DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 39, 26 September 1907, Page 23

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

(From our own correspondent.) September 23. Mr. H. Rossiter, well known in local musical circles, and conductor at the recent Spanish-Columbian Festival, has accepted- the position of conductor of Mr. T. Pollard's Juvenile Opera Company. The- Very Rev. Father Clune, C.SS.R., .passed through Christchurch last- week to open a mission at Temuka. He will be joined by Rev. Father MacDermott, who 'has been conducting a retreat for the Children of Mary at the Sacred Heart Convent.. - In the Cathedral on Sunday his Lordship the Bishop alluded in grateful terms to a letter he had received from a venerable priest, not of this diocese, covering a "generous subscription (the second one) towardjs the Cathedral fund, ' being a small contribution,' the writer stated, ' towards reducing the debt on your grand Cathedral, the dedication ceremony of which I was unfortunately unable to attend. I hope the very heavy burden is being reduced, although it may take 1 a long time .to clear it all off. However, Christchurch is a prosperous city, and the diocese- is only in its infancy, so that on the score of debt your Lordship's anxiety may be palliated.' "Such kindly and generous action, said his- Lordship, on the part of one quite disinterested, save by the bonds of holy faith, is distinctly cheering, and should- prove a real incentive to renewed effort on our part. The annual meeting of the Ashburton St. Patrick's Day Sports' Association was held on last Wednesday evening. The Very Rev. Dean O'Donnell presided, -and there was a very fair attendance of members. The report showed that the number of members was 56, and the balance sheet showed a credit balance of £4 10s sd. The report and balance sheet were adopted. Owing to the poor support accorded to the association during the past year, many members were in favor of disbanding, "but the meeting decided to carry on and to raise the subscriptions from 2s 6d to 5s for single members and to 10s 6d for family tickets. The election of officers resulted as follows :— Patron, Dean O'Donnell • president, Mr. 11. Davis ; honorary treasurer, Mr. Thomas Hancox ; honorary secretary, Mr. M. J.-Moriarty-delegate to the Ashburton Sports Association, Mr. m! J. Burgess. An honorarium of three guineas was voted to the secretary. i ? h £ ? ev ' Father Cooney returned to Lyttelton on last Wednesday after a holiday trip to the South Sea Islands and Sydney. In the evening, at the Colonists'' Hall, he and Rev. Father- O'Connell, who has been in temporary charge of the parish, were entertained at a social gathering which was largely attended. . A pleasing feature of the gathering was a presentation by Mr P. J. Murray, on behalf of the parishioners, -to the Key. Father Looney of an address of welcome, beautifully illuminated by the Sisters of. Mercy at the local Convent of St. Joseph, and a purse of sovereigns, gather Cooney expressed in very hearty terms his thanks for the generous offering and sincere appreciation of the kindness and thoughtfulness of his people which prompted their gift. As a mark of the parishioners' appreciation of Father Q'Conriell's administration of the,.pansn" whilst acting as locum tenens he was presented by Mr. A. Haydefi with a memento of his valued services, in accepting which Father O'Connell made suitable acknowledgment. At the annual meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, held on last -Thursday the chairman, his Lordship Bishop Grimes, said that before, proceeding to the ordinary business of the meeting he deemed it his -mournful duty to rrove a resolution which he was confident, w.ould meet with the ready aii-d. .heartfelt approbation of every member of the Society. With the whole of the Colony at large the

members of the Society deplored the loss sustained by the community and country in the death of the late Sir John- Hall, K.C.M.G. — ' clarum et venerabile nomen.' F.or five and thirty years the late Sir John Hall had held' the* office ;of president of the Society, and for five and •thirty years he took the keenest and most prac*tical interest in.its'aims and objects. His Lordship'mioved .— ' The ' Canterbury Society for the Prevention of Cruelty, to Animals wishes to place on record, at this", its annual meeting, its grateful appreciation of the keen and practical, interest so long taken in the work of the Society - by the late Sir John Hall, K.C.M.G., who" held the office. of , president during an unbroken course of -five and thirty years :> .at the same time the Society :begs to convey to the family -of the deceased president the expression of its cordial sympathy with them in = their great -bereavement.' The motion was 'agreed to - the audience standing.. . . , * '

(From. an occasional correspondent.) September 22. The president of the Catholic Club, Mr. W. Hoban, entertained the members and their friends- at a social evening on Tuesday last. The function was undoubt- a edly the most successful of its kind yet held,, and reflected great credit on the committee. The programme was provided by Mrs. Baxter, and Messrs. Hallins Foley, McDonald, Donnelly, Schwartz, and Chamoin. A football match between the ' performers ' and the ' assistants ' at the recent Spanish-Columbtian Festival was played on Saturday last, and proved a highly interesting game. The assistants, playing one shor.t, suffered defeat by 14 points to 11. For the winners' Mills, Turkington, Hilary, and L. Edmonds scored, and Leydon and Munro for the losers.