to hold that special office He says : " I will give to you authority — the very keys of my King* dom— whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever you shall loose oa earth shall be loosed in Heavea." The decrees pronounced here below by the Vicar of Christ are ratified at the Throne of God in the Kingdom of His glory. Bach, in brief outline, is the organisation imprinted on Holy Church by our blessed Lord. Such is Holy Church as it came toxXh from our Redeemer's hands, and even the earth Bhall pass away before the Church shall cease to present to the world around it the same organisation, the same|seal of our Divine Redeemer's wisdom and power. And if we look round us to-day we shall see that there is but one Church that presents to us this distinguishing organisation, the seal of the Redeemer's wisdom and power. We shall see that in the C itholic Chnrch the pastors teach not by commission of men but by commission of God. They go lorth from the riaing to the setting of tbe sun, they unfurl the standard amongst every nation and every people, they chant the praises of God in every tongue, but it is not at the bidding of some minister of the passing hour that they thus go forth. They do not bring with them a commission from the crowned heads of this world, but their commission is in the words of Christ—" Go forth, teaching all nations " ; and it is not on the wisdom of this world, on tbe eloquence of man, on the powers of this earth, that they rely for their support and for their success, bat the secret of their strength is in the promise of our blessed Lord, " I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." And if we look around us we Bee the Catholic priesthood with us at the present hour, and we §cc it in every hour, m every year, in every age from the time of our Saviour to tbe present day. We bee them preacbiug tbe truths of God, bringing the grace of sa aerification to the children of Christ. We see them going forth, heralds of Divine Truth, and it is not through the power of man that they lead children captive to the yoke of oui blessed Lord, but thiough the efficacy of God's power and through the wisdom of Christ crucified. But how is it with others who present themselves to us as teachers of Divine Truth ? Were some distinguished nobleman to present himself at the Court of St. James, and to say that be was the representative of some friendly power— say, of the German Empire or the Russian Empire — what would be said to him ? He should be asked to present his credentials ; he should be asked to show that be was commissioned by such a friendly Power to represent them at the British Court ; and if he had no such credentials to present, if he said he had no such commission to present at the Court of St. James, should he not be laughed at as either a knave or a fool to assume to himself, without proper credentials —without a proper commission — authority to represent one of those Great Powers / And when a man comes to us in the name of God, to teach God's Truth, to be the herald of the Gospel — not to one nation or another, but to all nations and to all tongues — is it not meet that we should ask him to present his credentials to us, and to show where he has received them from ? A man may trace back his lineage perhaps to Henry the Eighth, or to some of those teachers of those doctrines— the novel doctnnss of the 16th century — but they came 15 centuries too late. They did not give the commission of Heaven. They may have piven a commission to be exalted in the ways of this world — a commission of dignity, of rank, and of wealth in the ways of this earth ; but I ask them — I would ask him who assumes this commission to preach Divine Truth — were you present in Galilee when our Saviour pronounced these blessed words, " He who hears you hears Me " ? Was he there when our Saviour gave tbat blessing, "As the Father has sent Me I send you " ? Was he with the chosen disciples when our Saviour told them to go forth and preach the truth to all nations, and that He would be with them giving the seed of Heaven to their hearts and to their teaching ? But no; he was not there. He came 15 centuries too late to bring to us the commission from God — the commission of our Blessed Lord to the Evangelist to teach Divine Truth. And again I would ask him, Does he build upon tlie Rock of Ages :oris it upon the quicksand— the doctrines of this world that he wish 28 to erect his church ? Is it in communion with St. Peter that ho goes forth to announce the glad tidings of redemptiou ? If not, he is not of the cnosen — he is not one of those to whom our Lord gave the mission, that they were to be fed, to be ruled by the band of Peter. " Feed my lambs, feed my sheep," were wards addressed to Peter alone ; and whosoever is uot in the fold of Peier, he is not in the fold of our blessed Lord. But the priesthood of the Holy Church bears with it the seal of tbe commission of our blessed Lord. It is in communion with tit. Peter, bearing the blessing of Vicar of Chris% that the priest goes forth to his destiny and mission ; it is through that blessing that his mission is fruitful of blessing, and brings with it the graces and the mercy of God. Tnc Catholic priest was presetit to our bles&ed Lord when He uttered those words, "He who heirs you hears Me." Tbe Catholic priest was associated with the chosen disciples when our Saviour said to them, "As the Father hath sent Me, 1 aend you." And again those choseu priests were kneeling in prayer with the Mother of God when tbe heavens were opened and the Divine Spirit cime down to teach them all truth, and to abida with them forever. And they tou received tin Divine commission, "Go forth making all nations My disciple--, and behold 1 ana with you alwayn, even uuto the end of the world." But somto ie will say. perhaps, that he brings to us tb« BiMe, tbe inspired record of Divine Truth. Oh, yes ; there never was heresy yet that arose in the Church that did n>i pretend to bring with it the Bible. Anus, in the fourth century, denied the diviuiiy of our bliSse'l L'iril, and presented the Bible as the guarantee of lu-rtitsy. Nest orius arose a few years later, aud he, too, held up the Bible in proof of heretical doctrine ; and bo on frjm age to age with
