HAWERA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 10, 8 March 1900, Page 6

H A W ERA.

(From our own correspondent.)

The Rev. Father T. McKenna. so gratefully rimembered here, wa9 a guest at the presbytery for home days last week.

The ladies are ranking active preparations fur an entertainment to be held on March I .) to celebrate the feast of the national Apostle of Ireland.

The parish priest is everywhere urging upon the people < f the district the duty of subscribing to the Tablet, which is one of the best written Catholic papers of the day.

The presbytery which is being built for Father Johnston at Stratford, and now nearing completion, will be the finest in the Noith Island portion of the archdiocese.

I hear that the Very Rev. Ocan McKenna, of New Plymouth, contemplates taking a trip to the Old Country very soon. The New Plymouth people, who love the Dean, are taking steps to give him a token of their ebteera and of his sterling qualities.

The marriage of Mr. Frank Q uu and Miws Mary McGovern was an event of great interest in Elthatn. Mr. MuGovern has been always the life and soul of every movement connected with the Church in this district, while Mr. Quin and his brother contributed about one half the cost of the beautiful little Church of the Holy Rosary. The usual speeches were made by the Very Rev. Father Power, Mr. Quin, Mr, McGovern, and Mr. McKenna, the Mayor of Patea, and brother-in-law of the bridegroom. Your correspondent, who was one of the invited guests, considers it to have been the most enjoyable wedding feast he has witnessed in New Zealand.

Since my last letter not much of importance has occurred in Hawera. except, of course, the opening of our new school, which is of importance to ourselves locally. The occasional speech was made by the Very Rev. Father Ginisty. of Sydney, and waa a gnat treat, full of wit and wisdom. It opened the purses of the audience, and instilled into the minds of a'l the true principles on which Christian education is founded. The Very ltuv. Dean Kiik and the Very Rev. Dean McKenna also spoke very feelingly and effectively, reviewing the history of the church in Hawca, and praising the generosity of the people — Catholic and non -Catholic alike — who had enabled Father Fower to declare the school opened free of debt — a rare achievement in New Zealand. A very neat speech in good taste and in elegant language was made by Mr.

Bunting, thanking all on behalf of the parishioners. The parish priest on his own behalf thanked the audience, the subscribers, the very reverend clergy who were present, and the musicians, who had so gracefully introduced ' sweet music and her sister, song.' He expressed the great delight with which the visiting clergy and himself had listened to Mr. Higham's orchestra, which is a credit to Hawera.