DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 3, 17 January 1901, Page 5

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

(From our own correspondent.) January 11. The health of the Very Rev. Dean Chervur, S.M , of Leeston, has so far improved as to enable him, accompanied by the Rev. Father Goggan, to go to Blenheim for a change. In their absence the Very Rev. Father Ginaty officiated at Leeaton on Sunday. The Very Rev. Father Le Menant deß Chesnaii", S.M., V G., ia conducting a retreat for the Sisters of Mercy at Lyttelton. The Sisters of Our Lady of Missions commenced their annual retreat at the convent, Barbadoes street, on Friday last. It is beiug condut ted by the Rev. Father Henry, M.SH. The Rev. Dr. Kennedy, S.M., it is understood, is acting in a similar capacity at Mount Magdala. Mr. Kilburn Heron, of Melbourne, sang the tenor solos in the Agnus Dei ' and Sanotus of Gounod's Messe yolenelle in the ProCathedral at High Mass on Sunday. At the offertory he pave a very fine rendering of 'Cujus Animam' from Rossini's ' Stabat Mater. 1 There was a crowded congregation at Vespers in the evening when the Rev. Father Henry, M.S.H., preached an impressive discourse

on the theological virtues. After the sermon Miss Julia Moran, of Wellington, gave as a violin solo an exquisite rendering of Gounod's ' Aye Maria.' The organ accompaniment was faultlessly played by Miss Funston. The half-yearly meeting of the St. Patrick's Branch (No. 82) of the H.A.C.B. Society was held on Monday evening, the 7th inst. Bro. A. J. Malley (president) was in the chair. A large amount of inward and outward correspondence was dealt with, including a letter congratulating Brothers Wybertus and Killian on their acquittal of the odious charges recently laid against them in connection with the Stoke Industrial School. Eacloried with this was a cheque for £2 2s towards the expenses of their legal defence. The baJance sheet for the December quarter wait read and adopted, votes of thanks being accorded the auditors, Bros. Steinmetz and Daniels. The election of officers for the ensuing term resulted as follows : President, Bro. P. S. Shannon ; vice-president, Bro. F. J. O'Connell ; secretary, Bro. G. J. Sellars, P.D.P. (re-elected) ; treasurer, Bro. J. McCormick, P.P. (re-elected) ; assistant secretary, Bro. D. Edmonds ; warden, Bro Dineen ; guardian, Bro. P. J. Nelson ; sick visitors, Bros. Finnerty and Edmonds ; auditors, Bros. Steinmetz, P.P., and Danielß ; medical attendants, Doctors J. H. and G. Deamer and B. Moorhouse. The incoming officers were installed by Bro. A. J. Malley and Bro. J. Nelson, and returned thanks in a suitable manner, votes of thanks being also accorded the retiring officers. A large and fully representative meeting of Catholics of the city, including ladies, was held on Sunday afternoon, in the boys' schoolroom, to make arrangements for the suitable reception and entertainment of his Eminence Cardinal Moran and other distinguished dignitaries who intend visiting Chriatchurch for the ceremonies in connection with the laying of the foundation-stone of the new Cathedral. His Lordship the Bishop presided. There were also present the Very Revs. Vicar-General and Dean Foley, Rev. Fathers Marnane, Leen, and MoDonnell, and Sir George Clifford. Strong committees, consisting of reception, testimonial, decoration, and finance, were formed to immediately commence preparations. Imposing as have been the receptions accorded his Eminence and visiting prelates on other occasions, when we have been honored by their presence, the Catholics of Christchurch and surrounding districts intend that this event shall far surpass all previous efforts, and will tend — as more than one speaker indicated at the general meeting — to mark an epoch in the history of the Church in Canterbury. Inter alia, his Lordship the Bishop announced that on the Sunday set apart for the celebrations (February 10) Pontifical High Mass will be celebrated in the Pro-Cathedral by his Grace the Archbishop of Wellington, and his Eminence the Cardinal will preach. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the ceremonial laying of the foundation will be effected. In the evening one of the visiting prelates is to officiate at Pontifical Vespers, and his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne is to preach. During the following days festivities of a social nature are intended to be held. THE NEW CATHEDRAL. A commencement has been made with the preparations for getting ready the site of the new Cathedral for the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone on February 10. The following particulars regarding the new edifice — which will be one of the largest buildings in the Colony — have been furnished to the local papers :—: — Three years will be occupied in completing it, and the total oost will be £35,000. Tne 3tvle will be that °f the Italian Renaissance, and there will be seating accommodation for nearly 3000 people. Very little wood will be used in the building, but it will require, roughly, 100,000 ft of Oamaru stone, 20,000 ft of Mount Somer's stone. 1000 ft of blue stone, 4000 cubic yarda of concrete, and between 80 and '.»0 tons of iron and steel. The tender of Mr. J. Small, for erecting the building, has been accepted, and all the zinc work will be supplied by Messrs. Wunderlich and Co., of Sydney. In the general dimenaioce, the sides will hare a total length of 204 ft, and a width of 105 ft. The height from the floor to the ceiling of the nave will be 49ft, to the apex of the roof of the nave 62ft, to the top of the dome tower 97ft, to the top of the dome itself 117 ft, and to the top of the cross 122 ft. The nave will be 111 ft in length, including a vestibule, and 42ft fiin in width. There will be two side aisles, which will pass the flanks of the nave right round the sanctuary and choir. Each of these aisles will be 150 ft by 12ft. There will be four side chapels, each 13ft by 17ft, and eight other side chapels, each 13ft by 9 ft. Besides these, there will be a chapel under the flag tower, 14ft square. The baptistry in the other flag tower will be of the same dimensions. The sanctuary and choir, immediately under the dome, will, together, be 55ft by 29ft. The base of the dome itself will be 45ft square, and it will be finished with a cupola of 40ft wide. An inner dome, rising to a height from the floor of 72ft, will be furnished with two ecclesiastical galleries and a whisper gallery. There will hs four vestries, two 20ft by 13ft, and two 13ft by 14ft. Above the aisles and over the side chapels, in the transept, there will be galleries, giving a total gallery space of 302 ft by 12ft, and 52ft by 18ft. The organ loft will be 66ft by 19ft. Access to these galleries, and also to those over the sanctuary, will be by nix iron stairways, four being in the dome tower and one in each of the flanking towers. The internal arrangement of the building will be in the style of a Greek colonnade. The nave will be surrounded by 30 columns, and the back of the sanctuary will be carried by seven columns. This colonnade will be repeated in the second order above, carrying the gallery ceilings. The lower order will be on the lonic or Corinthian principle. Each order will support its whole entabulature. The dome internally at the level of the whisper gallery will be carried by a Corinthian colonnade of 24 columns. Externally the building has been designed on the Roman Aroade principle, both the lower and the upper order, the one being

