THE CHURCH IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Tablet, 26 September 1912, Page 17

THE CHURCH IN NEW ZEALAND

IN THE PATH OF THE PIONEERS , (Contributed.) *vW AIM ATE. The parochial district of Waimate was from 1860 to 1870 visited at regular intervals by the Rev. Fathers Chataigner, S.M., and Chervier, S.M., then residing in North Canterbury. When Father Chataigner took charge of the Timaru mission he had the Waimate district under his jurisdiction, and purchased a site for a church. The Rev. Father Goutenoire, S.M., assistant to Father Chataigner, was, in 1875, appointed first „ rector of Waimate. He purchased a house and section situated near the church property, built a church, a • large school in brick, and another church in Hakateramea. Father Goutenoire was succeeded by the Rev. Father Regnault, S.M., afterwards appointed Dean, who came to Waimate on March 26, 1889, and labored in the parish for a period of nineteen years, until he was appointed Provincial in 1907. Under his zealous administration a convent was built in Waimate, and the Sisters of St. Joseph were placed in charge of the Catholic school. A new presbytery in brick was built in Waimate, and brick churches at Morven and Makikihi. At the time of his appointment to the position of Provincial of the* 1 Society of Mary, Very Rev. Dean Regnault signed the contract for the erection of a new and handsome church in brick and stone. This church was blessed and opened on October 24, 1909, by the Right Rev. J. J. Grimes, S.M., Bishop of the diocese, assisted by the Right Rev. Dr. Verdon, Bishop of Dunedin. Efforts are being made to complete this church by the erection of a tower, which will contain a peal of three bells. The priests who have served the parish since its foundation up to the present time are the followingßectors Rev. Fathers Goutenoire, Regnault, and Aubry assistants Rev. Fathers Aubry, Gallais, O’Connell, O’Connor, J. Tymons, and Burger, all of the Society of Mary. There are 130 members in the Altar Society, 46 in the H.A.C.B. Society, 76 in the Sacred Heart Society, ' 62 in the Apostleship of Prayer, 30 in the Young Men’s Club, and 35 in the Sodality of the Children of Mary. HOKITIKA. The parish of Hokitika at present extends from the Arahura River on the north to the Hokitika River on the south, and from the seaboard to the central Alps. As early as 1865 the first Catholic church on the West Coast was erected by the Rev. Father McGirr. St. Mary’s, in the town of Hokitika, is the principal church, although within the last twelve months (1912) another beautiful one (St. Joseph’s) has been erected .. at Kanieri, The former has seating accommodation for 400, the latter for about 200. Besides these churches there are other parochial edificesschools, presbytery, Catholic men’s clubrooms, and convent. St. Mary's School is situated on a plot of two and a-quarter acres. The building has been recently enlarged, and provides . six separate and spacious classrooms. The presbytery, erected by the Rev. Father Ainsworth, S.M., is one of the finest in the diocese. The clubrooms are spacious and will be in due time as well appointed as those of any similar organisation possessing ampler, means. The Convent of St. Columkille is a well-known landmark, having been founded in 1878. It stands on a central site of one acre, and is within a minute’s walk of the railway station. The buildings occupy about a quarter acre of space, and are admirably adapted for teaching purposes. The Sisters are of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy, and came originally from Clare, Ireland, and have founded houses of their community at Grey--4 mouth (1881), Lyttelton (1890), Ross (1889), Kumara (1889). Some sixty of their pupils have abandoned the world to devote, themselves in various Orders to corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The annals of Hokitika record the devoted labors and administration of the following:—Rev. Fathers J. McGirr, J. McDonough,

