OPENING OF A NEW CATHOLIC SCHOOL AT HALSWELL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 36, 8 September 1904, Page 20

OPENING OF A NEW CATHOLIC SCHOOL AT HALSWELL

(From our Chris-tchureh correspondent.)

The fine new Catholic school at Halswell, just completed and erected at a cost of £300, was blessed and formally opened on Sunday morning last by his Lord.ship x Bishop Grimes. At 10 o'clock a Migsa Cantata was celebrated in the adjoining church by the Rev. Father O'Connell, at which the Bishop preached. His Lordship, speaking of the French secular schools, said that an atrocious attack had been made upon the children in places where their parents had a right to expect they would be safeguarded from such dangers. The sohooLa had been stripped of that which should be a source of strength, comfort, and consolation for them. In the godless schools there was au attack against God, against the family, and against society, an attack which was tine more insidious because it was full of scorn. God was the Creator of the little child, and he had stamjped on tihe child the impress of His own nature. They all 'knew the beautiful history of man's creation givea in the Inspired Pages, and how God had created man in. His own image and likeness, communicating to inert clay a ray of His divinity. But during the most plastic years of the child's life it was not allowed to speak of God, and the things of God were tabooed. There must be no mention made of God. It was the system he reproached, and not those who were superior to t(he system. Atheism must, of necessity, become the otutcome of such a system. The teachers had only to sipeak of tjhings that; affect this world and not of things which are of God. Was he not right in saying that it was an outrage against the Creator, and brought about contradictions, disunion, and disruption. After showing that the authority of parents is undermined by the absence of instruction regarding the source of all humian authority, his Lordship said tthat statistics proved, and the facts could not be gainsaid, that the absence of religion kept pace with crime and crime with the absence of religion. France was honeycombed with secret societies, who aTe taking hold of the youth of the country, and which avowedly declared that iheir aim is to attack God and the things of God by depriving the children of their religion. What sanction was there for authority if the authority of Gold was not recognised ? Those whom he addressed had been wise, pftd understood that efforts must be made to britig up their children in the way thevwould Continue in after years, and their children would look back to their days- of Childhood, mindful of ' the promptings of faith. That day they' were giving practical pjroof of their belief in sound, solid Catholic education. They h,ad made efforts and ought tp be applauded for thera. They would continue those efforts, but whatever sacrifices they made were little compared with the immortal interests of the children confided to them by the Almighty. A specially organised choir from the city sang Farmer's. Mass in B flat, Mrs. J. Mercer being organist. After 1 Mass a procession was formed, consisting of cross bearers, acolytes, school children and congregation, and proceeded to the new building where the Bishop, attended by the Revf Father O'Con'nell, blessed and opetned the school, and delivered a very fine discourse on CatJiolijc education.

His Lordship said they had shown their oractical sympathy in the cause of education. They had heard re-

cently of efforts made by certain portions of the comm,usnity tto obtain Bible reading in schools, who felt great sympathy for the children who suffered from the education system foisted on the country .by men who failed to do their duty. These children were being crjppled by being deprived of the truths of religion, and after a quarter of a century of supine indifference an attempt was, being mia'de to remedy things, and they were going to the Government, they were gp\}ig to King Dick •- they went to the Government for everything, and one day would ask Mr. Seddon to lead their babies for them. Those men, hutflead of doing their diuties as', the Catholic Church and certain clergymen of the Anglican Church had done, had stood with arms folded for twenty-five years, and had only now wakened to a sense of their duty, but they wanted Uie State to |do it. What would be said if the Catholics made the same request ? There would be cries of Popery ' The Catholics did not ask anything of the sort, and they shared in the taxation, and had a right to ian eqiual share of it, and yet they were deprived bf ■4.v .u re the Catholics showed their practical sympathy with t/he children, crippled by want of means. It was worth the sacrifices made and he congratulated them ? n^u eir s F m Pa th y with the cause of education His Lor/dship referred in detail to the work done by the residents in regard to the school. Some had reduced the expenses by carting material and ot)hers had come from their offices in town, and, taking off their Coats had done laborious work in clearing the ground His Ldrdshtp thanked Father O'Connell for the thorough manner in which he had thrown himself into the work He annio.umced that 'a number of subscriptions from £20 d(ow,nward had been received.

On behalf of the congregation Mr. M. Wall thanked the Bishop for coming out to bless and opan their new school, and expressed infinite pleasure at toe interest in tneir spiritual and material welfare so consistently manifested by his Lordship and clergy The school building, 4C ft. by 2'o ft.', and divided into soiitaible class rooms, is most substantially constructed well ventilated, with all requirements and modern improvements.

The designer and builder, Mr. W. EVans, carried out his work to tihe satisfaction of all concerned and the accommodation now prowded will in the/ordinary course of events be fotind adequate for many years Up to the time of opening a sftim of £205 had been contributed towards the oost, which on the present occasion was augmented by the handsome sum of £55 being collected After the ceremony the Bishop and Rev. Father OConnell were entertained by Mr. and Mrs C H Evans at their fine residence close by. Mr and Mrs A C Nottingham extended a similar compliment to the

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