DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 22 February 1917, Page 27

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

(From our own correspondent.) ■'- Fbruary 19. A successful garden party, promoted by the congregation of the Sacred Heart Church, Addington, was held on last Saturday afternoon and evening in the spacious grounds surrounding the church and Catholic schools in Spencer street. . " The weather being "perfect for out door gatherings the attendance was large. Among. those present were his Lordship the Bishop and several of the clergy. Numerous attractions were j provided *. by the committee, of which , the Rev. Father O'Hare was chairman, and there was every indication that the • school funds, for which 'object the fete ; was arranged, will be very considerably augmented.

•';- ;T The Misses Johnson, who so successfully inaugurated and for a period managed. trie Catholic Women's Hostel in Christchurchthe first institution of its kind in New Zealand,- —and who subsequently went to Australia on a prolonged holiday, recently returned here, I and at the ; earnest solicitations \ of the ; management committee resumed control of the hostel, much to the satis- \ faction of all concerned. ? ? - ;^ r .;; r : ; J: ? ";v ? ;' v - His Lordship Bishop Brodie announced in the ". Cathedral; on ? Sunday that he had 'appointed the Very Rev. ■; Father ?Price (whose health, he . regretted to say, : was not fully, restored) to trie parish - of Methven. The Rev. J. Kennedy, D.D., ; until then pastor of that district, which he had so ably- organised and equipped, would in future do duty as Administrator of the Cathedral parish. : -> I ; . ; : ; The : anniversary .of the dedication of -trie?' Cathedral was observed on Sunday last with befitting? ceremonial. "At the early-Masses 'reference was made to the sacred edifice, . and at all the services offerings were received . in reduction of the remaining comparatively small*liabilities. Commencing at 11 o'clock,-there was ;Solemn Pontifical Mass. His Lordship the Bishop, was : : celebrant, Rev. Father Herbert, S.M.,^-assistant priest, Very Rev. Father Graham,' S.M., M.A.,' and .Rev. ;-Father T. Hanrahan deacons of honor at .trie throne, Rev. Fathers Long and Berger, S.M., deacon and subdeacon; respectively of the , Mass, .and. Rev. Father Murphy master of ceremonies. As the ecclesiastical ■ procession : filed into the sanctuary the organ, pealed ' Ecce Sacerdos Magnus.' Bishop Brodie, in addressing the large congregation, paid an eloquent tribute to the memory of the late Bishop Grimes, whom he" characterised as a great arid good prelate, who had accomplished noble and enduring work in the diocese, the ; magnificent: Cathedral being a "notable example. His Lordship then went on to announce that the cost of the.: Cathedral in 'its erection was £61,000. Of this" great sum all, with trie exception of ,£SBOO, had been paid off up to trie lamented death of Bishop Grimes. Since then this -amount had been so reduced that' at the present moment but £6OO of liabilities remained, and this could without any difficulty be liquidated at once if necessary. His Lordship concluded by. expressing his deep appreciation of the loyalty and generosity of the people who had so nobly assisted such stupendous advancement in the diocese. ; • Trie music, most efficiently rendered-by the choir, was a Mass by Plumpton (an Australian composer). Miss Ward was organist, and Mr. "Alfred Buriz conducted. The sanctuary and high altar were tastefully adorned. . -. " '.-.»; ' •' / -..■; His Lordship Bishop Brodie ,was one of the few selected speakers at the distribution of awards last week at the Technical College, and annual meeting of the Board of Governors of that institution. His Lordship, after expressing his sympathy towards the Mayor on trie loss of • his soldier son, said his (the Bishop's) presence at the gathering there that evening . might be taken as ; .an expression of sincere gratitude for the splendid work which was being done at the Technical College, work- which, gave trie children attending.'trie Catholic Schools an equal chance with all other children in the Dominion. \ The speaker thanked his Excellency trie .Governor for his kind words of welcome, and said that he' was. proud to be associated with Lord Liverpool : at such... a function which was for the encouragement of such a valuable :object as technical education, which was certain to be one of the main ; factors in-the triumph of our Empire. /--He pointed I out? that education had gone through an evolutionary process like other things. They had their primary schools and secondary schools, and then came the technical' schools, the value of which was recognised as far back as 1699 in England. Technical education,"? however,- had had a hard struggle, v, and when in modern times it had first been energetically pushed, its advocates were looked upon as a kind of faddist. .'"'-' Now, technical education was more than merely; an integral part of education; it was an essential. The Bishop dwelt upon the importance of having good teachers, and he said that he felt that New Zea- ' land was particularly: well? off in that reject, for they

