Bishop Cleary in huntly.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 27 February 1914, Page 2

Bishop Cleary in huntly.

CONSECRATION OF PRIORY AND SCHOOL.

THE DONOR THANKED,

Arriving by motor on Saturday afternoon Bishop Cleary celebrated Mass in St. Anthony’s Church at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning. After the last Gospel of the 11 o’clock Mass which was celebrated by the parish priest, the Bishop addressed the people on the duty of parents towards their children. Concerning a child’s school days his Lordship emphasised the fact that nuns and other teachers do not relieve parents of their responsibility—they help parents in the best possible way to bear and to discharge that responsibility. At the conclusion of the sermon the congregation, followed by His Lordship and the priest of the parish, retired to the school, where Father Edge, on behalf of Miss Ralph, formally handed over to the Bishop and to the diocese of Auckland the school in which they were assembled and the adjoining Convent together with the sites of both buildings and the furniture with which each had been so generously supplied. When asking the Bishop to accept this munificent gift, Father Edge remarked that this was the first time in the history of the diocese of Auckland that the Church had received from one donor the unsolicited and unconditioned gift of a school, with its site and furniture complete ; and he believed it was the first time in the history of the Church in New Zealand that in addition to these gifts the church was further indebted to the same generous donor for a spacious,well furnished convent standing in its own artistically laid out grounds. The Bishop in thanking Miss Ralph for her singularly generous and thoughtful gifts declared that this was the happiest day of his life. “ Since my arrival in Auckland, three years ago, this diocese ” said his Lordship, “ has spent £61,000 on sites, buildings and furniture for elementary school purposes. This amount does not include the Huntiy School, and is altogether exclusive of eny sum raised to support the devoted religious teachers of our Catholic children. Gladly,” said the Bishop, “do I bestow the episcopal blessing you ask upon your kind benefactress, your school, your children and your teachers, and I am more than glad to be able to tell you that I am authorised by the sovereign Pontiff to bestow the papal blessing upon Miss Ralph All kneeling, the Bishop imparted the Papal Blessing. Votes of thanks were passed by acclamation to Miss Ralph for her great kindness to the parish, and to the Bishop for his presence at the function. Thus closed the most memorable event in the history of the Huntiy parish.