PRESENTATIONS

New Zealand Tablet, 15 July 1915, Page 13

PRESENTATIONS

■RIGHT REV. MGR. WALSHE, WESTPORT. A great gathering of the parishioners of the distric assembled a few evenings ago in the Victoria Theatr for the purpose of suitably expressing their pleasure a the honor lately conferred on the Right Rev. Mgr Walshe and of presenting him with robes as a token o their esteem (says the Westport Times). ■, • RV :. F f fc f 1 l er Arkwri ght, who presided, briefly ex plained that the object of the great gathering was t( honor one whom the authorities of the Church wen proud to honor—their beloved rector, Monsignoi Walshe. On behalf of Rather Long and himself* In congratulated the Right Rev. Monsignor on the dignitv bestowed on him. After having read the Brief conferring the dignity, Father Arkwright went on to refei to the many virtues of their beloved pastor. He (the lev. speaker) was quite sure the dignity was conferred on him, to use the words of the Brief, ‘ because of virtue, of his venerableness in age and merit ’ and of his advancing the cause of religion for nearly 50 years with burning zeal and contempt, for labor and hardship, ■ and that no priest had been more worthy of the honor than he. He had been most unselfish in his labors, being never known to refuse a request to advocate the cause of religion or charity, no matter how distant the place or how inconvenient the time. Mi. J. J. Molony, in an earnest speech, congratulated the Right Rev. Monsignor-on behalf of the congregation, and paid a tribute of praise to his work in Westport. _ Mr. James Scanlon said that the example given by their beloved pastor was a- perpetual sermon to all of his flock. Rev. Father Long, on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, in offering congratulations, said it was gratifying to see that after a life of hard work the Monsignor was still bravely holding his own. Other congratulatory speeches were made by Mr. Beirne (on behalf of the Catholic Federation), Mr. F. ’Gorman (Young Men’s Club), Mr, J. Radford (Hibernian Society), Father Arkwright (Children of Mary)/- and Mr. Lempfert. Mr, 11. Pain then read the following address, after which he handed the robes to the Monsignor, amidst rounds of applause: * On behalf of the parishioners of Westport and surrounding districts, we, the undersigned members of your congregation, desire to express the sincere pleasure we feel at the honor recently conferred upon you by his Holiness the Pope. We rejoice at this signal appreciation of your' long ‘ and faithful service to our Holy Church, and we join most heartily in our congratulations. We beg also to express to you on this happy occasion a deep sense of gratitude for the zeal and devotion which have ever characterised your very long association with this parish, and to assure you of the continued esteem and affection in which you are held throughout the district. As a souvenir of the bestowal of your present title, and as a small complimentary gift from your parishioners throughout the district, we ask you to accept from us the robes of your new office. We fervently pray and "trust that this parish, with the history and growth of, which your whole period of priesthood has been associated, will for many happy years to come have the pleasure and benefit of your direction, and that you will live long to enjoy the title and dignity with which you have been further honored, and in which your parishioners take a pardonable pride. ‘ We assure you again of the continued dutiful affection and regard of every member of your extensive parish, and beg to subscribe ourselves 1 H. Pain, C. Lempfert, J. J. Molony, J. Ahern, J. P. O’Gorman, P. Nevin, P. Murphy, , J. P. Carmine, F. O’Gorman, G. Drew, J. Power, H. Moran, F. TTansby, P. Hughes.’ Monsignor Walshe, after a short retirement,' returned to the hall wearing his robes, and received a great ovation. He expressed his thanks to the people

