NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 9, 28 February 1924, Page 34

NOTES

A Coincidence It is worth noting that Archbishop Redwood and the Catholic Church in New Zealand are almost the same age. When he was born, in 1839, Dr. Pompallier had only just begun his mission and when Francis Mary Redwood arrived with his parents, in 1842, there were only a few scattered Catholic families throughout the islands. From that small seed he has seen the tree of the faith grow to its present goodly proportions, and, since his consecration in 1874, he has himself been busily engaged in planting and transplanting and watering in new fields to which God has deigned to grant wonderful increase. Eighty-Five Years Young In his ripe age the Metropolitan retains the fresh outlook and the cheery optimism of youth. In all possible directions his interests are lively and active. He will keenly dismiss a new book on philosophy or theology; the trend of affairs in foreign countries is closely observed by him; during a morning walk through the Botanical Gardens he will astonish people of the present generation by his amazing knowledge of botany; he regularly does his three or four or five miles on foot, and he takes the hills as easily as a youth in spite of the weight of his years; in an hour of leisure he turns to his beloved Strad and finds solace and peace in its mellow tones; he keeps well abreast of literary movements, and a new work by Bazin or Bourget is eagerly read by him; he no longer rides for work or recreation, but he still has the true Redwood love for the horse and a sportsman’s appreciation for the performances of a Gloaming; although he has given up shooting, at which he excelled, his sight is still remarkably good and he can read type that would try the eyes of many a much younger man. At eighty-five he is still .young in mind and heart, and active in body. The Episcopal Gathering Never before in its history did Wellington see such an assembly of prelates as came together to honor our Metropolitan. From Australia come the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cattaneo, Archbishop Kelly of Sydney, Archb shop Mannix of Melbourne, Archbishop Clune of Perth, Archbishop Duhig of Brisbane, Archbishop Spence of Adelaide, Archbishop Sheehan, Coadjutor of Sydney, Archbishop Barry, Coadjutor of Hobart, Bishop Heavey of Cooktown, Bishop Shiel of Rockhampton, Bishop Dwyer of Maitland, Bishop Dwyer of Riverina, Bishop Hayden of Wilcannia, Bishop O’Farrell of Bathurst, Bishop Foley of Ballarat, Bishop McCarthy of Bendigo; from Samoa came Bishop Darnand; while New Zealand’s Hierarchy is present in full force in the persons of Archbishop O’Shea, Bishop Cleary, Bishop Brcdie, Bishop Whyte, and Bishop Liston. In addition to the bishops there are several Domestic Prelates from Australia and New Zealand, among whom are Monsignor Byrne of Brisbane, .Monsignor Mackay of Oamaru, Monsignor McKenna of Masterton, Monsignor Power of Hawera, Monsignor Mahoney of Onehunga, and Monsignor Cahill of Parnell. Other dignitaries represent the various religious Orders in Australia and New Zealand. Our Jubilee Odes We are pleased to be able to offer to his Grace, with this special issue of the Tablet, two Jubilee Odes, of which we think the poetic quality and the choice diction are not unworthy of the occasion. The first, in elegant Latin verse (for which we will publish the music' later), is from the scholarly pen of F.O M., one of,the Jubilariau’s most devoted friends; and the second - is from E.D., whose first

poems appeared in the paper which has now the honor of presenting this fine tribute of hers to her venerable Archbishop.

“The Archbishop '* From 1887 until the consecration of Archbishop O’Shea, the Metropolitan was the first and only Archbishop in New Zealand; and even when his devoted Coadjutor came to help him, Dr. Redwood was still “the Archbishop” on the lips of his people. This was strikingly illustrated by an unrehearsed effect the other day in Christchurch. The Archbishop of Melbourne paid a visit to a school in the city. The good teachers evidently got wind of his coming and made preparations accordingly. When his Grace entered the schoolroom, to the delight of' everybody, a boy stood forth and called smilingly for - “Three Cheers for Archbishop Redwood Needless to say nobody enjoyed the incident more than Dr. Mannix, on whom this spontaneous testimony to the popularity of his venerable friend was not lost. “The Last Four Popes’’ Cardinal Wiseman once wrote a book of reminiscences of four Popes whom he knew during his linfetime. But he began when he was a young student in the English College at Rome. Archbishop Redwood, now the senior Bishop in the Church, has been a Bishop during the reigns of the last four occupants of the Chair of Peter, and is still hale and hearty in the sunshine of the favor of the present Holy Father, whom we are confident he will yet salute in the halls of the Vatican. Knowing the charm of his Reminiscences (which we draw largely upon for this Jubilee issue) we would dearly love to see him write some day, in his own simple, graceful style, a volume of pen-pictures of Pius IX., Leo XIII., Pius X., and Benedict XV. A Bunch of Records His Grace holds several records as a churchman. His was the first vocation to the priesthood in New Zealand. He was the first New Zealander to become a Bishop. He was the first Archbishop and the first Metropolitan in the Dominion. He is the oldest Bishop in the world, in time of consecration. And he was the first Bishop who' ever stood on a Home Rule platform in Ireland.' From that' day, back in the Land League years, down to the day when he delivered before the assembled delegates of Australasia his famous address in favor of self-determination, he has been consistent and fearless in his championship of the rights of Ireland. And, to mention a further record, nobody will deny that his eloquent speech in the Melbourne Auditorium, on November 2, 1919, was easily the greatest oration on that occasion. Those of us who were present will not readily forget the remarkable enthusiasm aroused by _ the venerable orator who was pleading as a justiceloving and broad-minded Englishman for the rights ,of a small nation. The Archbishop and the “Tablet” Me have written in another column of all the Tablet owes to Dr. Redwood, Let us close this page of notes by referring to an interesting Jink between his Grace and'our Board of Directors.. On another page we publish an account of the consecration of the Bishop of Wellington, fifty years ago. On that occasion there was present a young man who afterwards came out to New Zealand where he became in time an active member of the lay apostolate, and where he gave two sons to the priesthood and two daughters to religion. This was Mr. James Marlow, of Dunedin, who is this week present at the. Golden Jubilee celebrations,-not only as a representative Dunedin Catholic layman, but also as a Director of the New Zealand Tablet Company. So that while the Archbishop holds so many records, the Tablet, through Mr. Marlow, holds one.