The Late Father M'Grath, Patea

New Zealand Tablet, 13 September 1906, Page 14

The Late Father M'Grath, Patea

(Prom aa; occasional correspondent.) noJ^S^S 1 ?"> very sudden death of our beloved pastor filled the Catholic people of Patea with sad and bitter grief, it had. pleased God to call to Himself the good ana gentle priest who was a" friend to every one of us, and, while bowing to the inscrutable ways of God, each -of. us felt that a chair was vacant at bur ownhearth, and that the angel of death had visited our own ■ £ ouehln S references to our loss^ were made in all the churches of Pafeea on Sunday last, and the Harbor Board and the Borough Council both adjourned their meetings in token of respect for the deceased : priest, and passed motions of sympathy with his friends/ The remains reached Patea by train from Wellington on Monday evening. His Grace the Archbishop, *the Veiu Archdeacon Devoy, the Rector of St. Patrick's College, the Rev. T. O'Shea, S.M., and- the -Rev.- N. B. Moloney, S.M., accompanied the chief mourners— Mr. Maurice McGrath, Wellington (brother), and Mr. -Maurice McGrath, Masterton (nephew). A large crowd of parishioners pressed round the Railway Station in mournful silence, anxious to' catch the first sight orthe coffin,, which bore the remains of their beloved pastor Ihe funeral -cortege was immediately formed, and moved slowly towards the church, where the remains were received by the Archbishop and the assistant clergy - Solemn Vespers for the dead, followed by the iHoly Rpsary,- were recited at 7 p.m.- On Tuesday morning the church filled up, befoieJJ o'clock for the various Masses. The official hour for the, Solemn Requiem Mass (11 o clock), found the church inconveniently ticked ik ■ ™ en " Arcl "teacon Devoy was celebrant, the Bey T* McManus and the Rev. A. Bo we acting as deacon 'and . subdeacon respectively, and the Rev. Thos. McKemia as master of ceremonies. His Qva.ce Me ArchtiisW. pre- .. sided at the throne, assisted by the. Very. Rev. 'Dean „ McKenna and Very Rev. "A. Keogh. .The solemn """ diree . was excellently chanted by the Very Rev. T Power the . Rev, N B Moloney; and the Rev. G.;Mahoney7 v 'and amongst the clergy .in the .choir were the ReVs J O'Meara,,T. O'Shea, F. Melu, P. Treaey,- J. Duffy' T Haire, and F. Dwyer. At the close of . the* sacred ceremonies, the Archbishop addressed the vast concourse He. dwelt ion the deceased priest's character; on the holiness of has life, his meekness, his charity," and above all,, ms patience— the distinctive virtue of the apostles i based on ,the teaching of our. Divine Lord Himself cln ; your patience you. shall possess your souls' (Luke'xxi -19) He/ told the people that; the recollection of these i virtues would ever keep Father McGrath's memory fresh ! in their .hearts, and added that the parish -schools so ; well designed and built, so perfect in all their appointi ments, would be a standing memorial to the zeal and [ energy of their deceased pastor, and that- coming gene-

rations would bless his name for having brought within their reach the solid benefits and advantages of a good religious education. In conclusion, his Grace asked v them to bring home to themselves the great lesson of this sudden death—to the saint a sudden death - was often a great blessing, to the sinner it. was the judgment of God's wrath, and let them so live as to be ever ready for God's call, and then the beloved priest*~ whom they all mourned, and^whb had so often broken to them the Bread of Life, would continue to 'preach to them in even more eloquent tones from the icy coldness ~ -of his grave. - *_ At 2.30 o'clock the remains were removed from the church to. their last resting-place in our pretty cemc- - tery. - The whole town turned out to honor-the mem- ~ ory of their departed friend. Mourners had come all „ the way from Nukumaru and -from Hawera, and no such gathering had prcviously^been witnessed in Patea. When the. sad cortege moved fronrr-the church, a silence of death fell on that =vast assemblage and. told more eloquently than words the feelings of those present. In' the town every shop was * closed, an-d far .beyond the town " .every Mind was drawn, and in the far distance snowcovered. Egmont was. the fitting reflection of > our cold and -silent hearts. . ... " ■ The clergy present headed the funeral cortege, the pali-bearers being Messrs. Boyle, Blake, Casey, Burke, E McKenna, O'Brien, and Williams.. The presence of the clergyj-ot other, denominations— Rev. Mr. Hammond, Rev. Mr. Jlermou, Rev. Mr. Rule,. and Rev. -Mr. Thomas —was a striking testimony to the religious harmony which .prevails here. Amongst others present were Mr George Williams. (Mayor;, Mr. Clarke (ex-Mayor)," Mr John Gibson, Mr. J. A. McKenna (Harbor Board):~Mr Homer (County Council), Mr. Blake (Road-Board), Mr. Rossiter (Chamber of Commerce). The children of the convent schools presented a very good effect The last prayers over, the mourners returned to their homes, feeling that the graveyard is now more hallowed and •dearer than before, honored as, it is in being the last resting place of our pastor.— R.l P