Marist Brothers' College, Auckland.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 47, 20 November 1902, Page 5

Marist Brothers' College, Auckland.

(From our Auckland correspondent.)

Last Sunday, November 9, waa a rati-letter day in Auckland For many years the Catholics here have labored ur.df r Che great disadvantage of not havingr. after the primary boboul*, what Dr. Lenihan aptly described 'a kindred atmosphere to pass on to.' This in about to be remedied. The Bite of the new college ia pleasantly situated on Richmond Eoad, commanding a view of the upper stretches of the Waitetnata, From all parts of the city and suburbs people gathered last Bunday afternoon to assist in the ceremony fraught with bo many great possibilities to this part of the Colony. Amongst those present were his Lordship Right Rev. Dr. Lenihan, bis Worship the Mayor (Mr Alfred Kidd), the Town Clerk (Mr H. W. Wilson), Very Rev. Dr. Egan, 0.8.8., Rev. Fathers Patterson, Adm.,(Gillan, McGuinness, Russell, Parton, 0.5.8. Lane, and King, Hon. T. Thompson, Messrs W. J. Napier, M.H.R., F. Baume, E. Mahoney, P. Darby, D. G. McDonnell, John Patterson, J. Sticohbury, W. Beehan, P. Gleeson. Apologies were received for unavoidable absence from the Right Rev. Monsignor O'Reilly, and Rev. Fathers Brodie and Darby, the Hon. J A. Tole, and Mr Moss Davis. A platform was erected over which were suspended numerous flags, one from the Bishop's palace was conspicuous bearing upon it the old Irish ' Cead mile f ailte.' The foundation stone, which is situated at the south-west corner of the building', facing Riobmond road, bears the following inscription : ' J.M.J. This stone was laid by the Right Rev. Dr. Lenihan, Bishop of Auckland, November 9, 1902.' Inside the stone were placed copies of the ' Star ' and ' Herald ' of Saturday, the 1 New Zealand Tablet ' of the 30th ult., and a parchment containing the following : ' To the honor and glory of Almighty God, one in Nature and Three in Person, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to the glorification of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in honor also of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of St. Joseph, and of all the Saints, this foundation Btone of the Marist Brothers' Sacred Heart College, from the designs of Messrs E. Mahcney and Son, architects, Mr Moody being builder, Mr J. Corley, inspector of works, waa blessed by and duly laid on'this the ninth day of November, 1902, being the 25th Sunday after Pentecost and Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of our Saviour, by the Right Rev. George Michael Lenihan, by the grace of God Bißhop of Auckland, in the presence of the Mayor of Auckland and leading citizens of the community, in the 24th year of the Pontificate of our Most Holy Father Pope Leo XIII. ; in the sixth year of the episcopate of George M. Lenihan ; in the second year of his Most Excellent Majesty King Edward VII., King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Colonies and Dependencies, and Emperor of India ; his Excellency the Right Hon, Sir Uchter Mark, the fifth Earl of Ranfurly, being Governor, the- Right Hon. Richard John Seddon, P.C., Prime Minister, Alfred Kidd, Esq., Mayor ; Brother Basil being Director of the College, and the Very Rev. Brother Theophane, Superior-General of tne Order.' The Bishop then laid the foundation stone, and in doing bo used a nice silver trowel presented by Mr T. Mahoney, architect, inscribed as follows : ' Used by hia Lordship Dr. Lenihan on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of the Marist Brothers' College. November 9, 1902.' After laying the Btone his Lordship offered the following prayer : ' 0 God, from Whom all good things arise and receive their increase, grant, we beseech Thee, to us supplicating, that what we have begun to the honor of Thy name may lead, by Thy paternal wisdom, to a happy ending, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' His Lordship then addressing the vast concourse, which must have numbered considerably over a thousand persons, said :— ln 1851 Sir. Hugh Coolahan presented tho site for the use of the Bishops of Auckland for ever. From his earliest associations with the spiritual needs of the diocese, he recognised the necessity of a high school, or college, where Catholic youths desirous of the higher pursuits in commercial and professional life might have the means offered them for special care and attention. Conscious of their needs in material prosperity and mindful of the depression surrounding them at that timo he could not see any immediate prospect of success, but as good fortune began to smile on the Colony, so hopo was awakened within him, and he looked upon the present site as a means to attain that end. The world knew what Catholics had done for education. Our primary schools, built and maintained at our own expense, commanded the admiration of all. Assuredly at this time, when throughout the length and breadth of the Colony meetings were being held almost daily to consider some method of Biblical instruction m the public schools, their bitterest opponents would have to assert that the action of the Catholics had been consistent throughout. Catholics were as anxious as the greatest champions of the public schools for a perfect system of teaching regarding arithmetic, grammar, geography and other pass and class subjects. But this, contended the Bishop, was not sufficient, and would never content them. The most necessary subject of all was excluded, namely, the "knowledge of our Creator. ' Where,' he asked, 'could there bo that reverence of the young for those in authority when they were absolutely forbidden to hear anything of their' Lord and Master, to know His laws, or to conform their actions with His teachings. True, there were Sunday schools. It could bo easily imagined that if the same limited time were given weekly for the branches of secular knowledge — music, arithmetic, etc. — no father would be content with the progress made by his