tor presenting him with the robes , and for coming i such great, numbers to do him honor. He was nrou to see his oldest friends represented on the platform i the person of Mr. Pam and Mr. Lempfert. - Althoug times were hard in the . early days/ still it was g pleasure to work with such line people as the pioneei of this district were. He modestly remarked that th speakers made too much of him, and were promote by the goodness of their hearts rather than from an merit on Ins part. Not liking any display, he did nc desire or deserve the dignity conferred on him, whin had come as a great surprise. -He referred to the intrc duction of the _ Sisters of Mercy as the most importan work he had done in the parish. He then thanks Fathers Arkwright and Long and the various speaker on behalf of the different societies and traced the his oiy an ject of each. He also took the opportunit of thanking his Worship the Mayor for a very nice lette conveying congratulations of himself and the citizens o Westport. He always took a keen pride in his chosei district and the people, and he thanked them all fron his heart for their kind congratulations. He resume* his seat amidst tremendous applause. During the evening songs were contributed by Mis Moroney, Mr R. Kiely, and a piano duet by Misses M Parsons and B. Doyle. RIGHT REV. MGR. HACKETT, PAEROA. Last Sunday (says the Ohhiemuri Gazette) a ven large congregation was present at St. Mary's Church when a beautiful illuminated address and purse of sovereigns were presented to Monsignor Hackett to commemorate his recent elevation to the rank of Domestic 1 relate by the Pope. Mr. 11. Poland, M.P., accompained by the members of the presentation committee lead the following address, which he prefaced by a brief but touching speech:— . J • ‘ Ve /L R ® * and Dear Father,—We, the parishioners of St. Marys, Paeroa, desire to take this opporunity of expressing our hearty congratulations on the occasion of your being raised by our present Pontiff, Benedict X\ ~ to the dignity of Domestic Prelate. We rejoice that the many years during which you have labored so zealously in the guidance of the flock committed to your care have not passed unrecognised by ns Holiness, and wo do not fail to recognise the honor conferred on ourselves in having our pastor raised to this dignity. We trust that by our fidelity to your ■spiritual guidance, and our co-operation in all works undertaken by you for the propagation of our holy faith, and the prosperity of this parish in particular, we may prove ourselves not altogether unworthy of this favor. In conclusion, we humbly pray that God may grant you a long continuance of fruitful labor in our midst. Signed on behalf of the parishioners—Patrick . Caithy (chairman), John Roach (secretary), Francis Tierney, Thomas Barrett, William Quinlivan, Francis Donnelly, John Lynch.’ Monsignor Hackett returned thanks and. stated that lie felt utterly unworthy ,of the high honor. ferred upon him by Pope Benedict XV. He begged them to accept his most grateful thanks, and to"believe that Ins gratitude for the regard and affection in which they held him was far deeper than he could express. During the week at St. Joseph’s School another address and presentation were made by the pupils. The address was of artistic design, and was read by Miss Barbara Rochfort as follows:—‘Very Dear Monsignor, —lt is with feelings of extreme pleasure that we, the pupils of St. Joseph’s School, take this opportunity of offering you our heartiest congratulations on the occasion of your receiving the honored title of Domestic Prelate, and thus becoming a member of the Pope’s own household. We appreciate also the honor done to ourselves and to this parish in having our pastor raised to this dignity. In conveying our congratulations wo cannot -'but repeat the good wishes expressed to you on .similar occasions during the many years you have spent m our midst, and we sincerely hope that God may spare you many more years to continue your zealous work

amongst; us. Again expressing our pleasure, we are, dear Monsignor, your affectionate children, the pupils of St. Joseph’s School.’ 1 p Several songs were rendered by the pupils during the entertainment. After having warmly thanked them lor their address and songs, the Monsignor granted the children a half-holiday, and the announcement was received with ringing cheers. me. john McNamara, Invercargill. '(From our own correspondent.) A number of parishioners assembled in St. Joseph’s Schoolroom on Tuesday evening of last week to bid farewell to Mr. J. McNamara on the eve of his departure lor Christchurch, where he has taken over the old established business of Thomas Gapes and Co., glass, oil, and color merchants, of Victoria street. Hie Very Rev. Dean Burke, V.F., presided, and, in presenting the guest of the evening on behalf of himself and parishioners with a very handsome gold watch, suitably inscribed, said that lie was very sorry indeed that Mr. McNamara was leaving Invercargill, because lie had probably been the most useful member of the congregation. lie had those qualities which were calculated to make an'ideal secretary, and lie (the Dean) would miss him as a consultant in business matters connected with the Church. He was a silent worker, extremely prudent, and his advice could always bo depended on. The Very Rev. Dean referred to the time when the Catholic federation were planning out the details in connection with the first Pan-Southland gathering, and paid a tribute to the optimism of Mr. McNamara, and the useful work he had quietly performed in connection with the matter. He had shown the same calmness, prudence, business habits, and steadiness of judgment in important matters, and his place would be hard to fill. The present was a solid one, and should remain with him as a memento to the last moment of his life. The Very Rev. Dean then handed Mr. McNamara the presentation, and with it a lady's handbag for Mrs. McNamara. Rev. Brother Anselm said that, on behalf of the Brothers, he would like to thank Mr. McNamara for the way he had espoused the cause of their schools. He had been one of the prime movers for the betterment of the school and the comfort of the Brothers. lie had* worked conscientiously and quietly, and deserved their thanks. Messrs. Pound, Collins, Furlong, and McLaughlan also spoke, and expressed regret at the projected departure of Mr. McNamara, and wished him God-speed, and many years of success and prosperity in his new enterprise. Mr. McNamara, on rising to respond, was greeted with applause. lie was visibly affected, and feelingly replied in a brief speech. He thanked the Dean for his generous tribute, and said, that anything he had ever done was done without thought of fee or reward—to him it had been a labor of love. He could not recognise himself as the person the speakers had been referring to, and said that the success of functions he had been connected with was due to the solidarity of the Catholic body in Invercargill. He, perhaps,, had done his part, but the people had responded. He referred to the need for organisation, and pointed out that we had the necessary machinery in the Catholic Federation, which every Catholic should join. He was sorry to leave so many old associations in Invercargill, but he thought it was for the best. Ho thanked them all sincerely on behalf of Mrs. McNamara and himself for the valuable presents which would always serve to remind them of Invercargill.