NEW CHURCH AT RICCARTON

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 17, 13 May 1925, Page 45

NEW CHURCH AT RICCARTON

v BLESSED AND OPENED BY . =4/ ' bishop BRODIE. ru ’; -i h (From our Christchurch correspondent.) - " 5 V -.r b.ijf lU: i On Sunday, April 26, the new school church at Riccarton was blessed; and opened by his Lordship . Bishop Brodie, assisted by the - Very Rev. Dr. Kennedy (Hokitika) and Rev. Father T. : Hanrahan, priest in charge of the Riccarton parish. i Father Hanrahan extended a welcome to his Lordship . the Bishop, and expressed ’ his appreciation that the parish had * now a church where Mass could be celebrated, and in which his Lordship would have an opportunity of' addressing the people. He spoke of the advantages the parish had in the generous benefactors who had given so liberally and had 'relieved the parishioners in a great measure of the anxiety they had regarding debts that would have to be incurred in the establishment of a new parish. Father Hanrahan expressed his deep appreciation of the generous gift of Sir George Clifford in that he had donated sufficient money to complete the building in which they were assembled. Other generous benefactors were the.;.Misses Henley, who had donated an acre of land for the 'benefit ’of the parish. ; The value of this land was' approximately £IOOO, and might be used for another church building ;-but if not used for the purpose it could probably be -sold and the proceeds devoted to the liquidation of the debts that would be incurred in connection with the buildings of the parish. Father Hanrahan expressed his gratitude to the parishioners ’generally for the response they had made to his appeal for assistance and for the encouragement . he had received, thus enabling him to hope that within a short time the \ priest’s residence would be .free from debt. Commencing from May 10 Holy Mass will be celebrated in the new building every Sunday morning at eight o’clock. 1 -

His Lordship the Bishop, in acknowledging the welcome extended to him, endorsed the grateful appreciation of the generous gifts of Sir George Clifford .and the Misses Henley. The inauguration' of the now -parish '3; 5-r* T V 1 * rl gave' every reason for hoping that ; Uiccarton would soon he a prosperous district and that the necessary buildings for parish equipment would speedily he erected. His Lord- , ship • again explained ;/Hie reason for the multiplication of church- buildings in ' the city ;and suburbs: of Christchurch; it was in i. - , - • * ; accordance with the programme of extension which would provide facilities for attendance at Holy Mass. , Throughout!the world it was now | the acknowledged experience of all bishops that the suburban development of large . cities created. such difficulties for attendance at Mass that numbers of people could not walk ; the; distance between•, their residences and the closest church/. Recently ■•several; bishops in England had issued pastorals to this effect, ; and had > taken steps to direct ; temporary church structures, ; buildings which may be simple in themselves, but which would '* serve ’ the 7 purpose of providing facilities for hearing Holy Mass until such .time as permanent structures would be built. The school-church at Riccarton was the fourth

opened in the suburbs,of Christchurch within the last two months, and this advance, ‘ which was very gratifying to all, showed the deep interest the .people were taking in the work of the Church. ' ' ‘ His Lordship then preached a,sermon.on the Gospel of the daythe narrative of the parable of the Good Shepherd—and pointed out that the progress in the : parish of Riccarton was the result of the zealous , labors of the new pastor and the unbounded confidence the people had in him. • / .• His Lordship concluded by dedicating the church to the sacred purpose for' which it was erected, and invoking God’s ; blessing on the priest and the people of the parish.