DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 8, 24 June 1898, Page 6

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

(From our own correspondent.)

On Sunday last the Vicar-General celebrated High Mass at the ProCathedral, and at the Gospel read the following circular, a copy of which will be forwarded to each priest in the diocese :—: —

' Very Rev. and dear Father, — For the last twelve months his Lordship has been untiring in his efforts to collect money for the building of a cathedral in this beautiful city of Christchurch. In his letters he tells us he has every day been mindful of his devoted flock and clergy in his prayers and at the altar. He has visited the principal Irish colleges, and taken steps to secure zealous and able priests lor this diocese ; two of them have already come, and others will soon follow, so that in the near future every parish will be sufficiently .supplied with devoted clergymen. His travels through Eng and, Ireland, Scotland, France, and other countries have won the sympathy of the clergy and laity to our cause, and made this young colony better known. His Lordship expresses great joy at the prospect of being soon again in our midst to resume his apostolic labours. Wo owe him a debt of gratitude for all he has done and i'ltends dui"g lor us, and I am sure that both the clergy of the diocese and the laity will vie with each other in giving him a hearty welcome. Although the calls on your charity are many and great, 1 think we .should be tailing in our duty if we were not to giv* our Bishop a tangible proof of our appreciation ot his solicitude tor our tyuijoral and spiritual welfare. Wherefore, I exhort you to form a committee, as soon as possible, to collect offerings to be presented to his Lordship on his return to his diocese atter such a prolonged absence, and so have the merit of putting a utone in the Christchurch Cathedral, in which, when we are dead, the soulstirring ceremonies of our liturgy will be carried out and prayers offered for those who contribute to raise in this city a lasting monument of their faith and generosity. Along with the offerings of each parish, an address from the clergy and laity, with the names of the sub-crib ts, will be presented to his Lordship. His advent cannot be far distant, and any day we may hear of his having set sail tor New Zealand. Therefore, we should lose no time in preparing lor hir- reception. I hope this appeal will be responded to in a warm and enthusiastic manner. I invite you, dear Father, to have this appeal read in all the churches and chapels of your district, and to encourage your people to take up this matter in a loving and Christian way.— Th. Le Menant des Chesnais, S.M , V.G., Adm." The Vicar-General also announced that a large gathering ot the faithful of both parishes will take place on next Sund.iy at'einoon, at 3 p.m.. in St. Joseph's Schoolroom, in Barbadoes street, in order to ionn a committee, who will arrange every matter in connection with the due reception of the Bishop. The Vicar-General will preside at the meeting. At Vespers, in the evening, the principal ot St. Patrick's College, Wellington, the Very Rev. Dr. Watters, preached an impressive sermon to a large and appreciative congregation. After Vespers had been Rung at St. Mary's, there was a very beautiful and solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament around the interior of the Church. Sunday week, which was the Sunday within the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi, was celebrated at the Pro-Cathedral with great solemnity. After High Mass there was exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and at 3 p.m. a solemn procession of the satne took place in the beautiful grounds adjoining the convent of the Sisters of our Lady of Missions. In addition to the local clergy, several from other parishes look part in the august ceremony. There were also a number of acolytes, the members or the Hibernian Society, and of the other societies and sodalities, and a largo concourse of the faithful present. Very beautiful altars and arches

were erected on the route along which the Blessed Sacrament, which was preceded by the Sisters carrying lighted tapers, wa^» borne. On the return of the procession to the Pro-Cathedral the Rev. Father Servajean delivered a very devotional discourse on the great advantage of frequently and worthily receiving the holy Eucharist, and the beautitul and impressive ceremonies of the day ended with solemn Brnediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

On Sunday afternoon la»ta)ar»e and ardent meeting of the Catholic people in Addington tuok place in the local school chapel to arrange for the er. ctio". of a new church in the suburb in place of the wretched building that has now served for a church for some years back. The R-jv. Father Servajem occupied the chair, and explained the object of the meeting. He showed a photo of a very pretty liule obuioh which has ie<eiuly been erected on the West Coast, and explained that one somewhat similar, though a little larger, could easily be built in Addington for about £3.">0. But before any steps were taken . t It a«t two-thirds of the money necessary to complete the work would have to be forthcoming. Mr. M'Keown, Mr. J. Steel, Mr. Power, Mr. J. Rennell, and Mr. W. Hay ward also add re-* d the meeting, and the latter gentleman ended by proponing that all p-esent should be formed into a committee to carry out the wurk of the erection of a church forthwith, and that a subscription lis 1 , should be ut once opened in order to obtain a general estimate of what monej r Could be raised at present. This motion was seconded by Mr. Rennell and carried. The Rev. Father Servaji an was appointed treasurer. Mr. was also appointed assistant treasurer and vice-chairman of the committee. Mr. F. Milner w.ik appointed secretary. The following ladies and gentlemen were likewise formed into an executive committee :—: — Mesdaines Rennell and Campbell, Misses Hickey, Hoy, Rowe and Jones, and Me-srs Reunell, M'Keown, Milner, Steel, Plunket, Pope, Burke, Barker, MCloy and Hickey. The secretary, accompanied with Mr. M'Keown. then proceeded with the subscription list, which resulted in nearly a hundred pounds being promised. Most of the subscriptions were £5 donations and the rev. chairman expressed himself well satisfied with the canvass. V\ ith this amount of money in hand the work of the erection of a church could be at once commenced. The next meeting of the executive committee will take place on Thuesd y evening next in the local school chapel. When a cordial vote of thanks, which was proposed by Mr. Hay ward and seconded by Mr. Rennell, had been accorded to the Rev. Father Servajean for presiding at the meeting and for the great interest he displays in the matter, the gathering dispersed. In a short time Father Servajean proposes to make a house to house visitation of the suburb. lam sorry to add that at the time of the meeting he was still suffering from the effects of a fall from his bicycle. It appears that on Friday last, while returning from Mount Magdala and while crossing the bridge over the river Halswell, one wheel of his bicycle dropped unexpectedly into a deep rut, and he was thrown from che machine violently on to the ground and was not a little bruised on one knee. He is, however, recovering from the results of the fall, and will shortly be well again.

On Sunday v.eek the Rev. Father Rafferty said Mass at Halswell, and also at Addington, where there was a large congregation ass^mb'ed. I regret very much to hear that since then he has suffered from a severe indisposition, and that at present he is located in a private hospital in the city.

The sodalities at the Pro-Cathedral, known as the Society of the Sacred Heart, the Living Rosary, aid the Apostleship of Prayer, have been organised into a regular confraternity, and each circle consists of 1.") members. A diploma will be given to the promoter of each circle. He will, moreover, wear a ribbon which will have embroidered on it the name of the patron saint of the circle. After the monthly meeting all the members will be given Rosary tickets. On the first Friday evening in each month the promoters will be given each a number of the Messenger of the Sacred Heart, which will be given to the members to read in turn, and will afterwards become the property of the promoters. On the third Sunday in every month there will be a procession of the Blessi d Sacrament in which all the members of the confraternity will take part.