Hrchbisbop Redwood's Golben Episcopal Jubilee

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 9, 28 February 1924, Page 27

Hrchbisbop Redwood's Golben Episcopal Jubilee

Impressive Celebrations. Masterly Discourse by Archbishop Clune. Magnificent Procession. Thrilling Scenes of Devotion.

The greatest religious celebration ever held in New Zealand was held in Wellington on Sunday last (says -the N.Z. Times), when the representatives of the Catholic Church in all their splendor, dignity and beauty, marched in procession from Hill Street to St. Patrick’s College to do honor to one of the grand old citizens of the Dominion, his Grace Archbishop Redwood, who is celebrating his Golden Jubilee as a Bishop. An official Mass was celebrated at the Basilica, Hill Street, in the morning, and at it Archbishop Clune, of Perth, delivered a sermon, which, other considerations apart, was an oratorical masterpiece. The great procession moved off 'from Hill Street at three in the afternoon, and the head of the column was nearly at its destination in Buckle Street before the last of the line began its march. The route was thronged with thousands upon thousands of people, and one of the features of the day was the perfect respect shown to all who took part in the proceedings. It was a tribute- paid by all creeds to Archbishop Redwood and his flock. In the evening special services were held in all the Catholic churches. HIGH MASS AT THE BASILICA. It was proper, and in accordance with the best traditions of Catholic practice, that the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of his Grace Archbishop Redwood, which commenced on Sunday in Wellington, should have taken the form of one of the most magnificent religious demonstrations ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. PERFECT WEATHER. The public of Wellington, both Catholic and non-Cath-olic, were on the tip-toe of expectation of the event, and all were unanimous in wishing that nothing would occur to mar the full and ordered carrying out of the programme which had been drawn up with such painstaking care and consummate ability. As if in direct answer to the pjrayers of an expectant populace, the day which broke dull and overcast cleared later to one of purest azure skies and brilliant sunshine. - . PROCESSION OF DIGNITARIES. The ceremonies opened with the celebration of Solemn High Mass at his Grace Archbishop Redwood’s Pro-Cathe-dral in Hill Street at 10 a.m., and long before the appointed hour the faithful had begun to assemble in its vicinity. By 10 o’clock there was. a solid press of people from Molesworth Street to the Basilica, all eager to catch a glimpse of the procession of Church dignitaries as they moved from the rear of the church to the front entrance. HEADED BY THE CROSS. By the exertions of the police, who rendered tireless assistance throughout the whole proceedings, a lane was cleared through the densely packed throng, and the procession wound down with slow and solemn tread along

Hill Street beside the church, up the steps, and in at the main door. Coming up the aisle there appeared first the cross-bearer, the Rev. Father Cullen, bearing aloft in both hands the sign of that faith of which he, in whose honor that vast assemblage had gathered, was such a shining ornament. Then came two acolytes in surplice and soutane, followed by the altar boys walking four abreast. The Archbishop’s own altar boys led, distinguishable by their purple , cuffs, and then the rest in plain black and white, After them there wound through the arches of the doorway and up the aisle over one hundred priests in the various robes of their Orders, including the heads of the Marist Sacred Heart, Mill Hill, Jesuit, Franciscan,'and Dominican Orders, and then the Monsignori in serried ranks of purple. Next followed the bishops, all of them bearing the dignity of grey hairs, some bent with the weight of years, others still proudly erect, but all of their faces touched with that calm seraphic peace which is purchased only at the price of a lifetime spent in the service of their Divine Master. In the order in which they entered they were:—Bishop Darnand, S.M., Samoa; Bishop Cleary, Auckland; Bishop Brodie, Christchurch; Bishop Whyte Dunedin; Bishop Shiel, Rockhampton, Queensland; Bishop 0 Farrell, New South Wales; Bishop R. Dwyer, Wagga Wagga; Bishop J. Dwyer, Maitland; Bishop O’Connor. Armidale; Bishop McCarthy, Sandhurst; Bishop Foley, Ballarat; Bishop Hayden, Wilcannia-Forbes; Bishop Liston, Auckland. There next appeared the Archbishops, a still more venerable company, comprising: Archbishop Kelly, of Sydney Archbishop Mannix, Melbourne; Archbishop Spence, Adelaide; Archbishop Duhig, Brisbane; Archbishop Chine, Perth W.A.; Archbishop Barry (Coadjutor), HonfcV A /r! lbl ? 0P Sheehan (Coadjutor), Sydney; Archbishop Shea (Coadjutor), Wellington. Then came the Papal Delegate to Australia and New Zealand, his Excellency the Most- Rev. Archbishop Cattaneo, and his Grace Archbishop Redwood with firm step and head erect, despite his 85 years and life of constant labor in a pioneer country.CELEBRATION OF MASS. ; As the procession advanced up the church, the picked choir, chosen from all the city churches, broke into the inspiring “Ecce Sacerdos Magnus” (Elgar) and immediately everyone was in their places, Archbishop Redwood advanced to the altar, and the celebration of the Mass com menced. The celebrant of the Mass was the jubilarian himself, his Grace Archbishop Redwood, who was assisted by the Rev Father Whelan, C.SS.R., as deacon and Rev. Father Moloney, S.M., as subdeacon. The deacons of honor to his Grace were Monsignor Power, of Hawera, and Archdeacon Devoy (Island Bay), while Monsignor Me-' a ™ na ilf r ! or J? ed th ?. office of-assistant priest. Dr. Casey, •M. filled the position of master of ceremonies. His xcellency Archbishop Cattaneo occupied the throne opposite Archbishop Redwood’s, and was attended as deacons ° f ,J° n ° r , ,7 the Father O’Connell and the Rev. Father McManus. During the course of the Mass the choir sang a senes of magnificent musical numbers, these being the Proper of the Mass (plain chant), “Messe Solennelle”

