The Jane Douglas.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1658, 15 March 1886, Page 4

The Jane Douglas.

: r The Manaw atu ; uo-operative Steam Shipping Company's screw steamer Jane •Douglas, Captain. Fraser. is announced in~ loavo' Foxfqn for Wellington, to,,day, at 4 p.rij." .''• ''• '-

COJiNi'crtttioii Uj it(><uiii i'nti- I olic Ch-tpel at .*«Vilila •«,. » , ) The conspcraii'>n of the FoiMirvj i Rim an Cathol c Church by i.)r Redwood, j •M ■■> op of Wellington, took pace "yesterday. Tlie Church was no wiled with w«. shippers lonr l»efnr» tha arrival of th< Bishop, 'or even befcrj either of the «• < cial trains h id arrive!, and numbers of Catholics who citne by the litter h id to be content with worshipping outside the building. The Rev. Fathers Me* Manns and Kirk assisted the Bsliop at the service, whic t .v.isoftho nsail impressive description. At about 12.30 the Misere P.- aim pisiled forlh fn~.ua the eh >ir, and at the same moment a pro cession was formed at the .altar, m the following order : — Four altar buys leading, anil followed by leather MeManus Father Kirk, and iho Bishop, the latter robed m the gorgeous vestments belonging to his office and carrying thi|i Bishop's cr-Vok. T c p b etsiou proceeded outside tie main entrance of the building find having walked around the I Church whilst the Bishop repeated the j consecration service, re-entered ,at the ■ same door and walked towards the altar, when the Bishop knelt solemnly before it ion his right side beinsr Father McManus and on the left Father Kirk, die altar toys taking up their position at the extrem<». After the .opening prayer was conclude! the choir s ing the Asberges !and the Bshbp and Priests retired, the iformer re-appearing divested of the 'higher robes of his office. The choir ithan sana: the Kyrie from Winter's Mass, •during which Father McManm appeared before tlie altar with additional and more resplendent vestments than before. The seivioe then proceeded m the u^ual way, and shortly the Bishop stood forward to address the congregation. He said he had hoped to have received m time to ■notify to them that day the first pastoral letter from the Bishops assembled at the First Plenary Council at Sydney,- but this* not having arrived he conld only v read to them the regulations for Lent as customary. After having gone through the latter the Bishop commenced his address by giving out the following words, ■tak~en from the Ecc"«s'astes last chapter and latter part of I3;h verse :— '•* Fear God, and keep his' commandments ; for this is the whole duty of man." He said the text simply stated to them what was the great purpose for which they lived m this world. He /was deeply impressed with the great truth, and m order to v bring so vitally important a matter more home to themselves he would ask them to reflect for a moment on the enormous responsibility resting on them. Almighty God has existed for a whole eternity before any one person had been created on their earth, and if he had thought fit he might never have created any. The world had existed thousands' of years • substantially, before any, member of the human race now living. Our first parents had disobeyed the law and were condemned i.to death. The .Very nie's and ghats which sail through the air and the | smallest fish; ;which then cleaved the water were imnieasurably superior to any; ope of them because.they had fir3t .exis'ed. God had made us and not our parents^ theiattiarvvere only the ihstmments used' by his omnipotent hands. Ho therefore having created us had an entire right to our service and to command iis r our immortal souls came from him directly. . His right to command us was absolute and unlimited, not circum scribed, conditional, or limited, as man's ;power always was. God's power was irrevocable and eternal. His right was not changed now or ever would. His .title j ito bur service. would always remain and not one was exempt; ' The highest dignitaries m the ; Cbiirch, the highest officers of the State, Kings and Queens, Governors, Presidents, Admirals, Generais, Magistrates, and all the great men ;o£ the universe were subject to his sway. None of those even conld claim exemption and all stood before his omnipotent presence on a common equality. The 'Creator, however, had greater claims still for the reception ot man's service, ;v;z., that of gratitude. This he believed should ?g'o. more home to their .hearts. All we I possessed" was 1 his; h« had supiplied jSSjwith every good thing' we had and looked after our wants and jiecessi^j 'ties without ceasing ; even the very smallest or most insignificant' of the human race received attention and help ot the Supreme Being and "H mankind I were and would be m receipt of untold? blessings to the end of time ; and with" regard to the immortality of their souls, ; what a stupendous aed awful matter this problem unravelled. Look at. Ohina's millions of created beings without the ] knowledge of the true God to. guide i them. How ought Christians to be thankful for the blessings continually' goured: out upon them m their own 'lands and the great and immeasurable : benefits which they were always receiving. There were he believed 200 millions of Catholics m the 1 wbrld,. and the privileges they enjoyed were simply enormous and were not sufficiently ap- i ■ predated. Gocl Almighty had a right i to their service by the" title of property. He had made us and we belonged to him : but then he had also a right t,o their ser- - vice by redemption, and m „this,lje,had ] 'more claim upon them than by any other right. He had gent his own Son to suffer for their sin m order that they should have no excuse by Buying that they had to sufter more than they could bear. God sent one of his own person to expiate their punishment, and the re ward of those who believed m the son of God and who fqllowad m the holy teach ings of the Church would be that they would see their Saviour face to face and be for ever happy ; on the other hand if they did not believe but denied God and lived lives of pleasure and sin, making their. God out of money, drink, power, or Qther evils then they would be banished from his face for ever and be m an eternal despair— they would burn m a flame of despair dui ing all eternity.' The question now arises were they to serve God ? The auswer was m the text, " Fear God and keep his. commandments." It was not enough to keep one command- : inept or two, nor was it enough to keep all but one, No, but they must all be kept, the whole ten, we by the violating of one are eternally lost. 'It is not ' sufficient either that they should > be known m a general way, but how they bear on their daily lives and make ' them apply to all their actions > m life. Their schools had a great work before them, and this was the reason that the Catholics sent their children to their own schools. They then had imparted to them the first teachings of their holy balie^, fa 1 this was a grand : work for the reception of greater truths when they became more advanced -in; life. It was r.o«.v the season of Lent and, ,' he would exhort them to be ; careful and j attentive to the solemn time of their Christian year. He did not see why every Catholic household should not have prayers and good books read id' tHV houses. during this season. At this time they were all, including the Holy Father, : "linler the same restrictions, and he hoped, the strictest observance would be made by them all, and keep the rules laid down by the Holy Church.' The Dr concluded '• his seamon by heartily thanking- those who had come from such great distances to attend the services of God. It was a good sign to see so many there that day witnessing "another building consecrated to their great Master's glory. All honor aud praise .was ; due to those who had come from long distances to attend the service, and they would have the blessings of God poured down upon them for it. Often times, .it was found the Almighty recompensed his children m this world with temporal blessings, but they would . without doubt receive their reward m .the new kinefdom. The .manifestation of reli°ious feeling and sentiment t expressed w as deservjng of the highest

