THE CENTENARY AT ST. PATRICK’S, SYDNEY

New Zealand Tablet, 30 May 1918, Page 18

THE CENTENARY AT ST. PATRICK’S, SYDNEY

WHAT IT .MEANS. The occasion which brings together this week his Excellency the Apostolic Delegate, two Archbishops, and also the Bishops of the Province—the centenary celebrations in the historic Church of St. Patrick afford a striking testimony to the remarkable beginning and wonderful progress of Catholicity in the youngest of the British dominions (states the Catholic Press of May 9). Ihe time was when Father Flynn was the only priest on this great island-continent and the populous islands of the Pacific which are now united under the Delegate of the Apostolic See. No fewer than a million and a half of Catholics are scattered over this vast area, organised under a Hierarchy of 28 Archbishops, Bishops, and Vicars-Apostolic, supported by nearly 1500 priests. The faith is instilled into the children by nearly 10,000 teachers in religious communities, who conduct more than 1500 schools, wholly maintained by the self-sacrificing spirit of the Catholic people. We have here all (he elements of a vital faith, the diffusion of which is comparable only to the Scriptural grain of mustard-seed. Alone With God. When Father Flynn was banished from Sydney, Catholics were not left without consolation for, by a dispensation of Providence, the Blessed Sacrament remained in the house of a sterling Irish Catholic, where the exiled priest was accustomed to celebrate the HolySacrifice. For more than two years this humble cottage was the holy shrine of all Australia, and thither the Catholics of the convict settlement, the lowly and despised, like the Christians of the Catacombs, came to pray in the Divine Presence. And then, when the days of sedition were over, it was a fine thought to pieserve the sacred spot, and to erect upon it a church dedicated to the Apostle of the land from which these exiles sprang. What glorious traditions of Irish fidelity to God and country are associated with St. Patrick’s on Church Hill ! Pioneer Priests. The noble generosity of William Davis, who devoted his best to the service of God; (he burniim energy of Father Francis Murphy, who found the days too short when pushing on with the building in which it was his realised hope to be consecrated for the See to which he was pioneer Bishop and priest at the same time; the apostolic fervor of Archdeacon McEncroe whose wise foresight attracted in great numbers the Insn priesthood to Australia; the Apostolic zeal of the remarkable Manst trinity, Fathers Le Rennetel, Ginisty, and Piquet ; all these combine to endear St'. Patrick’s to the Australian people, and make it the central figure in the great circle of Australasian missionary progress. " J The Coming of the Brothers. It was to St. Patrick’s that the pioneer band of teaching Brothers came, the fervent children of Father Champagnat. From St. Patrick’s they radiated to the other States gathering their postulants from among ieir Australian pupils, and inspiring youth with the tine spirit of Christian patriotism. So that when, a lew years later the enemy came with systems of education, intended to “drive a wedge that would split w m a k hollCS 1 Blni 1 C,er ’” 1 and to for ß e a weapon that O , U , llr Jp death to the calling of the clergy,” these noble teachers of youth manned the trenches, and enabled the Catholics of Australia to withstand the great offensive. They seek no temporal rewards, no luxuries in return for their life-work; but it is the plain duty of Catholics to see that their schools are suitable for he service and their dwelling-places sanitary and comtable. Ihe old school building and the old dwelling m which they began their work nearly fifty years ami was then inadequate, and is now impossible

The Appeal of St. Patrick’s. , That the good priests of St. Patrick’s have a claim on the Australian community is evidenced by the distinguished ecclesiastics who are taking part in the celebrations of this week. It is fitting that the Hi shoos of the Province should participate in them, for :t wao chiefly owing to the efforts of Archdeacon McE icroe, when parish priest of St. Patrick’s, that the Hieraichy of this State was established, and that Irish prelates were chosen for the new Sees. Then we have the religious Orders represented by their Australian leads, as a tribute to the Marists, who have done such noble work in the southern hemisphere. The ceremonies 0 this centennial week will indeed be worthy of the occasion which they commemorate, and a well-deserved tribute to the devoted priests who have so nobly continued the traditions of St. Patrick’s. Poor in Wealth, Rich in Souls. As might be expected, the extensive work done in this district, the very heart o 1 the great city, has involved the Fathers in heavy expenditure. The bulk of the parishioners, of what might be termed a maritime parish, are employed in manual and irregular work on the wharves and industrial establishments. 1 hose whom fortune favors are able to withdraw to less congested districts, leaving a numerous congregation not well provided with the world’s goods. In addition, frequent industrial troubles add to their distress, and while increasing the work of the Fathers, render their ability to pay off the parochial debt far more remote. But there are few long-established famiJies in the metropolis which are not linked up with old St. Patrick’s, and the princely generosity of the early days is continued in the children and the'grandchildren of those who shouldered the burdens when the lines of the church were laid down by Dr. Murphy, and the -schools were developed under Archdeacon McEncroe. Our Duty. The hallowed memory of Father Le Rennetel will appeal to many, and the no less noble work done by his confreres, one of whom is, happily, still with us, will surety meet its reward in (lie lightening of their heavy burdens by generous donations in (his historic week. Ail who contribute to reduce the liability incurred in this the last of the necessary works to make St. Patrick s worthy of its title and its founders, will not only be a tribute to the worthy priests who have ministered to the whom metropolis for nearly a century, but will show that dearest of all Irish attributes, devotion to he traditions of our apostolic faith. St. Patrick’s is to this province more than a parish. It will always be a place or pilgrimage like Croagh Patrick, and like the great centres of devotion in European countries, for it was here that, when the people were deprived of priestly counsel, our Divine Lord Himself remained in their midst to comfort and console them.