THE LATE BISHOP GRIMES

New Zealand Tablet, 22 April 1915, Page 35

THE LATE BISHOP GRIMES

MONTH'S MIND AT THE CATHEDRAL. (By telegraph, from our Christchurch correspondent.) The Month’s Mind of the late Bishop Grimes took place in the Cathedral on Tuesday at 10 o'clock. Pontifical Requiem Mass was celebrated bv the Right Rev. Dr. Verdon, Bishop of Dunedin, the Very Rev. Dean Hills, S.M., being assistant priest, Very Rev. Father Graham, S.M., M.A. (Rector St. Bede’s College), deacon, Rev. Father Graham, M. 5.11. (Darfield), subdeacon, and Very Rev. Father Price, Adm., master of ceremonies. 11 is Grace Archbishop O’Shea, S.M., was present in the sanctuary. The other clergy present were the Right Rev. Mgr. Mackav, V.G. (Oamaru), Very Rev. Dean Hyland (Rangiora), Rev. Dr. Kennedy (Methven), Rev. Fathers Lynch, C.SS.R., Kelly (Kaikoura), Hurley, Adm. (St. Joseph’s, Wellington), O’Reilly (St. Patrick’s College), Moloney (Wanganui), W. Tymons (Greeumeadows), Venning (Te Aro), O’Connor (Wellington South), Aubry (Waimate), Le Petit (Fairlie), Seymour and Murphy (Timarn), Kerley (Temuka),’ Bowers (Geraldine), O’Donnell (Ashburton), Hanrahan (Lincoln), O’Connor (Hawarden), Cooney (Lyttelton), O’Boyle, also the clergy of the Cathedral, St. Mary’s, and St. Bede’s College. His Lordship Bishop Verdon gave the Absolution. THE PANEGYRIC. The panegyric -was preached by the Very Rev. Dean Smyth, S.M. (Provincial), from the following text —‘ And I will raise Me up a faithful priest, who shall do according to My heart and My soul, and 1 shall build him up a faithful House’ (I. Kings ii. 35.) My dear Brethren, —It is a sad task as well as a painful privilege for me (said the Very Rev. preacher) to have to address you this morning on the life and Tabors of your late beloved Bishop, whose death we all so rightly deplore, and whose memory will ever be revered by a grateful people, as long as a stone remains upon a stone in this magnificent Cathedral, which might be fitly termed a worthy monument of a worthy Bishop. When we look around this stately edifice, and remember that its erection was the crowning work of his Lordship’s untiring labors, and when we recall to mind the many and great sacrifices, efforts, and worries which its completion demanded, and when we add to these the numberless other works which the formation, building up, and administration of a new diocese claimed at his hands, and with such whole-souled response and happy results, we surely can very appropriately apply ( to the deceased prelate those words of St. Paul to the Corinthians: But I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls, although loving you more I be

