Diocesan News

New Zealand Tablet, 9 October 1919, Page 19

Diocesan News

ARCHDIOCESE OF WELLINGTON (From our own correspondent.) October 4. On the motion of Mr. G. G. Rose, solicitor of the Public Trust Office, Mr. P. D. N. Verschaffelt, of. the Public Trust Department, was on Saturday admitted by Mr. Justice Chapman to the Supreme Court as a barrister and solicitor. Mr. Verschaffelt is an ex-pupil of the Marist Brothers' School. Captain J. A. Duffy, who, before leaving for the' front, gave valuable assistance to the Royal Life-saving Society as chief instructor, has returned to New Zealand, and a hearty welcome was accorded to him at the annual meeting of that body last evening. His Grace Archbishop O'Shea, S.M., has left for theHawke's Bay district, on an episcopal visitation of this portion of the archdiocese, which will probably occupy him for three weeks. At a meeting of the Post and'Telegraph Engineers' Institute, held in the G.P.O. on Thursday, special reference was made to the retirement from the service of Mr. T. Buckley, director of telephone services, by the various speakers from all sections of the engineering branch throughout New Zealand. Mr. Buckley has been associated with the Post and Telegraph Department for over 40 years, during the greater part of which he has been intimately connected with the telegraph and telephone engineering work of the department. He is therefore regarded as one of the pioneers in connection with modern telegraph and telephone practice in New Zealand. Special reference was made to Mr. Buckley's devoted application to duty, and to the assiduous manner in which he had all along applied himself to keeping abreast of modern electrical engineering problems. During his term of office many important developments have taken placesuch as wireless telegraphy and automatic telephone exchange systems, and in the introduction of these modern inventions into New Zealand Mr. Buckley has played an important part. All the speakers emphasised the fact that in leaving the department after so many years of faithful service, Mr. Buckley carried with him the deepest respect of his confreres and their best wishes that he would long be spared to enjoy his wellearned rest from official duties. The Rev. W. J. Buckley, • S.M., of St. Patrick's College, and Dr. Buckley, house surgeon of tho Wellington Hospital, are sons of Mr. Buckley. Another successful afternoon's entertainment was given by Mrs. Ellis at her residence, T asm an Street, on last Tuesday. The proceeds will be devoted to the bazaar now being organised by tlio Thorndon and Buckle Street parishes. • Mr. R. Sievers, secretary of the Kelburn Ratepayers' Association, was unable to attend the annual meeting of the association last week, owing to his having met with a rather serious accident. The meeting passed a motion expressing appreciation of Mr. Sievers's services. Mr. Sievers is a well-known parishioner of Thorndon, and has been for many years a member of the Sacred Heart Basilica . Choir. The annual nursery tea will be held at the Home of Compassion on Wednesday, October 15, when all friends and helpers are cordially invited to attend. Donations of money or goods will be gratefully received and acknowledged by the good Sisters, who have ■ a difficult task to make ends meet in the tending and'maintenance of 100 infanta - entrusted to their devoted care.

_ An entertainment ; is being arranged by Miss Mary Butler, in ; aid :of the Sacred - Heart Basilica Hall Fund. It will be remembered that Miss Butler organised some excellent patriotic entertainments I last year. : '| She is giving the projected one on . the . same lines.: Mr. ; Theo Trezise is the stago manager, and Mr. Fancourt is producing some .particularly artistic and dainty backgrounds and scenery. There will bo a musical and dance scena, arranged by Mr. Trezise, who is training a bevy of : young girls in the very latest of dances, while Miss Butler is arranging tableaux, and an illustrated poem introducing living pictures. Songs and recitations will be included in a very fine programme. - „The quarterly meeting of, the St. Patrick's Branch of the Hibernian Society, was ." held this week, Bro. J. P. McGowan presiding. There was a large attendance of members. Notices of motion for the next annual district meeting were discussed. ; The motions which the Wellington branches are to bring forward provide for the consolidation of the-sick fund, increase of the death benefit to £l2O, mid the substitution of annual meetings, with direct representation, in lieu of the present) system of triennial meetings. The latter motion provides the necessary machinery to curtail the expenditure of representative meetings, and for this purpose the Dominion has been divided into 15 areas, each area to be represented at the annual meetings. Owing to tho war, no representative meeting has been held since 1913, and Wellington is moving the executive to have the next annual meeting made a representative one, in order to discuss these important amendments. Bro! James Troy, the retiring president, was made the recipient of a presentation in the form of a past-president's collar, suitably inscribed, and a framed presentation certificate to mark his valuable services during his term of office. To mark the 45th anniversary of tho foundation of St. Patrick's Branch, the members, along with the members of St. Mary's Ladies' Branch, held their general half-yearly Communion at St. Joseph's Church, Buckle Street, on Sunday morning, at the 7.30 Mass, and on Monday evening, at St. Peter's Schoolroom, the anniversary "social" was held.

It is interesting to learn that the Rev. Mother Mary Joseph Aubert is expected back in New Zealand before Christmas. She had a severe attack of influenza while in Rome, and her condition caused so much anxiety that a nurse was sent to bring her back to New Zealand. However, she had made a good recovery from her illness, and wrote to say that she hoped to leave England early in October. The Sisters hope to have her with them for Christmas.

The wedding took place at St. Francis' Church, Island Bay, recently (Nuptial Mass being celebrated by tho Rev. Father Kimbell) of Miss Lavinia Alice (Vina) Morgan, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alec Morgan, and Mr. James B. Lavin, fifth son of Mr. and Mrs. P. A. Lavin. The bride was given away by her father. The bridesmaid, was Miss Teresa Lavin; tho best man was Mr. J. P. Lavin' and the groomsman Sergeant-Major Lavin, brothers of the bridegroom. A choir from the Convent of tho Sacred Heart sang the hymns, the bride being an ex-pupil of that convent. Miss O'Neill played the "Wedding March:" A reception was later held by Mr. and Mrs. Morgan at Island Bay. Mr. and Mrs. Lavin left by motor for the north. Their future home will be Fendalton, Christchurch.