(Gounod),, offertory, “Ave Maria” (Elgar), responses (plain chant), “Te Deum” (plain chant). Mrs. Quirk was conductress of the choir, and the director of the plain chant was the Rev. Father Ryan, S.M., M.A., the organist being Mr. Paul Cullen. " THE OCCASIONAL SERMON. The sermon, a magnificently-conceived and delivered eulogy of the life and work of Archbishop Redwood, was preached by the Most Rev. Dr. Chine, C.SS.R., Archbishop of Perth, who after reading the following letter from the Pope'delivered his panegyric: THE POPE’S CONGRATULATIONS; AUTOGRAPH LETTER. FROM PIUS XI. From the Cardinal Secretary of State at the Vatican, his Grace -Archbishop Redwood received on Sunday at the hands of his Excellency the Most Rev. Archbishop Cattaneo (the Papal Delegate to Australia and New Zealand), the following autograph letter, in which his Holiness Pope Pius XI. conveys his congratulations on the memirable occasion, then being celebrated Venerable Brother: Health and the Apostolic Benediction. : What scarcely ever happens to anyone even in the course of a very long life is, through a singular mercy of God, about to happen to you. For in the coming month of February you are about to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of your Episcopate. We learn with great satisfaction that your people eagerly look forward to the religious and secular celebrations which will mark this rare and wonderful event, setting the seal on an episcopal career unusually rich in fruitful results. We have also learned with great pleasure that almost the whole of the Australian Hierarchy will attend the celebrations, a proof of their esteem and affection, which must fill.with joy your heart and the hearts of your people. May We, therefore, join Our congratulations and good wishes to theirs in honoring the senior Bishop of the Catholic world, than whom none lives on earth to-day more deserving of honor. Therefore, Venerable Brother. We pray that you, who. despite your eighty-four years, are still vigorous in mindand body, may be preserved for many more years to the affection and the veneration of your flock. Furthermore, We pray that He, Whose Vice-Regent We are, may shed upon you in abundance the blessings which He always accords to the spiritual leaders who are deserved well of His Church. And, to ensure that the fiftieth anniversary of your episcopate may be attended with a special grace and blessing to your people.. We grant to all whom, on that day, you will bless in Our name, a Plenary Indulgence, to be gained on the usual conditions. As a token of Our paternal affection, and as an earnest of Divine favors, We hereby impart to you and your people Our Apostolic Benediction. Given in Rome at the See of St. Peter, on the third day of January, in the year of Our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-four, and the second year of Our Pontificate. v PIUS P.P. XI. DR. CLUNE’S SERMON. “Simon the High Priest in his life propped up the House, and in his days fortified the Temple. . . He took care of his nation and delivered it from destruction. He obtained glory in his conversation with the people. . . . . And as the Sun when it shineth, so did he shine in the Temple of God When he put on the robe of glory and was clothed with the perfection of power. When he went up to the Holy Altar, he honored the vesture of holiness. . . And about him was the ring of his brethren. . . . And as the branches of palm-trees, they stood' round about him, .and all the sons of Aaron in their glory. . . , . And the singers lifted up their voices, and in the