heresy. There has not been a single heresiaroh oast forth from tbe Church who has not pretended to justify his novel tenets by tbe ■acred Scripture. The Church loves, venerates, and reveres the holy Bible to-day as twelve centuries ago, when one of the fathers of our Church proclaimed to the children of Christ, " May the Gospels be written upon your hearts. Be studious of the Sacred Text, and let the life of Christ as shown forth in tbe Gospels be the rale of your life." This is our teaching to-day as it has been from the fixtt century of our era, snd if the Sacred Text has been preserved to us, we must thank Holy Church, who in the days of darkness threw the mantle of her authority over tbe Bacred Text. We see her chosen ■ana spending their lives thaw they might band down to us untainted the text of tbe Sacred Scriptures ; and no gem was too rare, and no pearl too pure, no treasure too rich to be lavished in adorning the Stored Text. Holy Church reveres and loves and defends tbe Bible, and if we are able to-day to receive tbe Gospel we may say with St. Augustine, in the fifth century, " If I receive the Gospel, I must thank the Church for it. I could not receive that Gospel were it not that tbe teaching of the Church presents the Gospel to me." For who is to tell us that the Sacred Text is inspired f who can tell us that other hooks, too, are not inspired 1 and who can unfold to us the true sense— tbe Divine seow— tbe mysteries of the teaching of the Sacred Text, except the Church of God— the spouse of Christ, enlightened by His light, and guided by wisdom from on high ; and enlightened by that light and guided by that Heavenly wisdom, tbe Church presents to us this great treasure as a most precious treasure of (tol— the inspired repository of His Truth, and that bulwark of defence against every error. But tbe apostles went forth to fulfil tbe mission entrusted to them. They went to the east and to the west, and in Bwtry nation under tbe sun tney unfolded the standard of tbe Cross and they preached Christ crtuiAed, and tbejbosen ones of every tongns and every nation were oathered into tbe one saving fold, rhey went to to the East, and by their preaching in tbe spirit of penance and prayer it came down upon tbe people of Asia Minor and the neighbouring countries, and we see them hastening to the deserts that | there in the spirit of penance and prayer they might t»<e up the i Divine truths and the sanctifying graces. They preached in France and Spain, and we see that the spirit, seal, and fervour of piety came down upon tbe chosen races of those fair lands, and countless sons of those gwat countries have their names enrolled upon the calendar of the Church's saints. They went forth to Britain, and the spirit of charity came down on tbe Anglo Saxon-nations ; and in tbe history of the Church there are no brighter pages than those that set before us the saintly queens and the royal maidens of the Saxon kingdoms devoting themselves to deeds of charity and prayer. X missionary goes forth from Borne, and he brings with him a commission from Bt, Celestioe, and be goes to another island of tbe West, and finds there a virgin soil, and the seeds of Faith which he scatters there take deep root in the hearts of tbe Irish people, and quickly the Truth buds forth as blossoms and fruit, and spreads its branches from sea to sea. That sacred tree of Faith soon showed itself— graceful as the rose-tree, fragrant as the lily, stately as the cedar-tree, rich as the vine, and fair as tbe olive-tree— in the land of Judah. And not to one nation only did the chosen sons of that fair land bring the glad tidiags of redemption, but they went forth in swarms to every kingdom in Europe, the heralds of God's blessing, dispensing the graces of redemption to the chosen children of Christ. But it pleased our Divine Saviour to announce to His I apostles that He was sending them as lambs amid wolves. He announced to them that they wen indeed to witness to His Divine Truth, to witness for him even to the extremities of the world, but He told them that they were to be witnesses for him in martyrdom. " Ton shall be cast out of the temples and the synagogues." He •aid to them : " Men shall smite you ; they shall put you to death and throw you into prison, and they shall reckon that they are doing service to God in thus consigning you to death or to prison " ; but He told them to fear not, that it was by such sufferings they would overcome the world. For three centuries the sword of the persecutors was never sheathed, and we see tbe scaffolds covered with the blood of the chosen children of Christ and of the chosen pastors of Holy Church. And perhaps there was never a century from the first dawn of Christianity to the present hour when the sword of the persecutors was in reality sheathed in waging this war and in thus persecuting tbe children of our blessed Lord. In that land of tbe West of which I have already spoken, we see that the terrors of the three first centuries of persecution appear to have been again renewed ; for the sword of the persecutor was there unsheathed for three centuries too, and the paster and tbe flock wore alike led to the scaffold — and not in ones or twos, in hundreds or thousands, but the wbols people became a nation of martyrs. They Buffered imprisonment ; they were deprived of every earthly good ; they were arrested ; they were driven into exile ; they were led to the scaffold ; but still they clung to that one priceless treasure of Divine Faith. It would appear as if that dear land of the West was net up by God as a chosen bulwark of Divine