The Diocese of Auckland

New Zealand Tablet, 20 October 1910, Page 1701

The Diocese of Auckland

CONSECRATION OF THE RIGHT REV DR. CLEARY FURTHER INTERESTING PARTICULARS OF THE CEREMONY In our issue of October 6 we gave an account of the Consecration of the Right Rev. Dr. Cleary as Bishop of Auckland in . Enniscorthy Cathedral on August 21. By the last mail we received a copy of the Enniscorthy Echo of August 27, which contains a very complete report of the impressive ceremony, and from which we supplement our previous account.

record in sacred functions of this nature, -whilst the laity representing various parts of the diocese and. a large number from Dr. Cleary’s native parish of Oulart, filed into the spacious Cathedral in an unbroken throng for threequarters of an hour, till every available inch of. space was occupied. And when at 10 o’clock the triumphant notes of the organ announced the entrance through the front door of the surpliced priests, followed by the canons in their ermine and purple robes, accompanied ,by the Franciscan and Vincentian Fathers, the rear being brought up by the six Bishops and the Bishop-elect, the sight was truly inspiring, and the ensemble formed a combination never to be forgotten. Though the seat of Dr. Cleary’s labors for more than a quarter of a century has been laid many thousands of miles from his native sod, he has never missed an opportunity of giving a helping hand to the mother country, and on the occasion of his consecration he was not unmindful of his duty as patriot. Departing from the usual custom of obtaining the episcopal robes from Rome, ;, he stipulated that they should be of Irish manufacture, and ! it

Rarely in one's lifetime (says the Echo) is the opportunity afforded of seeing such a solemn and brilliant spectacle, and. additional interest was lent to the sacred ceremonies on this occasion by reason of the fact that the newly-consecrated Bishop was to devote his life and energies and abilities to the furtherance of the faith in a far foreign southern atmosphere. The attendance of ; home And foreign prelates at the consecration probably created a

was his pleasure also to have the native tongue of the Gael made use of in the necessary printing > executed in connection with his consecration. And again, a pride it was to him to take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself of being consecrated in the Cathedral of his native diocese in the same town where he was raised to the priesthood by one of the Bishops who now assisted at his elevation to episcopal rank, and to have as his

consecrating prelate an old brother missionary who was associated with him in his earlier ministry in the House of. Missions. Curious and happy coincidences these. The Bishop’s Ancestry. The Right Rev. Dr. Cleary is worthy of the dignity showered on 'him, - for the new Bishop - is on his mother’s side a scion of the famous Sutton family, who gave so many distinguished , sons to Church and State. In 1171 the family first came to Wexford, settling in Ballykerogue Castle, and Oldcourt, Hook. In 1210 we find Sir Robert Sutton, Knight of King John, living in Ballykerogue Castle, and in 1235 his son, William Sutton, as chaplain of' Dublin Castle. - Part of the family after some time settled in Oak Hall, where Dr. Cleary’s maternal great grandmother was born. She was married to a gentleman named Wall, and the family lived for many generations near Camolin. ; A first and second cousin of the new; Bishop’s mother, Dr. Charles William Wall, was long-Vicc-Provost of Trinity College, Dublin. He took the B.A. T.C.D., in 1800 and the fellowship in 1805, taking nts M.A. degree the same year, and the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1820. He died in the sixties. He left Trinity’ a great collection of books and manuscripts, and in 1858 fin Endowment of £2OOO for the five burses for the study of Semitic languages. A marble bust of him has a place in Trinity College, library amongst the busts of other benefactors. The new Bishop’s father’s people were in the 17th century ,extensive farmers in the Ashford district, County Wicklow, and about 1715, on the marriage of the widowed mother the three sons, then grown to man's estate, left the paternal home and purchased a holding in, Tigroney, Vale - of Avoca, where the lately deceased father; of the newly-consecrated Bishop was born in 1812. The I new Bishop’s mother, a convert to the Catholic faith, is still hale and hearty at 85, with a bright intellect and a : marvellous memory. She, as well as many of the Protes- j tant relations of his Lordship, was present at the consecration. In addition to the episcopal, cross and chain which his Lordship; was presented with from his former classmates now engaged in the ministry in Ferns diocese, and to which reference is made elsewhere, the newly-consecrated Bishop was the recipient of other valuable