great house the sound of melody . sweet melody was increased. And the people in prayer besought the Lord, the Most High.”—Ecclesiasticus c. 50. Your 'Excellency, etc. The Sacred Function that has attracted to this Basilica to-day such a distinguished assemblage of prelates and priestssuch a large and representative concourse of laity though not unprecedented in this Southern Hemisphere, is one .that is exceedingly rare even in the history of the Church viz. the Golden Episcopal Jubilee of his Grace, the Archbishop of Wellington. It crowns with an aureole of peerless lustre a career that at different stages has been signalised by unique distinctions, and hallowed by unique marks- of Divine pre-dilection. His Grace was the first aspirant that New Zealand sent forth to join the ranks of the priesthood. His departure on the Bth of December, 1854— the ever memorable date of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, seems to have established a very tender bond between him and the Immaculate Mother under whose sheltering mantle he travelled to pursue his studies in France. And we seem to be able to trace the influence of her special care and love in the after-life of her protege. For he became later Bishop of a diocese that was specially dedicated to her, and the most illustrious member of the Order of Mary in those parts that Marist Order whose privilege and glory it has been to nurture and tend with zeal and heroic sacrifice the infant life of the Church in New Zealand, which has taken such deep root and spread with such luxuriant splendor in New Zealand soil— an Order whose growth and whose work like the life and work of its noblest episcopal son have been entwined so closely with the life and growth of the Church in the Archdiocese of Wellington. At his Grace’s consecration in 1874 he was one of the youngest bishops in the Church. To-day, though not the oldest in years, he is, I believe, the oldest in unimpaired, unbroken, and active tenure of the episcopal office a tenure that will in less than a month overspan half a century of time. Yet, despite the burden of years, and the tremendous mental and physical strain, which the occupancy of such an exalted and responsible office, and the possession of such an exalted and responsible office, and the possession of such preeminent talents necessarily involved, Ave give thanks to Almighty God this morning that in the case of our venerable Jubilarian age has not outrun time—that it has hot appreciably dimmed nor dulled the clearness and vigor of that versatile mind, nor atrophied the physical energies, nor quenched the restless fires of zeal and charity within that virile frame that for 50 years have burnt so brightly and warmly ad major cm Dei (jloriom. But when I come to the execution of the task allotted to me this morning, my courage fails, my heart sinks. For the perspective is so dazzling, the survey so —the line of life so Jong stretching back to and beyond the Treaty of Waitangi;— the texture of that long Episcopal life is so brilliantly and richly colored; —the riches and resources of that highly cultivated mind are so hidden away under that amiable and unostentatious simplicity of manner, which has so endeared his Grace to all who have come in contact with him, which ever gives a nameless grace to true genius and excellence gain all that is most precious in that episcopal life, all that is holiest in the virtues that ever adorned it “so hidden with Christ in God” (i Col. 3. v. 3) —that in my bewilderment and dismay I turn instinctively for light and help to the pages of Holy Scripture. There I hope you and I will find traced out by, God’s own hand in the beautiful words of my text what my feeble powers could not portray viz. the salient features, the magnificent achievements, the enduring works, and the adorning virtues of the fruitful-episcopate of Francis, the great and beloved High Priest of the New T Zealand Church. Like his glorious prototype, Simon the Just, his Grace .of Wellington “in his life propped up the house, and in his days fortified the Temple” to such an extend that he became

