DEATH OF MR. CHARLES CANNING, AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 13, 30 July 1897, Page 25

DEATH OF MR. CHARLES CANNING, AUCKLAND.

To say that a gloom was cast over the city on Sunday, July 1 1 when the sad news of the death of Mr. Canning was announced but faintly conveys the widespread sorrow that was evinced by all classes of the community. He possessed everything that goes to make a good citizen. His charity was infinite, irrespective of creed or class. Before aught else he was a Catholic, loving and cherishing his holy faith with a tenacity worthy of commendation and imitation. With the Church's prosperity and progress he was thoroughly conversant, and his purse was evor open to her sustenance in many parts of the world, while in the city of his adoption his good labours and works in all that pertained to the advancement of Catholicity in general are a matter of history. In this connection alone his name will ever remain perennial. Next to his love of Church came that of love of country. With what interest he followed the ill fortunes of the land of his forefathers whose sad history he had off by heart. Several eleemosynary institutions in Ireland will sorely miss his open-handed generosity. Ireland was ever foremost in hia thoughts. His people belonged to the County Donegal, but he was born in Edinburgh. At an early age he was left an orphan. He left for Sydney in 1842, where he stayed three or four years, subsequently proceeding- to Tahiti, thence to South America, residing for some years in Panama and Lima. Mr. Canning then returned to Ireland. After staying at Home a few years he again, this time accompanied by his sister and cousin, turned to the antipodes, arriving in Sydney. In 1855 he came over gto Auckland, where he had to the time of his death resided. He was a very successful man in business, and in this connection, and to show what mannar of man he was, the followingincident is worthy of record. Some years ago, through standing to a friend, he found himself suddenly in the unenviable position of having to seek the aid of the bankruptcy court. He at once began life as it were anew and by assiduity he put together sufficient to repay in full his former creditors. He possessed a cheerful, kindly disposition, one of those with whom after conversing you felt benefited. A great reader and an observant, keen man, thoroughly conversant with the world over whose surface he had travelled so widely. At his death, which was caused by dropsy, he was 74 years of age. At the four city churches on Sunday the sad newß was announced. His Lordship Dr. Lenihan in the evening referred to the sad loss from the pulpit of St. Benedicts. At the cathedral Father Gillan also referred in feeling terms to the departure from their midst of Mr. Canning. After Benediction the " Dead march from Saul ' was played on the organ and orchestra, and the large congregation remained standing until the mournful strains had died away.

A Pontifical Requiem Mass celebrated by the Bishop in honour of the deceased at St. Benedict's on Tuesday morning, the 13th inst., at ten o'clock. Very Rev. Father O'Reilly, P.P., Thames, assistant priest ; deacon and sub-deacon, Fathers Mulvihill and Buckley, of St. Patrick's. The incidental music was sung by a choir composed of the Rev. Fathers Kehoe, Croke, Brodie, Purton, 0.5.8., and the Rev. Dr. Egan, who also presided at the organ. Father Gillan ascended the pulpit, and briefly spoke of the many sterlingqualities possessed by the late Mr. Canning-. At the request of the Rev. Mother and the Good Mother, the Rev. Father Purton celebrated Hi qu ion Mass at the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Pon^onby, and at the Home of the Little Sisters for the repose of the soul of Mr. Canning. These institutions were greatly indebted to the deceased gentleman. At two on Tuesday afternoon the funeral cortege left the Benedictine Church for Otahuhu cemetery where the deceased gentleman's remains were interred by the side of his sisters. Though a week day. nearly one hundred vehicles formed the funeral retinue. At the top of Khyber Pa&s road the pupils of the Marist Brothers assembled in open order, through which the procession marched. About forty orphans from St. Mary's also attended.

