DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

New Zealand Tablet, 3 December 1914, Page 39

DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

(By telegraph, from our own correspondent.)

November 30.

Rev. Father O’Doherty has gone south for a short

holiday.

Rev. Father Grogan returned from Coromandel last Wednesday, since when he has been engaged giving a retreat to the Little Sisters of the Poor.

A novena preceding the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is being made for the Bishop’s intentions, commenced at the Cathedral on Monday evening. The mission for men conducted by Rev. Father Kelly, C.SS.R., at St. Benedict’s, commenced after last Mass on Sunday, and will continue throughout the week, terminating next Sunday. Sir Joseph Ward addressed one of the best meetings held in Auckland for many years. An hour before the meeting opened the vast Town Hall was' filled. Enthusiasm was unbounded, and at the close of the meeting was as vigorous and robust as at the commencement.

Rev. Father Holbrook gave a most interesting lecturethe second of a series—on his trip through the Holy Land, to the members of the Holy Family Confraternity. Familiar Biblical places and scenes were graphically described. Father Holbrook announced that he would continue the subject on a future occasion.

Rev. Father Forrestal addressed the Holy Family Confraternity at its last meeting on primary education in Ireland. He treated the subject from its inception, through all its trials and vicissitudes, in which the pertinacity of the Irish priests and people to a great principle and ideals were shown. Such an example; he said, should inspire and encourage' Catholics in this Dominion to continue to fight for educational rights, for which he was pleased to notice they had and were now making such sacrifices. Father Forrestal will Speak on the same subject at a future meeting. At a meeting of the Auckland City Council last week a motion was introduced to contribute from the Council’s funds a sum of £2O in reduction of a debt of £6O spent in beautifying the grounds of one of the public schools of the city. Councillor Nerheny strongly opposed the motion, and referred to the Marist Brothers’ School grounds in Ponsonby, . where, by the scholars’ pennies and the manual labor of the Brothers, material had been purchased from the tram company and spread at night by the light- of lanterns. Why should this school not receive a subsidy from the city funds also, particularly as it was not bounty fed by the State ? So strong a case was made by Councillor Nerheny that the motion was shelved.