Holy Cross College, Mosgiel

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 16, 6 May 1925, Page 29

Holy Cross College, Mosgiel

; Silver | Jubilee Celebrations Impressive Solemnity at St. Joseph's Cathedral A Memorable and Magnificent Spectacle ;

, ; n Graciously, sent by His Holiness with his Blessing, to Holy Cross College, ;;; Mosgiel,; on the occasion of its Silver Jubilee. -ciCABLE HESSAGE FROM HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL GASP ARM, "/? Papal Secretary of State, to his Lordship the Right Rev. James Whyte, . j D.D., Bishop of Dunedin, and President of Holy Cross College, Mosgiel: £>],.-. r ; ''Occasion Silver Jubilee of Holy Cross College, Holy Father cor""'"x -rdially grants Apostolic Blessing -to thef Superior and Pupils." ( ■- oUrll. i ■■■» _ s.*•'.. j'" ' -' "•'

; In the presence of his Grace the. Most Rev. Francis Redwood, . S.M., D.D., Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan, his Grace the Most Rev. Thomas O'Shea, S.M., D.D., Coadjutor-Archbishop of Wellington, his Lordship, the Right Rev. H. W. Cleary, D.D., Bishop of Auckland, his Lordship the Right Rev. Matthew Brodie, D.D., Bishop of Christchurch, the Right Rev. James M. Liston, D.D., Coadjutor-Bishop,of Auckland, the Right Rev. Mgr. Mackay (Oamaru), the Very Rev. Father Creagh," C.SS.R. (Aliatralia), and a large number of priests from all parts of the —amongst them representatives of those who received their training for the sacred ministry at the Provincial Ecclesiastical Seminary at Mosgiel, the impressive celebrations' in connection with the Silver Jubilee of Holy Cross College were inaugurated on Sunday at St. Joseph's Cathedral. Dunedin. The Alma Mater of so many of our young and zealous priest,, whose number happily is increasing year by year, has an enduring place in their affections, as well as an interest deep-rooted and sincere, for the Catholic laity generally. It may readily be understood, therefore, that the attainment of the College's first quarter of a century of remarkable achievement occasioned intense enthusiasm, and how happy all are to join with the devoted Rector and professorial staff in their acts of thanksgiving and joyful observance of so important an event. PONTIFICAL HIGH MASS. Commencing at 11 o'clock there was Pontifical High Mass in the presence on the sanctuary of visiting Archbishops . and Bishops; many of the clergy occupying front rows of seats in the nave. Here also were assembled a large number, of the students of the college. The congregation 1 filled the Cathedral to capacity. His Lordship, Bishop Whyte, D.D., was celebrant; the Very Rev. Father Collins, O.SS.R. (Wellington), assistant priest; Rev. Father Skinner (Otahuhu) and Rev. Father Connolly (Kilbirnie, Wellington), deacons at the throne; Rev. Father James Hanrahan (Christchurch) and Rev. Father Higgins, S.M. (Greenmeadows) deacon and subdeacon respectively of the Mass; Rev. Father Buckley (Riverton) master of ceremonies; Rev. Father Ardagh, (Oamaru) second master of ceremonies. The music, splendidly rendered by the : Students' Choir of Holy Cross College, conducted ; by .Rev. Father' -Andersen, with Mr, \ Gordon

Giving thanks to Almighty God for the fruits borne by the Seminary of Holy Cross at Mosgiel for the past 2o years, we bestow our blessing upon all the Superiors, Professors, and students, and we pray God that through the intercession and under the protection of tho Most Blessed Virgin Mary the Seminary may always grow and flourish yet more. ■■ G. M. ('aim). Van Possum:,:. Praef.