gifts, including a magnificently bound ‘ canon,’ and other presents from the Bishop of Ferns; a gold mitre from Rev. James Delany (a Dunedin priest who was present at the consecration), and a magnificent and costly precious mitre from the Right Rev. Mgr. O’Keeffe, of Highland Falls, New York, an old and greatly esteemed college companion and intimate friend. The handsome and massive gold ring which his Lordship wears,, as the signet of _ plighted troth’ is the gift of a Dunedin Protestant friend. It was manufactured from New Zealand gold in Dublin. The episcopal vestments were made in the Convent of Perpetual Adoration, Wexford. • >;. - Biographical Sketch. To attempt -to give even a brief sketch of such a brilliant career as that of the great Churchman, whose elevation to the. Bishopric of Auckland is hailed with delight in so many countries, would be almost impossible without far exceeding the limit of space at our disposal. His life has been a record of great work well done ,and the brilliant gifts that enabled him to accomplish so much, placed him above ambition and the magnitude of his labors was the co-relative of .the unassuming manner of their performance. Needless to say, a career that embraced such a wide variety of interests , and such a wide sphere of endeavor was not lacking - in striking incidents, but it is the quieter tones rather than the high lights that are the true measure of his greatness. Born at Glenranny (popularly known as Glynn) in the parish of Oulart, some fifty years ago, he at an early..age gave promise of the abilities which were to show so prominently in after life, and in the beginning of his ecclesiastical studies at St. Aidan’s Academy, Enniscorthy, his rare mental powers rapidly developed. Here he spent the years 1874-76 under the direction of the Rev. John Carey, the President of the Academy. In 1876 he proceeded to ? Wexford College, where he spent the two succeeding years making a reputation for close application to study, and for great mental ability, as well as for other qualities that endeared him to his school-fellows. In 1878 he passed into Maynooth, and after two years there was sent by the late Dr. Warren to study in the Papal. University of the Apollinare in Rome, where he passed the years 1880 till the close of 1883. But incessant study told upon his health, and he was obliged to rest for a while at home before completing his studies at St. Sulpice, Paris. He was ordained by Most Rev. Dr. Browne, Bishon of Ferns, in the Shannon Chapel, Enniscorthy, on January 11, 1885. After his ordination he joined the staff of the House of Missions, Enniscorthy, and. for some two years labored there until ill health compelled him to leave his missionary labors for the lighter duties of parochial work, and he took up the duties of assistant priest to the venerable and saintly Father Connick, Monageer. Less than a year later he was appointed professor of modern languages ; in St. Peter’s College, Wexford, a position that ill health ' again’ compelled him to vacate and seek relaxation and change of climate in the south of France, where he spent some months in the genial company of Father Paul Kehoe, Bridgetown. Acting on medical advice, he decided to proceed from France to the warmer climate of Australia, and

at the request of Dr... Fortune, then President of All Hallows College, joined the Diocese of Ballarat on the Australian Mission, where he arrived in November,-1888. ■ In Australia, from the moment of his arrival, he won golden opinions; and after laboring successively in Ballarat City, Hamilton, and Ararat . (Victoria), his reputation was such that on the editorship of the N.Z. Tablet becoming vacant he was at once asked by-his Lordship Bishop Verdon to fill the editorial chair. With the permission of Dr. Browne, Bishop of herns, he consented and filled the position with a striking success from January, 1898, until last November, when he proceeded homewards on a holiday. The brilliant reputation he had already achieved was enhanced by his AAprk on the Tablet, and when in February last the late Bishop of Auckland, Right Rev. Dr. Lenihan, died, by en almost unanimous vote the priests of the diocese elected him Dujmssimus for the succession to that episcopal See. The appointment was ratified by the Holy See by a Bull, dated June 18 of the present year. ... The Ceremony. The consecrating prelate was the Most Rev. Dr. Brownrigg, Bishop of Ossory. He was assisted by his chaplain, Rev. Father McNamara, Dean of St. Kieran’s College, Kilkenny. The Most Rev. Dr. Browne, senior assistant Bishop, was attended by Rev. James Rossiter, Enniscorthy, as chaplain, and Right Rev. Dr. Reville, junior assistant Bishop, was attended by Rev. T. O’Connor, Enniscorthy, as chaplain. Dr. Cleary’s chaplain was his life-long friend, Rev. Paul Kehoe, of Bridgetown. ■ There were also present in the choir—Most Rev. Dr. Donnelly,-Bishop of