Diocesan News

New Zealand Tablet, 20 November 1913, Page 36

Diocesan News

ARCHDIOCESE OF WELLINGTON (From our own correspondent.) November 17. The anniversary o£„. the death of Rev. Father Charles Venning, S.M., occurs on November 24, when a Solemn Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary of the Angels', Boulcott street, at 9 o'clock. The Marist Brothers entered three boys' choirs for the junior choral competition at the Competitions. The 'A' Choir, from the Tasman Street School, came first, the Hawkestone Street Choir second, and the Tasman Street ' B ' Choir fourth. Last Sunday there was Exposition of "the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Thorndon. In the evening there was a good congregation, when the Rev. Father Jas. Goggan, S.M., preached, after which there was a procession and .Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The devotion of the Forty Hours’ Adoration commences at St. Mary of the Angels’ on the first Sunday in December. It is some years since this devotion was held in St. Mary’s, but now that the parish is in charge of the Very Rev. Dean Regnault, the ceremony will in future be held there as well as in the other city churches.

A very pleasant euchre party was held at St. Patrick’s Hall last Monday evening under the auspices of St. Patrick’s branch of the H.A.C.B. Society. The Rev. Father J. Tymons, S.M., chaplain of St. Mary’s branch was present. The. prizes were won by Mrs. O’Flaherty, Misses Donoghue and Smith, and Mr. Mulvaney.

The Boxing Day Picnic Committee held a meeting last Friday evening under the presidency of Mr. B. Doherty, the Yen. Archdeacon Devoy being present. The sports sub-committee were recommended to prepare an attractive programme both for the adults and the children, including an inter-parish tug-of-war competition, for which a cup has been donated.

The monthly meeting of the Children of Mary, Te Aro, took place yesterday at St. Joseph’s. The director, Rev. Father Hurley, announced that a division was about to take place owing to the fact that St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s were now two distinct parishes. He expressed regret that St. Joseph’s sodality, which was now very strong and flourishing, should lose perhaps half its members, but he hoped the transplanting as it wore would mean two strong sodalities instead of one.

On Wednesday evening last the Children of Mary, Te Aro, assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall, Boulcott street, for the purpose of making two presentations—one to his Grace Archbishop O’Shea, who at one time occupied the position of director of that sodality, and the other to Rev. Father Hurley, S.M., director at the present time. The presentation to his Grace consisted of two statues for his oratory, while Father Hurley received an umbrella and a razor. The recipients thanked the members for their kindly thought.. Altogether a most enjoyable evening was spent. Items were contributed by Mrs. E. J. Healy, Misses Strickland, Clisby, Curtis, and Doherty. A competition was held, the winner being Miss Doris Schmidt, who was awarded a rose bowl. Supper was handed round and the evening came to a close with the singing of ‘ Auld lang syne.’

In St. Joseph’s Church, Buckle street, on last Sunday, his Grace Archbishop O’Shea made brief refer-

ence to the industrial trouble. It was not for him to say which of the parties was responsible, but there could be no doubt that the country was confronted with very real dangers, and it was the duty of Catholics to do all in their power, by prayers, words, and example, to help a settlement. In all these industrial disputes there could be no settlementat least no satisfactory settlement—unless charity entered into the issue. He exhorted Catholics, therefore, to pray that the parties might approach towards a settlement in the true Christian spirit, that justice and authority might be upheld, and a great danger removed from thousands of innocent homes. In the same church in the evening the . Rev. Father Eccleton, of St. Patrick’s College, also touched on the strike. True charity, he said, was essential in any Christian community. Hate in a community was a fearful thing. It was only in a spirit of true charity that men’s differences could be properly settled. The devotion of the Forty Hours’ Adoration commenced in St. Anne’s Church last Sunday, when Solemn High Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Father Peoples, S.M., Rev. Father Segrief, S.M., being deacon, Rev. Father J. Herring, S.M., subdeacon, and Yen. Archdeacon Devoy, S.M., master of ceremonies. His Grace Archbishop O’Shea was present in the sanctuary. The choir, under the conductorship of Mr. W. Gamble, with Miss Henderson as organist, sang Mozart’s ‘ Seventh Mass ’ with fine effect. The St. Anne’s Senior Defence Cadets acted as a guard of honor during the Mass. After Mass there was a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the convent, presbytery, and church grounds. Between five and six hundred people participated, including the school children, the Children of Mary, men’s and women’s branches of the Sacred Heart sodalities, and the Hibernian Society in strong force, who acted as the guard of honor and canopy-bearers, the choir, and Cadets. The church was crowded in the evening when his Grace Archbishop O’Shea preached an instructive sermon. A Missa Cantata was celebrated on Monday morning. The church was again crowded in the evening, when the Rev. Father Eccleton, of St. Patrick’s College, preached. The ceremonies concluded on Tuesday morning,, when High Mass was celebrated, after which there was a procession of the Blessed Sacrament. The ceremonies were made edifying by the great number who approached the Holy Table. The altar was most tastefully decorated by the Sisters of Mercy and the members of the Altar Society.