THE CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS OF PONSONBY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 5, 31 May 1895, Page 11

THE CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS OF PONSONBY.

(Anckland Wtelty -AWe?.)

On May 19 his Excellency tbe Governor and the Countess of Glasgow, accompanied by Captain Clavton, A.D.C, paid a visit by arrangempnt to tne Catholic institutions of Ponsonby. Tbe Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 8t Mar>'d Orphanage (" Star of the Sea "), and the Young Ladies' High Sc.iool, at the Convent, Ponsonby. H.s Lordship Bish >p Luck (liccompanied by his private secretary, Fa'her Purton), met the vice-regal party at. the Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, in the first instance, and chaperoned them over that establishment, accompanied by the Sister Superior. His Excellency received an original address from oue of the inrmtes, an old Crimean veteran, named Bmith, who had received medals, the first of the medals being eirned in India, in the Sikh campaign under Lord Gongh, nearly half a century ago. The address was to the eff. ct that tha Sisters manage t the establishment not by iron rule, but by love and chanty, and all that th^y requned from the inmates who were in " the S'jre and yellow i«af ' was suci li?ht service as thoy were able to give. The vice-re^al party want through the dormitorieß, and chatted with sjmtt ot the bed-ridden inmates, The kitchen, day-room?, etc, were also inspected. His Excellency before leaving made a kirdly addre s to the old people, in which he referred in eulogistic terms to the evideut c-trb btstowed upon them by the Sisters, and to the neatness and scrupulous cleanliness of the ttiablishment.

Tha vice-regal party then drove c£E, accompanied by B shop Luck, to 8t Mary's Orphanage, where nearly 70 young girls are kept, educated, and trained. They weie received by the Bister Superintendent, and proceeded to the schoolroom where the children were at their school duties, An address was read by one of the children on behalf of the children of the Orphanage, in which they thauked his Excellency for visiting them, and were also grateful to their dear Bishop for having obtained the favour of that visit. Tne vice-regal party were pleased with the general arrangements, as also struck

with the happy and healthy appearance of the children. The children sang " The blue bells of Scotland," " God defend New Zs»land," and ' God s»ve the Queen," in a manner which elicited the marked approval of hie Excellency. Two of the orphans presented a handsome bouquet of flowers to his Excellency, and another to the Countess of Glasgow. Hie Excellency, in accepting the floral offering, Baid it was the first bouquet he had received in the Colony. The Countess of Glasgow on a show of hands, claimed a half holiday oa the occasion for the children from the Sister Superintendent; which was readily accorded.

The rest injtitution visited by his Excellency and party was the Young Ladies' High School, at the Convent, Poosonby, for the purpose of distributing the certificates of the Bouth Kensington Society of Arts to the successful price winners, 15 out of 16 competitors. The young ladies were all asstmbleii, na also a number of their friends, and at this stage Father Madden, the popular preacher at St Patrick's and administrator of that parish, j jined the party. On the adrent of his Excellency and tha vice-regal party the National Anthem was struck up. A short musical programme was gone through, vocal and instrumental (pianoforte selections) which w«s greatly admired, after which the papila presented an address to his Excellency, to the e£f«ct that they received in hie Excellency the representative of Her Most Gracious Maj j -tty the Q i a en, aad, appreciating big condecension, they hoped it would increase their attachment and loyalty to the mother country. Th^ address went on to state thit it was not the first visit which the High School had received from the representatives of Her Majesty, their Excellencies Kir Thomas Gore Browne and Sir George B/wen having similarly honoured it with a visit. Bishop Luck then thanked his Excellency for paying a visit to the institution. He was pleusfi to note in the address presented by the pupils the sentiments he intended to express, and their appreciation of the honour cjnfened upon them in the visit of his Exeellency — the representative of the person of Her Majesty the Qaeen. His Lordahip then explained the object of the certificates to be presented, and went" on to make pome laudatory remarks as to the work of the Sisters of Mercy, und their succesbful efforts in the work of Christian education. He (B^-hip Luck) had seen with pleasure from his Excellency 'a remarks ou other occasions of a similar character how he had himself admitted the necessity fur the combination of religious with secular education, His Lordship concluded by expressing anew his thanks to hn Exc 'llency and the Countess of Glasgow for visiting the (Jatholic ins r itutioii9 of I'lusonby. His Excellency then distributed the certifi .a'es to the young lady pupils entitled to receive them. In doing so, he expressed bis [ satisfaction in coming to distribute the certificates, and was highly pleased with the reference his Lordship made to his own convictions, as regards the necessity of conjoining religion with secular education. Indeed, the necessity of it was evidenced by the lawless demonstration in Newton by r number of youths last week, and which ou^ht to bring home to the minds of parents the importance of religious training. His Excellency concluded hy expressing himbelf greatly pleasrd with the singing of the pupils, &t also with the pianoforte playing. Three young ladies pressed riia Excellency with a t.andsotne bouquet of flowers, as also the Countess of Glasgow, her ladyship receiving in addition a basket of violets. A holiday had byen granted to the school children in honour of the vice-iegal visit.

An adjournmant was the made to Bishop Luck's hanisome palatial residence adjacent. The vice-regal party were conducted to the terraced roof the building, which commands one of the loveliest views in Auckland of the harbour, city, and suburbs, after which hia Lordship dispensed " afternoon tea " to the visitors.

While inspecting some of the curioa in the residence the viceregal party were greatly struck with a splendid fern album presented to Bishop Luck by Mr and Misa Teutenbarg, of Welleßley Street, also with an American invention for lighting the gasalier through medium of the electric spark, which the Bishop procured in travelling through the United States, and believed to be the only specimen of the kind at present in the Australasian colonies. In the residence were also to be aeen some beautiful specimens of cabinet and carved work by that

" artist in wood," Father Luck, of Kibikihi — a brother ot Bishop Luck. He is a " workman which needeth not to be ashamed," as is evidenced by the magnificent high altar and reredos, which ba constructed for St Benedict's, Newton, valued at £f>oo. The vice-regal party were greatly pleased with their visit to the various Catholic Institutions of Ponsonby.