loved less (11. Cor. xii). Such were the immolating words of St. Paul to the Christians of Corinth when going to them as God’s messenger, with his own weaknesses and infirmities upon him no doubt, but with the love of God in his heart and his divine Power in his arm. Thus equipped, St. Paul set out on his mission, and, as he himself tells us, at the close thereof he left amongst his beloved Corinthians ‘ marks of his apostleship in all patience and mighty deeds.’ And this because the arm of God was with him— ‘ Fecit potentiam in brachio suo.’ Such was the spirit the spirit of the great St. Paul -which animated the late Bishop Grimes in accepting the burden of the episcopacy. His first Pastoral *Letter of 1888 tells us of his fears in sight of his own weakness, and of the great dignity to which he was about to be raised, but his spirit of faith buoyed him up; he remembered also St.‘Paul’s stimulus— ‘l can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me.’ Into his ear, no doubt, the spirit breathed : ‘My grace is sufficient for thee, for power is made perfect in infirmity. It tells us, too, of his Lordship’s readiness to do God s will, manifested to him through his ecclesiastical and religious superiors. And so mindful and heartful of the example of Mary—the model, the mother, the mistress, and the queen of every true Marist, as his Lordship ever was, —he trustfully and hopefully accepted the burden placed on him by the Holy See, and, like Mary, answered in holy obedience; Behold the servant of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy word.’ So coming to you in the name of Christ’s Vicar, and as the anointed ol God with the graces of the holy spirit upon him, and in the plentitude of the priesthood under, the tutelage of Mary, his motto being, ‘Si venis viecum va/lum,’ he placed himself at your disposal, and after the example of St. Paul, he spoke to you thus in the old pro-Cathedral: ‘ Most gladly will we spend ourselves and be spent for your souls, although loving you more we be loved less ; your every true interest will be clear to us ; after the greater glory of God, every thought and desire, every energy of our mind and heart and strength shall be for von and yours.’ Was not this a whole-hearted oblation of himself to you and to his diocese as soon as he set foot amongst you. And we all know how unsparingly and unceasingly he devoted himself, until, with wasted frame, lost energies, and spent-out heart, he laid down the mitre and the crozier in holy resignation to the Divine Will. The late Bishop was A Man of Wonderfully Strong Faith — faith in the supernatural, faith in the dignity and power of the priesthood, and in everything connected with the Christ commission to his Church. It was this faith that made him ever most ardent as a worker, most zealous for the salvation of souls, most circumspect with regard to faith and morals and tone and manner,and most particular in every iota of Church ceremonial, and hence the ceremonies as carried out in his Cathedral were always uplifting and soul-inspiring. This was the secret of Bishop Grimes’ success in his spheres of action as a priest and bishop. As of our Lord Himself, we can say of him, * Bene omnia fecit.’ ‘He did all things well.’ It was my good fortune, as a young priest, to be associated with him for four years in one" of our colleges in the United States, where, as professor, and later on as superior of the institution, he won' the esteem and affection, not only of the boys and college faculty, but of the people of every class and creed. And this by his urbane manners, his broad Christian sympathies, his firmness of conviction, pertinacity of purpose, his unflagging zeal, and devotedness to duty, and also on account of the great success which attended his efforts as professor. , It was but the natural outcome of his high ideal of what a Christian gentleman should be, and of his still higher ideal of what a priest and bishop should be. His Lordship never lost sight of the fact that the priest, though not of the world, was, nevertheless, in the world that he was a man taken from amongst men, and that, therefore, everything concerning the good

of man should have a place in his heart, and for this reason, he was ever ready, when occasion so demanded, to take his place in society, that he might correct and benefit society whilst benefiting ;his fellow men. And who of us does not realise the beneficial influence which the presence and counsel of a Church dignitary may exercise in all those public philanthropic gatherings. And in the case of your late Bishop, the tributes of appreciation, and sympathetic references in the public press, and messages of condolence of public bodies, have given proof of this. Fully convinced that all social virtues, whether prompted by natural or supernatural motives, directly or indirectly tended towards the benefit of society, he utilised them as so many handmaids in the exercise of his sacred duties, thereby making himself all to all that he might help to bring all to Christ ; and though it has been truly said that lie was nature’s gentleman, he lost no occasion to enhance nature’s gifts by the study and practice of those pleasing conventionalities which made him an honorable and a welcome guest in the higher circles as well as in the humbler homes. - In doing this he but followed the example of his Divine Master, Who, the Scripture tells us, was the most amiable as well as the holiest of the sons of man — that grace played about on him. We read that St. Augustine, in speaking of the great St. Ambrose and of the influence which he had over him, said; Earn amort coepi von■ lan qua in doctorc m n ri, seal fanqiiam hominem henif/nnm ’ (‘ I began to love him, not so much as a teacher of truth, but as a man of benignity towards me’). The great Bishon of Milan knew human nature, and so he realised that if he would win over from his worldliness and his errors the future Bishop of Hippo, it would be, after the action of God, by his sweet and winning ways more than by his great dogmatic discourses. These, indeed, were necessary, but Christian sweetness, affability, and attention played the first and most prominent part. Hence the reasons which ever actuated Dr. Grimes in his observance of those amenities of society, which are so calculated to win favor and draw hearts. Many of you, 1 am sure, in your different and varied spheres, must have had ample proof of this, and must have had frequent reason to say: ‘ We are proud of our dear Bishop.’ And if you had reason to be proud of him on account of his social qualities, you had still greater reason to rejoice because of His Priestly Virtues. I use the term priestly virtues advisedly, because as a rule what a man is as a priest so will he be as a bishop. The virtues of both are the same, with this difference, that the bishop has a broader scope, a wider field, more opportunities, with the consequent greater obligations to practise those virtues that he might govern wisely and fruitfully the Church of God by example as well as by word. The late Bishop Grimes understood this as well as any bishop ever did, and so he was always the man of God, the alter Christas, the sentinel on the watch-tower of Israel the man of God by his spirit of piety and prayer, the alter Christas (another Christ) by his zeal and devotedness to his flock, and the faithful sentinel by his constant watchfulness to preserve the faith and morals of his people. The term * Episcopus,’ a word for bishop, and which means overseer, is most appropriate, for his office obliges him not merely to take a general interest in the affairs of his diocese or to perform episcopal functions, but, as a good sentinel, he must now direct the movements of his flock, now warn of the enemy’s approach ; at one time put down abuses, at another time correct and punish. For this reason, on the tlav of his consecration the consecrating prelate puts into his hand the crozier and says : * Take this staff of the pastoral office, that in correcting vice thou mayest be mercifully severe, maintaining judgment without anger, that while encouraging virtue, thou mayest gently soothe the souls of thy hearers, nor neglect in thy calmness the due severity of justice.’ These words plainly show how the bishop must not flinch from the stern duty of correcting abuses or punishing delinquents, but it must be done in all gentleness of manner and forgiveness of heart. This is no easy or ' pleasant matter, and we all know that the charity of

