NEW CONVENT AND SCHOOL, KILBIRNIE

New Zealand Tablet, 8 February 1917, Page 51

NEW CONVENT AND SCHOOL, KILBIRNIE

. Standing on one of the most -prominent; sites in South Kilbirnie and in the locality known as Childers terrace, where, the tramlines from the city via the tunnel j and Constable street junction, is a large and commodious I two-storey building, formerly the residence of Mr. M. I F. Bourke. This property, nearly : an acre in extent, and possessing a fine panoramic view of Cook Strait, I Evans Bay, Lyall Bay, and the surrounding locality, has been acquired by the Sisters of Mercy to serve the I dual purpose of a high school and musical academy and I also as a residence for the teaching staff of Sisters en- I gaged in the local school at St. Patrick’s School Chapel I across the road. . _ .. ■ • •- - - . I The residence has been renovated and converted I into a convent and school, and last Sunday afternoon I (writes our Wellington correspondent, under date Janu- .. I ary 29) the ceremony of blessing and formally opening th new institution, which is to be known as St. Cathe- I rine’s Convent, was performed by his Grace Archbishop j O’Shea, assisted by the Venerable Archdeacon Devoy, J the Rev. Fathers Piquet, S.M. (Sydney), Hurley, S.M., 1 O’Connell, S.M. O’Leary, S.M., D. Campbell, S.M., I arid C. Outtrim, S.M., and the Very Rev. Father Roche, C.SS.R. There was a large number of people present at" the opening, and at the conclusion of the ceremony j of blessing - the new convent the Ven. Archdeacon 1 Devoy, as- rector of the district, briefly addressed the j gathering before calling upon his Grace the Coadjutor* j Archbishop to perform the opening ceremony. Arch- j deacon Devoy stated that in 1908 there was neither aj Catholic school nor a Catholic church at Kilbirnie. In that year a mission for the Catholics of Kilbirnie was given by the Redemptorist Fathers at O’Donnell’s Hall. The success of the mission was responsible for a movement to erect a Catholic Church at Kilbirnie, and in the meantime Mass was celebrated every Sunday at O’Donnell’s Hall. Originally it was intended to erect a church of the value of £6OOO. In fact the foundations were laid for a building of that value, but in view of the urgent necessity of a Catholic school in the dis- - trict and the inability of the people to complete the scheme within a reasonable time it was decided to leave the erection of the church to a later period and to erect immediately a building that would serve both as a school and a church. A fine substantial building was erected on the same section at a cost of £IOOO, and since then additions and improvements to the building mad) necessary through the growth of the Catholic • population brought the total cost to £I7OO. Now they were present that day to witness the installation of the Sisters in the beautiful convent that his Grace had just blessed. He wished particularly to thank the Bourke family for the benefactions they have mad© to the Church, and it was through the generosity of that family that they were in the happy position of opening the convent that day. He wished the good Sisters every success. .... " His Grace Archbishop O’Shea, in declaring the convent open, said that it gave him much pleasure to bless and open such a beautiful convent. He congratulated the people of Kilbirnie, and said this was only the beginning of great things in that district. It marked a new era in the progress of the Church, for it had added another house of prayer to the Church, another place where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass could be offered up. The Sisters belonging to the great teaching Order of the Sisters of Mercy had done, and were doing, marvellous work for Catholic education in this Dominion, and they were to be located in their midst. The Sisters of Mercy not only imparted secular know- . ledge to the children under their care, but they also imparted a thorough knowledge of their holy religion; and in doing this they were conferring a great boon on the whole community. Those who thought that the teaching of religion and morals should be separated from the training in secular knowledge made a very ' great mistake, and although they might not know it, they were impeding the progress of this young country.

As long as God gave him health and strength to do so, s he-would voice the objection of the Church to such a ;■ system: In : - conclusion, he congratulated the Sisters ;/ ;; ,of Mercy on acquiring such a fine property,and .he .also.-V;; wished to voice his appreciation of the generosity of the f. ‘ Bourke family and ' the Ven. Archdeacon /Devoy-; for his energy in helping the Sisters' to acquire -the/pro- f perty. He formally; declared the convent ; open. I. Those present were then invited |to the / convent - chapel, where Benediction of the ; Blessed -Sacrament : was , given by his Grace the Archbishop, assisted by / the clergy present. The nuns’. /choir, rendered the - music, and at the conclusion afternoon tea was served ;• by the Sisters, who conducted , the visitors through the | building and grounds. : ■ • '■ -- ’ ;. ; ;V : - The Rev. Sister Mary Chanel 1 'will; be in; charge'’: of the new convent, and she will have .associated with her in her work five other Sisters. ' A collection was taken up,. and resulted in /the / sura,of ,£6O being handed the Rev. Sister Chanel, who ■ desires to thank all friends and-donors for their kind-'/ ness. The new high school, as well as the parish school, ; were opened on Wednesday morning. ' i* The opening of St. Catherine’s Convent in the parish of Wellington South under the charge of the Yen. Archdeacon Devoy adds another to the many ■; Catholic institutions in his extensive parish, and it is ; interesting to note the -.—Sacred Heart Convent, Home of Compassion, St. Francis’ Church and the parish school. Island Bay; Sisters of Mercy Preparatory College for boys, and St. Mary’s Star of the / Sea Church and School, Seatoun ; St. Patrick’s Church %- and School and St. Catherine’s Convent, Kilbirnie; | St Anne’s Church, St. Anne’s School, St. Anne’s Hall, £ I and St. Joseph’s Convent, ' Green and Daniel streets, I Wellington South.