ORDINATION OF HOLY CROSS COLLEGE STUDENTS

New Zealand Tablet, 27 November 1919, Page 27

ORDINATION OF HOLY CROSS COLLEGE STUDENTS

The deeply impressive ceremony of ordination took Place on ’ Sunday, 23rd inst., at St. Patrick’s Basilica, South Dunedin. His Lordship Bishop Brodie, of Christchurch, officiated, and there were present in the sanctuary Very Rev. Father Coffey, Administrator of the Diocese, Right Rev. Mgr. Mackay, Rev. P. F. Cullen, of Wellington, an old student of Holy Cross and a returned chaplain, Rev. Fathers Delany, Graham, Rooney, and Liston. The students of the college assisted at the ceremonies and sang the incidental music. Messrs. Martin Klimeck (Dunedin), Francis Skinner (Tuapeka Month), and Michael Shore (Auckland) received the Subdiaconate and Rev. Francis J. Marlow (Dunedin) was raised to the dignity of the priesthood. Father Marlow is a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Marlow, St. Kilda, who have now given to the Church a priest, a Christian Brother, and two nuns. After receiving his early education from the Sisters of Mercy, South Dunedin, and the Christian Brothers, Dunedin, lie made his philosophical and theological "studies at Mosgiel. Two of his companions at Holy - Cross College -were ordained during the year. Rev. L. Buxton, of Auckland, and Rev. Edwin Andersen, of Christchurch; whilst two others, Revs. Eugene Carmine and William O’Donnell, of Wellington, will be ordained in Wellington on December 7. Father Marlow gave Benediction in the evening at St. Patrick’s and offered up bis First Mass in the convent chapel of the Sisters of Mercy, South Dunedin. His Lordship Bishop Brodie preached the occasional sermon at the evening devotions to a crowded congregation. “Some 50 years ago,” his Lordship remarked, “the most powerful politician of the day in N.S. Wales, announced that his new secular Education Act would strike a deadly blow at the Catholic Church in Australasia by closing Catholic schools, and thereby cutting off recruits for the priesthood and the religious life. A man of vision and grim determination, Bishop Moran, answered him in New Zealand by calling on his people and priests to look first and last to the Catholic schools and save the young colonials for the Church. The flourishing state of the Catholic Church

to-day m the Dominion proves the wisdom of Dr. Moran, then Cod raised up another* Bishop,' of saintly life and quiet courage, and inspired him and the other Bishops of JN : Z ; , t( ? e atlier in the harvest of the Catholic schools' by establishing a Provincial Seminary, .and thus afford greater facilities than had hitherto obtained for the fostering of vocations to the priesthood, and it is a happy coincidence that the ordinations from Holy Cross College will, year after year down the long days to come, take place about the time of its founder’s anniversary.” His Lordship then went on to speak in glowing language {of the powers and. dignity, of the Catholic priesthood. In deeply affecting words he reminded his hearers of the love, stronger than death, that has ever bound together the Irish priest and his people, of the missionary spirit of Ireland s sacred ministers that has sent them out to the ends of the earth and that in these latter days has inspired her most brilliant priests to volunteer for the Chinese mission. He paid a touching tribute to the noble lush priests who had built up the Church in New Zealand. Their dearest wish in heaven, he felt sure, must be to see the descendants of the Irish immigrants embracmg in ever increasing numbers the priesthood and the religious life, and ho prayed that the young priests of the Dominion would ever follow the noble example -left to them. ... 1