DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

New Zealand Tablet, 14 July 1921, Page 21

DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND

(From our own correspondent.) July 8. The Right Rev. Dr. Liston, Coadjutor-Bishop of Auckland, left for Hamilton on Thursday, July 7. On Tuesday, July 5, after the men’s Confraternity meeting in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the members held an impromptu concert in the schoolroom. Messrs. M. J. Sheahan and M. McGreal gave interesting sketch-recitals and Mr. Whitty gave several traditional Irish step-dances in splendid style. Mrs. Whitty supplied the dance music. The combined Guard of Honor and women’s Confraternity of St. Patrick’s Cathedral Parish Social is arranged for next month. A great effort is being made to secure a successful event, and all interested are invited to participate. Father Bradley is making steady progress towards recovery. He has had an extremely grave illness, and much anxiety was felt in St. Patrick’s parish and amongst his many friends in the diocese. All are looking forward to, and praying for, his complete recovery and return to St. Patrick’s. - . Rev. Brother Columbanus, Assistant-General of the Mai ist Bi others, left for Sydney by the Riverina on July 7 after visiting all the Houses of the Order in New Zealand and inspecting the schools. - The senior Rugby competition is just now at a very interesting stage. College Rifles and Grafton lead with 14 points; Marist and Grammar are next with 12 points. Mar ist further improved their position last week by defeating Ponsonby by 9 to 3. The “ selector, however, has not seen any merit in the “Tykes,” as none have been picked to play against the Thames on Saturday. The Cafe Chantant held at Devonporb on Wednesday, July 6, in aid of funds for the forthcoming bazaar, was a great success.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION: RIGHT REV. DR. LISTON’S VIEWS. ir i Dr. Liston, Coadjutor-Bishop to Dr. Cleary, Catholic Bishop of Auckland, speaking at the ripening of the Catholic school at Te Awamutu, stated (says the Auckland Mar) : It is said that Church and State have nothing to do with one another, and that religious training should be left to the home and to the Sunday school. That is the usual plea for having the State school wholly secular.” Dr. Liston said he held the conviction that thev ought to have religion in the schools. There were all sorts of interests continually pulling against the anchorage of the Christian faith. In the State schools it must be admitted here was no trace of positive religion. He considered the timp spent at school should be a real Christian training, and not pagan, as in the State school to-day. Free education was not in its broadest sense secular in its aims and purposes. He contended that nine out of every ten fathers were utterly incapable of teaching their children religious ruths, therefore, to exclude religious instruction from the school , was to make children indifferent to God. A life

without God was a failure. “We hear a lot about loyalty',’-’ said the speaker; “but there is One we have to be loyal to, and that is the God above, who made us, and when that loyalty is not included in the schools in New Zealand and when our children are not instructed in tho right way in the knowledge of their God and Maker, then we Catholics can never be loyal to it. It is a matter of principle which ,we can never surrender. No matter what obstacles are in the way we hold fast to our Catholic schools. Statesmen have tried scores of plans and tried to separate priests from people. Some have said that the Catholic people would grow weary and others have said that we would drop this question, but no species of persecution will deter us and these things we desire will come into being by themselves.”