had many skilled and enthusiastic men. Scholars, however, were as important as teachers, for without them nothing could be done, and he thought it was a sad fact that not as many young, people in; New ; : Zealand took advantage of their opportunities for gaining further learning. He earnestly exhorted the young people to seize that? opportunity : and avail themselves of f the facilities offered them. f; Too often the young boy or girl at the close of his or her primary school days shut their books, and, said, i'l have';; learned enough.' That was a most serious fallacy, for they could never really learn enough. He numbered selfmade men amongst trie most valued of his friends, and he had nothing but honor and. admiration :for|thelmari; or woman who raised himself or herself by using the opportunities within grasp. v There were 180,000 children ; attending the ? primary schools in * New Zealand, and only ; 18,000 ? attending the technical schools. This 1 pointed' to the , fact , that only one in ten was' taking advantage' = of-the, opportunity to .] obtain knowledge which would not only be of advantage to the possessor but a real asset to the country as a whole and : to trie British Empire. r The speaker concluded amid applause by congratulating the Board of Governors and trie staff on ; the very excellent .work; that was being done at trio college. - ■ ' ■_ "; ;; rv _____ '";' ■ PRESENTATION TO MR. J. J. WILSON. ;On trie eve of his departure from Christchurch for Dunedin, where he has received;; an ; appointment on the literary staff of the N.Z. Tablet, friends of .? Mr. J. J. Wilson, representing the Cathedral and St. Mary's (Manchester street) congregation's;~ met -at the library of the episcopal residence to wish him farewell, ; and tender sincere and cordial good wishes for : his future success. ? _ : ' -,y[ V-^ : "-;-~ .-"-.■ : -..?•'"■ ..?■•"' g 'gi His Lordship Bishop Brodie presided. Mr. G. C. ward, as one of ; the oldest personal - friends ; of Mr. Wilson, voiced -trie feelings of those who, : he said, were gathered to offer? congratulations on his .appointment and extend their heartfelt felicitations to one who, over a long period of years, had taken a foremost part in all that had tended towards the advancement of Catholic interests. - . "!■.'■-/ -"';• '-\ : _-./;.»? The Rev. Fathers T. Hanrahan and Seymour, S.M., paid personal tribute to Mr.: Wilson for his deep interest and helpfulness in all matters of a social and charitable nature, and added their earnest wishes for his future success and prosperity. ' His Lordship the Bishop very warmly eulogised Mr. Wilson for his many and great services in the cause of holy faith. Whilst regretting Mr. Wilson's removal from Christchurch, it was pleasing to know that lie was about to take up duties that would give full scope to his energies, and although his going would be a great loss to the 1 Christchurch diocese the gain of his association in a much wider sphere of usefulness would compensate for all else. His Lordship concluded- by expressing the hope that Mr. Wilson would have the choicest, blessings in all his future undertakings?;; -'?.:- "-""";! On behalf of himself, and family Mr. Wilson was asked 'to accept . a - silver" tea service,,. suitably inscribed, ?as a memento of -his lengthy residence in * Christchurch, and as a .mark of the sincere esteem in which he is so widely 71 regarded. Mr. Wilson feelingly replied, expressing his deep appreciation of the extreme kindness shown him and = cordial sentiments expressed. - He ; gratefully ' acknowledged the handsome ' gift, which would ever remind himself and family of their many sincere friends and happy days spent in their midst." • . . r: ; ? • -:■•