TIMARU.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 8, 23 June 1893, Page 21

TIMARU.

(From an occasional Correspondent.)

Thb parish of Timaru celebrated its patronal festival on Sunday the 11th inst ; the Sunday within the octave of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The church aad parish being dedicated to the Sacred Heart, Father Hurlin, our wortny pastor, made every preparation to celebrate the day in a fitting and becoming manner. Hie Lordship Dr Grimes arrived by express on the previous Hay to take part in tne celebrations. His Lordship was met at the Btation by Fathers Hurlin and Tubman and a large number of the congregation, and was immediately driven to the presbytery, followed by a four-in-hand drag filled by several of the parishioners. On Sunday at both Masses and at Vespers the church was crowded. At 9 o'clock the greater portion of tbe congregation responded to Father Hurlin's invitation of the previous Sunday aad approached Holy Communion to worthily honour the day. The Aloysians, decorated with their pretty rosettes aad medals and headed by their president, Father Tubman, marched from their rooms to the church and also approached Holy Communion. Pontifical High Mass was sung by his Lordship at 11 am., Father Hurlin being assistant priest, Fathers Regoault and Tubman, deacon and sub-deacon respectively ; he also ponificated at Vespers. Tbe choir sang Farmer's Mass in B flat, and were assisted by Mr Wood's string band, Miss Eliza McGuinness presiding at the organ. The soloists were Misses McGuinness and Woods (sopranos;, Miss McKennah (alto), Messrs McGuinness and Foley (tenors), and Messrs Duval and McKennah (basses). The Mass was tastefully rendered, the violin accompaniments being very fine. His Lordship Bishop Grimes gave two eloquent discourses, one at High Mass on tbe parable of the lost sheep (Luke xv.) ; and another at Vespers on

devotion to the Sacred Heart. His Lordship showed tbe antiquity of the devotion and its rapid spread and development since it reoeivsd the formal sanction of the Church about 200 years ago, and concluded a beautiful discourse with an eloquent peroration on tbe love of the Sacred Heart. The Bey Fathers Treacey (Geraldine) and Le Petit (Temuka*) were present at Vespers and assisted at the ceremonies.

On Monday evening the entertainment in aid of the schools took place in the Theatre Royal. The principal item of the evening was a lecture by his Lordship Bishop Grimes on two cities, fit Tenice, the Qaeen of the Adriatic— the lovelisst city in the world, and Pompeii, the disentombed city— the strangest city in the world.— The Theatre was comfortably filled, and the audience listened with wrapt attention as the eloquent lecturer showed them the wonders of Venice, its magnificent churches, palaces, and canals. Mr Charles Knight manipulated the lantern and produced many vivid and beautiful representations of the various structures as they were passed in review by bis Lordship. An ex bans live and graphic description of the disentombed rains of Pompeii followed, also illustrated with limelight views, his Lordship being loudly applauded at the close of the lecture. — The children of the convent school sang a pretty action song, " Buy a broom." The movements of the pupils in this song were greatly appreciated. They marched and countermarched without word of command, but with tbe greatest precision, and went through many surprisingly difficult evolutions. Mr Ellis Wood played a 'cello solo, " The last rose of snmmer," and bad to respond to an encore* " List to tbe convent bells " was also given by tbe pupils, bringing a very successful and interesting entertainment to a close.