J. A. Goutenoire, S.M.; H. P. Martin, S.M., W. Hickie, Tressalet, S.M., P. F. Golden, P. Regnault, S.M., D. Malone, S.M., A. Le Petit, S.M;, S. Mahony, S.M., P. Aubry, S.M., J. E. Ainsworth, S.M., P. Henry, S.M., J. D. Clancy, S.M. TEMUKA. { The parochial district of Temuka was practically brought into being by the Rev. Father Chataigner, S.M., who, some time after his arrival in Timaru in 1869, built the first church in Temuka. The Rev. Father Fauvel, S.M., later attended the district, which then extended to and included Geraldine.' In 1880, Father Fauvel erected the present beautiful Church of St. Joseph at Temuka. Soon after, and at varying intervals, a fine solid church at Pleasant Point, and a school and convent at Kerry town were erected. ; A school and large convent were also built at Temuka by the same pastor. Of societies and confraternities, the Apostleship of Prayer numbers 900 members, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith 800, Catholic Club 200, Sodality of Children of Mary 380. Six Sisters of the Order of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart teach the schools in Temuka and Kerrytown. The following priests have served the parish since its inception:—Rev. Fathers Chataigner, S.M., Fauvel, S.M., Foley, S.M., J. Goggan, S.M., Le Menant des Chesnais, S.M., Fay, S.M., Kerley, S.M., Malone, S.M., Galerne, S.M., McDonald, S.M., Le Floch, S.M., Le Petit, S.M., Peoples, S.M., Henry, S.M. AH AURA, . The centre of the parish of Ahaura is a small township twenty-two miles from Grey mouth. Besides the church and presbytery at Ahaura itself, there are seven other churches in the parochial district, viz., at Totara Flat, about seven miles to the north-east, a small but prosperous farming district, with a large proportion of sterling Catholic families; at Nelson Creek, eight miles to the south, a gold mining centre of decreasing wealth with a population of 250, of whom more than a third are Catholics, who preserve an admirable spirit of faith and piety, and a generosity of heart which their Irish extraction, and the palmy days of the gold diggings engendered; at Blackball, a prosperous coal-mining district, of which more than a tenth of the entire population are Catholics. The other churches are situated at No Town, Maori Gully, Maori Creek, and Marsden— resonant of ‘ digging days,’ and once the centres of prosperous alluvial gold-mining districts. Owing to the timber industry and land settlement, many new but small centres of population have sprung up within recent years, especially along the Midland Railway to the Teremakau River, the southern boundary of the parish. In some of these places Mass is celebrated regularly in the public school rooms either on Sunday or during the week. Travelling in this quarter of the parish is as yet rather inconvenient, owing to the fact that there is no access by road. The total Catholic population of the entire parish is about 600, the average in Ahaura-, Totara Flat, Nelson Creek, and Blackball being about 100 each. Formerly, the population was much larger. No Town, Maori Gully, Maori Creek, Marsden, Orwell Creek, Napoleon Hill, and Grandville. had their hundreds and more, but now number but a hundred or two between them. There is as yet no Catholic school in the parish, the Catholics being scarcely numerous enough in any one centre to support their own school. Ihe priest may, however, after school hours, see to the religious instruction of the Catholic children in the State schools, where he is generally courteously received by the teachers. Regular Sunday schools have been established in the more populous centres where self-sacrificing, devoted ladies render invaluable assistance in the most important work of instructing the young. About thirty or forty years ago there were in Ahaura a convent and a boarding school taught by nuns, but owing to the dwindling population and and other causes the teachers sought another field of f or More Ahaura was declared a separate parish, the district was worked from Grey mouth. It was in

those days — forty years ago —that the Rev. Father Colomb, a zealous and devoted pioneer priest, lost his life in endeavoring to cross Nelson Creek, on his way to Totara Flat, whither duty called him. On his return homeward he was drowned in attempting to re-cross the creek, and his body was found some days after on the sea beach north of Greymouth, where a suitable monument marks his last resting place. During the last thirty years no fewer than twenty priests have, in succession, served the ' parish The registers record the following; —Rev. Fathers Rolland, S.M., Fitzpatrick, Pertuis, S.M., O’Donnell, O’Hallahan, Laverty, Walshe, Bowers, Hyland, McManus, Servajean, S.M., Gallais, S.M., King, McDonnell, Leon, Creed, Nougoux,* M.S.H., Goodman, M.S.H., McGrath, M.S.H., and Gilbert, M.S.H. (To be continued.)