Letter from the Cardinal Prefect for the Propagation of the Faith

[Translation of letter addressed by Cardinal Van Possum (Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith) to his Lordship Bishop Whyte, President of the Provincial Seminary at Mosgiel.] This congregation for the Propagation of the Christian Faith has learned with no little rejoicing of spirit that the twenty-fifth anniversary is approaching of the Seminary of New Zealand, founded at Mosgiel, for the training of the secular clergy of the whole country; and especially on this occasion is it pleasing to us to congratulate you and ill the Ordinaries upon the happy progress of that beneficent institution. Our memory still recalls with-what sollicitous care your illustrious predecessor, the 'tight Rev. Michael Verdon, with the ap-u-obation of the Council of Wellington, unlertook, in the- year 1900, the foundation of that Seminary, from which he knew full well a new and richer life would : spread throughout the whole land. Nor have s the {results belied the hopes he conceived. Though that Seminary, when es-

tablishod, was blest with scanty resources, ami could at best number only some eleven students yet with the progress of years and the active support ""of the Bishops and tin grace of God, the Seminary lias so increased in resources and in the number of students that to-day it can count some seventy students undergoing training and instruction in the Sacred Sciences. Already from its sacred precincts over forty priests have gone forth, commissioned to preach the Faith, and our hearts are gladdened by the most joyous hope that this Seminary will ever become more and more a nursery and a fount of Apostles. To our unanimous desire that this may conic to pass, I join further the good wishes of the Sacred Congregation, and I beg God to, enrich you, all the Bishops, the Professors, and the students 0f... the .-Seminary, with heavenly blessings, and to preserve you long in health.,« „.„,.... ...^.^..,..,..., J. K^.. Your most devoted servant, , <r G. M. C\nn. : Van Rossum, '•' v "'- '-*'■'• : , : ■' ''' • ■■■•■■•• •:• •■■ prefect.

O'Meeghan at the organ, consisted of tho "Ecce Sacerdos," Perosi's "Missa Te Deum Laudamus," and Proper of the Mass itff" Plain Chant. ;^* ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD'S SERMON. The occasional sermon was preached by his Grace the Most Rev. Francis Redwood, S.M., D.D., Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan, who, after the first Gospel, spoko as follows:We are hero assembled to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Provincial Seminary of Holy Cross, and to express our lively appreciation of the great work already done in that flourishing institution. That work is'~| the training of young men for the priest- : hood; and a nobler work, or one of greater benefit lor the Church and mankind cannot If bo conceived. For what is a priest? A H priest is another Christ, the anointed of the ii Lord for the continuation throughout the course of ages of the very ministry of Christ ij Himself, the Saviour of mankind.. Christ [] is indeed the Saviour; He came, to save mail- • kind, first by Himself and secondly by His j Church to tin- end of time. i For that purpose Tie taxujht the truth, Tie. -foryave sin, He offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and lie .conferred grace and sanciification. Now, all that He continues to do by the ministry \ of His priests. The Teaching of Christ. Pirsl of all, Tic taught truth, Ho taught the whole circle of the supernatural truths which God determined to reveal to man. . Ho eminently proclaimed Himself the Teacher of; truth. He had the sublime daring to declare Himself the truth. He did not say, with some famous sages, I am a lover of truth, a seeker of truth, a philosopher. No! He said, "I am the truth," the living truth, eternal truth, speaking to man by a human voice. At a solemn moment of His life, a few. hours before His death, when questioned by Pilate as to His purpose on earth, He said: ''For this was I born, and for this came I into the world that I should bear witness to the truth." He Himself taught the whole series of the saving truths which He was commanded by His Heavenly Father to teach. And He founded a society of men to teach, preserve, expound, and defend that sacred deposit for evermore. He chose several men whom, at His last supper, He made priests, to continue ' the teaching of those truths until His second coming in great power and majesty to judge the world at the last day. Afterwards He gave to them this divine commission: "As the Father hath sent Me I also send you. All power is given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded, and behoM I am with you all days even to the consumV mation of the world. He that heareth you, V heareth Me, and he that despises you &&W spises Me. I will give to you the Spirit of truth, to suggest to you all truth, to abide with you for ever." That society, gifted, as you see, by these words, with everlasting infallibility, exists to-day, visible 'as a city ; on a mountain, that society is the Catholic Church, founded on Peter, the Rock, against which "the gates of hell shall not prevail." s To-day, >as in past ages, 5 that Church teaches £ by the mouth of her bishops and priests, in,