Canea; Right Rev. Dr Dunne, Bishop of Wiicannia; Right Rev. Dr. Corbett, Bishop of Sale. Among the clergy present were the Very Rev. Father O’Neill (formerly of Milton), Rev. Father Delany (late of Gore), Rev. M. Ryan (late of Holy Cross College, Mosgiel), and Rev. Father Buckley (Otahuhu, Auckland). , While the Te JJevm was being entoned by the Consecrator towards the close of the ceremony, Bishop Cleary, with mitre and crozier, supported by Dr. Browne and Dr. Reville, proceeded through the church blessing the people, who knelt to receive his blessing. After the final blessing by the Consecrator, the new Bishop received again the Kiss of Peace from the consecrating and assistant Bishops, and the ceremony concluded. As was stated in our previous report, the occasional sermon was preached by Rev. J. Rossiter, M.SS., Enniscorthy, who said: ‘ To-day in this Cathedral, with the pastoral rite and the imposition of hands, there is raised to episcopal rank a priest of this , diocese of Ferns —one who has grown up amongst ourselves, and whom many of us have known from his childhood. We have known him as a boy, we have known him as a priest, but from this forth wo shall know him as a consecrated Prelate of the Holy Church. By his consecration as Bishop he is endowed to-day with the plenitude of the priesthood. For more than 25 years he has already exercised priestly functions, but by the great powers conferred on him to-day he may not only exercise those functions himself, but may moreover confer on others the priesthood, with its prerogatives in holy ordination. By his elevation to the episcopate also, and the conferring by the Vicar of Christ of episcopal jurisdiction, he is constituted a shepherd of souls, and is appointed to rule the diocese as its chief pastor. The new Bishop is not only a bishop, but he is also an Irish missionary to a foreign land.’ The preacher then went on to speak of the early history of the Church in New Zealand, the present condition of the Auckland diocese. Bishop Cleary’s predecessors in the See of Auckland, and in conclusion, said; ‘ One and all will join in fervent supplication, that the Holy Spirit may fill his heart to-day with copious graces, and as he goes forth on his mission from the home of childhood that God may speed him on his way, that he may have health and strength and length of days to labor for the spiritual uplifting of the white man and the brown. May his vast spiritual domain beneath those southern skies, which is a wonderland for natural beauty, become also in the spiritual order a veritable wonderland for the splendor and richness of the graces that heaven will bestow on it under the pastoral administration of this new Bishop and apostle, who now goes thither as the consecrated bearer of the good tidings of salvation and the preacher of the gospel of peace.' Presentation of Addresses. After the Consecration ceremony very many friends gathered to congratulate Dr. Cleary on the auspicious occasion. Since the announcement of his appointment to the Bishopric of Auckland had become , known, he was ihe recipient of a steady stream of congratulations from all parts, including many cable messages from all parts of Australia and New Zealand. , Mr. P.. J. Shaw read an address from the Urban Council, the text of which appeared in our previous report. , ■ The following address from the Board of Guardians and District Council was read by Mr. A. A. Connolly, Clerk to the Board and Council: —• . - - ‘ May it please your Lordship,—Amongst the many congratulatory and joyful messages which you are receiving upon being raised to the dignity of Bishop, may we be allowed, as representing an extensive district in your native diocese, to join our voice in the general chorus of congratulation. We wish to do so, all ' the more, because you go forth to labor in the Vineyard of Christ —not in

your own country, but in a far and distant land. Your early labors amongst us here were characteristic of the energy with which you have always worked for the Church and fruitful in their results. But our little meed of praise is scarcely necessary at the present time, because the power of your versatile pen has made itself felt and known and understood by all thinking people in every clime in which the banner of Christianity has been unfurled. Though primarily that pen has been wielded in the cause of that glorious faith, for which our forefathers willingly laid down their lives, .we will be ever mindful of the fact that whenever the opportunity arose that self same pen was always placed by, you in the service and for furtherance of the interests of your native land. Remembering, therefore, that you— a priest, a patriotic and a gifted scholar —are a native of our historic county, it is our earnest desire to be, if not _ the -first, at all events the most sincere of all your well-wishers in offering you congratulations on your appointment to the Episcopal See, and in praying that Almighty God will be pleased to long spare you to rule over the diocese to which in His wisdom He has appointed you to rule. - Sealed and signed on behalf of the Enniscorthy Board of Guardians and District Council —Thomas Hayes, Chairman Board of Guardians Thaddeus Bolger, Chairman District Council; Aidan A. Connolly, Clerk.’ Rev. Paul Kehoe, C.C., the Moor, read the following address, which was accompanied by a presentation consisting of a magnificent gold cross and chain: —■ . ‘ Your former schoolmates in Wexford County, now engaged in the work of the ministry in the diocese of Ferns, offer their felicitations on the day of your consecration as Bishop. Recognising the arduousness of the duties of the office to which you have been called by the authority of the Sovereign Pontiff, they extend to you whatever help may be found in their cordial sympathy and sincere good wishes. They have -watched with admiration your career in distant lands, where you have worked so laboriously and so devotedly, in vindicating the doctrines and practices of the Church from misrepresentation, and where your services were generously given in questions appertaining to the glory of God, the welfare of society, and the honor of the Fatherland. They do not hesitate to say that they look forward confidently to the realisation in your labors of all that _ is best and noblest in the traditional career of the missionary of Ireland. They pray that God, Who allots our days, may prolong your life to be the pattern and joy of your flock and the edification of all, that He will bless all your endeavors and sustain you in His holy grace. ‘Permit them at a memorable epoch in your life to present the accompanying little token of esteem and affection, which falls far short of their appreciation of .your qualities of head and heart. — Signed— Busher, Andrew M.cCrowe, James Long, Laurence J. Jones, James Murphy, Nicholas Mernagh, Thomas V. O’Grady, Wm. Codd, John Dowd, Paul F. Kehoe, Thos. Cloney, James Prandy, Michael Kinsella.’ Mr. A. de Lasaigh read an address in Gaelic from the new Bishop’s former parishioners and school-fellows in Oulart. The Right Rev. Dr. Cleary’s reply to the addresses was given in our previous report. THE BANQUET. • In the evening his Lordship the Bishop of Auckland entertained a number of guests at a banquet in the new manse. - The Right Rev. Dr. Cleary presided. Among the guests were the prelates and clergy who were present at the consecration ceremonies and also a number of the laity. The Bishop of Auckland, in proposing the toast of ‘The Consecrating Prelate, 5 said: It was Dr. Brownrigg who guided my steps into the sanctuary. It was, moreover, through him that I had the further privilege of being associated for some years with that admirable diocesan organisation which has its headquarters in the House of Missions in this town. _ And the years there spent by me I count among the happiest in a varied career that has now extended to a quarter of a century. The consecrator in today’s great ceremony was one of the founders of that beneficent institution. He was its second Superior; and the spirit which he and his saintly predecessor infused into it still endures—kept alive, like the fire of Kildare’s sacred shrine, by the succession of zealous and gifted men that have followed him. No one in this gathering of to-day need to be told what a fount of blessing that institution had been; no one here needs to be reminded of the part which it has taken in lifting up the level of popular devotion, and in spreading the two greatest waves of temperance that have flowed over this dear old land since the days of Father Mathew. Thanks to the valued friendship of the present Superior, I have had the privilege of preparing for the burden of the episcopate within the same sacred walls where, twenty-five years ago, I made my tetreat before entering upon the dignity of t,ue priesthood. And it will be for me ,and for others through me, a happy lot, indeed, if some of the consecrating prelate’s unction of spirit has passed into mine to-day, to enable me to do some fruitful toil on the outer rim of the earth —to effect some of the good for the souls of white men and the souls of brown men 12,000 miles away, that my Lord of Ossory and his fellow-prelates do in Ireland, among the most spiritual race upon our planet, among a people that have ever retained some of the unction that was poured out upon them in the ages when this was ‘the island of saints and

