St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 47, 20 November 1902, Page 3

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne.

On Sunday, November 2, the fifth anniversary of the consecration of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, was celebrated, when very l»rge congregations attended both at morning and evening services. High Mass wbb celebrated at 1 1 o'clock, and there were special features in the musical service?, which were conducted by Mr Otto Linden. During his sermon in connection with the anniversary celebrations the Archbishop of Melbourne referred in congratulatory terms to the work that had been done during the past year in decorating the sanctuary and side chapels of the Cathedral, on which A SOOO had been expended during the year. Being the chief and central ohnrch of the diocese, raid his Grace, we have tried to make the offering as rich and as worthy of our faith as our resources would allow. What was wanting at the time of conrecration we have been supplying year by year ever tince. During the course of last year, owing to the unexpended portion of the Crotty bequest, we have been enabled to advance materially toward the completion of the interior. But even after the Crotty bequest was completely exhausted, we have been able from private sources and without any appeal to the public, to decorate all the chapelt and the sanctuary walls, to erect massive stations of the eros?, to iasert some beautiful stained-glass windows, and to retile a considerable part of the floor space of the Cathedral. In all these

workß between £< 000 and £5000 have been expended daring th« year. The sanctuary and apae will be fully provided for M soon m the floors of four of the ohapels are laid with mosaic tiling, and some additional stained glass windows inserted in the clerestory of the sanctuary and in the side ohapelo. Having done so much for the Cathedral, we must now turn oar attention to the best meana of supplying a long-felt want. No matter how spacious onr churches may be, they would fail in their purpose if we did not provide not only for our school children, bat elso for young men and women after their 6chool years. For • considerable time it has been a matter of anxious consideration to find a suitable site and buildings which might serve for a hall, and for club, conference, sodality, and sooiety rooms. The idea was entertained for come time of erecting a hall and olub rcoms on the Cathedral grounds, but representations came from many quarters that such buildings would necessarily obstruct the view of the Cathedral and unduly encroach on the grounds. In* stead, therefore, of calling together representative men, as was intended, and laying before them the project of building on the Cathedral grounds, we looked around for a more suitable site, and we have just succeeded in purchasing one. It is in Brunswick street, a few doDra below the tramshed, and therefore, while sufficiently near the Cathedral, it; will not block the view or encroach on the grounds. On this site, which extends from Brunswick street to Young street, a depth of 300 ft, there is a large three-storied build* ing, lately used as a boot factory which will answer admirably for club, class, and society rooms. The price (£4200) ii a very moderate one. It was fitting that on an occasion like the present those grand masterpieces of musical composition, Hadyn's ' Creation ' and Meudelssohn's ' Elijah' should form part of our celebration. It it part of the function of & cathedral to promote the cultivation of sacred music, both vocal and instrumental. The oratorio owes its origin to St. Philip Neri, who collected the young men of Rome on Sundays to listen to the musical representations of Scripture scenes in his chapel of oratory. Haydn, the author of the 'Creation,' was trained in the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, and his last appearance in publio was at the performance of this oratorio. He was so overcome by the mußio of his own composition that he had to be carried out of the building in a state of collapse. We have good reason to congratulate ourselves on the opportunity of listening to such sublime church musio, and of feeling that year by year the Cathedral, in increasing measure, is fulfilling the highest expectations of those who through many sacrifices have brought it to its present state of completeness.