New Church at Woodlands

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 44, 18 November 1925, Page 13

New Church at Woodlands

FOUNDATION STONE CEREMONY.

( As briefly referred •to in our issue for November 4, the corner-stone of a 1 new church at Woodlands, in the Waikiwi parish, was laid on Sunday, the 25th ult., by the Very Rev. Father Hunt, pastor of Winton, assisted by the Very Rev. Father James O’Neill, pastor of the district, in the presence of a large crowd of people from all parts of the parish, and a number of representative Catholics from Invercargill. His Lordship Bishop Whyte was unavoidably absent, being engaged at the opening of the new wing of the Anderson’s Bay Home for the Aged. The Bishop intends to be present at the opening of the church early in the new year. The clergy, preceded by cross-bearer and •acolytes, blessed the entire foundation and led the Waikiwi choir in the singing of -the Litany of the Saints, after which the stone was blessed and placed in position in accordance with the directions of the ritual. The stone is a handsome piece of Bluff granite polished at the quarry and engraved by Messrs. Fraser, monumental masons, who kindly donated it. The inscription react?; V.O.M. In honorem S. Joan If Arc, S. Joannis Vianney, S. Theresae Lisieux. Iteverendissimo Jacob.o Whyte, Episcopo. Eevdo J. O’Neill, Parocho. 1025. 0 Father Hunt delivered a very impressive address on the nature of the ceremony at which they were attendinginaugurating the work of erecting a house of God where His sacramental presence would he a source of countless blessings to those who would frequent that church. The speaker urged his hearers to show their generosity by helping to clear the debt off the building. A ready response was given to the exhortation. Father O’Neill thanked the subscribers one and all. He was particularly grateful to Father Hunt, who motored from Winton to give his services, after attending to his Sunday work, and announcing evening devotions in Winton. After forty years’ indefatigable labor in the diocese, the good Father is as keen for work as any of the pioneer priests who have raised enduring monuments of zeal and devotion. A few of the subscriptions should be mentioned, as follows; —M.. Concannon, £25; M. Dooley (Kapuka), £2O; Father Hunt, £5; Father Lynch (Wrey’s. Bush), £5; Father Woods (Queenstown), £5; W. Curran, West Plains (Ist instalment), £5; J. Ournane, £5; M. Woods (Invercargill), £2 2s; Jos. Pascoe, Geo. Martin, Dr. Collins, W. Perriam, T. O’Driscoll, Archie McDonald, B. White (Kapuka), P. O’Meara, each: £2; Jas. Collins, T. Loughnan, T. Keppel, Jos. iKilkelly, each £1 Is; Mrs. Staunton* T. ■* Prendergast, M. Tierney, Jas. Kerr, ' W. Dooley, T. Timpany, Thns. Hanning, duo.

each £l. There are also a number of smaller contributions. The bricks used in the erection of the church are selected samples from McSkimming’s brickyards, Waikiwi, and should make, a good appearance.- The interior will be lined with Maxwell plaster between the buttresses, Gothic windows filled in with colored glass will light the building. In the east gable a large Gothic window will light the sanctuary; the vestry and choir being on either side.

Crooks, W. Hanning, Mrs. T. Lee, Wm. Scully, W. Burke, Pat Staunton, P, Collins, Thos. Scully, D. Dolan, J. F. Kerr, J. Deveney, F. Taylor, M. Small, M. Beadle, John Collins, Bryan Ferry, D. O’Keefe, Mrs. Kerr, Mrs. Hanning, Mrs. O’Halloran, M. Crooks, J. McG. Watson, W. Henderson,