of learned men.’ - I ask you to join with'me' in thanking his Lordship for his presence here to-day and for the pari; which he has taken in this long and trying ceremony, arid to wish him length of days ,and every day filled to the brim with blessing. Dr. Brownrigg in replying said'he was happy to have been the consecrating prelate on the occasion of Dr. Cleary’s consecration. lie knew Dr. Cleary as a boy, and he was very humble when- he first came under his notice. Well, he was not a boy to-day, and he hoped that he still retained the humility that attracted his (the speaker’s) notice in those early days. Well, at that time he fixed his eye on Dr. Cleary and told him that he had a vocation for the Church, for ,he thought it would be well to get him into the Church in any department. And to-day he would say that Dr. Cleary brought to the episcopate qualities which were rarely united in one individual. He had received a splendid education- — the best of everything from an educational point of viewthat the Church could bestow upon her children. He was a child of St. Sulpice, of the Apollinare — great Roman College, and our own great national, institution, Mavnooth, and this gave promise of a great future. He had had a rich and varied career, and one that showed that he would be an ornament to the Australasian Church. They all wished Dr. Cleary a hearty ‘ God speed ’ on his way. The Right Rev. chairman said it was his privilege to propose the health and happiness of the two assistant Bishops, Dr. Browne of Ferns and Dr. Reville of Sandhurst. Twenty-five years ago (said the speaker), in this same town of Enniscorthy, the Bishop of Ferns raised me to the dignity of the priesthood, and, until the hour of my appointment to the Bishopric of Auckland, I have been a priest of this diocese, although loaned for twenty-two years to the distant mission fields of Australia and New Zealand. Ana now, when that long connection has been severed by the highest authority in our Church, the senior assistant Bishop of to-day has conferred upon me the dearly valued privilege of being consecrated in the Cathedral of my native diocese, in the town where I received the unction of the priesthood, and where the first years of my ministry were spent. Indeed, the kindness of his Lordship, of his Administratorto whom I owe an overwhelming debt of gratitude in connection with to-day’s proceedings — of the clergy all up and down the diocese, has made my sojourn in my native land a joy long drawn out. And that joy is intensified at seeing all around on every side the manifest signs, not alone of material improvement in town and country, but above all, thanks to the enlightened zeal of Bishops' and clergy—a deepening of spiritual fervor, and increase in the number and splendor of institutions of religion, education, and charity, and an extension of the means of piety such as, in several respects, were hardly dreamed of in the time when my classmates and I were toiling at the intricacies of Virgilian Latin and cracking our brain-cases over the dialects of Homer’s Greek. Like work, but nearer to the foundations, is being done by the'- Australasian episcopate and clergy, who are represented at this board to-day. And notable among them, as pioneers or post-pioneers, is the second Bishop of Sandhurst —a worthy scion of Wexfordwho this day joined with a Wexford-born cousecrator and a Wexford assistant prelate to set upon a Wexford priest the seal of the episcopal office. An ancient legend tells of a famous Irish builder of the long ago—the Goban Saoir. If ray memory serves me right, the story runneth somewhat thus: When evening fell, he stood beside a face of rock and wove his magic spells. And lo ! stones shaped by invisible hands flew from the rock and placed themselves on the spot chosen by the wizard architect. And the mortar too flew and obligingly and deftly spread itself out. And through the silent watches of the night the procession passed through the air, and fast a shapely building rose; and when the morning sun peeped over the rim of the horizon, its golden gaze caressed one of the beautiful round towers of Ireland that ‘ in mystic file through the isle ’ ‘ raise their heads sublime.’ We, too, in those new lands have our magic builders—lrish, English, Scottish, French, Colonial, and Hollander. Some of them sit around this festive board. And notable among them is one of the two assistant Bishops of to-day, the Bishop of Sandhurst. But the magic spells which he and they have woven are simply those of the faith and hope and love and prayer and generosity and self sacrifice of themselves and of a devoted people who arc predominatingly Irish or of Irish descent. Thus, indeed, thev have built up a fair and flourishing Church in those distant lands—not indeed in the Irish wizard summer night, but yet in a marvellously brief space of time. lon will now join with me in wishing health and strength and years of further achievement to those good prelates who have been so successfully building up both the material and the spiritual edifice of the faith in the Ireland at Home and in the greater Ireland beyond the seas. In replying Dr. Browne said:—lt has been a great pleasure ‘me to-day. to take part in the splendid ceremony of the consecration of the new Bishop of Auckland. On a bleak January morning in 1880 1 elevated Dr. Cleary to the dignity of , the priesthood. After the lapse of twenty-five years and a few months it has fallen to my lot to” take part in his consecration as Bishop. As the ordinary of this diocese I am very pleased, at the promotion of' Dr. Cleary to the episcopal dignity, and I am

