THE LATE DEAN MARTIN

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 38, 19 September 1907, Page 13

THE LATE DEAN MARTIN

UNVEILING OF A MONUMENT AT HOKITIKA

(From an occasional, correspondent.) Sunday, September .8, will long 'be remembered in Hokitika 'as the occasion of a .manifestation of the" affection of the people of the town and district for the late Dean of Westland, the Very Rev. P. A. Martin, S..M. (whose lamented decease took place on Sunday, August 5, of last year), as tfiat day witnessed the unveiling and blessing of a monument erected over his grave in the Hokitika Cen: etery, ' with impressive ceremony, and in the presence-, of a large assemblage of all denominations from far and near. # At 2.30 ' p.m., headed by the Hokitika Volunteer Band, a long numbering -several hundreds oi the faithful, and marshalled by Sergeant-Major Miller, 'Se v t out from St. Mary's Church for the cemetery, the order be 1 ing as follows :— School children, First Communicants, Sisters of Mercy, Children of Mary, Holy Family Sodality, League of the ' Sacred Heart, St. Mary's Club, parishioners, and clergy. The scene, as the . procession wended .its way along Stafford street v and up Fitzherbert street, was an impressive one, the "various confraternities wearing their, respective regalias and bearing beautiful banners,- while the route was lined with crowds of the general public ; and - on the . I 'summit of the Cemetery Hill another large assemblage was" visible. : > x The monument/ i§ in grey granite, resting upon an - extended concrete base,', surmloun.ted : by a Celtic cross^ , and polished and- ornamented on the four sides, on the eastern, one of,- which ,-is , the, inscription : 'P. A. Martin, Dean of ■ Westland ; ; 38 years P.P. of St. Marks', Hoki.tika a ; .18.30:4908.r-R.l.'P^ .After*, an appropriate, selection from the band , Rev., ; Father Lowham, y.SS.Ii., performed "the unveiling ceremony, which. w.as' followed by 'the -singing of a hymn by the choir and '„• school children, with, band accorripani-, ! orient. . -,<'.< ■..■-,; t ' " -JVThen.the/Rev. father Aubiy, pastor of Hokitika, de- [ liyered .an^elo.quent address, in the course, of which he '-, stated that immediately after the death of their late

beloved pastor, it was felt, by all that his memory should be perpetuated, and subscriptions towards the erection of this splendid monument soon began to come in from all denominations, and from distant as well as local friends of the laic Dean; Soon £110 had been raised, and the present design, submitted by Mr. T. L. Ralfe, who had ably' executed the work of erection, was selected. After paying, a tribute to the manyfadmirable characteristics and good work of the la,te Dean, Father Aubry -thanked the ladies who had collected for the monument; the. Mayor of '.Hokitika (Mr. H. L.' Michel), Rev. Fathers Lowham and O'Connor (JRoss), the band for their presence,- the press for their good offices, and all present for assembling to do honor to . the memory of Dean Martin. The solemn blessing of > the monument was then performed by Father Aubry. The Mayor followed with •>• an- able address. No monument, he said, was needed to perpetuate the memory of' the good Dean Martin,- who was. esteemed ' by all. The Sisters of Mercy,' and those of the ilock of the Church . of which he was such a shining light esteemed the good man as v a wise priest and a faithful counsellor, but many / outside his congregation knew him also as a kind friend, and no case of suffering or distress ever found him unresponsive. He had been a good citizen, a good friend, and a good pastor, and it appeared to, have been his constant effort to ' render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things , that are Gdd's.' He had an abidingplace in the memories of "-them all. . The Rev. Father JLowham said :— I was just thinking how fitting it is that this, monument which your devotedness and generosity have erected should be of enduring granite. It is symbolic of your deep-seated and abiding affection for the late Dean, as >ou so - lovingly call him. He won his way into the innermost recesses of your hearts, and .there his • memory is enshrined, ile made a conquest of your souls 'not - by artifice or intrigue, but by his kindly sympathetic nature, his sterling devotedness, his magnanimous charity, his unostentatious manners, his pure-souled , life. He dug deep and broad in your breasts the foundation of a. life-long, love. His memory will even out-live your own existence and will be handed downas- a precious heirloom to, your children's 1 children. And long after some of us here to-day are forgotten the Dean of Westland " will be affectionately remembered. How well did his Lordship the Bishop say : 1 Dean Martin has no need of a monument to perpetuate his memory ; he has a monument in the • .breast of every person in Hokitika:' But charity when it is genuine always manifests itself in- action. Therefore it is. that, you have .erected this tastefully carved monu-, ment, the outward expression of your inmost feelings ! towards Dean Martin " who, though dead, lives amongst you still. He lives in your memory as the poor man's friend and the helper of the widow and • the orphan. Only on the great accounting day will those secret benefactions of his . be known by which he assisted the poverty-stricken, relieved the passing stress of those in difficulties, and dried the tears of those in sorrow because of financial embarrassment, by substantial aid. In fact his hand was ever ' open to put in practice corporal works of mercy, sand what is better, what' is more praise-worthy, , what is nobler, his left hand never knew what Ms • right hand did. He lives amongst you by .the erection of the 'great home of piety and of learning where the good Sisters of Mercy find a dwelling. ' I would say that the' crowning glory of the Dean's life was the introduction of these devoted nuns ' not. merely " into Hokitika, but* into Westland and other parts of New Zealand.' And well may we say of him what was said of Sir Christopher Wren :— Si monumentum quaeris circumspice. ' If you seek a monument of the ' Dean you have it in the homes of learning and piety ■ he has left behind him. He well knew that, education * without > religion is only half-education with the more important half left out, and that the measure of a man's religion in his 'old age will be' the measure of what his religion was. in his childhood. He lives amongst you as the good shepherd of his flock. He baptised your children, he married most of you here • to-day, he . attended your dying, he buried your -dead. And though his hands are at rest for ever, /and & his eyes have lost their lustre, and .his voice has faded away in the silence of the tomb, and his feet • have ceased their journeyings, and the old familiar form has crumbled into dust, the Dean . lives and works amongst you still. Though twelve months have passed away since he was laid to rest amid • the tears of his people and the sobs of grateful loving hearts, his memory is as fresh and green as the luxuriant foliage / around us. I take it that the laurel wreath encirc- , ling this monument is emblematic of crown of im-

mortality that is to-day encircling the Dean's brow. And I would ask you to make your lives conformable to his, so 'that when the, fulness of time comes for you, and when the last ' reqiuiescat in pace' is° said over your ,mortal . remains', you, too, may be worthy of a happy immortality. The band. then played the ' Gloria ' from Mozart's ' Twelfth .Mass, bringing the ceremony to a conclusion, and the procession reformed, and returned to St. ,Mary's Church. , r (We understand that a photograph of the monument for' reproduction in our pages was forwarded, or to be forwarded to ,this office, but up to time of gciing to^ press it had not^ reached us.) - • • "