Faith in the Western World. It was assailed with all tbe power that this world could command ; every instrument that tbe power of tbis world could wield was made use of to destroy that bulwark of Divine Faith. Its turrets were destroyed ; its walls were overthrown ; everything that could lend ornament or strength to that citadel was swept away ; but still tbe flag of faith remained unfurled, and it was sustained not by the power of this world or tbe eloquence of man — it was sustained by the Divine heroism of hearts faithful in the service of our blessed Lord. And so it is ; it is that heroism that receives tbe blessiog of God, for our Saviour has declared : " This is the victory which eonquereth the world, your faith." These are a few of the ideas that were suggested to me by this beautiful ceremony at which we assist. This noble edifice which you have erected to the glory of God brings joy, brings solace to your devoted prelate. He sees here realised, in part at least, tbe desire of his heart. He comes to yon as one of those chosen apostles of our blessed Lord. He brings to you the commission of our Divine Savioar, to teach His truth, to dispense to you the graoes of eternal life. Within these hallowed
' walls be shall break to 70a the bread of life ; here in the sanctuary of God he •hall dispense to you thoee graces and blessings which the mercy of God has prepared for you. He is no novice in the sacred ministry. He has laboured in the cause of Ood io his native land in his earlier yean. He evangelised those suffering Christians in. Soath Africa for 15 years ; he laboured amongst them us only an. apostle conld labour. There was no ministry— no part of the ministry— too humble for him to assume. He taught in the school* himself ; he instructed the children in the catechism, and dispensed far and wide throughout that rast territory the Bread of Life to the children of Holy Church. But he was called away from that land,, and I met him myself in Borne, when in obedience to tba Vioar of Christ, he set out to this great Southern Colony to bring the blessing of redemption here to the chosen children of our bleswd Lord. It was not at the bMdinir of some statesman of the passing hour— it was not at the command of one of the sovereigns of this world— that he came amongst you, but he came at the bidding of Peter,, and strengthened by the strength of Peter, and enlightened by the Divine Faith of St. Peter, he oame here first Bishop of this see, and through the blessing of our Divine Saviour the grain of mustard-seed has already grown into thin stately tree, and has shown forth the comeliness, the fruitfulness of our, blessed Lord. May we not pray that his life shall bi spared for many years to gather the precious fruits of this heavenly tree planted here by his seal and by bis sacred mission. And when in the fulness of time be receives at the hands of the Bternal Pastor of souls the full measure of all those joys and rewards prepared for him, may we not hope that we too may be associated with him t And then in the f nines* of the true sense of the prophet we too ■hall intone that eantiole of joy of the land of Jndah : " Zion, the city of our strength, a saviour, a wall, and a bulwark shall be placed therein. Open ye the gates that that jnst nation thatkeepeth the Truth mayenter in. The old error is passed away. Thou wilt give peace— peaoe because we have hoped in Tbee. You have hoped in the Lord for evermore, in the Lord God Mighty for ever." ' On the conclusion of the sermon the Mass was proceeded with and on its termination, when the Ik Dettm had been sung by the> priests and eh >ir in alternate verses, tbe prooesiio-i of ecclesiastics was re-formed, and, the instrumental choir performing the March of the Priests from " Athalie," returned to the Bishop's palace in the same order as that in which it had come to the cathedral. The school children, however, had been withdrawn, when bis Eminence entered the church doors. The attendance during the ceremonies was very large — the building being everywhere well filled, and in some parts crowded. The country parts of tbe diocese were very creditably represented and the diocese of Wellington had alsocontributed numerous contingents. Several ladies, among whom we noticed Mesdames Kennedy, Lynch and Gribben, came even from Greymouth and Hokitika for the occasion. In tbe evening at 6.30., His Eminence, the Bishops and the clergy, returned to tbe church in the same order as in the morning, and Pontifical vespers were celebrated by the Bishop of Auckland,, with the Bey. Fathers McEnroe, S.J., and Luck, 0.5.8., as deacon and sab-deacoa respectively, and the R-jv. Father O'Leary as master of ceremonies, the Bey. Dr. O'H»r»n being chaplain and tbe Bey. Fathers Newport and Sheehan deacons to the Cardinal, while Father* Mackay and Lynch acted as cantors,— the choir and the priests singing the psalms alternately. After vespers the sermon was preached as follows by the Bishop of Wellington :— '" Go to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to yon. (Gen, xli.. 55). My Lord Cardinal, my Lords, dearly beloved brethren.— At the time when the land of Egypt was desolated by famine, and its wretched inhabitants thronged tbe avenues to tbe royal palace, clamouring for bread, King Pbaroab said to them. 