THE LATE FATHER COGNET, S.M.

New Zealand Tablet, 9 January 1913, Page 22

THE LATE FATHER COGNET, S.M.

OBSEQUIES AT OTAK! (From an occasional correspondent.) The archdiocese of Wellington, already so severely tried, has suffered another loss by the death of the Rev. Father .Cognet, S.M., parish priest of Otaki, who died on Christmas Eve at the Provincial House of the Society of Mary, Boulcott street, Wellington. Although still active in his priestly duties, he had been suffering severely for some months past, and it was only at the expressed wish of his religious superiors that he went to Wellington for medical treatment. From the first his medical advisers held out little hope of his recovery, but his death was as unexpected by his parishioners as it was sad. The last Sacraments were administered early in- his illness, and thence onward he had the privilege and consolation of receiving Holy Communion regularly, and the end came suddenly and peacefully on the morning of Christmas Eve. The body was that evening brought to Otaki and was

placed in the church, where it Jay in state until Friday. His faithful Maoris soon gathered even from distant parts and expressed their grief in tears and lamentations, for they knew they had lost a good Father and kindly friend. A Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated on Friday morning, Very Rev. Dean Regnault, S.M. (Pro-, vincial), being celebrant, Very Rev. Dean James McKenna deacon, Rev. Father Maillard, S.M., sub'-' deacon, and Rev. Father Hurley, S.M., master of ceremonies. The choir was composed of a number of the clergy under the direction of Very Rev. Dr. Kennedy, and Rev. Father Schaefer presided at the organ. The church was far too small to hold the large number of parishioners who name to pay their last respects to their beloved pastor, so the funeral sermon was delivered at the graveside. Immediately after the Mass a procession was formed for the adjoining cemetery. It was headed by the cross-bearer, and then in order came the altar boys, Children of Mary, Sisters of St. Joseph, Hibernians, clergy, and the coffin borne by six stalwart Natives, dressed in beautiful and costly mats, and then followed the general public. The site of the grave was at the foot of the large cross which stands on the crest of Pukekaraka Hill, the spot where the late Rev. Father Compte established his first church in the early forties of the last century. The service at the graveside was conducted by Very Rev. Dean O’Shea, S.M., V.G., and at the conclusion Dean Regnault preached from the text, ‘Be you then also ready, for at what hour you think not, the Son of Man will come’ (Luke xii., 40). The esteem in which the deceased was held by his brother priests was evinced by the large attendance of the clergy, there being present in addition to those already mentioned the Ven. Archdeacon Devoy, Very Rev. Dean John McKenna, Very Rev. Dean Holley, S. Very Rev. Dean Smyth, S.M., and Rev. Fathers T. McKenna, Kehoe, Doolaghty, Barra, Goggan, Herring, Hickson, O’Reilly, Menard, Cahill, Bowe, Kelly,. Melu, Ginisly, Delach, Vibeaud, Murray, Keogh, and Martin. Of his many works of zeal in the parish special mention must be made of the St. Vincent de Paul Societies in Levin and Otaki, and a flourishing branch of the Hibernian Society in Levin, which he founded and under his care and direction have taken deep root and are doing great good. The late Father Cognet was a fluent Maori linguist and knew the language, its idiom and imagery, perfectly, and, indeed, he was regarded as one of the best authorities on the Maori language in the Dominion, At every Maori meeting he was always the principal speaker, and Pa Koneta—as he was called by the Nativeswas always listened to with the deepest attention. His charming personality endeared him to all, and his loss is keenly felt, and in the eloquent words of Dean Regnault he was beloved by God and man and his memory will be held in benediction.

DEAN REAULT’S DISCOURSE.

Very Rev. Dean Regnault, S.M., preached as follows from the text already quoted: God has again spoken to us in language most distinct and most eloquent. He has repeated the lesson which of late He has so forcibly brought home to us. Only six weeks ago many of us were assembled in the parochial church at Meeanee. We had met with sad hearts to pay the last tribute of respect to the highly esteemed pastor, the late Dean Grogan. The last funeral rites were scarcely over when news came of the awful accident which had happened to the saintly, zealous, hardworking heroic Father Yenning, an accident which a few hours later resulted in his death. We all hastened to Wellington to find the city in mourning because not only the Catholic, but the whole population felt that a good man had been taken away. We were beginning to recover from the shock, when from Palmerston North flashed the news of the sudden death of its kind, genial, hospitable and zealous pastor, the .Rev. Father Costello, and then again, with hearts sadder still as the cross became heavier, we assembled to pay to the dear departed the last tribute of our re-