lonic and the other Corinthian. There will be the full proportion of arches, including imposts and arch-volts. The pilasters of the order will be in the centre of the pier. Each entablature will be mounted by its full balustrade. The main front of the building will have two flanking tower?, surmounted with stone belfries and cupolas, rising to a total height of 108 ft., with pediments for clock faces. The central space of the front, between the two towers, will have a full Corinthian colonnade of four columns, 42ft. high, having: a full tablature, with a central pediment, surmounted by across. Bft high, rising to a total height of 80ft. Under the colonnadA Lucre will be the principal entrance, in addition to which there win^ be four flank entrances, besides those of the vestries. Generally, the whole of the building inside and outside will be constructed of stone, with as little woodwork as possible. In fact, only a certain portion of the roof framing will be wood, and all the rest of the buildinp, including the window frames, will be concrete, iron, or stone. The ceilings throughout will be of embossed sine, the design in its decorations being suitable to the building. The floors of the galleries, and the flat roofs over the side chapels and vestries will all be constructed of concrete, with iron bars added, and expanded steel covering. The roof of the nave has its principals framed with angle-iron, and covered with Marseilles tiles. The roofs of the three cupolas are covered with stamped zinc tiles placed upon rubberoid. One of the internal features of the nave ceiling will be the embossed zinc work, which will be profusely decorated, arranged coffers, surrounding three internal acoustic domes. The whole will be painted and decorated, and will form a ceiling which will resist any damage from wet, and will also have a certain degree of fire-resisting quality. [We regret to state that, despite repeated promises made to us by the architect, our representative has been unable to procure any particulars whatsoever regarding the new Cathedral. In connection with this, as with several other important Catholic buildings in the Colony, we have been unable, despite repeated applications, to secure from the same source information which seems to have been supplied without difficulty or demur to the secular Press.— Bd. N.Z.T.]