Impressions of the Jubilee

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 9, 28 February 1924, Page 32

Impressions of the Jubilee

E.D. It was a golden day. Everyone felt the uplifting of the heart that sunshine brings. The Mass was at ten and many waited to see the procession form before entering the Basilica. There were priests there from all parts of our own islands. It was amazing to see how they had rallied. Some faces were well known. The crowd picked them out as they passed. There was a murmur as a Franciscan went by, his brown robe contrasting with the blue cape of a Marist Missioner, his companion. . Franciscans are rare sights here. A child gave an exclamation of pleasure when she caught sight of her first Dominican in his white serge robe. Connoisseurs of lace marvelled over the splendors revealed in the surplices. They were very beautiful, some of them, with their falls of point, Carrickmacross, and Tambour Limerick. The whole line looked happy. It was a long procession. Then came the Bishops. Little wandering airs blew back their robes, and the rich silks shimmered in the sun. The color they wear is one of the most beautiful of colors. The robes were almost ruby colored against the sun. i Within the church the scene was stately beyond description. Mother Bernard of Seatoun had lent all her skill to the decoration of the church. The Jubilarian is her uncle; so it was a labor of love. The altar itself was lovely to see. The violet of the asters made a regal contrast with the bright gold of the candelabra. It was ; gold everywhere. Gold vestments, the gold cross, and the gold flame of the candles. The Bishops knelt at prie-diW at the front. . ' A, - V The venerable Metropolitan himself sang the Mass without a trace of feebleness, without , a falter. To hear

his Omnia Saecvla Saeculorum was to hear a voice that was rich with music.One of the most impressive * portions of the ceremony was the giving of the Pax. Monsignor McKenna having received it from the celebrant passed it on to the assembled Bishops. This ceremony, which occurs in a Pontifical High Mass, was most stately and symbolical. It added to the dignity and impressiveness of the Mass that the celebrant’s chief assistants were the seniors of the diocese, men whose age had accustomed them to participating in great functions. The singing of the deacon, Father Whelan, jind Father Moloney, the subdeacon, w 7 as exceedingly fine. The choir, led by the great voice of Rev. Father Ryan, S.M., of St. Patrick’s, added greatly to the beauty of the Mass. His pure vibrant tenor rang out triumphantly in the “Te Deum.” Wellington and indeed New Zealand was fortunate in having his great gift at their disposal for this occasion. Every credit must be given to Mrs. Quirk, the conductress, for her fine work, and the young organist, Paul Cullen, deserves a mention all to himself. It was a fairly long service but it didn’t seem long. Everything was so intensely interesting that time flew. The Papal Letter gave the final touch. With the Delegate sitting there, in his violet and cerise. Romo seemed somehow nearer than ever before and the aged Jubilarian must have felt : elated at the solemn and fatherly blessing that came from the See of Peter. - ' Then everyone knelt in solemn silence for the blessing. The vivid colors flashed again as the procession reformed and that part of the Jubilee was over. The afternoon was devotee], to the procession. Wellington came out of doors to see it. “It isn’t the organised bodies that amaze me so,” said one keen spectator—“it’s that solid phalanx of men and women marching voluntarily that makes one rub one’s eyes.” It was indeed a solid phalanx. The veiled heads of the Children of Mary, the blue of their swinging cloaks matching the sky, added to the picturesqueness of the pageant. The Hibernians marched joyously with their sashes of green and gold. Then came the procession of the Blessed Sacrament. All the vestments in the city were drawn forth for the occasion. The great crowd awaited the coming of Our Lord with utter reverence. The air smelt faintly of the incense that rose in clouds from the swinging thuribles. There were vestments and dalmatics, Gothic vestments, and copes. Emerald green walked beside red, ivory beside violet. Outsiders were intensely interested. “Which is Dr. Mannix? Which is Dr. MannixP” they said. Someone answered “The one'with the biretta.” It passed down the line and necks were craned as he passed. The Mill Hill Fathers with their red cinctures came in for comment too, and the Passionist with C.P. on his breast. No stronger proof of the unity and versatility of the Church could be seen than this great collection of Orders, of Prelates, and of the laity, with Father Venning’s Maoris as the final note. > Father Ryan, S.M., conducted the open air singing and there was a great volume of sound from the crowd. The answers to the responses was like the roar of the sea. It was a thing to remember. The “0 Salutaris” rang wonderfully through the clear air. Archbishop Redwood was a much-noted figure as he mounted the rise on which the altar stood. The altar itself was beautifully constructed and decorated with the white and yellow of the Papal colors. Mr. Paul Hoskins was marshal of the great procession. He, it will be remembered, was recently decorated by the Pope, and there is not a Catholic in the city who did not rejoice when the distinction was conferred on him. He received this week his Papal Cross. Prominent also was Mr. J. J. L. Burke in his • Hibernian collar. The man to whom most of the credit of the great day was: due was Rev. Father Gilbert, S.M., Rector of St. Patrick’s. In the whole proceedings there as not a hitch. The■ punctuality, the smoothness, with which, the arrangements were carried out showed the whole to be a triumph of organisation. Looking down on that brilliant flashing spectacle, it was hard to realise what weary weeks of detail

and work that lay behind it all and what a burden lay on the shoulders of the organiser. Conspicuous among the spectators were the various Orders of the nuns, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of the Missions and the Sisters of Compassion. At the Mass in the morning Dr. Chine during his sermon referred to the presence in the church of Rev. Mother Aubert, the venerable foundress of the only New Zealand Order yet formed. Altogether it was a day of days in the city, a day which the young generation will treasure and will tell to their children and their children’s children.