its trained and.skilful law-giver, its cultured protagonist, its mightiest bulwark, the beacon-light in its watch-tower ever flooding his own diocese with the clear warm light of Divine truth, and periodically flashing the polished shafts of that light with meteoric brilliancy not only throughout the Dominion but across the Tasman Sea to the Australian Commonwealth as well. To get some idea of the magnitude of the work accomplished, we have to go back to his consecration on the Feast of St. Patrick, 1874, “when he put on the robe of glory and was clothed with the perfection of power.” - A brief survey of the difficulties that confronted him, and of the scanty material within reach for fortifying and consolidating the Temple of God, will give us an idea of the courage, and the wisdom and the physical,endurance needed to successfully discharge all the duties appertaining to his exalted and responsible office, and a glance at the flourishing condition of the magnificently equipped Archdiocese of Wellington to-day will show us how faithfully, how zealously his Grace “has taken care of his people” and how adequately and richly he has supplied all their spiritual needs. The Diocese of Wellington was then only in the chrysalis stage of its development, poor in resources and equipment, rich in the immensity and productivity of its vast territory, in the perennial beauty of its foliage and verdure, in its pastoral, agricultural and mineral wealth, hut above all rich in the possession of a Chief Pastor who like the Patriarchs of old “ever walked before God.” With only seventeen priests to break the bread of life to the eight or nine thousand Catholics scattered over the vast area now comprising the Archdiocese of Wellington," with only thirty unpretentious churches in which to preach the Word of God and feed the lambs of —with only a few Catholic schools and a tiny pioneer band of that illustrious teaching Order, the Sisters of Mercy, to which the Church throughout Australasia is so much indebted—the problems confronting the young Bishop at the threshold of his episcopal career were many and complex. But when we call to mind who he was, and the intellectual and spiritual equipment with which he was endowed, we cease to marvel at the signal success pf his administration, at the undaunted spirit displayed by him in the laborious and perilous discharge of duty in those far-off days when modes of transit were primitive, and at the splendid provision made for the various elements and needs of a rapidly expanding Catholic population. The son of that old Staffordshire stock, that could not be torn from the faith by all the savage ferocity and the crippling disabilities of the Penal Laws, was not one to be daunted or deterred’ by difficulties or dangers in the discharge of duty, by swollen rivers, impassable gorges, angry seas. Nor was his unshaken confidence in God to be weakened by the paucity of priests and religious teachers, nor by the scanty material resources at his command. Among the contributing factors of his Grace’s glorious record in Wellington I place in the forefront his personal holiness of life. Though no witnesses survive to tell us of the purity and piety of his early years, of those forewarnings of grace, which marked him like the youthful Timothy for the ministry to which his life was devoted, his selection by that saintly and discerning man of God, Father Garin, is sufficient evidence that- his boyhood gave early promise of the virtues that adorned his life, and that the signs of his heavenly vocation were early manifest in the grace and wisdom wherein he grew. Of him ,as Priest, Bishop, and Archbishop it may be truly said in the words of my text that “when he went up to the Holy Altar, he honored the vesture of holiness.” “And as the sun. shineth, so did he shine in the Temple of God” by the brillancy of his intellectual attainments, but even more I will venture to say by that radiant purity of heart and soul, that unaffected holiness, which has made that long span of life luminous as light in the New Zealand Church. This ever clarified and spiritualised his vision, for ; “the clean of heart see God.” It gave an irresistible force and charm to the living word

issuing from the lips of one “ever faithful as the ..steward of. God.” It purified the springs of all the multiple activities crowded into that long life. It exhibited a' picture of daily beauty that God contemplated with delight, ' and priests and people with ever increasing reverence.’ It merited as we believe and procured for him a rich and constant, infusion of heavenly graces and gifts, and thus may I not say that holiness of life has been the source of strength and largely the secret of his successful administration. , ' ' . Again his Grace “propped up the House, and in his days fortified the Temple” by his faithful life-long observance of . the Divine command to “preach the Gospel to eveiy creature, and by his ' singular success in every branch of the Apostolic Ministry of Preaching. Not for purposes of vain-glory did he apply himself so assiduously to the acquisition of theological lore during his long and distinguished course of studies. Not to win human glory or applause did he by a course of general reading with his wonderfully retentive and absorbing powers of memory and mind amass that rich store of knowledge and information by which like the great High Priest of old “he obtained glory in his conversation with the people”— an extrinsic glory that added literary lustre to the virtues of the man of God. Nobut because he took to heart early in life St. Paul’s advice to his disciple Timothy “Carefully study to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 3, 15). To rightly handle the word of truth that it might penetrate and sink into the souls of the people was the noble ambition that throbbed .through every fibre of his being. Few among the Prelates of the Australasian Church have ever handled the Word of Truth with such eloquent force, such dialectic skill, such literary grace, and such convincing oratory. I speak not so much of those occasional displays at functions like the opening of St. Mary’s, Sydney, the Requiem for Archbishop Vaughan and so on when mighty audiences were held spell bound by his oratory. Nor do I refer except in a passing way to those crises when a clear and cogent exposition of the mind and teaching of the Church on social and economic questions was needed except to say that all New Zealand instinctively looked to Wellington for that exposition, and the illustrious head of the Church there never disappointed. I refer more especially to those homely expositions of Catholic doctrine from the pulpit of the Basilica or on his visitations throughout the Archdiocese by which like the High Priest of old “he took care of his nation and delivered them from destruction.” Rarely has one heard the great truths of Salvation announced with such clearness, elegance, simplicity, majesty, and lovingness of heart. Rarely did one behold the dignity of the Christian minister, the sublimity of the apostolic office, more fully realised than in that noble form when he stood on predella or pulpit, and flung broadcast the seed of God’s word. , No wonder “the people were in admiration at his doctrine, for he spoke as one having power” (Matt. 9, 28), Oh, how he appealed to and touched the simple hearts of his people during his visitations in the back-blocks! What light and comfort did he bring to them when he developed the Parables of the Gospel in the language of the people, a language almost as beautiful in its imagery as that in which they were first preached—a language in which he conveyed to the minds of the'“bush” audience the most abstruse dogmas of theology and made them as transparent as if clothed in garments of gauze. Finally, he “propped up the House and in his days fortified the Temple”—solidified and enriched it by his single-minded, enlightened, and whole-hearted zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. That zeal found, its beneficent outlet in the-laborious and often perilous Parochial Visitations, . . . . that meant so much sacrifice and self-denial especially in the early days, and in those wise Synodal Laws, the outcome of expert knowledge and

