DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, 10 January 1907, Page 14

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

(From our own correspondent.)

- ~" . January 7. Among visitors to •Christchurch are 'the Rev. Father Barry and Rev. Father Lowe, CM., of Melbourne. On Friday morning last, at the Monastery of the Sacred Heart, eight young ladies" made their profession in the Order of Notre Dame des Missions. In the afternoon three others were received. The Very Rev. Vicar-General presided at the ceremony. . ' A week's most successful missions by the Redemptoiist Fathers at Halswell and at Woolston were concluded on Sunday last. At Woolston a beautiful statue of St. Anne was blessed. The mission at Addi-ngton was commenced on the same day. At' the Catholic Club rooms, diplomas ' recently awarded, were presented, to Messrs. J. R. Hay ward, G. Dobbs, and M.~ O^Reilly by Mr. A. H. Casey, vice-p-resident of the Federated Catholic Young Men's " Societies, on last Monday evening. The Exhibition has been' very' largely attended throughout the New Year holidays, and at the rate of" progress, wlAch now seems fairly to have- set in, the first million to pass through' the turn-stiles will v .be reached at an early date." Some first-class outside at-, tractions were in evidence during the week, including the Highlanders' gathering and Pain's fireworks ; with, others to follow at short anjd regular intervals. Many thousands are sure to have seen within the enclosures this mont-h and onwards. Among exhibits of particular interest to our Catholic people, included hi the catalogue of the Exhibition, are the following :— Hawke's Bay Court — Meanee mission station, honey and wines, including altar wines of various kinds. ■ Timaru and South Canterbury .Court— Marist Brothers. 1 , T,iniaru, woodwork, netting, etc. Fiji Court— Catholic.\mission, riotmma, mats of native manufacture. Home, ''Industries ,_, Section— Writing, composition, commercial correspondence, drawing and painting, drawing from' models, brush work, drawing and painting from nature, decorative . design, modelling, shorthand, type-writing, pain'Ang and decoration, relief carving, incised-carving, manual training, (open class), plain needlework, ribbon work, applique work, lace work, knitting and crochet, miscellaneous, all by individual exhibitors, (exceptionally beautiful and costly exhibits) ' "Sisters of Mercy, Christchurch and Lyttelton, and Sister.s of the Good ■ Shepherd, • and Mother Superior* Mount Magdala. Decorative needlework, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Mount Magdala, and Sisters of the Missions, Christchurch. Among exhibits.. by .Natives, are writing, carving, and kit-weaving, etc. The Marist Brothers returned last week from the annual " retreat at... Auckland.,. To the keen disappoint^ . ment of many the Rev. Brother Basil (late Superior) has 'been transferred to Wanganui, and -the- vacancy filled by the, appointment of Brother Walter, one of his confreres here"' for some years, and who is very .popular, with "the, boys. During the time the genial and scholarly Brother Basil has resided in Christchurch he has much endeared himself to the people and greatly interested himself in his pupils' welfare,' both during their schooldays and after. >He is an ardent advocate of higher studies, and performed .real good work in this direction, even beyond his recognised du-

ties. Realising, as he does, the injustice of the distribution of .National Scholarships whereby our most talented and elhcient boys are debarred from the pri- * vileges enjoyed by those attending State schools, he tried, by dint -of hard personal "enort, to make up for the disadvantages suffered by his pupils through no fault of their own. How far he-succeeded in this <v rection, is well known .and appreciated. The Catholics of Lhristchurch wish Brother Basil ' many years o.f health and activity m his new. sphere of duties.