DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 9 August 1906, Page 14

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

(From our own correspondent.)

August 6. An effort will probably be made to have an Irish athletic sports' gathering on or about next St Patrick's Day on the exhibition grounds " The Rev Father O'Conneli presided at a meeting on last Thursday of the executive committee of the projected carnival in the interests of the Cathedral debt extinction fund. Sundry matters of detail were arranged. On Sunday he was at Raagiora, in which parish he will spend some little time. j**«u Appeals in aid of the funds of the Cathedral Conference Society of St. Vincent de Paul, will be made on Sunday next in the Cathedral. At the 11 o'clock Mass the customary charity sermon will be preached by the Rev. Father McDermott, C.SS.R., and at Vespers the Very Rev Vicar-General (spiritual director of the society) will be the preacher. The Month's Mind of the late Rev. Father O'Hallahan was observed in the Cathedral on last Thursday morning At the Solemn Mass of Requiem the Rev Father Hyland (Rangiora) was celebrant, Rev Dr Kennedy (Akaroa) deacon, Rev. Father Hoare subdeacon and. Rev. Father Peoples master of ceremonies Gre-1 gonan music was sung by the Rev. Fathers Richards Cooney, O'Connell, and Galerne. The Very Rev. Father Le Menant des Chesnais, S.M., V.G., presided, and cave the absolutions at the catafalque. g St. Agnes' Convent School, Halswell, under the Sisters of the Missions, was examined on July 11 by Mr T. Ritchie, Inspector under the North Canterbury Board of Education. In his general report just to hand he writes : « Though the school in some respects makes a creditable appearance, the cencral proficiency may be regarded as very fair. With improvement in the at-

tendance the efficacy of the instruction would be materially enhanced. Certificates of proficiency were granted in Standard VI. to two out of three pupils average age being given as 13 years 1 month. In compulsory subjects the report is 'fair,' 'very fair 1 and 'satisfactory ' in the majority of instances. Additional subjects are bracketed ' fair ' and ' satisfactory to good. Other subjects, including order, discipline and i£.H c S Ifr SC }'°° 1 ' / satisfactory.' The Sacred Heart School, Addington, also conducted by the Sisters of the Missions was examined by Mr. Ritchie on the following day. Although his general remarks in report presented are not on the whole so favorable, he, however writes • In the routine of subjects tested a considerable number give satisfactory evidence of careful and efficient teaching Certificates of competency were granted in Standard .Vl. to two out of three pupils. In compulsory subjects the result is mainly satisfactory, whilst the order, discipline, and tone of the school are reported as good. .. ' At a meeting of the Canterbury College Board of Governors held last week a letter was received from the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, covering the report of rh e Hc e £? mm i? ri A r v T - F - Dunhi ". on examinations at Christchurch Ashburton, and Timaru. After treating of comparative results he continues : 'In addition to tne candidates already enumerated, pupils at the Convent of Mercy, Colombo street, were examined on April 6. There were three entries for the local centre examinations for pianoforte in the advanced grade. All these candidates passed (one with honors), the playing in each instance being brilliant, and generally of a quality above the average. There were also two local school candidates in the higher division at the convent, one for violin, who passed, the other for pianoforte, who failed. Pupils were also examined at the Monastery of the Sacred Heart on April 3. Only local school examinations were held. There were two candidates in the higher division (one singing and one Pianoforte) and both passed. In the lower division four pianoforte candidates were examined, and" three passed,- one with distinction. There was one candidate in the elementary division, who passed. The general standard at the monastery was good, the playing evidencing good and careful teaching. It would be noticed that the successes in the local centre examinations ZZl^A l ' ce i nnn T-? US in u th ? aflvanCftd grade than in the intermediate, while in the local school examinations the successes were more numerous in the lower division than in the higher. In regard to the concluding portion of the examiner's remarks as above it may be noted that many convent pupils, after a succession of passes in the earlier stages, for some reason not very clearly defined are placed under one or other professional teacher to whose credit their final success is placed ; and it is on record that some have been heard to say they are always delighted to get pupils from the convents as there they are always thoroughly grounded in the knowledge of music. Just such a case in point occurred here recently, where a particularly brilliant pupil of one of our convents, with an unbroken series of sueC ou S s S ?n aTan U cement hC tUiU ° n ° f a "^^ iS C^ [^