Westport (From our own correspondent.)

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 14, 7 April 1904, Page 5

Westport (From our own correspondent.)

March 28. On his recent visit to the West Coast his Grace Archbrs'hop Redwood blessed and opened a new church at Graaifty. This makes a total of ten churches in the rapidly advancing and extensive parish of Westport. A great improvement is at present noticeable in the external appearance of St. Canice's Church and the presbytery, which have recently been painted. The school of the Sisters of Mercy has also received attention and undergone some very necessary repairs. It has been decided to form a committee in connection with St. Canice's Catholic library. The Yen. Archpnest Walshe, who has taken the deepest interest in the institution since its establishment, has received very little encouragement to keep it open. With the help of a good working committee it is hoped to largely increase the number of subscribers, and in other ways place this library on a more satisfactory footing. The Rev Father Malloy, in referring to the library at St Canice's Church last Sunday morning, exhorted the young men and women of the parish to become subscribers, and thus take advantage of tlhe benefits to be obtained fiom a course of good, sound reading. The Hibernian Society's inaugural picnic was held at Caipe Foulwnud on St Patrick's Day. The weather was showery in the morning, but as the day advanced, it cleared up sufliciently to permit of a pleasant day's outing. 11l the evening the Society's annual social was held m the Victoria Theatre, and proved to be one of the m,o st successful functions of the kind ever carried out m Westpoit \ thoroughly enjoyable evening was spent by all present. The committee and their popular secietaiy (Mi 15. Gapper) are to be congratulated on the great success which attended their efforts. Laige congregations were present at the morning and evening sei vices at St fcJamce's Church on Palm Sunday' The choir rendered Farmer's Ma.ss m an eflicient inicUivner, being assisted by Mr J. Coughlan, who kmdlv undeiiook the tenor solos . At the 11 o'clock Mass at St Canice's Church on Palm Sun,<lav, the Rev. Father Malloy strongly appealed to the congregation to suppoit the ' New Zealand Tablet ' '1 he iov gentleman, in the course of his remaiks, s'p-oke in eulogistic teims of the able manner in which the opinions of Catholics are voiced by the papei, and exhorted all Cat, holies to take advantage of the presence here of the ' Tablet's ' representative by becoming subscribers.