Archdiocese of Wellington.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIV, Issue 51, 23 April 1897, Page 13

Archdiocese of Wellington.

(From our own correspondent )

April 17, 1897. The Premier accompanied by Mrs. Seddon, the two Misses Seddon, and a private secretary left by the Government steamer on Thuri-day night for Auckland to 3atch the outgoing San Francisco mail boat. The party will utilise the short time at their disposal in seeing some of the great sights of the Republic of the West, before crossing the Atlantic to England. Despite the inclemency of the weather there was a representative crowd of sympathisers and friends on the wharf to bid them good-bye and hearty cheers were given as the boat left, mingled with expressions that the party would enjoy the trip and come back to the Colony much benefited by it.

At St. Joseph's Church, Buckle street, th i service of Tenebrcs was held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. The VicarGeneral preached on Wednesday evening, the subject of his discourse being '' Faith." On the follow ing evening the Rev. Father O'Shea occupied the pulpit, when he delivered a , very able sermon on the Blessed Sacrament. The Passion was the subject for Good Friday night, the Rev. Father Ains worth being the preacher. There were thirteen priests at High Mass on Thursday, and about the same number assisted at the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified on Friday. The Very Rev. Dr. Watters, rector of St. Patrick's College was the celebrant on both occasions. It was very gratifying to see the large congregations that attended all the services during Holy Week, even the inclemency of the weather on Good Friday did not prevent a very large number from being present. The decorations of the Altar of Repose were carried out with very great taste by Very Rev. Father Bowers assisted by some of the college students. The Tenebne was exceptionally well sung, this being in a great measure due to the assistance rendered by the college faculty.

On Saturday morning the ceremonies in connection with Holy Week were continued at the Church of St. Mary of the Angels. when the blessing of the baptismal font, holy water, thejpasohal candle and the holy oils took place. Mass was celebrated by the Very Rev. Father Devoy. The Very Rev. Father Devoy received a letter from his Grace Archbishop Redwood during the week. The Archbishop was at Lyons at the date of writing (February 14) and was then about to return to England and Ireland to make final arrangements with the colleges for priests for the archdiocese. After that he will return to Marseilles to catch the Messageries boat. His Grace will be accompanied on the homeward trip by the Right Rev. Dr. Vidal, Bishop of Fiji, and the Right Rev. Dr. Boyer, the lately consecrated Bißhop of Samoa, who went Home with Dr. Redwood. His Grace assisted at the ordinations at the Dundalk College on St. Patrick's Day, when, among others, the Rev. Father Johnson was raised to the priesthood. Father Johnson will be amongst the first of the priests for the archdiocese of Wellington of those to come out as the result of the Archbishop's visit to Ireland. It i 8 very probable that his Grace will be back in Wellington about the first week in June.

The office o.' Tench roc was dispensed with at St. Mary's Cathedral this year and other special devotions substituted for it. OrWednesday night the Very Rev. Father Dawson preached an impressive discourse to a large congregation. On Thursday morning- there was High Mass, the celebrant being the Very Rev. Father Dawson, who was assisted by the Rev. Father Costelloe and the Rev. Father O'Meara. After Mass there was a procession to the Altar of Repose. On Friday morning the Mass of the PreBanctified was celebrated by the Very Rev. Father Dawson and in the afternoon the devotions of the Stations of the Cross were performed. There were large congregations at all the services. A certain member of our Legislative Council is not a man of whom the world hears very much. He may be a man whose personality looms large in his own estimation, but this is often a misleading standard to judge a man's capabilities by. The extent of his political generosity was, however, demonstrated the other day in the Council when he took occasion to speak in a depreciatory manner of a idead Australian Statesman whom it is reported he described as an " Irish adventurer." The legislator in question has not enhanced the little political ability he is supposed to possess by this unseemly reference to a man, who, for nobility of character. modesty in private and public life, and a democratic disregard for notoriety or distinction of any kind, had few equals. Perhaps a great many of us jmay disagree with the jingo spirit which prompted the sending of a contingent from New South Wales to the Soudan, but at the same time we must remember that the action was prompted by the best and purest motives, and few can say that Mr. William Dalley did so with the hope of personal distinction or gain. When he was offered a title he declined it, and said that as plain William Dalley he lived so as plain William — " Bill," I believe was the term he used — Dalley would he die. To call him an impudent Irish adventurer who got up the whole thing for his own glorification, was incorreot, as after events proved, he having refused a " K.C.M.G." when offered him. The canons of good taste as well as the old proverb, " Be morfuut nil nisi bonum" should have at least prevented even a humbler | individual than an M.L.C. from speaking so disrespectfully of the departed even had Mr. Dalley not been the great and i.oble-minded man he was — a man who was honoured by his sovereign by being made a Privy Councillor and to whose memory a tablet was placed in St. Paul's Cathedral and whose memory is still green in the hearts of his fellow - oolonists in New South Wales.