'Go to Joseph ; he has the power to open all my barns and granaries ; he can relieve your distress. Go to Joseph.' Now, according to the unanimous testimony of the fathers and divines, Joseph, the son of J*cob, and Pbaruah's prime minister, was tbe figure of Joseph, the spouse of Mary and fosterfather of Jesus. It seem* to me, therefore, that Almighty God, who, by the voice of His Vicar on earth, has lately declared Bt. Joseph Patron of tbe Universal Church, says to us more forcibly than ever, IGo to Joseph ' ; and that too in circumstances peculiarly similar to those in which tbe King of Egypt spoke. For, is not the Church, at this day, in great desolation, with her head a prisoner iv Borne, and her laws almost universally ignored or contemned ? And tbe cause of this calamity is a dreadful famine— a famine immeasurably worse than tbe mere want of bodily food — th« famine of souls. The nations, and especially the governments, of Europe are hurrying to their ruin, and famUhing to death — to ose a homely expression — for the want of belief in" the supernatural order, for practically ignoring the existence of a Diviue Providence, whose laws rule the world ; and so the Church, stricken with commiseration and fear, has deigned to lay more widely open her stores of heavanly favour and mercy, by increasing devotion to St. Joseph ; the Church says to us more loudly than ever, ' G> to Joseph.' There is also another note* worthy circumstance. We read that Pharoah's cupbearer forgot Joseph for a time, although his dream had been so wisely and happily interpreted ; but that, at length remembering him, he made him known to his sovereign, who summoned him to court, and appointed him second to none but himself in the whole realm. A striking picture of what happens now-a-days with reference to Bt. Joseph. Our blessed Lord, though alike unable to forget a benefit or to commit a sin, had notwithstanding — for adorable motives, too numerous for present enunciation— allowed the name of Joiepb to be, as it were, partially forgotten, and devotion to him not so popular and wide* spread as it might have been ; but in this century, and particularly in our time, He seems to make him ample amends by declaring him, to the great joy and hope of tbe faithful, Patron of the Universal Church ; and we are here to-day to celebrate a fresh festival and triumph of St. Joseph in this monument just raised to his honour. With joy, then, and gladness, we hearken to the loving invitation of the Church, and go to Joseph. We go to him to venerate, to iavake,
and to imitate him. We venerate him for his surpassing excellence ; we invoke him for bis powerful patronage ; and we imitate him for his consummate perfection. We venerate him for his excellence bo clearly revealed in Holy Writ. Men, in their teeble attempts to express great things, are lavish of words ; but when the Spirit of God vouchsafes to praise a creature, His eulogies ara brief, simple, majestic; for it becometh Infinite Wisdom to disclose a world of marvels in a single word. Accordingly, this simple but inspired sentence of the Gospel, 'Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was bojp Jesus,' contains plainly or implicitly the most complete eulogium of St. Joseph. For it openly declares him to be the husband of the Virgin Mother of the Incarnate God, and, in consequence, the adoptive fatter of Jesus ; two prerogatives which evidently set him iar above all other 6aitits, save his own incomparable spouse, the Immaculate Mother of God. la the first place, to form an adequate notion of the unspeakable greatness conferred on Joseph by his title of Mary's husband, it would be necessary to understand the greatness of Mary. But this is what no human intellect can do thoroughly, still, with the help of holy Church's wonderful teaching, with the lignt stud upon our souls in prayer, and the faint glimmering of our unaided reason, we are able to rise so high in the contemplation of Mary's prerogatives as to be lost in transports of admiration and love. Let us, then, hearken for a few moments to the noble words of Pope Pius IX., summing up briefly but majestically the whole teaching of the fathers with reference to the Immaculate Mother of God. ' Mary,' he says, 'is a temple created by God Himself, formed by the Holy Ghost, adorned with the richest purple and the purest gold which Divine Wisdom ever wrought ; she is, in fact, the especial masterpiece of the blessed Trinity— a nature ever rescued from the lery darts of Satan— a nature all beautiful, without the slightest stain, and shedding, at tin moment of her conception, upon the world, seated in darkness and the shadow of death, the bright glow of the fairest morn. She is all-pure, all-chaste, all-innocent, fairer than fairness, charming above all charms, holier than holiness, the only creature that has been entirely made the tabernacle of all the graces of the Holy Ghost. In fine, she is that woman who is under God, but above all creatures, who is more beautiful, more holy, more perfect than the cherubim and teraphim, than the whole army of angels ; and whose praise no tongue on earth or in heaven, except that of her Divine Son, can fitly sound.' Thus speaks the glorious Pontiff, in that solemn Bull in which he proclaims lo the applauding universe the dogma of the immaculate conception. What a magnificent eulogium ! And yet his Holiness dwells chiefly on only one of Mary's prerogatives, that of her stainless conception. But she is not less singular and incomparable in her other excellencies. She is a mother, but her motherhood is crowned with the snow-white flower of virginity ; she is a virgin, but her virginity is graced with the fruits of motherhood ; she is a queen, but her sway outreaches all might and power of this world ; bhe is blessed of Gjd, but blessed above all women. Now, if she is unparalleled asa mother, as a virgin, as a queen ; unparalleled in all her privileges, must she not also be unparalleled hs a bride? Judge of it by your own feelings. If Almighty God, communicating to you a peri ion of His infinite wisdom, had told you to choose a fit cousort for the Blessed Virgin, would you not have singled out the greatest of kings, the wisebt of sages, the most exalted of saints ? And do you think that the Holy Ghost, the Author of this heavenly match, has had less affection an I wisdom in selecting for Mary a husbmd in all things woithy of her exaltedness ? Of course, Mary is inconceivably holier than Joseph, being inferior to her Divine Sou alone ; still, it is necessary to admit that Joseph