ST. PATRICK'S SEMINARY, MANLY, NEAR SYDNEY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 43, 15 February 1889, Page 23

ST. PATRICK'S SEMINARY, MANLY, NEAR SYDNEY.

(From the Freeman's Journal.) Shortly after 3 o'clock on- January 23, the primcipal htll on the first floor was crowded to witness the f >rmal ceremony of opening the seminary, and to hear the address vr hicb the Tery Rev. Father O'Farrell C.88.R. had been announced to deliver. His Eminence, before introducing the preacher, said it was a great pleasure to him to declare St. Patrick's Seminary open for the reception of aspirants to the holy office of the priesthood. He wu sure all present shared in the aensj of pride and pleasure he experienced on that eventful day, and he was confident also that they all joined with him in hoping that under the Divine blessing the seminary would be bpeedily productive of the happieit results in supplying the Church of Australia with a body of bright and <levoted young priests, who would have the special advantage in ministering to the spiritual requirements of the Catholic community of having grown up around the altars and sanctuaries of their own fair native land, and of having stored their minds and disciplined their hearts in an institution peculiarly Australian. St. Patrick's was destined to pUy an important part in the religious advancement of the colonies, and he had little doubt that the priests who w >uld go forth from those walls would prove themselves in no degree inferior to the brave and devoted men who had come from other lands to labour for God in Australia, and who had by their zeal and their self-sacrifice kept the lamp of faith brightly burning in this continent. No church could V c considered established on a firm and enduring basis until it had its own priesthood — a priesthood which had sprung up within itself and from its own body — and the fact that Australia uad now an ecclesiastical seminary in which its youth might be trained for the piieathood could not but inspire all interested in the great spiritual as well as the great material advancement of this favoured land with feelings of great happiness and consolation. It would be a sad thing if Australia, wnich had made such marvellous strides in all material things, should be lacking in any of the great test points of a Christian nation, and it was, he thought, a subject for joy and congratulation than an auspicious commencement had been made that day with a great sacred work which was destined to be fruitful of blessings and consolations, not only to the young and vigorous Church of Australia but to the whole community . THE DISCO UBSE. The Very Rev. Father O'Farrell, C.SS.R., then delivered an eloquent aldress on the characte r and the aims of the seminary. Father O'Farrell. opening his address, said :— A few short years ago I stood up m this headland admiring the beautiful and expansive view which it commands. It was then a bleak and barren spot, houseless and cheerless. The very proximity of tbe Qaarantine reserve seemed to make the place more uninviting and strange. The cold iron fence seemed to say, " Keep away ; come not here ; it ia the Molokai of New South Wales— the place where the plague-stiicken are sheltered." Yet on ttat very day. an J on this bleak, and cheerless headland, was fixe i the site ot the noble building that is tbis day inaugurated. It is but another instance of the civilising iofluence of the (Jatbolic Church whicn tbe prophet foretold would make the desert bloom, and whicu has been already fully accomplished in the Christian civilising of the barbarism of Europe. It is indeed a noble building— a building of which Australia in her growing greatness may be proud— a lilting oruameot to grace the entrance of Sydney's far-famed beautiful bay — a watch-tuwer to signal to every traveller that here Christianity has gained a footing, and the Catholic Church is at work. But why raise such a pile ? why Buch massive masonry ? why that tall majestic tower 1 why those elabora c carvings 1 why such spacious halle. such imposing colonnades 1 What means suoh lavish expenditure 1 Could not the money that built it be given to the poor? Thoughts and sentiments of this kind filled the narrow mind of Judas when he saw Mary Magdalen lavish her precious ointment on Him whom sbe bpheved to be God. And such, too, is tbe feeling of many about this dllege because they know not its end — the sublime purpose for which it is destined , they know not nor appreciate the results to be looked for from its working. To give majesty to the law, to inspire respect for authority, to exalt our ideas of learning and of the cultivation of the arts and sciences, enormous sums are yearly ex. pended by the State, by municipalities, ami by individuals ou law courts, Houses ci Parliament, Treasury offices, on libraries and museums. What purpose his tbe Catholic Church in view when she puts forth her hand to build up such a splendid inaiitution aa this? She has a great principle to vindicate, a great truth to witness to in this land. That principle is the principle of Christian and Catholio education — that truth is the dignity and sanctity of the Roman Catholic priesthood. And the noble structure that n«w crowns this bill is the embodiment, the substantial expression of the Church's exulted views concern ni? the educatio j of her children, but especially of those children destined to be her pne ts. By the providence