sure that every priest and layman in this diocese of Ferns : shares my feelings on this occasion. Dr. Reville in responding said that nothing had given him greater pleasure than .to assist, at the consecration *>f his friend, Dr. Cleary ; here under the ,shadow of Vinegar Hill where the people had heretofore given such practical proof of their patriotism ,and in the Model County of Ireland. He was also pleased to know that an Irish Bishop was gong to fill the episcopal see of Auckland. The next toast, that of ‘The Visiting Bishops,’ was also proposed bv the newly, consecrated Bishop of Auckland. Of the seven Bishops who sat at that table (said his Lordship) three represent the faith in the Home land and four tho missionary work done by Ireland in distant countries, not alone among Caucasian peoples, but likewise among dusky pagan tribes that sit in darkness and the shadow of death. To speak of Dr. Donnelly, of his work and worth, and of the many qualities of mind and heart that have won him such deep and wide esteem, would be a work of supererogation in an assembly composed, as to its greater part, of Irish ecclesiastics on the Home and foreign mission field. And the things which I said of. Dr. Reville hold good, substantially, as regards the two other distinguished Australian prelates, Drs. Corbett and Dunne, who have graced with their presence the proceedings of to-day. In them you see two pioneer Bishopsthey are the first prelates of their respective seesand in them the strenuous and more toilsome side of the missionary Bishop’s career is exhibited in a marked degree. They have done yeoman service in building up the Church within, their wide domain. And they know what the so-called dead work means — thought and toil that show no tangible present result. But theirs is in part work for the future: they are laying foundations broad and deep. Theirs is akin to that work of first-class importance which was done by divers at bur country’s busiest harbor —done under water away from the sunlit day, out of the sight of human encouragement and applause. And the foundations which they so well and truly laid made it possible to raise thereon the great superstructure which now defies the onslaught of tho sea. May the silent and strenuous building of our visiting episcopate be strong so as to defy the storms of the future; may it rise in majesty as did the temple of Sion, which was erected without the sound of hammer or of axe; and may these leaders of God’s people find; in every desert of discouragement through which they may pass a burning bushthe light of heaven to illumine their path, and the fire of God’s love to hearten them to still further toil for the spread of His kingdom on earth ! Their Lordships the Bishops of Sale, Canea, and Wilcannia responded. The Bishop, of Wilcannia said that everv province in Ireland had contributed to the Church in Auckland, Carlow and Kilkenny had given its first nuns and priests, and Cork had given the saintly Dr. Croke, and to-day the premier county had contributed by giving Dr. Cleary. They had the most sanguine anticipations of Dr. Cleary’s future ,and if they hs»d any regret it was because they were losing an ideal Catholic editor whose place could scarcely be filled. They were under great obligations to him in the past, and be was sure that the Church would be a debtor to him still in the administration of Auckland, and in promoting there the best interests of religion and education. In proposing the toast of ‘The Clergy,’ Mr. James O’Connor, K.C., said:— distant New Zealand calls upon Ferns’ surrender and gift of one of the best of her sons, one of the bravest of her hearts, and one of the brightest of her intellects; and . to-day, in the ceremony we "have witnessed, Ireland has not entirely without regret, but. nevertheless, cheerfully, for the greater glory of God, answered to the call, and has sent to our brethren at the other side of the globe a in tbe person of Dr. Cleary the wisdom of whose future rule is foreshadowed by the bright promise of his early manhood. Very Rev. Canon W hi tty, P.P., V.F., responding to the toast, said he was proud to say that Dr. Cleary and he were friends of long standing, and were friends still, and he hoped that that friendship would endure as long as both of them were above the green sod.. Dr. Cleary was wanted to carry on a great work in foreign lands, and in undertaking the editorship of the New Zealand Tablet he had achieved a remarkable-success. He believed that Dr. Cleary was not unmindful that day of the bond