MAORI CHURCH OPENED.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20489, 7 March 1932, Page 11

MAORI CHURCH OPENED.

CEREMONY AT AROWHENUA DECORATIONS IN NATIVE CRAFT WtfRK. The new Anglican Maori Church at Arowhenua, near Teinuka, was officially opened* and consecrated on»Saturday" afternoon. The Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. Campbell West-Watson) and the Bishop of Aotea-roa (the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett), a number of clergymen, and a large, gathering; of Maoris and pakehas were present. Remarkable for the beauty of its aichitecturo arid wealth of Maori craft work included in its interior decoration, the building stands on a prominence facing the north and close by the iuain south road, about a'quarter of a mile-from Temuka: In the background and further from the road stands'the old wooden building c»f Holy Trinity, officially opened in 1866 by Ca.non J. (Stack, a great lover and friend of the Maoris. '* . Because the occasion was one tlia.t •they have, looked forward to for some years, the day Was la one lor Maoris of the Temuka district, and they attended in large numbers to enjoy the realisation of -their ambitions and to assist the service with hymns sung in their, native, tongue. • The.service of consecration and dedication by Bishop W«istWatson, arid at his request' ' Bishop Bennett pronounced the dedication '--fit the font, first' in the. Maori language arid then translating into , English TKe lessons were fead by-Mr R. C. Taipana, a parishioner of . Arowhenua and Canon A- H. Norrie; of Cashmere, aformervicar-of of Temuka and Winchester. Prayers •• were re*id by the present vicar, the Riv. 6. Nelham - Present also i at the service were: Canons J. F. Goursey (Geraldine), and H, W. Monaghan (Timaru). the Revs. J, South- 1 ward, T. Williams (Timaru), C. C.- Oldham -(Pleasant .Point), and Cox (Geraldine), and Messrs Te A. Pitama(Tuahiwi), Rowntree (Kaiapoi),' and ? G. A. Macdonald (Geraldine). I In the course' of : his* sermon, 'Bishop West-Watson said: It is a* splendi4 thing, for the Maoris that in these last few years they have Bishop •. of their own race. • He can minister*tax - his own flesh and blood-in a way .that ... our people never can. There was a day when a danger existed that " the Maori ■ Christians in. the - Anglican Church might be Jed away ill greater numbers than the pakehas. Thank God that danger now has In the Maori tongu£ the Bishop';.pf Aotea-roa Addressed the gathering and the benediction was pronounced •by both Bishops'. V , Built of reinforced concrete, the new church-is 47 feet long and 20 feet wide. There is a tower 9 feet square arid 26 feet in height—six feet higher than the roof, r The Furniture. Of particular internet to Canterbury people is the furniture, much- of which > has been l given by friends" and weU-wishers of the Arowhenua Chitittji. The altar is from St. John's Anglican Church at Winchester, arid the prayer desk from St. Paul's, Tai .Tapu. The handsome carved altar desk came fr&m Christ's; College, and the credence table was made by the vicar's son, Mr. .M. Watson, % Christ's College, boy. The lectern was the gift of Mrs A. Fielden, Maori work figures in the interior decoration, : ftwo. beautifully-worked piu-pius draping the back wall of tlje sanctuary on either side of the altftr. Along the dorsaland frontal' of.ihe altar there is An ancient (mat), tHe gift of a parishioner, -Mrs - F." Barrett. The piu-pius were worked by' Mrs Marina Anaha, the oldest *'Manri ; parishioner, , and her daughter, Mrs W. Mihaka. With so many gifts, the Maoris have succeeded* in supporting the external beauty of'their church by dignified arid pleasijtg internal, decoration. •