Holy Gross College, Mosgiel

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 17, 13 May 1925, Page 25

Holy Gross College, Mosgiel

SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS PONTIFICAL REQUIEM MASS FOR THE DECEASED FOUNDER OF THE COLWp; LEGE, ITS PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS.

Commencing at 9 o’clock on Monday, the 4th inst,. Pontifical Requiem Mass was offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased founder of Holy Cross College (Dr. Verdon), its professors and students. His Lordship the Right Rev. J. M. Liston, D.D., Coadjutor-Bishop of Auckland, was celebrant; Rev. Father Hurley, S.M. (Timaru), assistant priest; Rev. Father Minogue (New Plymouth), deacon ; Rev. Father O’Meeghan (Christchurch), subdeacon; Rev. Fathers Buckley and Ardagh, masters of ceremonies. The assistant priests to his Grace Archbishop Redwood were Rev. Dr. Geaney, S.M. (Rector of St. Bede’s College) and Rev. Father Lyons (Coromandel); and to his Lordship Bishop Whyte, Rev. Father F. Cullen (Wellington) and Rev. Father W. Skinner (Otahuhu). The preacher was the Right Rev. Dr. Brodie, Bishop of Christchurch, who, from the text —

“He made an everlasting covenant with him and gave him the priesthood of the nation, and made him blessed in glory.” Eze 45-8. delivered the following discourse — The lands under the Southern Cross have been, singularly blessed in the character and work of our pioneer prelates and priests; they were men of learning, zeal, and ■wondrous intuition. When our Divine Lord said “Behold I am with you ’all days unto the consummation of the world,” that promised abiding presence had a far-reaching and comprehensive meaning; the world-wide activities of apostolic zeal were to share that divine assurance and encouragement; and heavenly direction would always favor the prosecution of Our Saviour’s command; “Go ye forth and teach all nations.” The pioneer missionaries realised with clearest insight that early provision would have to be made for the ecclesiastical training of youth,, and they generously found time to personally supervise this training. The decrees' of the Council of Trent on the education of youth were to them principles of supreme importance, and vain indeed would be their endeavors if the youth of this new country did not receive wise guidance and direction.

Establishing Holy Cross College. The event we are commemorating does not bring us back to the earliest pioneering days except in so far as to show the connection between the efforts of the earlier missionaries and the subsequent establishment of the Provincial Seminary, whose jubilee we are celebrating. Our most honored guestour revered Metropolitan, Archbishop Redwood --can to-day recall on the scrolls of boy"hood memories his association with Father % Garin, he can review his own early tuition wAaTid the inspiration he received to embrace the priestly vocation ; he will remember how in the progress of time Providence ordained that, his studies being completed, he as to return to New Zealand as Bishop of Wel-

lington, and in due time preside at the First Provincial Council of Wellington, representing all the dioceses of New Zealand. Our worthy Metropolitan can recollect the deliberations on the important question of the establishment of a Provincial Seminary for New Zealand. All the members of the hierarchy present, together with their theologians, were of one mind that the decrees of the Council of Trent were preceptive—at least a provincial seminary must be established as soon as possible; but at once the obstacles came to mind —the limited resources of our young country, the danger of inadequate financial support, the difficulty of providing a professorial staff—all . these objections were weighed and seemed insurmountable until Bishop Verdon, of Dunedin, made the generous offer to establish the Provincial Seminary in Dunedin and to provide the requisite staff. His Grace as President,

and the assembled bishops saw that the difficulties were overcome, and the decree was formulated establishing an ecclesiastical seminary for the four dioceses of New Zealand. The decree was enacted in January, 1899, and in the following year, on the 3rd of May, Bishop Verdon founded Holy Cross College and opened its doors to receive students for the priesthood. The Revered Founder. In the jubilee celebrations of Holy Cross College it is fitting that we honor the memory of Bishop Verdon, its revered founder. Bishop Verdon’s life was unique in its association with ecclesiastical training. He enjoyed the great privilege of having studied at the Irish College in Rome —a College closely associated with the love of faith and fatherland. The College chapel is the repository of the heart of Ireland’s gifted son Daniel O’Connell, who bequeathed his body to Ireland, his heart to Rome, his soul to God. Still more remarkable is the history of the Irish College, in the fact that on its roll of students is found the name of Oliver Plunket, Archbishop of Armagh, who entered the college in 1646, who died for his faith and is now numbered amongst the martyrs and sainted sons of St. Patrick. If Bishop Verdon’s Alma Mater can be considered favored

because of its association with Ireland, it is thrice hallowed in its sacred associations with Rome itself. Of Rome Petrarch says: “How well it is for the Christian soul to behold the city which is like heaven upon earth, full of sacred relics of the martyrs bedewed with the precious blood of these witnesses for the truth; to roam at will from tomb to tomb rich with the memories of the Saints, to wander at leisure through the basilicas of the Apostles with no other company than holy thoughts.” The Higher Ideals of the Priesthood. : Blessed Peter Canicius in an eloquent appeal on the Jubilee of 1575, wrote as follows: —“In Rome the pilgrim can streng-