of God a Prince of the Church is sent here to represent and carry out the viewH of the Church in a princely measure, and he is here to-day to open this institution with befitting solemnity and pomp. An august assemblage of bishops and dignitaries is gathered around him, and a brilliant array of the cultivated talent of our young Australian nation is also here to add splendour to the ceremonial. And right fitting it should bj so, for it is Catholic unity that has given tj this the queen city a rich gem of architecture, ■<% meet companion for St. Mary's Cathedral across t-ie harbour, a new and splendid sanctuary of the highest kind ot religious education is opened, where thosa who are called by God as Aaron was shall be trained and fitted for the highest dignity and office man can ahpire to — the dignity and office ot the Catholic priest. To educate the young Levite, to fit him for the exalted office he aspires to, to send him fortn a fitting labourer for the vineyard, a worthy shepherd for the floek — tins is the aim — this tlie work — this ihe anticipated fruit of St. Patrick's Austrahau beolesiasticul Seminary. With such a view before me I Can easily understand why you, my Lord Cardinal, have your heart in thia

work, why you have spared no expense in raising a structure worthy of such a sub lime purpose, and why your heart throbs to-day with holy joy to see thus far your noble aspirations realised — a new espousnl in faith between the priesthood and people of Australia. Tbe j/eacher, after fully axplaimn^ the religious significance of the erection of such an institution, and the part St. Patrick was destined to play in an ecclesiastical and intellectual sense, sketched the work to be done, and pointed out the obligations of the clergy and laity to succour and support the college by every means in thbir power, remarking that it was absolutely esseutial tbat the establishment, on account of its peculiar character, should be free and independent of civil power. In that college the students would receive a high intellectual training, and their hearts would ba perfectly moulded to ■virtue, Bel f -sacrifice, and chanty, on the model of tbe Divine exemplar. Father O'Farrell thus concluded : From this Seminary will go forth the man whose influence is more powerful than that of statesman or general— because God is with him — and whose ministrations bring more solid and abiding comfort than all the wealth of the world can buy. Therefore I congratulate you, my Lord Cardinal, and you, my lords, for though the prospect of a large ripening harvest may reader your souls anxious, to-day is opened a Seminary in whose halls will be reared a goodly army of zealous labourers to gather in the sheaves. I congratulate you, also, very reverend brethren, for here will be trained in the same holy traditions worthy successors of your ministry, and heirs of your sacerdotal virtues. I congratulate you, too, the Catholic people of Sydney, first, that you have in your midst architects whose genius could give birth to such a sublime conception, and that Australian hands have been found able to build up a structure which in nobility of design and magnificence of proportions is unrivalled by any of the historic colleges and seminaries of the older countries. But I congratulate you still more on the fact that, with the establishment of this Seminary, it will be now in Australia as it has been and is in Ireland, the glory of the father's life and the joy of the mother's heart to see a child of theirs enter this Seminary, and go forth from it crowned with the dignity of the priesthood. Rejoice then to-day, Catholic Australians, for a light is risen for you, here in the land of your birth or adoption, a source is opened which shall ever send forth its streams of salvation and consolation which your fathers ever thirsted after and drank of when they could with so much profit. And let our ardent prayer to heaven this day be that, by the grace of God and under the blessed patronage of St. Patrick, what Clonmacnoise and Bangor and Lismore did for Ireland, this Seminary may do for Australia — make it a land of scholars and of saints. There was no collection, by the Cardinal's instructions ; but it was intimated that the Rector, Mgr. Verdon, would be happy t3 I receive donations from any friends who were desirous of showing practical sympathy with the object for which the institution was founded. Father O'Farrell's discourse terminated the day's proceedings. During the afternoon the Seminary waß thrown open to the public, and the visitors who thronged the halls and corridors found I the inspection of the building a very interesting and pleasant experience. Ten students, we understand, have already entered the Seminary. Donations amounting to over £400 were handed in after the opening ceremony. A. DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING Architecturally, the Seminary ranks first among the college buildings of Australia. It is a noble structure, and its features of commanding grace and beauty are set off by the peculiarly picturesque character of the Bite and its surrounding's. Standing on tbe highest part of Manly, the great white walls and lofty towers present an appearance which makes the college a conspicuous feature of the landscape scenery of the Heads, and an object which challenges attention from all who pass in and out of the harbour, lo his Eminence tbe Cardinal-Aichbishop belong the