THE MISSION AT BLENHEIM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 14, 3 August 1894, Page 29

THE MISSION AT BLENHEIM.

(From an occasional Correspondent.)

DURING the week ending Sunday, June 3rd, cam*) to our midst from the West Coast and Nelson three Vinc^ntiau Katheicj, niia?i naiieaFathers Banley and McCarthy remain' rt here in Blenheim witn our parish priest, the Very Rev Father McNamara, formerly and for a lengthened period Vicar-Uenerai of the iiocese, to preach the mission at St Mary's Church. Their youcger colleague, Father Lyucb, whim I understand has been but recently ordained, and is now engaged in the first crusade of his apostleship, accompanied the rev curate, Father Lewis, from post to post through the outparts of the parmh, Picton, Havelock, Deepcreek, etc. Father Lewia, previous to his holding for a space a responsible office at St Patrick's College, Wellington, which, on account of his failing health, he was obliged to relinquish for a more active life, was for some years stationed amongst us as parish priest of the place. The labours of the good missionaries here being successfully prolonged, Father Lynch completed his rural circuit in time to assist his brother missionaries, and grant us on* specimen of his earnest rhetoric in a style breathing the pure strength of a classic simplicity, conclusively forcible. He took for his text those hope-inspiring words, "The mercy of G>d over-rideth his justice." From here Father Lynch went to Kiikoura to begin once again in the congregation there, coder the charge of Father Madden, bis hallowed tasks.

Father McCarthy preached in Blenheim the opening mission aennon at the eleven o'clock Mass on the Sunday already mentioned (Jane 3rd), taking at his preface text the beantiful words, " Behold I come to bring you good tiding of great joy," telling us, by the way, that this would undoubtedly be for some, perhaps for anyone, amongst us the last mission of our lives, a closing blessing sent by heaven, athwart our path, across the ocean from afar ; warning all unsolicitouß hearts with the thrilling and awe-inspiring words of Holy Writ, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, He may not come again" ; adding an exhortation in this other sacred text, " Now is the acceptable time, now i 8 the time of salvation." May|dod be praised, few, indeed, of those in the faith were deaf to that call, while many once again bowed their heads in allegiance to the Most High, Who had been long neglectful, if in truth some had not wholly forgotten the rights and claims of His loving service. And in nn cabers, too, to more than fill the small void among those who should have txen His own, came those from outside the fold ; some, no doubt, from idle curiosity, or in search of entertainment, but if thare were possibly any who, in the wordß of the poet, " came to sccfE " there were certainly among them — as was evinced by the sequel ot private inquiry and subsequent conversion — those who "remained to pray."

During both services, the one at nine o'clock in tho morning and the other at half-past seven in the evening, throughout the whole of three weeks in cold and wet weather, of which there was much, as well as during the fitful changes to sunshine and war/nth, the congregation abated not its zeal nor the punctuality of its attendance, coming from all various distances within, and even beyond, ten miles around. And on several of the chief occasions it became necessary to improvise benches from the schoolrooms, placing thtm tranßversly up the aisles, in all the available space befoie and at the back, and even within the rails before Our Lady's alsar. Towards the close of the mission Father H-rnley told the congregation fiom the pulpit, with congratulation, that it had been one of ttie best attended, and in every respect mobt successful missions among all he had given throughout Australasia, and, in fact, within the whole of his long experience.

Within the period of this three weeks were ministered to the people of Blenheim forty long lectures and sermons, any one of which either for its worth or its beauty would have merited a verbatim report, besides daily instructions for the children and many shorter addresses delivered by the preacher's colleague before the chief sermon of the evening, often briefly controversial and in part directly addressed to our non-Catholic friends, in kindly terms of Christian enligbtment and charitable exhortation. Father Hanley invested many with the token of the League of the Croei, that immense temperance movement, first founded in London by the late Cardinal Manning, of euch revered memory, and established that heaven-sent confraternity which he told us was at the present day revolutionising the whole Catholic world, the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Ha formed the congregation into two divisions foundtd on different days, one for the men, and one for the women, and afterwards on Sundays severally appointed, admitted each band (in addition to the epectal mission communions) in a body to Holy Communion. It ii the standing and foremost rule of toe Confraternity that all the associates who have it in their power receive Holy Communion in a body on one Sunday in each month. On this Sunday all the members, as also at their monthly meetings, wear the medals in which they were invested, and take the sittings which were appointed to them at the time of their founding, five in each bench, two benches of occupanti thus formirjg a guild of ten members, each guild bearing he name of the patron saint ascribed to it, and presided over by one

member appointed head of the guild. There are likewise the officers president, secretary, treasurer, and a director in the person of 'he' parish priest.

Close to the end of bis labourß, Father McCar'hy was se *0.1 with the influenza which incapacitated him from preaching at the? eleven o'clock Mans on the closing Sunday, and Father Hanly, after 1 completing big ll r >n^ a"d last ad^rp^" in the *venine, succumbed to 1 the same malady. Taey left as en route for Palmerston North.

W>i bnvp had tßught us a deep lesson of that great power for good which the Almighty often places in the hands of individual personalities— of "The grace of God incarnate in man ," exemolified m powerful illustration of the heavenward influenoe of those, who, choten for his work, lead lives of self •abnegation, in unremitting solicitude for His honour.

The ceremony of the closing night of the mission, which terminated in the renewal of baptismal vows, with lighted tapers held aloft, and then with solemn benediction of the Moat Blessed Sacrament, was generally pronounced by all beholders to be the most imposing and impressive experience of their lives.

Father Hanly, in a farewell discourse which lasted two hour* all but five minutes, gave up, in terms of masterly completeness and brevity, a summary of the instructions, and the whol« work and purpose of the mission ; and placed first and before all the duty of prayer, and foremost in this, that of the vital importance of morning prayer. He then went on to lead us to make, in loud vocal utterance, there all together before the altar, and in the immediate presence of God, the following lolemn resolutions : — That we would be faithful in saying our morning prayers, and in offering ourselves each day with all our faculties to God ; That we would endeavour each night of our lives to make an act of perfect Borrow and contrition for all the sins of our life ; That we would try to recite dally a part of the holy Bosary ; That whenever it lay in our power we would go to Confession and to Holy Communion, at least once in the month ; That we would be constant in oui endeavours to shun all immediate occasions of Bin, particularly such as had led us into sin in the past ; That each morning we would pray God with all sincerity from our hearts, to take us with sudden hand from out this life, rather than let us live to offend His infinite majesty by one mortal sin ; That we would endeavour ever to lead edifying lives, and do all in our power to influence others to good, and if Catholics, to the more earnest practice of the duties of their hoi; religion ; That we would do all that lay within our means to promote the interests of the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he bade us guard, cherißh, ani foster as, without exception, the moat precious of all our eaithly possessions.

On this oce evening we, the Catholics of Blenheim, had placed before us a practical compendium of our holy faith, a complete liferule in epitome, and a preservative for every ill throughout our whole liveß to come even unto the bour of our death.