child. Catholics recognised the need of constant lessons in spiritual truths, and clamoured for a higher and better system of instruction than the Government at present offered. For from the whole of the child's training, covering, as it does, the principal years of a child's life, to exclude all mention of God, all recognition of His supremacy, and all instruction as to a child's duty towards Him was disloyalty to the Creator and dishonesty to the child. The Catholic Church would never be accessory to such a wrong, and in that its reason lay for the building of Catholic schools, and wo have proved how ready we are to make sacrifices to uphold our principles. To-day we aie pressing on this work in Auckland. Our girls' high schools had met with constant favor, and now the time was ripo for the establishment for boys. Primary schools are but half complete as long as their pupils had no kindred atmosphere to pass on to when their course is finished in them. He looked to the Marist Brothers for their assistance in this matter, and in granting them the present fine site for a college they entered into the scheme earnestly and practically. The story of their work in educational matters was most interesting. In 1817 a simple curate of the diocese of Lyons, Rev. Father Champagnat, imbued with great learning gathered round him a few ardent spirits, animated like himself with a zeal for the instruction of youth, beginning with three members. In the community at his death in 1840 the Brotherhood had increased to 248, their houses and schools numbered 50, and their pupils 7500. In 1883 there were 2532 Brothers, 564 schools, and 78,000 pupils. At the beginning of the present year there were 7000 Brothers, 800 schools and 120,000 pupils. That was the result of the work done by their holy founder, whose sanctity of life was so marked that the Church declared him ' venerable,' and the cause of his beatification was now in progress. The Marist Brothers were to be found in almost every clime in Europe, Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, Algiers, Egypt, the Holy Land, South Sea Islands, Australasia, and in China four of their number fell victims during the Boxer insurrection. He referred to the success of the Order, instancing Australia. Their College at Hunter's Hill, Sydney, bears an Australasian reputation, as one of the most successful and one of the largest in the Commonwealth. The boarders there numbered 220. At the last Civil Service examination 18 pupils were presented and 18 passed, two securing silver medals. All this gave great hope for the success of the college in course of erection in Auckland. We shall have a full staff, and the course of instruction will include the sciences, modern languages, classics, and subjects presented for Civil Service and Matriculation examinations, while the religious education of the boys will be fully attended to. The building, being erected from plans drawn by Mr. T. Mahoney. under the careful supervision of the contractor, Mr Moody, would, when completed, cost £-15,000. Addressing the Mayor, the Bishop said he might suggest in that another item to rejoice his heart in the material progress that Auckland had shown during hjs (the Mayor's) successful administration of its affans. The advancement of Auckland had been Mr. Kidd's one desire, and to make it better than he found it his motto. He hoped the Mayor would class the college among the many improvements effected in the city during his term of office, adding that the results of the training in the college would prove to him and the public that those iuhabitating it had acted uprightly conscientiously, and honestly as pood citizens. But as the Scripture says, ' Unless the Lord keep the city ho watcheth in vain that keepeth it.' Also, it says ; Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in \ain that build it.' For that reason prayers had been said at the corner, or foundation stone, that God might grant every grace to those who live in that house. His Lordship's address was greeted with loud and prolonged applause Then followed his Worship the Mayor, who said it gave him great pleasure to be there that day. He congratulated the Bishop on successfully laying the stone He felt equally satisfied that the work now about to be commenced was one in which their children's children would benefit Nothing to him seemed brighter than education, and he was confident the school would accomplish much Whatever he had done in the way of improvements during his term of office had been "of small account. Ho summed up the position thus : ' What I have dono or desire to do, is that what any ordinary citizen placed in my position would do, and that is to leave tho world a little better than we found it.' The college, he went on to say, would be included in the improvements he had had a share in during the past two years. It was pleasing to him to see that the Brothers had started on such a beautiful site, and under such pleasing auspices. He wished the Brothers every prosperity, and hoped that God would protect them. The next address to the assemblage was Mr Mahony (solicitor), who moved a vote of thanks to the Bishop for presiding and so successfully laying the foundation stone of the new college He deplored the fact that tho education system established many years ago in New Zealand lacked one thing, as his Lordship pointed out It lacked the commingling of the religious with the secular education of the children. This want was now deeply felt throughout the country, and people of all shades of opinion were clamoring for the introduction of Biblical teaching in schools , *Vu c Ho ?. T ' Thompson, ex-Minister of Justice, seconded the motion, and said, after a few complimentary remarks that from personal experience he could say that tho college was an absolute necessity in Auckland because he was the guardian of a Catholic famib' left without parents at an early age. and he had been compelled to send a lad away to receive a collegiate course not allowable in Auckland. This was not the first time ha

had been present at the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of a Catholic college in this Colony. He was present when the foundatian stone of St. Patrick's College, Wellington, was laid. He saw no reason why the present college, when completed, could not do as good work as the one referred to. He concluded by heartily wishing the Brothers every success and prosperity. The motion was carried by acclamation. During the delivery of the addresses, collectors from the four city parishes made their way through the people and got together a sum much over £100, which will be added to within the next few week«;. The Garrison Band, under Bandmaster Hunter, onlivened the proceedings by discoursing sweet music, notably a fantasia of Irish airs, and the Coronation March, a composition by Mr. Harry Hiscocks, tho young organist of St. Patrick's. The proceedings ended successfully about half-past four, and the whole arrangements were well thought out and executed, thanks to the energy and care of Brother Basil, Superior of the Marist Order in Auckland.