credit both of conceiving the idea of establishing the college, and of successfully carrying the project into practical effect, and the magnitude of tbe undertaking may be best estimated by the consideration of the fact that it has involved an expenditure of £7©,000 in round numbers. The style of the building is pure Gothic, of the early French domestic school, and with its pointed arches, clustered columns, cloisters and branching roof, the building possesses a charm seldom met with in colonial architecture. The proportion of the building have been evidently carefully studied. Tbe various parts are harmonised and skilfully worked out, and combine three very excellent qualitiesorder, proportion, and durability. It is probably the largest structure ever dt6igned by a private firm in tte colonies, and contains an area in its various floors of nearly #0,000 square feet. The building has been well grouped and artistically broken up in large masses «vith due regard for light and shade. Not all the architect's care, however, has been bestowed on tbe exterior, for the arrangements of the interior have been thoughtfully studied. The Seminary is a fourstory structure, with a tower in the centre of the principal facade, facing the pretty seaside village of Manly, and its walls rise to a height of about 180 feet. In the centre underneath the tower is a bold pointed entrance arch with four orders of shafts with foliated caps and moulded arches, with label moulding terminating in a moulded cap that forms a basis for the statuette of St. Francis Xavier. The spandrils are rilled in with two elaborately moulded quatrefoils with bold early French shield, containing the Fapal arms and those of bis Eminence, one being on either aide. Monograms and the date of erection, together with a panel with the words, " St. Patrick's Seminary," surmount these. Above the main entrance there are two beautiful iracery windows, filled in with sta'ned glass, tbat light the oratory on the first floor. Tha porch is fourteen feet square, and gives admission on either side on to a balcony, with arcade 3 and balustrade. Passing from the porch througn the main doorway the vi6itor is struck with the large central hall, measuring 44ft by 20ft wide. At the rear of this are the cloisterfjkl2ft wide, f»x tend ing from end to end, a length of 200tt. The pru jbal stair case, admirably and artistically designed, faces the chierthtrance, and forms one of the features of the interior. Tne staircase is supported on columns and arches, resting on coupled columns, with cleverly-moulded capitals, bases, and mr-baaes. Bnter-

ing under these arches the eye is charmed bj the view. Tier upon tier of pointed and rampant arches rise one above the other with their beauteoua proportions and their exquisitely treated mouldings, bold, yet delicate in profile, with all the artistic rendering of light and shade characteristic of the masterpieces of the middle ages. One cannot help admiring this staircase, all the c >nstruction of which is honest and open to the eye, the noble newels at the top being in complete tnrmony with the arches at the bottom, and the whole, combined with the " dim religious light "shining through the stainedglass windows on the bewititul colour of the Pyrmont stone used in its construction, prolucing both a pleasing and a solemn effect. With regard 10 the ■ xterwr, the most striking and impressive feature perhaps, is the front arcades supporting the verandahs and two balconies. They harmonise admirably with the design of the gable ends and shelter the rooms on the principal fronts from the fierce rayi ol the western sun, casting deep siiadows of gracefal contour over the light-coloured stone of which the main building is constructed. The lower arcade presents a striking appearance with its lower story of eegmental arches, the mouldings of which are quaintly developed, frotu the circular moulded capital with stops, to the square arris of the member that receives the eke wback. Tbe arcades and balconies, M well as the entrance hall and cloisters on the ground floor, are paved with black and white marble laid in diamond fashion. The balustrade is very simple in design, but well-proportioned, and aids the tout entemble in a great degree. The arcade on the first floor is differently treated, and if possible is more beautiful than the one below. The arches are painted with circular openings between them ; the balustrades are also different— no repetition showing poverty of design. Generally speaking there is nothing elaborate in the details ; all is plain, relying for effect on the beautiful proportions that the architects (Messrs. Sheerin and Hennessy) have worked out. The finest view of St. Patrick's Seminary, we think is that obtained from the north-west, taking in the front elevation, and that towards the ocean. This wall has no cross wall to tie it to the main building on the ground or first floors, so that it was necessary to construct buttressess to strengthen the wall. These buttresses, seven in number, terminate as peleatalsto suDport statues. They are weli proportioned, admirably adapted to their purposes, and give remarkable dignity to the ocean view. The ceilings throughout are lined with kauri an t cedar, panelled and varnished, giving a cheerful appearance to the interior. Every room is specially ventilated, and the excellence of the workmanship throughout specially attracted the attention of the visitors.