THE LATE FATHER HAIRE KAPONGA

New Zealand Tablet, 20 July 1911, Page 1353

THE LATE FATHER HAIRE KAPONGA

(From our own correspondent.) Hie funeral of the late Rev. Father Haire, who passed away on Monday, took place on Thursday. On Thursday morning at nine o’clock a Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated in the Eltham Church in presence of his A Grace Archbishop Redwood, Ver} 7 Rev. Father Power, of Hawera, being the celebrant, Rev. Father Eccleton, of St. Patrick’s College, Wellington, deacon. Rev. Father Cahill, of Dannevirke, subdeacon. The music of the Mass was sung by a choir of priests. His Grace Archbishop Redwood delivered a very feeling panegyric on the virtues and zeal of the deceased priest, taking for his text the words, ‘ Be ye therefore ieady, for in what hour you know not the Son of man will come.’ His Grace described the great works in which Father Haire had been connected since he came as a young priest to the archdiocese. He went on to say that Father Haire was not a man of the world, but a man of God. He spent his time during his whole priestly life in prayer and study, in fact, he never, during the whole of his career spent as much as one idle hour, which was saying a great deal. His zeal for .souls -was extraordinary, for'he never spared himself where the spiritual welfare of his people was concerned. At the conclusion of the Mass the funeral moved on to Kaponga. Arriving at the local church, a short set vice was held. The funeral procession was probably the largest that Kaponga has ever witnessed, the string of vehicles of every description being apparently endless. The Archbishop read the burial service at the graveside, assisted by the assembled priests. Among the clergy present at the funeral were the Verv Rev. Dean John McKenna (Masterton), Very Rev. Dean James McKenna (New Plymouth), Verv Rev. Father Power (Hawera), Rev. Fathers Ainsworth, Barra, Bartley, Eccleton, Mahony, and Venning (WeiW o ,?)’ Kelly (Poxton), Cahill' (Dannevirke), Dwyer (hendmg), Bo '' (Carterton), Duffy (Patea), Tracey (btratford), McManus (Inglewood), O’Beirne (New Plymouth), Sonias (Okato), Menard (Opunake), and Bergm (Manaia).—R.l.P. J