The following- was the order of the procession : — There were three carriages containing the clergy preceding- the hearse. The first containing Fathers Paul, O'Rtilly, Mulvihill, and Croke ; second — Monsignor Mac Donald, Fathers Kehoc, Brodie, and O'Gallagher ; third — Bishop Lenihan, Dr. Egan, 0.5.8., Father Purton, 0.5.8., Father Gillan ; then the hearse, which was followed by a, carriage containing the deceased's executors (Messrs. P. Brophy and D. Lundou) ; then a carriage containing Miss McLaughlin (cousin of deceased) and other friends : then in succession the general public, the rear of the procession being brougnt up by two brakes, one containing pupils of the Marist Brothers' School (under Brother Henry, Superior), and the other the pupils of St. Mary's Orphanage. Among those present were his Worship the Mayor (Mr. Peter Dignan), Sir Maurice O'Rourke (Speaker of the House of Representatives), Hons. W. Swanson and W. Jennings, M.L.C.'s, Mr. W. Crowther, M.H.R., Hon. J. A. Tole (Crown Prosecutor), ex-Xative Land Court Judge Rogan, Rev. R. McKinney (Presbyterian minister of Mahurangi), Colonel Burton, Captain Blackmore, J. D. Connolly (U.S. Consul), Inspector Hickßon, Dr. Darby, Messrs. E. Mahony, Field, P. Darby, E. Darby, D. Fallon, T. Foley, P. Haslam, M. J. Sheahan, D. G. Alacdonnell, Ryan, Lynch, James Dignan, 0. McGee, G. Leahy, H. Mcllhone, V. Williams, W. Aitken, G. M. Reed, E. S. V. Mowbray, W. J. Speight, E. Waters, G. Sibbin, T. Macky, T. McEwin, J. Mitchell, D. S. Cattanach, F. Whitaker, T. Ellison, W. S. Lyell, B. Gilmour, J. W. Nairn, Probert, J. Lyle. Most of the prominent Catholics of the city were present, as well as of representatives of all Catholics institutions, to which the deceased gentleman was a benefactor.

The service at the grave was conducted by his Lordship the Bishop, astusted by Dr. Egan and Father Purton 0.5.8., and Fathers Kohoe and Brodie, at the conclusion of which the Bishop delivered the following 1 discourse :—: —

' I bcliere in the Resurrection of the body and life everlasting." — In our grief while standing in presence of the mortal remains

of him who was so beloved and respected, these doctrinal words must console us. The perfect God who consummated His likeness in us, communicating: His own life to us, who gave His Son to death to enable us to obtain the heaven we had lost, who bought our redemption by His precious blood, and gave us the grace of the sacraments, surely had some other end in view than merely to ennoble this our quickly passing life. And our doctrine teaches us that beyond this passing life of ours, there is a life eternal in which our perfection begun by grace will be competed in glory £m at 18 death ? . The oessati 011 of acts, the soul torn from the body, leaving it a rigid corpse, and after death comes fermentation and then putrefaction and afterwards decomposition and finally an earthly matter that loses itself in the dust of the globe. And the soul that animated it is a living eternal spiritual substance. And this marriage of two distinct substances is dissolved because our Creator has said "If thou sin, thou shalt die the death." And how well has this divine prediction been fulfilled. Not only did death strike the first sinner, but every day it seizes upon numbers of His children, fulfilling its pitiless mission with a fidelity which fills us with despair. " Death is with us " is the cry of all ages and all conditions of life. Along with the work of life another dark and mysterious work is being accomplished, the work of death. Nothing stops its progress, it is in full activity, and so life is said to be a continual death. And the war is continued until the moment when, feeling itself vanquished, the soul makes one more effort to retain possession of the body, but it is futile, one last gasp and the body falls back dead and corruptible and the soul wings its flight to its Maker to be judged according to its works. This is our doctrine tempering our anguish and inquietude, consoling our sorrow, and teaching us our duty to our God, for our bodies will return to the dust from which they came, and our spirit will go to God who gave it. But our faith teaches us more. We shall rise again, and if our works correspond with the will of God as expressed in His commandments we shall with souls and bodies again united rejoice for ever and aye. Such is the lesson we are to learn while standing at the grave of one who had endeared himself to all who knew him. A great sorrow has fallen upon all who had the privilege of his friendship. As an upright citizen, the city will mourn his loss. Of his virtue and goodness, let God be his judge, but of his charity I and others who participated in it will remember with lasting gratitude the good he was ever anxious to perform. The orphans, the Little Sisters, the parish in which he lived, the poor and distressed who sought his aid, all these will eulogise his works. A noble and valued life has come to an end. but our duty to him still remains, and this is to pray for him. " Have mercy on me, at least you my friends " he cries, that his soul may be purified speedily to go to his God for ever and ever more. Show your sympathy by your prayers and let us join together in that psalm, " Out of the depths " calling upon his Lord to forgive him his imperfections and grant him eternal rest. How beautiful is life when it is the way of God, how sweet is death when it is the way to heaven, how •welcome to us the thought that Jesus is occupied so many times a day in saying those glorious words " well done thou good and faithful servant." How welcome, too, the thought that he has heard from his Maker those words of jubilee and ecstasy, and the surprise animating his soul at the wonders he has seen and the great reward that God has promised to all " those who do His holy will." With these high and deserving honours, a good Catholic, a good Irishman, and a good citizen was laid to rest. May God, in His infinite mercy, grant him peace and happiness.— ll. l. P.