thorough familiarity with the conditions -prevailing in this country, by which his Grace became the moulder and framer of practical Canon Law in the New Zealand Church. That zeal for souls impelled him first of all to recruit the ranks of his Parochial Clergy create and ensure the sources of supplyto surround himself with a composite body of priests, secular and regular, that would be filled with his own apostolic spirit, and fired by sparks of his own glowing zeal. - In this connection, the opening of St. Patrick’s College in 1885 —one of the glories of his Episcopatehas been an‘immense blessing to the Archdiocese of Wellington. Prom its foundation it has nobly fulfilled all the purposes of a great Catholic secondary school; but its chief glory is this: From its portals over sevently students have gone forth to recruit the depleted ranks of the priesthooda record, I think, which no other Catholic college in these countries can claim. And who can estimate the gain to the Church by the intellectual and apostolic adhesion of the flower of New Zealand Catholic youth lam sure his Grace would be the first to acknowledge how indebted he is to his priests for all that has been achieved in the archdiocese for the last 50 years. For his rule neither cramped their individuality nor unduly fettered the free exercise of their own individual zeal. In every work undertaken for the glory of God they could ever look to him for sympathy and encouragement, and the splendid results of their labors throughout the archdiocese is the best justification of the trust placed in them, and the freedom accorded to their spiritual activities in their own parochial sphere. Like his Divine Master his zeal was specially directed to the little lambs of . the flock the children of the fold of Christ. From the very beginning of his episcopate he was seized with the conviction that if the adult generation was to be animated by a warm, virile faith, the foundation must be laid in the Catholic atmosphere of a Catholic school. Hence he invited and enlisted the priceless services of those renowled teaching Orders — Marist Brothers, the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the Sisters. of St. Brigid, the Sisters of the Missions, the Sisters of St. Josephand in the schools conducted by these Religious nearly 10,000 children are being prepared for their f immortal destiny to-day. His Grace’s zeal encouraged and nurtured the birth and growth of a New Zealand Order, the Sisters of Compassion, whose vocation is to tend with a sweetness of spirit and a virtue truly heroic the - afflicted and indigent, to guard and shield with maternal solicitude the very fountains of human life, and to brighten and sanctify life’s tapering close. Thus did his Grace by the silent and mighty force of his own holy life and ennobling example, by the diligent, painstaking and constant casting of the seed of Divine Truth all over the vast area under his jurisdiction, by the glorious creations of his zeal, “prop up the House and in his days fortify the Temple. . . take care of his people and save them from destruction.” The result of 50 years administrative work is shown best by a perusal of the present year’s diocesan statistics. They tell us that the Archdiocese has now 128 churches — I may add, well-ap-pointed and devotional, and many of rare structural beauty and artistic splendor. They tell us that 113 priests,, secular and regular, parochial clergy and missionaries, are working in God’s vineyard, and that nearly 580 religious teachers of both sexes now staff the schools with which the Archdiocese to its remotest parts is richly studded. They tell us that there are orphanages,, homes, hostels. In a word a glance at these statistics, and a knowledge of the actual State of the Archdiocese of Wellington, reveal to us a diocesan organisation as perfect and complete, and a faith as warm and generous and practical among the laity, as in any diocese of the habitable globe. And now, your Grace, let me in conclusion invoke the aid of the same Inspired Writer, who has so beautifully portrayed the supernatural splendor of your own priestly life and the striking achievements of your episcopate, to

