NAPIER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 10, 5 July 1895, Page 25

NAP I E R.

(From our own Correspondent.') June 28, 1895. Death, that great destroyer of mankind, V.na been busy of late amoi gsl the Very Rev Father Grogan'st lamily. About twelve monthp Rgo, it will be remembered, I advised yon of the death at WargDtui of Mr John Grogan, brother to the highly-respected and wi-l: known parish priest of Napier. Now. I n^ret to state, it ig the rev gentleman's lot to mourn the loss of 1■ i r mother, news of whose death w,»B nceiveil by last niai!, The deeeast-d latJy was 83 years of aga at the time of her death, and was a widow, having lost her husband about 30 years ago. The CatholicH of Napier, who are never slow to show sympathy with their parish priest in matters of this sort, proceeded at once to procure signatures to addresses of condolence to Father Grogan, On Wednesday evening about twenty-three peisonp, representing the Catholic congregation, proceeded to the presbytery to read the addresses. The firet contained 250 signatures) but, of course, the number would have been much larger had there been more time. As it ip, thanks are due to Mr T. Darney for the arduous manner in which he worked to get as many names as possible within a certain time. The following were the addresses read : Dear Bey Father — We, the undarsigned, on behalf of the Catholics of Napier beg to tender you our hrart-felt sympathy in the sad loeß you have sustained in the death of your dear mother. We may state that we feel deeply for you, and regard it almost as a personal loss to ourselves. We pray ibat God will give you fortitude and streegth under your sad bereavement, and we assure yon that we shall alwayß remember yonr dear mother in our prayers. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Again, te dering you our sincerest sympathy, we beg respectfully to subscribe ourselves, — Your obedient and dutiful children Denis Marnane and 250 others.

Dear Ktv Father, — It iß,;with regret that we heard on Sunday the pftin r u! sinnouncernent of jour dear mother's death. Blessed, us we an-, wur. kii.d and loving parents, we can fully appre3iae \he grief of thin sari bereavement, and whilst wo join our prayers with yours for Un happy repose of your dear mother's soul, we shall not fail to ask our divine Lord to strengthen and console you in the trial which it has been His holy will to send. Benewiog, Jear Eev Father, our expressions r,f heart-felt sympathy, ac are privileged to subscribe ourselves, on behalf of the pupils of the convent schools, your respectful children, Frances Meehan, Mary Murnane. Very Rev D.ar Father,— We, the pupils of ;he Marist Brothers' Fchool, Naapier c ff <n you our most beart-ft.lt sympathy in the loss you have sustained in the deith of your beloved mother. Though the temporal loss to you is a severe blow, yet we feel sure that to her it is an eternal gain, for we judge the tree by its fruit, aod ia not your exemplary life amoLg us due to the ear hly training of a good Chiistian mother? It must have been v; ry coi.s.;ling to her at the last dread hour to remember that her son web a fail hful minister of Him before Whom she was about to appear, and tbat her soul would not be forgotten in the Holy Sacrifice fo often offered by a most affectionate son. We have already offered the liosary for her several times, and shall continue to remember her in our prayers. Asking the Sacred Heart and the Loly Mother of God to cemfort yoa in your sorrow. We remain, Very Rev Father, your affectionate children, the pupils of the Marist Brothers' school. In reply, the Very R:v Father Grogan, who waa much affected, spuke as follows :— My dear ladies and gentlemm, your pneence here this evening and the kind Rddresses of sympathy, accompanied by such a lorjg lis f of the names of cur gcod people, which you offer

me in my sad bereavement, is indeed a surprise to me. When the sad news of my dear mother's death reached me last Saturday 1 received it in the ordinary way, with feelings of sorrow end affliction. Tboußb not aware of her sickness I was not altogether utiprepared for it, es she was in tbe 83rd year of her age. Toat long life, thirty-two jears of which were spent in widowhood, was simple and blameless, animated with piety and a tender fear of God, aleo, I hope, full of merit, as the widow's life is very acceptable in tbe sight of God. Yet, like, all others, when tbe time came the bad to obey the call. Her last illness, which she said was a cull from Divine Providence, to remind her of her last prepaiatiin, was only of one week's duration. On the Wednesday after Ea6ter, after giving her last advice ani blessing to her children, the important moment came. If I had been by her dying bed I know she would have asked tbe same favour as St Monica did early in the fifth century, who asked her son St August" ne, one of the great Doctors of the Church, while standing by her dying bed to remember her after her death at the altar of God wherever he should be. My greatest consolation now is to carry out my dear mother's last wish by offering the Holy Sacrifice for the happy repose of her soul, the greatest favour now possible. Even this would be a poor return foi all she has done for me. How pleased I am to bs able, as a priest, to remember her at the altar of God. My dear friends, your deep sympathy with me, and the kind expressions and promises contained in your addnsseo, I esteem more than my words can express, because, like tha woman in the Gospel, I feel it rather a favour done to my dear departed mother than to myself. It has always been, my dear friends, my greatest delight to vißit the homes of our people and observe theta so happy and blight, and when I saw any tre-ce of soirow and paia I always endeavoured to do my best by offering some little consolation. My dear mother's life was a happy one ; her spirits were alwajs bright, and when any little crosses drifted in her path she resigned them all to Goi. I have but to return you, my dear friends, my bincerest thanks for your sympathy so graciously shown me, which is a poor expression of my feelings towards you, and I hope that when any aross or trial may visit any of you or your children God in his divine mercy may console you as you have tried to console me in my sad bereavement. A great many people who had been looking forward to a visit to this town from Michael Davit*, king of patriots, were greatly disappointed on hearing that Ireland's great patriot would have to leave at once fir Home through the downfall of tbe Rosebery Government. Jadgiog by the great reception the national delegates got here some years ngo, Mr Davitt would cot have had cause to regret a visit to Napier. I hope something will be done now tbe seseion is > n to bring before the Minister of Education the subjsct of inspection of Oalholic Bcbools by the Boards' inspectors. Application has been made to the Hawke's Bay Education Bond, but they will nol sane ion it.