must have possessed a degree of excellence in some sort proportijnate to that of Mary ; for in all suitable alliances there must be a resemblance of manners, inclinations, and conditions m the two contracting parties. Judge, then, by this of St. Joseph's greatness. Measure, if you can, the height, breadth, and depth of Maiys greatness, and then say boldly —for such is the truth— that Infinite Wisdom itself has deemed Sf Joseph a fit husband for such a wife. Oh, how highly this choice proclaims his glory ? Whun great King D.ivid was but a shepherd, he slew the giant Goliath, and delivered the people of God from the incessant taunts and insults of their enemies. The reward of his heroism was King Saul's daughter in marriage ; nor did that sovereign deem it possible to honour the youthful her > more signally than by making him one person with his daughter, and thus admitting him into his own royal family. But how much more has the King of Heaven honoured St. Joseph, by giving him not His daughter only, but His own mother, thus entrusting him with the guardianship of His only-begotten Son, who was to deliver from a far more cruel foe than Goliath, not one people only, bit all mankind .' What a glory to be the master and lord of the queen of men and angels ! What a glory to see this incomparable Vugin subject to hid authority, and saying to him with the same feelinps as of old Sarah said to Abraham: ' Thou art my husband and my lord.' O sublime elevation ! Matchless dignity of S . Joseph, whom the Queen of Heaven, the Sovereign of the world, the Mother of God, has considered worthy to be called her lord ! Nor was this his only excellence. He was also the adoptive father of the Son of God made man. While the Holy One, the Messiah, Juaus, still lived concealed under the veil of mysteiy, Ik fore He had declared and proved His Divinity to mankind, He vs 3 d to be called the carpenter's son, the son of Joseph. The Blessed Virgin herself, in the temple before the doctors of the law, whom her Divine Son had just astounded by the wisJom of His answers, calls Joseph His Father : ' Behold,' she says, ' thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.' And the Gospel adds that the Divine Child was ' subject to them.' Remark the word ' them.' He was alike subject to Jubepn and to Mary. The id^a of subjection supposes that of superiority, and St. Joseph's quality of father gave him a just and legitimate authority over the God-man, as thu Gcspel expressly states :■ He was subject to them.' What a prerogative ! It seemed that God could not raise men higher than by making them His children by charity. ' Behold,' said the Apostle in admiration, ' what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called, and should be, the sons of God.' But here is a man
who is styled the father of the Incarnate God, and therefore possessed of a dignity unique on earth. He receive* the name, the office, the affection, the solicitude, the tenderness of a father over the Son of God made man. Our Siviour, as God, sits at the right hand of His Father in heaven ; and, as a man, at the right hand of Joseph on e*arth. By this dignity Joseph towers above the angels of heaven, and stands s.cond to none of the saints of the Old and New Testaments, except the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God. What, for instance, is Adam's glory of being the fountain-head of mankind, or Abraham's, of being the father of all true believers, when contrasted with the glory of Joseph, the adoptive father— but still the real father — not, indeed, by generation, but by affection and divine appointment— ot Him who made all men and angels out of nothing by the omnipotence of His word? Such is the ineffibta grandeur of St. Joseph— husband of Mary, Mother of God, foster-father of Jesus, the Incarnate God : two prerogatives far above the praises of men and angels for all eternity. Could he possibly have stronger claims to our deepest veneration ? In the next place, we invoke him for his powerful patronage. Three qualities are requisite to constitute a perfect patron or intercessor, viz., the knowledge of our wants, the power to assist them, and the will. That Joseph can know our necessities, when we invoke him is indubitable. The angels of heaven know them, and God who intrusts them with the care of our souls, reveals to them our inmost thought, and reads to them our hearts. They regret our vices and rejoice at our virtues ; there is joy among them— Our Saviour tells — when a sinner is converted. Why then should not Joseph, who surpasses them in glory, possess the same privilege? No further proof ia wanted to substantiate his thorough acquaintance with our requirement?. Again, he has the power to help us ; because it is an incontestable principle that the power of a saint on high is proportionate to the elevation of his glory ; and it is an exceedingly well-grounded opinion that Joseph's glory outshines that of all the other sain to, except the Blessed Mother of God. Bat he is powerful in heaven, principally because he has the key to the hearts of Jesus and Mary. He was the foster-father of Christ, therefore his power over the heart of Cnrist is immense. For, if that Divine Lord commands all children to be affectionate, and dutiful to their father ; if He rewards the cup of cold water given in His name to the least of His sarvants, more than kings would every drop of oar life-blood shed for them on the bittle-field ; if He promises incomparable blessings, temporal and eternal, to those who fee 1 and clothe Him in ths parson of the poor ; what must ba his sentiments towards Joseph, whose toil and care and love immediately aff acted His own adorable person and to whom he could say without figure, and with the exictaess of truth, " I was hungry and you give ma to eat; and I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink ; I was threatened with death, and you rescued me from my cruel foe ; I