Welcome Home to Dean Burke, Invercargill

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 9, 5 March 1908, Page 24

Welcome Home to Dean Burke, Invercargill

The !Very Rev. 'Dean Burke, -accompanied by the Very Rev. .Faither O'Neill, of Milton, who met -the Dean in - Melbourne, .arrived at the 'Bluff by the ' Marama ' onMonday after an absence of twelve months in -Europe. He was met at the "Bluff by Rev. Father O'Malley and representatives-. of the Catholic congregation at the port. Mr. Tulloch read an address of welcome from-the Ca--thjics of the Bluff. D..an Burke (says the ' Southland Times ') came on to Invercargill by the 1.25 p.m. train, and was met at tiliestatiomij'bijy at lai'ge crowd of hisi parishioners. Accompanied by the Very Rev. Father O'Neill, and Messrs. -Caulfield, o? Rakahduka, and Joyce, o£ West, I lams, the De.an Was driven in Mr.,E. B. McK a y's motor car to St. JoseiJis schoolroom in Tyne street. There the children of the school were gathered' to greet t'l© De^n with welcoming choruses. The Dean responded 1o the children's welcome, saying that he was very glad to see them all again. Shortly before 2 o'clock the people of the congregation thronged into the schoolroom which was p a cked to ' t'.ie doors when Mr. J. Collins read the following address :— ' Very Rev,, - Dean,— With most profound pleasure and deep .gratitude to God 1 , we are gathered here to-day to offer you a thousand hearty welcomes on your return to your beloved children, and to your devoted work &m,ng&t us. We rejoice that you have come back to us blessed in health, and renewed in vigor, and while ottering you our heartfelt congratulations, we gladly thank God that He has yet spared' to us a true friend and cherished Father. With fervent prayer we have followed you to Peter's Throne, have l-nelt with you at a thousand shrines and sanctuaries, rejoicing always to know that in those sacred moments your thoughts ever strayed back to your diistant friends in this, the farthest ojt-post of the Church. With you we have trodden in s^ir.t the sweet, sad soil of Holy Ireland, grateful indeed still to find in Patrick's sons and daughters that strong faith And tender devotion of which' we are so justly proud. Your kind, unfailing thoughtfulness while abseat ofi your many friends has deeply touched! us, though it may have made us yearn the more for your speedy return and welcome presence. It is then, with true joy md t banks giving that Invercargill welcomes you as;ain to your most faithful children. That Almighty God will long spare you to bless us with your word and work, is the fervent prayer of each and everyone of your devoted flock ' Signed on 'behalf of the congregation, James ColMns (chairman), John Shepherd, H. S. Searle, J. McNamara, L. W,. J. Mccton, J. Mulvey, J. McDonoueh L. WMte, P. Roche, J. Ma'her, F. Byrne (hon. secretary) . The Very Rev. Dean Bur^e thanked the peonle for lhe cordial welcome they had given him, and >-aid that h.3 was glad to be back amongst them once more. He m-'de a f3w remarks about Belgium, Germany, France and Italy, some of the countries he had' travelled through, but his speech centred chiefly in Ireland and its reo.rjle." He related how the people of Ireland "werd emipr a t ng. to America, but very few, he said, ever came out t 0 New Ze-dand. The peorle of Ireland were placed at a dasadivanta-ge through the failure of their crops especially this year, bsuti nevertheless whenever one met the Irish people they always seemed -to be free -and easy-go-ng. He also referred to the numbers of American toursts thrt were vi^itin'r Ireland during the summer rron'hs. .The Irish peorle .appeared to know very little abou_t New Zealand', and he found that there were irore ■kndish and Scotch e*nie:rating to the colonies than there were Insh.The Dea*i remarked ■ that as so many priests and bishops were journeying to Ireland from America the Peop.le at first took little notice of him at any me-tang. Even wten h* was saying Mass at any rarosjti they .only remarked that he was some foreigner but io make himself known, he' reminded them that he belonged to the remotest parish in .the world Then ■ the old .ladies woiAd Joofk at him in wonder, an* shake hands with Mm, and confer all kinds of congratulations urorn ttam. The Dean finish* his speech by thank"ie; the people for their attendance, Promising, to give" -in " address on his travel. .Before conclndr.no- he wished S o^neratulaie Father O'Malley v.on the good work te had J»ore m the Pari&hl dur'ag has absence \ery Rev. Father O'Neill, of Milton, then welcomed - ?iT n TV b^ f ' Of tto- people of the dnocese and enw the T Dean's r-m.rks in regard iw • the good 'work " Father o'Mo I'ev had dome during, the Dean's absence Father O'Mal'ey thwfred tfk two former speakers for tl^,courteou S reference they had -made witj Sgtrd " S" •

Messis. Caulfield ar.idi Joyce, .in .z, few -Wiell : chosen words also welcomed -the Dean; .saying.. that they were glad 1 to see him return* homa .again in the best of health andspirits. . ' 'Mr. J. Collins then thanked the iDean .and' othes' speakers, and also th© .parishioners for tiheir .attendance, and aftsr Ihs singing of a hymn by the school child - mr n the meet ng thsn dispersed amid cheers for the Dean. ' .