RECEPTION TO VISITING PRELATES

New Zealand Tablet, 12 October 1911, Page 2019

RECEPTION TO VISITING PRELATES

PRESENTATIONS TO DEAN TUBMAN (From our own correspondent.) On Monday evening, Oct. 2, a brilliant function, which took the form of a reception to the visiting prelates, was held in the new hall in the girls’ school. The hall looked its best and had evidently received attention from willing and artistic hands. His Grace Archbishop Redwood, and their Lordships Bishops Grimes, Yerdon, and Cleary, with Monsignor Mackay and Dean Regnault and other clergy occupied seats at the west side of the hall, in front of which the dais was erected for the use of the artists. A beautiful seascape was painted on the wall to act as a background. The painting was the work of the nuns of the Sacred Heart, and is the most artistic thing of its kind to be found in Timaru. Palms reared their leafy branches in the immediate foreground of the work, and in the dim distance a line of lowlying hills died away on the horizon. The proceedings were in the nature of a great family gathering, and everyone seemed perfectly at ease and ready to enter into the joy of the moment. A splendid concert ;programme, arranged by Rev. Father Smyth, was given. Mrs. N. D. Mangos opened the evening’s entertainment with the ‘ Marche Militaire ’ (Schubert-Tausig). Her brilliant tone and execution, always in evidence, were never more noticeable, thoroughness and artistic finish being evident in every phrase. Mrs. Meade, the gifted Christchurch soprano, delighted all with her dramatic rendition of the Jewel song from Faust, the passion put into the flexible highly-trained voice, and the sweet, yet wondrously strong head, notes, being a striking example of the result obtainable by trained talent. She had to respond with ‘ L’Ete,’ and- had again to answer calls for an encore, giving Songs my mother taught me.’ Mr. B. Rennell sang ‘ The Lord is my Light,’ with fine swing and spirit, and got a good reception. Miss Z. Venning gave a mazurka as a violin solo, and had to respond, her tone and finish showing a decided advance on her last appearance some few months ago. Mrs. Lynch has the gift of choosing her songs judiciously? and the numbers given last night were two of Moore’s soul-reaching melodies, ‘ Come back to Erin,’ and ‘As sorrow thy young days shaded. ’ Both items were treated with that sweetness that a lyrical singer can produce. Mr. Moore’s sweet flexible tenor voice was never heard to better advantage than in ‘ An evening song,’ and for his recall item he sang ‘When other lips ’ with great feeling. The accompaniments were played by Mrs. Mangos and Misses Yenning and Ardagh. The Very Rev. Dean Tubman, at a suitable interval, expressed great pleasure at being able to welcome their Lordships to Timaru. All of them had been most kind to his parish, in the way of good counsel and even monetary help. His Grace the Metropolitan

