LENTEN CIRCULAR BY THE BISHOP OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 10, 7 March 1901, Page 3

LENTEN CIRCULAR BY THE BISHOP OF AUCKLAND.

George Michael, by the Grace of God, and the favour of the Holy Apostolic See, Bishop of Auckland, to the clergy, secular and regular, and to the laity of the said diocese, health and beneliction in the Lord. The accompanying circular is issued for your instruction and guidance, in the hope that it will be hung up in the Louses or our parishioners. With very great pleasure we furnish you with the simple statement of facts, showing the work and progress that have been wrought in our diocese during the year 1900. In matters of education, we have succeeded in persuading the Board of Education to allow their inspectors to examine the pupils of our schools. The present year will be a fair test of the efficiency of our teaohers, and will prevent many parents from holding out the excuse, that the want of authorised certificates for their children was a bar to their progress in mercantile puruits. Six Sisters of Mercy were profe-wed, increasing the permanent staff of teachers for their school. The SiHters of St. Joseph have opened a school at Paeroa, and have taken over the school St. Benedict's, the total increase of teachers numbering ten for these schools. We regret to state that owing to the sparse Catholic population of Pukekohe, the Sisters of the MisBion have been compelled to close the school there. A new school has been erected at Paeroa, the school at St. Benedict's is being considerably enlarged, and a new convent Bite purchased there by the Sisters of St. Joseph. A very fine convent has been erected by the Sisters of Mercy at Gisborne, the Convent of Mercy at Ponsonby renovated, and important additions are being made at our Orphanages. To carry out the religious principles of our schools, the Catholic Readers, approved of by the Australasian Hierarchy, have been introduced. The Sisters of Mercy, who have with great success engaged in work at the Coromandel Hospital, have .started a Convalescent Home at Mt Eden, to enable them to carry out one of the special objects of their Order, in caring for the sick and infirm. New churches have been built at Te Koporu, Patutahi, and the Upper Township, Coromandel. The church at Puhoi has been enlarged, and the churches at Helensville and the Wade removed to more central positions. Land and property have been secured at St. Patrick's and Gisborne, and very great improvements have been made in the Opotiki, Gisborne, Kihikihi, and Parnell districts. From the following table you will note that a fair reduction of the debt on the diocese has been made ■ —

Further debts were contracted in the following districts by improvements and additions, or by purchase of property, but in many cases these debts have be^n reduced. To the best of our knowledge they arj as follows :—: —

Various sums of money are in haud for contemplated improvements at Onehunga, and at Otahuhu and Kihikihi districts. We have much pleasure in placing on record the charitable offerings, left in favor of our Bchools and institutions by the late Mr. C. Clarke, Mr. Arrowsmith, and Miss Brennan. May these benefactors already have received an everlasting reward. We hope during the year to increase our staff of priests, and carry on the spiritual work of the diocese more effectively. We trust that the parishioners will show their appreciation of their services by a becoming support. During the year the Sacrament of Confirmation has been administered to 460 candidatep. As his Holiness has graciously extended the time of jubilee of the Holy Year till the end of June, we have arranged with the Paisionist and Dominican Fathers to give a series of missions throughout the diocese. These will assuredly bring many blessings upon us. May God inspire us with heroic zeal to fulfil His law, and with unbounded charity towards our neighbor. Given from our residence at Ponsonby, on the 10th day of February, and appointed to be read in all the churches and chapels of the diocese on Quinquagesima Sunday, February 17th, 1901. GEO. M. LENIHAN, Bishop ot Auckland.

Indebtedness as from Jan. 1, 1900 Oftthedral ... ... 1050 0 Pbnsonby ... ... 1100 () St. Benedict's ... 5528 0 Paraell ... ... 187 4 Onehunga ... ... 0 0 Otfthuhu ... ... 50 0 Panmure ... ... 0 0 Pukekohe 152 14 ftftuillou ... „. 0 " ftjbikihi „. ,„ .0 v d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jan. 1, 1901, these debts reduced to £ b. d. 1000 0 0 1050 0 0 4910 0 0 150 18 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 152 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Indebtedness as from Jan. 1, 1901. re Aroha ... 0 0 0 Paeroa . ... 112 5 10 rhames . ... 0 0 0 Joromandel ... 120 0 0 Fauranga ... ... 0 0 U :)potiki ... ... 0 0 0 [iieborne ... ... 158 12 0 Puhoi ... ... 0 0 0 Whantfarei ... 100 0 0 Jan. 1, 1901, the* debts reduced to £ s. d. 0 0 0 39 15 8 0 0 0 98 12 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 0 0 £8.->r>B I,") 10 £7452 0 8

Cathedral, property st. Benedict's, fence )nehun<ra ... )tahuhu, improvements 'anmnre and HowicK ... vihikihi jisborne ?uhoi [lolensville . Debt. & 6. d. 480 0 0 113 12 0 18 4 0 40 0 0 «>3 0 1 203 15 1 «J4!> 1 8 249 12 .-{ 230 0 0 Reduction. £ b. d. 0 0 0 113 12 0 18 4 0 40 0 0 60 17 2 203 15 1 275 4 6 150 0 0 212 0 0 £2877 5 1 £1073 12 9