paint for us in his own inimitable colors the golden glory of this Jubilee Day. Though written thousands of years ago, those inspired words so faithfully describe what has happened in this Basilica that to-day’s function is a living reproduction of the picture his words unfold. . And about him was the ring of his brethren . . . and as the, branches of palmtrees they stood round about him, all the sons of Aaron in their glory. . And the singers lifted up their voices, and in the great house the sound of sweet melody was increased, and the people in prayer besought the Lord, the Most High, until the worship of the Lord was perfected and they had finished their office.” ' „ Here in this Basilica you have the people, your own faithful and devoted flock, drawn 'from all parts of your great archdiocese, from Maori Pah and Pakeha Homestead, their hearts stirred to unwonted depths by the memory of your virtues, your labors continued to a ripe old age, your pre-eminent talents, and all the glory that hangs around your sanctuary throne to-day. Their lips move in prayer, beseeching the Most High to prolong for many years yet that gentle, precious, fruitful Episcopal life, to pour down on you to-day a full measure of the choicest Jubilee graces and gifts, and when the end does come their prayer is that your venerable brow may be brightened by the everlasting light of God’s kingdom. Then as a fitting setting to the Golden Jubilee of one whose soul was ever attuned to earthly harmonies, the singers have lifted up their voices and filled the Church with glorious melody, and the prayers and petitions of the worshippers have been wafted heaven-wards on the breath of sacred song. And, like branches of palm-trees, the Sons of Aaron, in all their glory, more especially your own diocesan clergy, cluster round their revered and illustrious Head, their prayers mingling with those of the faithful, their hearts bound to you by a bond of personal loyalty and love that no words can describe, their hearts touched and thrilled by tender recollections of personal kindness, and of that benign paternal rule that in its incidence was ever as soft and gentle as the touch of tin* eider-down. And around you in the sanctuary is the ring of your Episcopal Brethren with the representative of the Holy See as its resplendent seal a larger and more glittering ring than ever before' encircled a Jubilarian Prelate under the Southern Cross. The warmth and the intensity of their brotherly affection and esteem can be judged by the distances they have travelled in order to offer their Jubilee greetings to-day. They have come from the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north to Entrecasteau Channel in the south, from the shores of the Indian Ocean on the west to the emerald gem of the Pacific on the east, far off Samoa, the beloved home and last resting-place of Tusitala (R. L. Stevenson), the defender of the Church in days gone by. The affectionate esteem in which you are held by all of us has grown into religious reverence this morning, because as we contemplate you —“in senectute bona, plenus dierum, et .divitiis et gloria ” (Par. 29, 28) —we feel that we are in the presence of one who is not far from God. The Celtic element in the composition of that ring throbs with gratitude as well as jubilation this morning, gratitude to the broad-minded and sympathetic Saxon Jubilarian who ever gave eloquent support to Ireland’s struggle for freedom. On behalf of all then, on behalf of the churches in Australia, New Zealand and all the islands in the Southern Seas, I tender with all the warmth and sincerity that words can convey our felicitations. to your Grace on the singular privilege God has bestowed on you to sing High Mass on the v 50th anniversary of your consecration as Bishop and of your Profession as a Religious, coupled with an earnest prayer that your sojourn in the land you love may be extended so that ten years hence the prelates of these same churches and the priests; the religious, and the people may gather once more to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Great High Priest of God’s own country

“who in his life propped up 1 the House and in his days fortified the Temple . . . ; who took care-of his nation and delivered it from destruction . . . who obtained glory in his conversation with the people . . . who honored the vesture of holiness when he went up to the Holy Altar, and who shone in the Temple of God as the Sun shineth when he put on the robe of glory and was clothed with the perfection of . power.” DECORATION OF CHURCH. In slow procession the column advanced up the church, the leaders breaking off to their appointed places in the body of the building, while up the steps and into the sanctuary there proceeded Archbishop Redwood, the Papal Delegate, the deacon and subdeacon, and others immediately assisting in the celebration of the Mass. In the interval which occurred before Mass commenced an opportunity was presented for a closer examination of the interior of the building, which had surely never in its history housed such a brilliant gathering. A simple but strikingly effective scheme of- decoration was carried out by means of warmly tinted streamers and trailing ferns which festooned the pillars, framed the white arches with their restful green, and depended in twining ropes from the galleries and window casements. Around the high altar there stood grouped in their golden robes and vestments the celebrant and Papal Delegate with their respective attendants, while beyond in the body of the church were the eight Archbishops, fourteen Bishops, the Monsignori, row upon row of priests. Brothers, Sisters, and then the visiting representatives of the laity of the whole Dominion. The warm sunshine streaming in through the stained glass windows shed a still richer glow upon the bright masses of color, which, looking down upon it from the galleries over the sanctuary, formed a brilliant mosaic upon the floor of the Basilica. Official Banquet Shortly after noon an official banquet was held in St. Francis’s Hall, Hill Street. The whole of the visiting and local clergy were present, and the laity were represented in such strong force that the building was filled to the last seat. It was a great and brilliant assemblage, simple withal. Good humor and the festival spirit prevailed. After the dinner the toast of the “Pope and the King” was proposed by Archbishop O’Shea, and was honored with enthusiasm. Toast of the Day. The toast of the day, that of the venerable jubilarian, was proposed by the Apostolic Delegate, the Most Rev. Archbishop Cattaneo, who expressed his pleasure at being present at such a great gathering. Archbishop Redwood had the admiration of all present. He still looked young, despite his years, and it was the hope of everyone that for many years to come he would enjoy his present robust health. • The toast was supported by the Archbishop of Adelaide, the Most Rev. Dr. Spence, who considered it a privilege to be present to offer congratulations on behalf of the Hierarchy of Australasia. Much had been said of Archbishop Redwood as a great churchman, but he wished to refer to him also as a great citizen. He doubted if New Zealand had ever had a worthier or more loyal citizen. Archbishop Redwood’s two delights had been New Zealand and his “Stfad.” Noted for his love of music, maybe he will be a choirmaster in Heaven. • . “A Holy and a Simple Life.” . The response for the clergy was made by the Right Rev. Monsignor McKenna, V.G., who welcomed the opportunity of heartily joining in all that had been said. He congratulated Archbishop Redwood on having attained his Jubilee, and expressed the sincere hope that he would yet long ' be. spared. He had attained great age, and had achieved . good works innumerable. / For the laity response was made by the Right Hon.. Sir Joseph Ward, Bart., who was received-with prolonged