that existed between him and the rev. speaker, Canon Lennon, Father Quigley, Father Roche and other priests who had been associated with him in his early career and to whom his great spirit of humility and faith endeared him. Very Rev. P. Doherty in replying to the toast said that the new Bishop of Auckland might have many difficulties to confront him, particularly upon the ouestion. But he had great and inspiring influences around him and the example of men who never comprorffised a principle or. surrendered the right of the children to Christian education. He had, too, sacred memories from the diocese of ..Ferns to sustain him. And he would be amongst his priests an elder brother as well as a tower of strength to the Church. Very Rev. Father O’Donnell also congratulated the neAvK-made Bishop on behalf of the clergy and pupils of All Hallows. After the toasts of ‘The Laitv ’ and ‘Public Bodies’ had been duly honored, Ids Lordship Bishop Browne proposed the toast of ‘The Chairman.’ His Lordship said it happened at times, on occasions of this sort, that his seniors undertook to give advice to the newly-consecrated

prelate. I consider that such a thing would be inopportune in the case of Dr. Cleary. He was educated in three famous ecclesiastical colleges, in Maynooth, in Saint Sulpice and in the Apollinare, in Rome. He has served in three dioceses, in Ferns, in Ballarat, and in Dunedin. He thus acquired much knowledge and experience in the art of ecclesiastical government. He has sat for years in the editorial chair: I refrain for these reasons from giving Dr. Cleary any advice,about the government of his diocese. The hope has been expressed that he may prove a true and loyal Irishman. lam sure he will. ■' A man who was educated, ordained, and consecrated Bishop under the shadow of Vinegar Hill, could not be anything but a true, loyal, and patriotic Irishman. In replying to the toast, _ Dr. Cleary said: —In the garden of a great college in which I studied in Paris, there stands a rugged pile of broken iron. A countryman of mine described it _as a metal haystack.' Now, this metal haystack ' is made up of shattered fragments of German shells that were poured into the place during the siege of Paris -in 1870. An ex-captain of cavalry who had served with much distinction throughout the campaign, had given up the sword for the breviary, and was my friend and class-fellow in that famous school. And he assured me that there is no sound in Mar so nerveracking, and so demoralising both to officers and to rank-and-file, as the rush and- scream of those torn and jagged fragments of. shell .as they go hurtling through the air. Yet I have heard a gallant British officer, who had seen active service, declare, on his word of honor, that he felt more ' nerves' when standing up to reply to the toast of his health than lie did when shells, such as I have described were flying above and around him. I can fully understand that brave man's feelings. I can likewise enter into the spirit of the retort that was made by a colonel to a captain in his command in (I think) one of the hottest engagements of the Crimean War. Colonel,' said the captain, ' I see you are afraid.' ' Sir,' replied the colonel, 'if you were half as much afraid as I am you'd run away.' Now, I should be right heartily glad of an honorable escape from the toast of myself. But there is none. So, like the Crimean colonel, I must stand and face the ordeal as boldly as I may. On the personal side,. I can only say ' thanks, and evermore thanks' to the speaker and to all those who with him have been 'to my virtues very kind, to my faults a little blind.' In the new sphere of work to which Providence has called me, I have before me a devoted clergy; and I succeed to the labors of a zealous Bishop, a man of order, method, and business talent. I succeed to the work of the pioneer Bishops and priests of the oldest New Zealand See; I build upon their foundation ; I breathe the air of the heights up which they struggled in toil and tears. Joaquin Miller sings of an Arab sheik who so felt for his thirsting fellow-man, that he spent his life digging wells in the desert sands —and digging wells he, thirsting, died. So have done the pioneer Bishops and priests of New Zealand. They have toilfully dug wells in what was a spiritual desert—fountains springing unto life eternaland, digging wells, they, too, thirsting, died and passed beyond to the Beatitude that awaits those who hunger and thirst after justice. In succeeding to their labors, it is a joy to me to know that I am wafted to my work by a breeze of blessings and good wishes. May these circle me round about on my distant way, and in the land I'm going to ! But, whatever may betide, there shall not pass from my grateful soul the precious memory of the caressing kindness of the many loving Irish hearts that have gathered around me on my consecration day.