ASHBURTON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIV, Issue 17, 21 August 1896, Page 19

ASHBURTON.

A TBULY DEB3RVING OBJECT. The following appeal, which will doub less mset wi h very generous response, is issued b/ the Very Rev Canon O'Donnell Asbburton, in connection wth his art union: — About twelve years ago the Asbburton Uataoic congregation after having subscribed generously towards the tree ioa of their new church and presbytery, found themselves face to f ice with the crushing deb' of nearly £2 400. This they have bravely struggled under up to the present time. Interest alone has been a severe strain on them aud has absorbed a large sum. However, by the exercise of great generosity and selfdenial they have succeeded n reducing it to the sum of £800. But the

s'ructure, on the erection of which tbe above sum had been expended, having been half built, was unfortunately bo bniit as to be entirely incapable of resisting the very violent winds that occaesionaly sweep this portion of the Canterbury plains. It thus has come about that tba church, on which it has already been said, a debt of £800 still remains due, is in a very unstable condition ; ia indeed in the greitest danger of being blown down whenever the terrible nor'-wester blows. So that after all those years of struggling under the crnsbing annual interest, after so generously denying themselves in order to reduce the capital debt (in spite of a succession of bad harvest! accentuated by the low prices rnling for agricultural produce), my people find themselves in a position of having almost paid off an enormous debt on a chorch which practically does not now exist, that js tosxy, they are confronted with the urgent necessity of re-building the church lest it be blown down, with perhaps a loss of life, beside which that caused by the late Brnnner disaster would appear small, Under tbesa circumstances it has been decided to make an appea 1 by means of an art union to the Oatholic public throughout New Zaalaod, and as this is tbe first time the Ashburton congregation has made such an appeal, it awaits the result with confidence. The existing ruinous church is dedicated to tbe Most Holy Name ot Jesus, no one surely will grudge to give his mite to assist in m.king the edifba in home slight degree befitting its august titular. The subjoined letter from Or Grimes speaks for itself :— "My dear Father O'Donnell,— l am right down glad to hear that you mean to make a supreme effort to remove the debt which has so long been hanging over the church, crippling all your efforts, with a view to making that building more worthy of the house of God. Most willingly do I give my patronage and blessing to the undertaking, What a consolation it will be for all of us to know that there is a prospect in the near future of all sense of insecurity being remove 1 fr>m the church and its long-looked«for completion brought about, 1 need not Bay that your enterprise has my best wishes anl blessings. Wishing you and yours my blessing, I remain my dear Father, yours faithfully iv Chris 1 -,— f Joasr J. GBIMES, Chnstchurch."