applause and cheering. Sir Joseph offered his congratulations to the jubilarian. That day men and-women from one end of New Zealand to the other rejoiced. One of the great characteristics of the guest of the day was that he had never made any distinction between rich and,, poor. He was a great humanitarian, and his work on behalf of the orphans, the sick* and the poor was spoken of all through the land. The laymen of New Zealand recognised that Archbishop Redwood had led a holy and a simple life, and that he' had shown them an example which they would be proud if they could follow. The toast was drunk, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” was sung, and cheer upon cheer filled the hall. Archbishop Redwood Speaks. There was a wonderful demonstration of enthusiasm when Archbishop Redwood rose to reply. He acknowledged the compliment that had been paid him, and thanked the speakers for the kind words that had followed from them. He said he wished he could have realised all the ideals that had been attributed to him, but it was the way of things that we all fell short of what we started . out to do. That day he was celebrating his Golden Jubilee. It was a very great change from the time that he as a boy of fifteen left the plains of Nelson to sail for Europe to begin his studies. He was very grateful for what had been done for him and for what had been said. He knew that what had fallen from the men who had spoken was no mere formality, that they were sincere. He thanked all from the bottom of his heart for the manner in which they had drunk his health. He expressed to them his thanks for their great kindness, and his gratitude to Almighty God for sparing him. His Grace Archbishop O’Shea proposed the toast of the visitors, and on behalf of the clergy of Wellington he thanked those who had come —some of them long distances — to honor the Archbishop on his Jubilee. The sight of so great an -assemblage was enough to inspire anyone with the greatest enthusiasm. He hoped that now the visitors knew what a beautiful country New Zealand was to spend the summer in, they would come here more often. To everyone of them he wished long life, happiness, and every other blessing God could give. Archbishop Barry replied for the visitors. He said he regarded it as a privilege to be asked to speak as he was one of the youngest members of the Hierarchy. Since coming to New Zealand they had experienced the wonderful hospitality of the people, and had been charmed with the country. They had thought that surely the New Zealanders were a chosen people who lived in a land studded with many beauties denied to others. They had seen the wonderful children of New Zealand who had laughed into the face of the future, and in whose hands the .Church was safe in the years to come. Archbishop Redwood had done almost greater things than had been done in any‘country in the world. To him all extended their congratulations. The experience of the visitors had been a most pleasant one, and of it one memory would last — brotherhood with which they had been received and the kindness that had been expended upon them. The Right Rev. Dr. O’Connor, Bishop of Armidale, who had known Archbishop Redwood for forty years, also spoke, describing the guest as a shining light to all in darkness and a tower of strength. He offered his most sincere congratulations. THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL. At the banquet a message was read from the GovernorGeneral, saying that Lady Jellicoe and himself tendered their very hearty congratulations to Archbishop Redwood on his wonderful record in the history of the Church. They hoped that many years of service and happiness lay before him in which he would be blessed with good health. ; ' The Procession - IMPRESSIVE - DEMONSTRATION : THE , PAPAL . BLESSING. . ;! G Never before in the history of the Catholic Church in New Zealand has its power and solidarity been demonstrated to such a striking degree as it was in the grapd and