was an orphan and a wanderer upon the earth, and you sheltered, clothed, and maintained me. What shall I give you who have given me in some sort life itself Blessed be God my Father, blessed be Mary who formed my body from her precious virginal substance, but also blessed hi these hands of yours, which, by their unceasing toil, reared, strengthened and matured that humanity watch I lail ou the cr jss for the salvation of mankind.' Like the enrapured Tobias of old to tae Angel Raphael , our Saviour seems t> say to HU Heavenly Father, 'What return s mil we make to t l iis man who snatched me from the tyrant's sword, who ministered to my wants for thirty years, who protected my Mother's spotless purity, and was our providence on earth? What can we give him sufficient for his services ? Ah, we will divide our power, glory, and graces with him, and, like the Patriarch Joseph, who was but the figure of him, he shall have the keys of the storebouse of our blessings for man.' Then consider his power on account of Mary's affection for him. As she undoubtedly loves him more than any other creature, her zeal, nay, her passion for his glory, impels her to ask for him a vast influence over the heart of GoJ, and, as she is omnipotent in supplication (omnipotent supplex) she makes Joseph share in some manner this omnipotence. What more can be said 1 Now we understand the admiration, the wonder, the rapt enthusiasm of the saints and doctors, when expatiating on the powerful intercession of Joseph ; the burning accents of a Theresa, or a Bernard, or a host of others. Now we sco why the peerless doctor, St.- Thomas, proclaims that Joseph's power is not only immense, but universal., '.Some saints,' he says, 'have received from God the power of assisting us in certain particular needs ; but Joseph's credit is not thus limited ; it extends to every speciod of want or requirement. Men of every conditiou find in him a powerful patron ; the groat and noble, because he was the descendent of patriarchs and kings ; the artisan aud the poor, because he did not disdain their lowly state, but worked throughout his whole lifetime as a carpenter ; married persons, because he was the head of the Holy Family ; virgins, because he protected the Virgin Mother of a Virgin God ; youth and childhood, because he was ttie preserver aud guardian of the child Christ our L^rd. But what completes his perfection as a patron is that his willingness to assist us is fully equal to hW power. Why so 1 For this simple reason that he was our father. When Almighty God set him as a father over his Incarnate Son, the Redeemer of the world, He bestowed on him, at the same time, we are told by the doctors aid saints, a grace of paternity with regard to mankind ; that is, an especial grace, causing him to turn his thoughts and affections towards men, and engaging him to procure for them the abundant blessings which an affectionate parent would desire for his children. Since, therefore, Josepa v a divinely constituted father of men, he evidently has a father's goodness for them. Can anything better display his readiness to help us 1 Did he ever refuse, when ou earth, to ask favours from Jesus for those who sought his mediation ? Has his goodness lessened now that he is in glory ? Is not charity more ardent in heaven thau on earth ? Exalted, transformed, united to the Divine Essence, he now see* more clearly the need, the preciousnesd of our salvation. ' No, no, 1 exclaims St. Cyprian, speaking of the saiuts in general ; and tns words apply more particularly to St. Joseph. ' No, no, iheir zeal for us was never what it is now. Secure iv their own felicity, th >y aro
!S2 ™ j£L°?™« (s****"* ** *»<* fHieitate teevri, tantum de n*™. "Utotei'V Can we believe that Joseph who, at the example YeV c P SL b , er ' offered °P hfa wn to the crow fo » mankmfl, would now t>e forgetful of them in the bosom of eternal bliss T Could he I e . B £P* tbirt y yearßy earß in the company of our Blessed Saviour, withoat imbibing an unbounded zeal for our welfare ? The thought were ftlMpnemous. Did not a moment's conversation with our U>rd change the Samaritan woman from a public sinner into an upoitle who brought about the conversation of hundreds of her countrymen ? If one v^it of onr Redeemer, even rtill in His Mother b womb, sanctified John Baptist before his bir;h. and made blm a lamp of xeal so bright and glowing as to illumine the wildernew itwlf and call forth the admiration of the Incarnate Son of God ; if a simple vision of Jesus converted St. Paul from a fierce persecutor into an apostle who. in a transport of charity. wished to be anathema from Christ for his brethren : whose zeal fired well-nirh the whole known world of his time, rtill glows in every page of his inspired writing*, and fans the heroism of counting missioners in every clime, what, tbink yon, must he Joseph's zeal for our welfare •nd for the glory of Christ in us, after enjoying His Divine presence, i!i !€88on?'! €88on ?' conversations, and example for so many years ? How could he abide near that furnace of charity and not thrill with its warmtn 7 Or be plunged into that ocean of love and not be saturated Dy it to hi» heart's core ? Ab, hf« affection for our Saviour is the measure of his affection for us ; jud;?e, therefore, if it be not inconceivable. We are miserable, but he is the foster-father of mercy itself; we are sinners, aye, grievous, habitual hardened Btnnew— but be is the father of Him who lived and died for sinners. Let us then raise our drooping spirits, and expand onr hearts, and confidently ask him— not for the fleeting joys i :15 w world». orld » not for honours, riches, pleasure*", which he despised as ministering to pride, passion, and sin ; but for really substantial, everlasting benefits, a deep, sincere hatred of sin, a profound dread or toe awful judgments of God. an unreserved submission to His holy, law ; for that Christian fortitude, that