had always shown considerable interest in the Timaru . parish since the days when he had been officially con- : nected with As for his Lordship the Diocesan, he had always given Timaru parish, the speaker might say, his first care. He was unable to express, adequately, Lie debt of gratitude that he felt for the kind treatment and sympathetic help which his Lordship had always given to him. Bishop Yerdon, of Dunedin, Bishop Cleary, of Auckland, and Monsignor Mackay, \ of Oamaru, he was also pleased to see . present, Dean Regnault, the ' Venerable Archdeacon Devoy, Father . Coffey, and Father Aubry, as well as many other mends. Dean Tubman was in a particularly happy mood, and struck many a vein of humor that, called for and received evident marks of appreciation .He concluded by calling on Dr. Loughnan * to read an address on behalf of the parish to their Lordships. Dr, Loughnan then read the following address : ■ , < Y ? U m- Grace > My Lords,— We, the Catholic laity of Timaru, assemble here to-night to tender you a most hearty welcome to our parish. We are proud indeed to have you amongst us, and greatly appreciate your kindness in travelling so far in order , to be present on this the happy occasion of the opening o our new church. In the midst of our jubilations ’ we do not lose sight of the great honor your presence has conferred on us, and respectfully offer our homage to a noble and gifted Hierarchy of whom we feel so justly proud. On looking around this fair land of ours, we see on every side monuments of the zeal and piety of devoted pastors, raised aloft to the honor and gloiy of God. Under the leadership of your Grace, religious and educational institutions too numerous to mention have risen and flourished, and we congratulate you on their continued prosperity. , And coming, nearer home we cannot- but feel proud of the zeal and courage displayed by your Lordship Bishop Grimes in carrying to completion the magnificent Cathedral, ' which now adorns the City of the Plains, and the fame of which has spread beyond our shores. And looking further »• south the stately edifice of the Mosgiel Ecclesiastical College speaks to us in a language more forcible than words of the zeal, alertness, and foresight of your Lordship Bishop Yerdon, in coping with the needs of the Church in this young Dominion. To your Lordship Bishop Cleary belongs the proud title of champion in defence of religious education in New Zealand. By the force of your pen you have effectively, silenced the advocates of Godlessness, and won for yourself a place in our hearts to whom the religious education of our children is of paramount importance. We also take our fiist opportunity of offering you our congratulations on the high distinction so recently conferred on you by Holy Church in adorning you with the mitre. We congratulate you one and all on the great works you have achieved, and trust that you may be long spared to guide the barque of Peter through the turbulent waters of modernism and materialism, which are fast growing apace, and continue to prove yourselves the worthy successors of the Apostles and valiant champions of Holy Church.’ " His Grace Archbishop Redwood, on his own behalf and on behalf of his fellow prelates, thanked the Very Rev. Dean Tubman for his invitation to be present at their celebrations, and Dr. Loughnan for the excellent address, both in language and ideas, that he had read. He did not consider it an inconvenience to be present as the address said, in fact he looked upon it as one of the greatest privileges of his life to be present. He had for the past thirty years a warm place in his heart for Timaru, and even in the early days he saw the present great expansion of Timaru. The Bishops of New Zealand were blessed with devoted priests and sterling laity. The’ union of Duty with the priests and hierarchy was the success of their great undertaking in Timaru and throughout the Dominion. . The Church in New Zealand for their numbers compared in achievements very favorably with the great dioceses of the Commonwealth. His Lordship Bishop Grimes returned his thanks for the beautiful address they had just listened to, and he was gratified to be present. Their beautiful church

was a crown and monument to the skill and forethought of their venerable Dean and their own self-sacrifice. The memory of the celebrations they were then engaged in would be among the most cherished of his life. ' His Lordship Bishop Yerdon expressed his appreciation of the honor done him in being invited to be present, and for the references made to him by the Dean and Dr. Loughnan. They had a beautiful church and Dean Tubman had indeed done excellent work. He trusted that the small amount still owing on it would soon be cleared off, so that the consecration ceremony would soon be witnessed. - His Lordship Bishop Cleary with his clear incisive style, kept the audience "greatly amused as he explained the origin of the saying in regard to a crown and an uneasy head. He had a liking for Timaru, its people, and its surroundings, and so when the invitation came for him to be present he had seized it joyously. When he first saw their beautiful church it seemed almost as if Aladdin’s lamp had been in use. Thought concerned him, however, that whereas one rub of the lamp may have created . their temple no lamp rubbing would rub it out. Their beautiful church was a monument to their pastor and themselves, more enduring than brass, and would almost stand till the crack of doom. Right Rev. Mgr. Mackay briefly expressed his thanks for the address to which his name was joined. All present then went forward in turn and were introduced to their Lordships. Supper, provided by the young ladies of the parish, brought a pleasant function to a close. During the morning the prelates and clergy were entertained first at the Convent School, and afterwards they visited the parochial schools. They then journeyed to Temuka by motor cars to visit Rev. Father Fay. On Tuesday morning they went to Waimate as the guests of Rev. Father Aubry.