a word, by the Catholic priesthood in all t its fullness and extension. So, the priest, i like Christ, is the divinely appointed teacher j of saving truth. ' The Catholic Church and Science. But boastful arrogant modern so-called science steps forth and would fain Usurp the place and role of Christ and His priests. Contemporary unbelief, in the guise of sciencepseudo-sciencesays to a deluded world: "In our enlightened days we need no teacher, no Saviour; science is the master and guide; science unlocks all necessary knowledge and affords a secure and sufficient foundation for morality. Before the rise of science, a teacher was needed, and Jesus was rightly welcomed by humanity, but now no place is left for him in I lie world of man, in the march of human enlightenment and progress; his reign is over." Now, God forbid that I should utter one word against true science. Undoubtedly science, within its own legitimate sphere, deserves and obtains all praise from the Catholic Church, the mouth-piece of Christ, and numbers of the most eminent scientists, for instance, such men as the late Pasteur, are devout Catholics. And no wonder; for science is organised knowledge, the knowledge of the phenomena and laws of nature. But there its function ends; not a step further is allowed in the name of science. Science is not religion, and never can take religion's place. On the awful questions ever fretting the human mind, ''whence come we, whither go we?" science is absolutely and dismally silent. These tremenous questions die without an answer, nay, without an echo, upon the shores of the unknown. So says Tindall, so says Spencer, so says Haechel. So runs science, so speaks science in presence of the great problems which reason and conscience refuse to deem insoluble. Some years ago science promised to remove all mystery from the universe; but science has dismally failed to keep its promise, and in this respect, as Bruntiere first proclaimed, "Science is bankrupt." The Meaning of Morality. Moreover, science affords no rational basis for morality, no sufficient sanction for rightdoing. What does morality mean? It means the suppression and. control of the lower, the animal appetites in man, and their subjection to a higher life; morality means the establishment of the reign of righteousness, and, for that purpose, demands that interest and pleasure be sacrificed without regret or hesitation upon the altar of duty. So strong are men's passions, so violent is their protest against all restraint, that they will have their way, unless it be shown beyond all doubt that the satisfaction which they crave is clearly prohibited, and unless powerful motives are urged why the wrong should be shunned and the right . followed. What will science do for the man in the fierce conflict of his passions? What will Spencer's "Unknown" do to help him? or Harrison's appeal to "humanity" ? or Haechel's resort to "Universal matter"? Will you appeal to the individual's own good which is ultimately found in righteousness But the hapless man, in the stress

of fierce and prolonged temptations, will scorn to overlook a certain present for .(the sake of an uncertain and shadowy future. Therefore, morality is secure only in a world where reigns an ever-present living Avenger of evil and a Rewarder of good. Morality is secure only when based on a religion which is pure and elevated in its teaching, as is the religion of Christ. Turn, then, to Him for light and strength. The needs and ills of humanity are ever existent. Material conditions may change, and are constantly changingin no age more than our own. Steam and electricity, aeroplanes, and wireless telegraphy, may have annihilated distance, may have made, earth's treasures tributary to our industry, and increased a hundred-fold our sway over nature. But with all this, the mind within us ceases not its questionings, and the heart in us still quivers beneath the wild storm of passion. If material progress has brought any change in us, it is to make the mind more fretful and earnest in its enquiries, and the battle of virtue more fierce. To-day, more than ever, humanity needs Christ and His teaching, His grace, and His sacraments. Fortunately, Christ and His work remain for ever. "Heaven and earth"He says—"shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away, and behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." The Truths of Christ. So the priest teaches truths, saving truths, the truths to be professed and practised unto life eternal. Again, Christ during His life forgave sin; and so the priest in the sacred tribunal of penance. St. John Baptist said of Christ, "Behold the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world." Christ forgave the paralytic: "Be of good heart, son"- —lie said to him—"thy sins are forgiven." "And behold some of the bystanding scribes said within themselves, He blasphemeth ; who can forgive sin but God alone? And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, why think you these things in your heart? Which is easier to say to the sick of the palsy: thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say: arise, take up thy bed and walk. But that you may know that the Son of Man — in his manhood — hath power on earth —not merely in Heaven —to forgive sin; He saith to the sick of the palsy, I say to thee, arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house. And immediately he arose, and took up his*bed and went his way in sight of all, so that all wondered and glorified God, that gave such power to men."

Christ forgave I*he sinner Magdalen, St. Peter, and the repentant woman taken in. adultery, and the good thief on the cross, and doubtless many other sinners. And this He did in His manhood. Knowing that sin would always be in this wicked world, Tie established a sacrament for its constant forgiveness, and so the priest, though only a man, continues the work of Christ in Christ's Mystic Body, the Church. And oh! what a display of God's infinite mercy is here! What a marvellous power is given to man, frail sinful man, a power not shared by the Angels!!