then his faith andjnspire his devotion more than elsewhere. He sees before his eyes the city in which the first and principal apostles preached with their lips the Gospel of Christ; he sees the city the streets of which the martyrs trod and consecrated with their blood, and adorn and protect with their relics. Who would not be moved at seeing the place where Peter was fastened to the cross, where Paul was beheaded with the sword at beholding the steps which Christ ascended during His Passion and which He sprinkled with His blood? Yes, Rome sees the unbroken succession linking up the centuries from Pius to Peter and to Christ, the temporal absorbed in the eternal and the soul is led to God. Happy the pilgrim permitted to visit the sacred city, happy the priest sojourning there to imbibe the highest ideals of the priesthood, to pray the prayer of the Canon of the Mass that God may make him worthy of the companionship of the holy apostles and martyrs.” It was under such influence that Bishop Verdon received his training for the priesthood. Bishop Verdon’s Career. Before he came to New Zealand Monsignor Verdon had wide experience in the management of ecclesiastical colleges. He had been President of Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, Dublin; Vice-Rector of the Irish College at Rome; and first Rector of St. Patrick’s College, Manly. At the express invitation of Cardinal Moran, Monsignor Verdon came to Australia to undertake the duties of Rector of St. Patrick’s. Already £60,000 had been expended in the erection of the magnificent edifice which stands on the northern head of the entrance to Sydney Harbor as a sentinel proclaiming to the world the glorious triumph of the consecration of the youth of Australia to the sacred work of the priesthood. A prominent Australian legislator of fifty years ago had rashly boasted that his enactment withdrawing State aid from ‘ Catholic schools would sound the death knell of priestly and religious vocations amongst the youth of Australia. That prophecy has been falsified—the Catholics accepted the challenge, at great sacrifice they provided their own schools, and priestly vocations have been wondrously multiplied; St. Patrick’s College has already sent forth 300 priests to the various dioceses of Australasia. !

For the work which, in the design of God, Monsignor Verdon had before him his experience at St. Patrick’s College was of great value. I violate no confidence when I say from personal knowledge that the early years of Manly College were years made anxious by financial strain; and it might be expected that the President would gladly relinquish a post of such anxiety but in 1895, when Monsignor Verdon was appointed to proceed to" Romo, as the representative of the Hierarchy of Australia, he took his departure from Manly with genuine regret, a. regret more keen becn.se- he had to start for Rome just before be could have the*.- privilege of seeing the first /student from Manly raised to the" dignity of the priesthood.

Dr. Verdon Appointed Second Bishop of Dunedin. Monsignor Verdon had already left Sydney on his way to Rome and had reached Melbourne when, a higher command came from Pope Leo XIII, appointing him to the Bishopric of Dunedin rendered vacant by the death of Bishop Moran. In his preparation for episcopal consecration he could well ponder over the words of St. Paul, “Si quis episcopalin desiderat hoiunn opus desiderat” (if any one desires the episcopate he desires a good work); the one “good work” above others came to the mind of the Bishop elect and even before embarking for his future home in Dunedin his mind could discern with prophetic instinct the episcopate as a sphere where he could include amongst his activities the great work of training students for the priesthood. This prophecy was verified three years later at the Provincial Council of Wellington when his Grace the Archbishop fulfilled the words of the text: “He gave to him the priesthood of the nation” confiding to him the work of the Provincial Seminary, and the presence to-day of well-nigh 50 priests of Holy Cross College sets before us the faithful fulfilment of that trust.

If it be said that Bishop Verdon had a career eminently qualifying him for the work of founding the Seminary for New Zealand, his long association with the work of priestly formation gave him a wondrous influence over the students —the words of our great High Priest, “For them do I sanctify myself that they may be sanctified in truth,” were the inspiring motives of his liie, ho was in the fullest sense forma facta (jrejjus, the model for ecclesiastical students, inspiring them that they “were taken from among men and ordained in the things that appertain to God” and “as men of God they should be perfectly furnished to every good work.”

“He divided unto him the priesthood of the nation and made him blessed in glory.”