spect and affection. To-day, we are here mourning the loss of the gentle, saintly, big-hearted Father Cognet. The Angel of Death - once more has invaded the sanctuary ; we have before us the lifeless form of another priest. He is clad in his sacrificial robes, but never more will he be seen ministering at God’s altar. Yet, although still and cold in death, he reminds us, with awful force, of the lesson conveyed by the inspired words of Holy Writ: ‘To-day for me, for you tomorrow : be you then also ready, for at what hour you think not, the Son of Man will come.’ It is not my intention to give an extensive eulogy of Father Cognet, the simplicity and honesty of his priestly life, as well as his truly Marist spirit forbid me I shall content myself with a short sketch of his religious and priestly career. He was born on December 3, 1858, in the diocese of Lyons, a diocese specially blessed by Almighty God, because of its devotion to and of the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary ; a diocese which has contributed more than any other in Christendom to the extension of the Kingdom of Christ by the number of priests it has given to the Church, and the material resources it has sent to missionaries throughout the world. Father Cognet enjoyed the blessing of belonging to a family highly respected and deeply imbued with true Catholic principles ; hence, in his very infancy all his aspirations tended towards the things of God. As a boy he received his primary education at the Christian Brothers’ School, and later on, the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom he always loved so tenderly, whose child of predilection he was to become, took him, as it were by the hand and led him to the College of Valbenoite, a college established by the founder of the Society of Mary at the request and on the property of Father Rouchon, one of the most distinguished secular priests of the diocese of Lyons. The teachers had been trained by the Ven. Father Colin himself, his spirit lived in them; they infused it into the hearts of their pupils. Many of them became priests, bishops, missionaries, and carried the blessings of faith and of civilisation to the most distant parts of the earth. Claudius Cognet also imbibed that spirit, and he too determined to give . himself entirely to the service of God, under the banner of the Blessed Virgin Mary; he determined to become a Marist, a priest, a missionary, to spend himself in promoting the glory of God and the salvation of souls in the Islands of the South Pacific. He applied to be admitted into the novitiate of the Society of Mary in the year 1878. Even then he was remarkable for His Gentleness, His Piety, His Charm of Manner; hence it is not surprising to learn that he was loved by both masters and pupils, by his fellow novices, as he has been loved ever since by his brother priests and the people with whom he has been brought in contact. We may truly apply to him the inspired words spoken of Moses— ‘ He was beloved of God and men; whose memory is in benediction’ (Ecclesiasticus xlv., 1). The year during which he studied philosophy was spent in the scholasticate of Belley, that house which has been the cradle of the Society of Mary, and in which Blessed Peter Chanel, the martyr saint of the South Pacific, exercised such a wholesome influence. Then the persecution of 1880 against Religious Orders, fomented by Freemasonry, broke out in France. Father Cognet, like so many of his confreres and members of other Religious Orders, had to leave the shore of his beloved country and seek a refuge in the land of exile, in Switzerland and Spain. As he was endowed with more than ordinary talent, he made brilliant theological studies at Genevisier and Barcelona, and then he was attached to the teaching staff of the Colleges of Toulon and Moutlufon. At last the happy day of his ordination dawned. He was made a priest according to the Order of Melchisedec on August 16, 1885. From that moment he eagerly looked forward to the day when he would cross the ocean to spend his life amongst his beloved Maoristhe noblest race in the Islands of the South Pacific. He arrived in New Zealand in the middle of January, 1886. A few days later he was sent to Jerusalem, on the Wanganui River, to assist in the work of re-organising the Maori Mission—a work which was being so successfully carried out by Rev.