,rasi. fie;>voulil lhivnk lUOtttiu. s © wlmt th.cv h'i'l doiv m connection .*« th •estiblisliiutnt of thuir Hmroh. Some ha<i in-loe'l bee:i iu<>st <fenerous m subcrihinjr and. they would oertaiiilv have Hip bless n<r descend io their children for tlvjif go <l aftl-s. FTo wonlil tell tlieia, hiw evrti , that the church lio.il still a consular able tlfebl lipon it and another appeal I would be imule that day to their trener ositv, wh'-n ii« liii.il nn floiibt they Wi>ul 1 respond willingly and largely; they all WituUd he felt s»re to havfe their church. fre« from duht. The priests thun took up the offertory which resulted m a collee'ion of £li 2. Tite choir then -aug the i Aviic Maria and Sauctusi from the mass of • tie EniiDci tioiftifter ivhicli the elevation of the host was performed by Father McManns. The choir th<;u sans* tl»e Uened.ctn*, the soprano and alto duett m which was beautifully rendered. The j-lossanna chorus rollowed with " Far'wier's Agnus Dei and Dona Nolus. Before concluding the service the Bishop thanked. Father Kirk and the Wanganui choir for their able assistance at the service; the singing, -he considered was a jrraat treat and altogether beyond what he expected m a country town. The service concluded- by the choir rendering the semi national hymn M Douiine Salvnm.Fac.f Mrs Lloyd ably acted as organist, und the leadihs vocal parts were sustained verv/creditablyihdeed by Miss Coakley, soprano, Miss alto, and Messrs' Crlbb and Me ul;ch tenor and has 8 respectively. After the conclusion of the service a sum of 4.12 wap collected and the Bishop subscribed £10, and we believe at the evening service the tota" amount reached iJIOO.