correction is not 'always rightly understood or gratefully acknowledged. St. Paul must have .such a thought as this in his mind when he ; wrote N to Corinthians: ‘ Most gladly will I spend and be spent; myself for your souls, although loving you more Ibe loved less.’ Such was the zeal, devotedness, and unselfish dove of your late Bishop for all under his care. He indeed spent himself for you, and. even in his dying hours he forgot himself to plead in behalf of a work of mercy and love. I refer to the work of the Nursing Sisters now in your midst, and to the Bishop’s last address to his dear people of Christchurch before, alas, leaving for Sydney. When we consider all this, surely the words of ray text can be fittingly applied to our deceased prelate : ‘ And I will raise Me up a faithful priest, who shall do according to My heart, and I shall build him a faithful house, and he shall walk all days before My anointed.’' Yes, your late prelate was not only a Christian gentleman, but he was a holy priest, a faithful bishop, The Glory of His Father’s House, and an honor to you and to the diocese. And you know it, you acknowledged it from the very beginning, and as time went on he grew in your love, as was evident from the various demonstrations of reverence and affection made by you in his honor at different times, especially on the occasion of his Episcopal Jubilee about three years ago, and in reward even here below' God built you to be unto him a faithful people. In your fidelity you seconded his efforts. His labors in behalf of your souls have borne much fruit, and your ready response to his appeals for monetary assistance is eloquently told by the numerous and beautiful charitable institutions, schools, and churches which have been erected throughout the diocese during the last twenty-seven ■'•ears, the foremost of all being this noble and majestic Cathedral. I am sure, .my dear brethren, that your love and fidelity will not stop short at the grave, but will be enkindled anew, and become holier and more ardent each time you enter tnfs sacred edifice, where, thank God, his remains lie to await the great judgment day in the Chapel of the Holy Souls. That chapel was always dear to him, because he had an extraordinary devotion to the holy souls. It was dear to you, for it reminded you of your dear departed ones. It will be dearer to you now ; go there often, let me entreat you, to pray? for the repose of his soul. Remember that, though a good and saintly Bishop, the infirmities of nature were upon him, and that even slight faults coming from those infirmities must be atoned for before the soul can enjoy God in Heaven. Pray then in love and hope ; frequently offer your Holy Communions and your Masses for the repose of his soul, and may that spiritual affection, which united your Bishop to you in life, unite you to him in death help to unite Bishop, priests, and people in glory after death. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest In peace. Amen.