Fathers Soulas, Melu, and Lepretre. Whatever he saw, the scenery, the Charming manners of the native race] not only interested him, but filled him with enthusiasm. He was full of gratitude to God for having chosen him, and he determined to carry on his work with the most ardent zeal. To-day, after twenty-seven years of missionary labors, he has laid down the burden. Rightly may he say in the words of St.Paul, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, have kept the faith; as to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice which the Lord, the Just Judge, will render to me in that day.’ And you, my dear people, who owe so much to the dear departed, pray that this crown may soon adorn his brow. Repeat the prayers of the Church, that ‘Eternal rest may soon be his portion,’ that ‘ perpetual light may shine upon him,’ and that his happiness may be without alloy, without end. May he rest in peace. You have witnessed his labors at Jerusalem, where for ten years he sowed and reaped a rich harvest; at Pakipaka, in Taranaki, where he erected presbyteries and churches; and at Otaki, where he established the Hibernian and the St. Vincent de Paul Societies. Those who have lived with him, who have been his Superiors and confreres— I athei Soulas, Dean Janies McKenna, Father Melu, Father Maillard, Father Delach, and others,—know that for him no dangers, no hardships could possibly be an excuse for neglecting or postponing a duty. When he had to visit the sick, or travel to a distant place, through a dense bush, in order to say Mass or catechise children, he was indifferent as to the state of the weather, as to any discomforts, he might have to enduie. He was always grateful to his Maori people for whatever provisions they had to put before him, whether they were abundant or scanty. Now. he has completed the task allotted to him, he has done his work, the work God gave him to do: may he enjoy eternal. rest—may he rest in peace. May also eternal light shine upon him. Light is the greatest gift of God, it was to impart that light, the light of the soul that the Sou of God become Man, and it was to impart that light to the Maori race that Father Cognet left home, relations and friends and all that the world holds’ dear. God endowed him with a facile pen, with great facility of speech: he did not, bury his talent; lie made use of it for the spiritual welfare of both races. He loved to preach the word of God. He preached it in France after his ordination, he preached it on board the steamer that brought him to New Zealand, he preached it in the confessional, in the pulpit, in the church, in the wham; at our Maori meetings he was always ready to do the work of his Master. He wrote numerous articles for Catholic magazines—articles which were very much appreciated, and which brought men and resources to our missions in different parts of the world. His History of the Church m the Maori language, and for the use of the Maoti race, came in to fill a long felt want. It will remain as a. monument of his zeal and talent. His confreres selected him in 1894 to visit Europe and supervise the printing of a large prayer book and catechism, which, owing to numerous and well-chosen illustrations, is a particularly valuable work. Therefore he has been a. shining light. To-day the light is. extinguished, the pen is broken, the voice'will be heard no more—it is our duty to pray that his eyes may at once be opened to the beautiful light of heaven ; that he may have no occasion to exclaim any longer: ‘ O when will that day dawn that will know no setting sun ’ let perpetual light shine upon him. At last may his joy be perfect and without end. The day of trial is over; contradictions, anxieties, tribulations are no more; he suffered much, he suffered many years, more than the world knew, but he suffered in silence ; no one ever heard him utter a word of complaint. As to the Marist virtues which make the perfect man and the saint, we all know how he practised them. He was a loving, devoted child of the Blessed Virgin Mary; his great desire during the last few months was to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with more than usual solemnity; he wished to have the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes brilliantly illuminated. His wishes were partly carried out, but he was not present. Mary his

Mother cannot fail to give him .a share of her endless happiness. He was obedient; his last act on leaving his home to which he never returned alive was an act of obedience. He observed the vow of poverty to the letter although his relations sent him regularly the revenue of his patrimony, he died poor, without anything to his credit in cash or bank, nothing but his good works. He relied on the charity and generosity of his brother priests to offer up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for his soul; on the charity and generosity of the religious and people of the parish to offer up prayers and Holy Communion; on the maternal solicitude of his Order to defray His funeral expenses. The Virtues of Simplicity, Humility, and Modesty shone conspicuously in his- person, and endeared him to all, clergy and laity alike. But we may say that the virtue of charity was above all the characteristic virtue of Father Cognet; his charity was simply inexhaustible; he loved God, he loved his confreres, he loved all men; hence the love and esteem in which he was held. Naturally gifted with delicate and refined feelings, he proved himself a gentleman at all times and under all circumstances; always considerate of the feelings of others, he has not been known to say an unkind word of any one. Hence once more he was rightly ‘ beloved of God and men; whose memory is in benediction’ (Ecclesiasticus xlv., 1). We trust that his charity has already secured for him the eternal joy of heaven. At least, let it be our prayer. During his sickness he edified us all by his wonderful patience; he died as he would have liked to die. God in His great mercy allowed him the reprieve of a few days to trim his lamp, to light it and carry it burning brightly to meet the coming of the Bridegroom. Not only was he fortified in his last agony by the Sacraments of the Church, but he died in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament; he went to heaven on Christmas Eve to sing with the angels ‘ Glory to God on high,’— and what he practised during life, ‘ Peace to men of good will.’ To-day, although his lips have been sealed by the cold hand of death, he reminds us forcibly of the message contained in my text— ‘ To-day for me, for, you to-morrow; be you then also ready, for at what hour you think not, the Son of Man will come.’ Now, dear Brother, I wish to say that I am grateful to you for spending the last days of your earthly career in the Provincial House. Your presence has been a source of untold blessings, to us. Our thanks are due to Drs. Cahill and Martin for their devotedness and untiring attention to you and to the nurses . for the loving care with which they have attended to your wants and watched over you. We thank also our brother priests for their attendance here to-day. Whilst praying for you we feel that we ought to ask you to pray for us. When you shall have entered your and our destined home, remember us priests who tarry in this land of exile; remember this archdiocese and all its priests; remember the Society of Mary and the Maori Mission, and your faithful people before the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ, our King, and the patron saints of this archdiocese, of our Blessed Lady, our Yen. Founder and ask them to send laborers into the Master’s vineyard. We shall continue to repeat the prayer, ‘ Grant, 0 Lord, eternal rest to Thy servant Claudius; may perpetual light shine upon him; may he rest in peace. Amen.’