The Celtic cross with crown entwined around the arms of the cross illustrates very clearly the history of every great work for God and for souls; the apostles in their zeal for souls going forth went weeping and in sorrow before they could return iw triumph bearing their sheaves in the harvest of souls. Bishop Verdon in his work for Holy Cross College heard on all sides unfavorable opinions, there would be insufficient numbers ot students, the time was not yet ripe for the establishment of a seminary in New Zealand; but the words came true “they made him blessed in glory,” and as he saw student after student seek admission to college, ho heard the blessings of grateful parents invoked upon him for having provided facilities for their sons to be trained for the holy priesthood. Holy Cross College in the Making. Again the limited finances of a young diocese were not always adequate for the requirements of the young college, and many were the fears entertained that the work would have to be discontinued through lack of funds; but Bishop Verdon was a man of faith, he could be likened to the wise man

who built his house upon the rock, his enterprise was based on the solid reliable support of implicit trust in God, he could say, “In Thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped, let me not be confounded, do not let this secred work be overwhelmed with difficulty and end in failure.” His singleness of purpose inspired others to come to his aid and zealous priests and generous laity provided the required funds—again the words came true, “his name shall be blessed in glory.” Priests who had labored years in the diocese gladly helped the good work, and in gratitude for their own vocation to the priesthoood revered the name of him who gave them an opportunity of assisting others to complete their studios for that same calling.

“He made him blessed in glory.” On the memorable day of the year 1009, when six young deacons knelt in the sanctuary of this Cathedral and when they received from the ordaining Prelate, Bishop Verdon, the chalice and paten and heard those wondrous words, “receive the power of offering Holy Mass both for the living and the dead in the name of the Lord,” how the hearts of these young priests throbbed with reverential gratefulness as they blessed him who had not only ordained them to the priesthood but who had provided and equipped and staffed the college which had placed their priestly preparation within their reach. The Call to Father McMenamin. “He made him blessed in glory.” The glory of a father in a dutiful son. When the great war was at its height and New Zealand was sending forth her sons to battle, our zealous priests were ready to accompany them; amongst our many worthy chaplains was Father McMenamin, one of Mosgiel’s pioneer group of priests. He had spent six years in parochial work when the call of duty directed him to the war zone, where he slut rod many hardships and privations and where he laid down his life, meeting a glorious death at the post of duty — all honor to the memory of Father McMenamin, the first hero and martyr priest of Holy Cross College, honor to the College which trained him for the priesthood and honor to the founder who had been spared to read the account of the noble life, the glorious death of this orthy son of Holy Cross,

“He made him blessed in glory,” On that day when God called the founder of Holy Cross College to his eternal reward as forty priests trained under his care raised on high the Sacred Host and saving Chalice for the generous benefactor of the faith, and again to-day when the whole Hierarchy of New Zealand assembled honor him to whom was given the priesthood of the' nation, to honor the memory of Bishop Verdon as they honored the Patriarch of old “Let the people show forth his wisdom and the Church declare his praise.” Honoring the Memory of the Departed. We assemble to-day to honor the memory of the founder of Holy Cross College, to commend to God in the Adorable, Sacrifice of the. Mass the souls of the founder together with the deceased professors and students. We thank God for the vitality and vigor of our Holy,.Faith in these young

lands; we rejoice at the blessings which have ■ rewarded the zeal of devoted priests who have come from the home lands to labor in this portion of God's vineyard. May God he praised for the priestly and religious vocations which are the surest signs of the I vitality of the faith, vocations to the ranks of the diocesan clergy, vocations to the Society of Mary, so closely find gloriously; associated with the beginnings and progross of our holy faith in these la fids, . and to various religious Congregations;; may these vocations become more numerous still. May we, who rejoice in the sacred calling to the priesthood, be stimulated to untiring zeal in our labors in the harvest of souls; may we remember wc share that same priesthood which urged a St. Vincent do Paul to tramp the highways and byeways in quest of abandoned souls, the same which called a St. Francis Xavier to | the distant lands of India, Malacca and Japan to win souls to Christ, the same again which sent a Blessed Peter Chanel from his own beloved France to the islands of the southern seas there to die for the cause of the Cross, that his blood might he the seed of' Christians, and his example an inspiration to sacrifice and whole-souled devotion in our priestly labors; may we all, under the sacred influence of the priesthood which gives us companionship and unity of purpose with the Saints, the Martyrs, yes, with the Apostles, and even with Jesus Christ Himself, may we be encouraged to highest aspirations and to noblest achievement, remembering the words of St. Paul: We are fellow citizens of the Saints, we are members of the household of God, built upon Hie foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, the chief corner stone being Jesus Christ Himself, in Whom all the building being framed together groweth up into a holy temple in the Lord. Amen. MUSIC OF THE REQUIEM. The incidental music was most effectively rendered by the Students’ Choir of Holy Cross College; Rev. Father Andersen con-, ducting, and Mr. G. O’Meeghan presiding at the organ. J 1 | There was a very large congregation and the solemnity and impressiveness of the ceremony appealed deeply to all present. LAY STUDENTS WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY. ‘' : vjMosgiel is still a young seminary and not many of its students have passed to their reward. Among the lay students who have fought the good fight and have finished their course are the following: —C. Molloy, F. Yirrell, P. Stitt, J. Duggan, T. Flannery, J. McCormack, B. Farley, J. McMullen, J. Kearney, D. Daly, J. Cranitch. —R.I.P.