The Sacrifice of Calvary.

. Furthermore, Christ sacrificed Himself upon the Cross of Calvery for the salvation of mankind/ and,'at 1 His last supper, Ho instituted the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass, which equals in dignity and efficacy that of the Cross. Taking bread and wine into His venerable hands, lie changed by His omnipotence into His own living body and blood, truly, really, and substantially present un- i der the form and appearances /of bread and win. And He commanded His Apostles to do likewise, thereby making them priests, invested with His own mysterious power, to offer up to Cod, throughout all ages till His second coming, the most August Sacrifice, the most perfect worship of God possible to man in this world, the only Divine worship that really counts, a sacrifice the same essentially as that of the Cross, having the same High Priest and the same Victim, Jesus Christ, but differing accidentally, inasmuch as it is invisible, without shedding of blood, and offered by Christ Himself through the ministry of His priests, using His words and His power. Oh, how great a marvel is the Mass! It is a fourfold sacrifice of propitiation, thanksgiving, praise, and prayer, giving every time it is offered, more glory to God than all the praises of the Angels and Saints in Heaven for all eternity. For it is tho sacrifice of a. Cod to a, Cod by the hands of a God, using for that purpose the will and the hands of a. frail sinful man. It is that perfect sacrifice, that "clean oblation," foretold magnificently by the prophet Malachy, "For from the rising of the sun to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation. For My name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts." (Mai. i., ii.) If only one Mass is so holy, so mighty and efficacious to stay the uplifted hand of Divine justice over a, depraved world, what must be said of tho innumerable Masses celebrated all over the globe, by thousands and thousands of priests for ages and ages unto the very end of time? Consider this for a moment, and think that he who now stands before you, in his long career of priesthood, has said over twenty thousand Masses. What. glory in Heaven, what glory on earth, and what a responsibility!! Finally, Christ conferred grace and sanctiJ'mUion; and so do the priests, by the instrumentality of the sacraments. Christ conferred grace by Himself, the Author of all grace; but His priests do so as ministers of the seven sacraments, which arc like seven full streams issuing from tho Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, to apply His infinite merits, and bestow the treasures of His grace upon mankind. The sacraments are adapted to every stage and need of life, and the priests are the dispensers, according to the Apostle of "the mysteries of God." A volume would be insufficient to fitly develop this rich theme of the sacraments instituted by Christ and intrusted to His priests.

[! Vocations to the Religious State. But time warns me to pass to other considerations; .for 1 have some urgent and solemn words, in reference to this Silver Jubilee, which I deem fit to address to the various classes of Catholics represented in this congregation by the priests, the parents, the Catholic youth, and the faithful laity at large. I have a word for the -priests. "When priests discover vocations, or probabilities of vocations to the priesthood, let them watch over them with the utmost care, aiding in the removal of obstacles, suggesting provisions for future development. Vocations are tender garden plants, keep them from frost and storm, give I hem timely nourishment. Let (lie favored youths be told of the holy things beckoning them forward. Cultivate in them a love of the sanctuary; institute preparatory studies for their benefit. How many priests, looking bark to those early days, sec I lien" the first consciousness of their vocation, in the suggestive word, the seasonable help, coming from the venerable pastor who then had charge of their spiritual interests! Happy, thrice happy priest who, on a joyful Sunday morning, when he guides the trembling lips of the newly ordained priest in his First Mass, can say to himself: "This is my spiritual child, my own priest!" I would, indeed, that there should be no priest who does not give to himself a successor of his priesthood, who does not, in this manner, repay to the Church the debt of gratitude upon him for the grace of his own vocation. A word to Catholic parents, whose sons give signs of a probable vocation. Bending over the privileged youth, they should say, "What a one, think ye, shall this child be, for the hand of God was with him" ? Gladly should they offer him to the Lord; gladly should they make whatever sacrifice this offer involves. Parents have the ripening of a vocation more in their hands than in those of any one else. Alas! here lies the chief impediment to vocations — want of Christian faith in father or mother, the worldly ambition of either in directing their son's steps towards visions of material comfort and allurement. It is the call of earth opposed to the call of heaven, the call of nature opposed to the call of grace. The faithful Christian will hearken to no such call, but will see things as God sees them, weighing in the scales, not of time, but eternity. There are families where, short of a miracle of grace, a vocation never germinates, or, if somehow it is there born, it quickly withers and dies. There are families where the example of parents so lowers the spiritual tone of the child, so corrupts the Christian atmosphere, that it banishes from the child's mind all higher thoughts, and from his heart all freshness of grace and purity. Give to a parish, or to a, diocese, true Christian families, and vocations will not be wanting. The Catholic home is the nursery of vocations: : other presbyteries, colleges, seminaries—are the mere help to growth and development. ?. £s.ik»«s .si ■■ rV-:=^.;,o