unique procession which wended its way from the Basilica in Hill Street to St. Patrick’s College. The procession was timed to start at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, but at 2 o’clock people had already begun to assemble about the church, and later they were to be seen taking up their positions in the Parliamentary grounds, along both sides of Hill Street, Molesworth Street, and at points of vantage along the quay. Those taking part in the procession had begun to form up at 2 o’clock, and as section after section arrived, they were added to the solid queues which crowded the lanes and by-streets via the Cathedral. Denser and still more dense grew the waiting crowds as the hour of starting drew near, until the streets were filled with a sea of people occupying every available space. Order of Procession. Then the musical chimes of the post office clock rang over the city and the deeper notes of the striking hour — one, two, three —boomed forth. While the echo still hung quivering in the sun-drenched air, the military band swept round the corner into Molesworth Street, playing the “Gloria” from Mozart’s 12th Mass and the procession was in motion. After them marched the students of St. Patrick’s College, the sturdy, well-built youths, disciplined in mind and body, then the Children of Mary Sodalities in their blue cloaks and white veils, making a most effective picture, the Hibernian Society in green regalia, led by their district officers, and the children of many schools with their distinctive badges. Then came what was really the crowning glory of the whole spectacle, the dense ranks of the laity, marching four abreast, first the women extending in one solid column from the Basilica to well up Lambton Quay, and then a closely packed phalanx of men of equal or greater length. DEMONSTRATION OF FAITH. No on® witnessing su<?h a spectacle could fail to be edified and impressed by such a magnificent demonstration of Catholic faith, or could doubt the earnestness of this sincere and spontaneous tribute to the affectionate esteem in which Archbishop Redwood is held by the Catholic body of New Zealand. There followed 100 priests in cassock and surplice, the Monsignori, Bishops and Archbishops from the four corners of Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia in their robes of royal purple, and amongst them the venerable Archbishop, whom all were honoring, and whom every eye in that vast concourse of assembled people strained eagerly to see. CROWDED SPECTATORS. Down Hill Street and Molesworth Street, along Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street, Courtenay Place, Cambridge Terrace, and to the gates of St. Patrick’s College, the procession moved in all its solemn majesty, the route being lined for its entire distance with a double line of people standing four deep, while every balcony and window casement bore its eager freight of human beings. ' The procession took over 20 minutes to pass a given spot, and it is estimated that at least 10,000 persons participated in it. - • The Archbishops, Bishops, and clergy broke off from the main body of the procession as it approached Tory Street, and proceeded -thence to the college, where they robed themselves for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament from St. Joseph’s Church to the front gates. They then emerged from the Buckle Street gate of the college and proceeded down towards Cambridge Terrace, the route being lined by thousands of people. Leading the procession* was a cross-bearer, acolytes in their picturesque medieval dress, then priests in surplices, priests in chasubles, bishops in copes, and twelve priests in dalmatics, . each bearing a censer smoking- with incense. The Blessed Sacrament was born© by Archbishop Redwood under a white and gold canopy carried by Father McCarthy, Dr. Galvey, Dr. Morkane -and Father Drohan. Four acolytes accompanied the celebrant, who, with the deacon- and subdeacon, wore gold copes. Two Archbishops followed the Blessed Sacrament, and the guard of honor was furnished by the chief representatives of the Hibernia' Society. ' ~ .

UNFORGETTABLE SCENE. A lane was opened through the thousands who swarmed around the. main college gates, and the procession turned into the drive, and up towards the altar. Each side of the drive was lined by the Children of Mary in whit© and blue, and between them marched the green-clad Hibernians, then the monsignori and the purple ranks of the bishops’. When all had assembled, the scene, viewing it from the college windows, was an unforgetable one, inspiring to a degree, and calculated to thrill a Catholic heart with pride. Immediately in front of the college, and backed by the towering flagstaff from which fluttered the New Zealand Ensign, was erected a platform of imposing dimensions, draped in the papal colors ,of white and gold. Grouped on the lawn around this were the brightly clad school children, the convent students, in veils and dresses of pure white, the priests, bishops, and archbishops ,and down the drive sloping towards the gates, the green and blue of the Hibernians and Children of Mary. Beyond, in the tennis court and out on the streets, were thousands upon thousands of men and women with eager gaze upturned towards the lofty platform whereon stood their beloved Archbishop surrounded by the flower, of the Catholic Church of Australia and New Zealand. THE BLESSING. At a signal from the Rev. Father Ryan, who directed the massed choirs, they sang “O Salutaris,” the opening hymn of the Benediction service, followed by the “Tantum Ergo.” Then Archbishop Redwood ascended the steps, to the altar, and a solemn hush fell upon the waiting multitude as he raised aloft the gleaming monstrance to bestow the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament upon the people. Ten thousand people knelt with deepest piety, ten thousand heads were bent in solemn reverence, as those venerable hands which had so often been elevated in the blessing of his people, described once more the mystic sign of the Cross. The songs of the Divine praises and that stirring battle cry, “Faith of Our Fathers,” by the whole assembled concourse, brought a memorable ceremony to a fitting close.