manly virtue, required to preserve us from the corruption of the world, to make us stem the torrent of custom, trample on human respect, resist the scandal of bad example ; to be the slaves neither of lust nor ambitfon, but charitable to the poor, condescending to our inferiors, a« j oar 0 " 1 * devoted to the discharge of our daily duties, ready to foreive our enemies and pray for them ; jwd, like our Blessed Lord Himself, pass through this world doing good to all men. In short, let us implore Bt. Joseph's powerful intercession, that we may be enabled to walk in his footsteps and imitate nw virtues, which is the end of all true devotion to him ; for he is not only our powerfnl advocate, but our most perfect model. it is a beautiful thought of St. Augußtine, when speaking of the honours paid to the martyrs, he tells us that the celebration of their feasts exhorts us to follow their example. Now, applying these words to my subject, I say that our devotion to St. Joseph ought to have bnt one main object, the faithful imitation of his virtues. We cannot imitate him m his singular and extraordinary graces, in those marvellous prerogatives, that astounding dignity of reputed father of Christ and spouse of Mary. We can only admire and venerate those wonders, and thank Almighty God for His bestowal of them ; but they Btand far above the sphere of our feeble thoughts and actions. # ?%.'• v v We Can imitate Jn Joseph is hiß holiness, nay, the plenitude of his holiness, the perfection of his holiness, the perseverance of his holiness. O, what a depth of instruction these words disclose ! First we must imitate the plenitude of Joseph's holiness. For it is not with him as with certain souls, in whom some virtue only is conapicuous. But he is an accomplished pattern of every virtue, a model *?♦ t!° Btateß and conditions. Ye priests end ministers of the altar, he is especially your model. Your consecrated hands touch so Often the body of our Lord in the adorable Eucharist ; and Joseph was the first of all men to take the Divine Babe in his arms ; you sacrifice the spotless Lamb of God daily upon the altar, and Joseph °™fed him thousands of times every day upon his heart, besides sbeddmg the first drop of his precious blood by the circumcision ; you distribute the body of our Lord to the faithful, as Joseph presented Him to adoring shepherds and the Magi. Be ye. therefore, innocent, faithful, zealous, like him. Ye religious souls that dwell in silence and prayer, far from the din and turmoil of the world, Joseph is your pattern— he spent the most blessed years of bis life "J the qu«et retreat of Nazareth, conversing solely with Jesus and Mary. Ye Christian youths and maidens, learn from him what you are so often careless about, and what, however, it so much behoves you to know, I mean that unsullied innocence of body and soul, that precious and priceless jewel of purity ; learn from him to shun the world, and particularly certain company in the world ; to be continually watchful over your heart lest the evil one snatch it from you ; to repress your senses and forbid them any dangerous liberty ; to be cautious what you see, and above all, what you read, for a most corrupt and corrupting literature is spreading with fearful rapidity, and threatens the unwary youth with shipwreck whithersoever he goes. Ye fathers and mothers, masters and mistresses, let Joseph teach you to regulate your families and households in a Christian manner, to maintain therein order and piety ; to bring up your children, not according to your views only, but according to the designs of God ; to excite them to His holy service principally by your own good example, and be ready, if such is His will, to give them up to Him altogether. But who, beyond ail others, should take Joseph for their model ? Undoubtedly the poor, the hard-working, the needy— that favourite portion of Chiist's flock. For St. Joseph, though of royal blood from kings whom God had entbrored, bore poverty and toil without murmuring, nay, with joy and love. Learn from him that honest poverty is no disgrace ; since the mother of a God, the guardian of a God, and a God Himself, preferred poverty to regal wealth, and a workshop to a throne. Learn, like Joseph, to support your hardships with resignation, and with him in heaven you shall be envied by the rich for evermore. In a word, whether in prosperity or adversity, in grandeur or humiliation, in obedience or commßnJ. in business or devotion, • Go to Joseph,' study Joseph, copy Joseph : his life is a mirror of every virUe. Imitate him next in the peifec-
tion of his holiness. Perhaps you will say it is too sublime. To that I answer that Jesus Christ— an infinitely more perfect person—cotnmandsusto imitate Himself and His Father. 'Be ye perfect,' heeavs, 'as your heavenly Father is perfect.' True we have not received the same graces as Joseph, and therefore we can never equal his perfection ; but we can nnd we muet approach it more and more. We can. by taking Joseph for our pattern, shake off that tepidity and slothfulness which blight and mar our best actions ; we can, by contemplating Joseph's love be ashamed of our cold indifference and re-kindle the fire of charity in our bosoms ; we can, by looking at his recollection, be confounded at our habitual distractions and mental wanderings in the most holy exercises, ard train our souls to the practice of attentive fervent prayer ; we can, by setting before as the courage, patience, uprightness, humility of St. Joseph, confess before God our weakness, frivolity, foolish self-seeking, pride, and rouse ourselves to combat them effectually. We shall never reach the Fame sublime height a? he did, hut we can rise considerably, and leave many others far below. Lastly, imitate Joseph in the steadfastness and perseverance of bis holiness. For alas I it were useless to have done everything else if this • one thing necessary ' wer« wanting. •In