Serving God in the Holy Priesthood.

I am not overlooking the financial sacrifies which the education of a son for the priesthood involves. When parents have the means, let them gladly make the sacrifice. It is an offering to religion most valuable, most precious. Nay, why should thy grudge it, even if they have to deny themselves comfort and enjoyment otherwise legitimate? They lavish money to fit children for worldly vocations, why should they grudge it to fit them for the service of God in Holy Priesthood? Cases no doubt there are, when the sacrifice, at least in its plenitude, is beyond the reach of parents. For instance, there is. a youth marked by his talent and piety for the priest* hood, whose parents’ moderate circumstances forbid the expenses of years in studies preparatory and ecclesiastical. Such a youth should not he debarred from fitting himself for the sanctuary. In such a case, where is the Archbishop or Bishop, or priest in any diocese, who would not gladly take the means to secure the funds needed for the education of such a candidateP

A word to the Catholic youths, who have already felt in their hearts some, yearning for the Holy Priesthood. The wish may bo a divine call—a singular grace, too precious not to be instantly welcomed. Let such youths consult their spiritual director, and often pray for further light, with the sincere determination to fulfil the behest of Heaven, whatever it may bo. Should counsel and reflection confirm their desire, let them gladly and resolutely speak the word: “Lord, I am Thine to-day and all the days of my life.” How beautiful is the vision of a future share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ! Blessed the youth to whom such visions come ! Priests are those men to whom Our Saviour said; “I will not call you servants; .for the servant knoweth not what his master doth. But I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you.” Priests are the heralds of the supernatural, the chains linking heaven to earth and earth to heaven. Theywithin due limits are “other Christs.”

The Duty of the Catholic Laity.

Finally, a word to the Catholic people at large, You can do much in this work which is yours as well as ours. You can do much, and I sincerely hope you will. We clergy need your sympathy, wo need your co-opera-tion in word and act. Understand full well that the most sacred, the most valuable work on behalf of the Church of Christ is the perpetuation and the widening of the priesthood. You must feel and acknowledge that the work is your own, that you are deeply interested in it, that the progress of the Church depends upon it. By word, and act, and purse, prove at all times the sincerity and depth of your interest. It is not too much to ask those, who can afford it, to assist peculiarly the growth of the priesthood, by aiding the vocations of youths in whom a vocation is visible, arid who have not themselves the means to secure to themselves the pre-requisite education. Let the laity found more perpetual burses in the schools,

and colleges, and seminaries! We hope and pray that the number of such burses will increase with years. Good Catholics are also strongly exhorted to make legacies in their wills for the same object. Few things are more consoling for pious Catholics than to remember that, through their-help, a priest was added to the army of the Church, who daily, stands before the altar in prayer for his benefactor.

In conclusion, I recommend this grave matter most earnestly to the zeal and piety of the clergy and faithful of this and every other diocese in New Zealand, and, above all, to their constant and fervent prayers for, as vocations to the priesthood are the precious gift of God Himself, lie must be assiduously invoked to grant them. Our Divine Lord clearly and emphatically indictated this means of obtaining an adequate supply of priests when He said : “The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers to the harvest.”

[Reports of ceremonies and functions in connection with the Jubilee celebrations, including Pontifical Vespers and Benediction on Sunday evening; Pontifical Requiem Mass on Monday; Pontifical High Mass of Thanksgiving on Tuesday; also reports of the luncheon on Sunday, harbor excursion and conversazione on Monday, and other functions on Tuesday and Wednesday, will be given in succeeding issues.—Ed, V.Z.T.] '