Christians,' says St. Jerome, 'it is not the beginning that God crowns, but the end.' And this perseverance, on which eternity depends, St. Josflph is, to our great hope, peculiarly fitted to obtain ; for, having died "himself in the arms of Jesus and Mary, he is acknowledged by the whole Church as the patron of a good death, and under that title is so often invoked by tbe faithful. O, great St. Joseph, our powerful patron and most perfect model, we resolve henceforth to begin at least to implore tbee with confidence, and imitate thee in earnest. Ah I from tbee we hope to obtain that spirit of fa : tb by which we may direct everyone of our actions to our last end, the attainment of everlasting felicity ; that unshaken confidence in God which nothing can confound; that ardent love of God which the waters of temptation cannot quench which tri am phs over the wiles of Satan and the terrors of death ; and finally that celestial glory which will never end. And now, let me advert, in conclusion, to th« immediate object of to-day's festival. It seem? to me that your hearts must now be filled with mingled sentiments of joy and consolation, together with feelings of honest pride. In some measure, like the Israelites after the dedication of Solomon's temple, ' you will each, 1 to use tbe words of Holy Writ, • return to your dwellings rejoicing and glad in heart for all the good things that the Lord hath done you.' (1 Kings, viii., 66). Accept my warmest congratulations. I congratulate the architect on his design and the builders on their work, which reflects the highest credit on themsel ves,on this city.and on the whole colony. I congratulate your venerated Bishop, whose energy, distinguished ability, and perseverance have been crowned with unqualified success. May he live to see the completion of this graceful structure, and point to it, with noble pride, as a lasting monument of the faith and generosity of his people ! I congratulate hia zealous hardworking clergy who have lent him that able and unflagging co-operation. But while I gladly praise the living, charity compels me not to forget the dead. Venerable forms loom up again before me, and hosts of pleasant memories come crowding on my mind. I remember the first saintly founders of this diocese, the pioneers of religion in this land ; and when I consider what manner of life was theirs, the difficulties they overcame, the resources they created, the hardships and privations and unknown dangers they faced with a steadfastness of ourpose. energy, and courage, often carried to heroism — those humble pioneers stand out before me, not as lowly missioners any longer, but transfigured with shining light, glowing in all the majesty and supernatural loveliness of Apostles ; and from the ch-ur of truth I cannot help proclaiming our deep indebtedness to them for the work they accomplished. They sowed in tears, and we reap in joy. They planted the mustard seed, we behold the goodly tree. I congratulate those liberal hands and devout heart 9, whose charity stands firmly embodied in these walls as a memorial and an example, awaiting a glorious reward. All honour to their zeal, and may divine blessings shower down in thousands upon their heads 1 And may such blessings, together with our heartiest thanks, descend upon tbe venerable prelates who have come so far to grace this ceremony with their presence ; and more especially upon the illustrious Prince of the Church, hi& Eminence the Cardinal, who fo kindly and graciously presides over all the proceedings of this ever-memorable day. Blessings, in fine, upon all who have had a part, proximate or remote, in the construction of this monument, or who will contribute to the payment of its expenses, and the finishing of its decorations ; blessings on all who iv heart, word, or deed, have been, are, or will be, the friends and zealous promoters of so great a work. Amen. Amen. His Lordship added a few words relative to tbe great work that the Cardinal would perform in a day or two at Christchurcb where his Eminence would proceed for the purpose of laying the foundation stone of a Magdalen Asylum. He begged for the prayers of the congregation that the undertaking might result in a success by rescuing in a signal manner the poor creatures for whose benefit it was intended. The most rev. preacher referred as well to the great work of Catholic education in especial reference to St. Patrick's College, Wellington, which had lately commenced studies with an attendance of 96, and which had now 106 pupils, thus showing the need that had existed for it. His Eminence Cardinal Moran would formally open tho institution on Sunday, tbe 21st inst. On the conclusion of the sermon, Mendelssohn's '■ Lauda Sion " was sung by the choir, and afterwards the Bishop of Dunedin entered the pulpit and addressed the congregation. His Lordship announced that the Cardinal would celebrate Mas? in the cathedral at 7 a.m. the following morning. (We borrow this report of the Bishop's address from the Daily Times). In future there would be Mass in the cathedral every morning, and old St. Joseph's would now be devoted to its original purpose— viz., that of a school. He had row to return thanki all round — to his Eminence for coming to preside, to the Lord Bishops for coming to render help, and to those rev. gentlemen wko had come at considerable expense and labour to take part in tbe joy of that
( Continued on pagr 1 7.)
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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 43, 19 February 1886, Page 2
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16,632THE VISIT OF HIS EMINENCE THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY TO DUNEDIN, AND DEDICATION OF ST. JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL. New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 43, 19 February 1886, Page 2
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