ARRIVAL OF BISHOP REDWOOD.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4271, 27 November 1874, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF BISHOP REDWOOD.

The Right Reverend Francis Redwood, D.D., the recently-appointed Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese of Wellington, arrived in the steamer Albion yesterday morning. When the time "of departure from Lyttelton of the Albion had been ascertained on Wednesday evening, it was arranged that Bishop Redwood should laud at ten o'clock yesterday morning, at which hour a deputation, amongst whom were Father Forrest, Messrs. O'Shea, Cemino, Reid, Dees, and McDonald, waited on the right reverend gentleman, and accompanied him to a carriage awaiting him off the wharf. The party having also entered carriages, his Lordship was driven to the foot' of Hill-street, where the Catholic body were in readiness to receive him. A band, under the direction of Mr. Cemino, jun., on the arrival of Dr. Redwood, played the "Tantum ergo," and his Lordship robed himself in ecclesiastical garments within the carriage. On stepping out of the carriage the following address, which was highly illuminated, was read and presented by Mr. Walter Johnston. It was from the Catholic laity : —- To the Rkiiit Reverend Francis Redwood, D.D., Bishop or Wellington. The Catholics -resident in Wellington and the neighborhood desire to offer to your Lordship tho warmest oppressions of welcome upon your arrival in tho diocese. They feel deep thankfulness to God for bringing yon safely through the perils of the sea, and allowing V ou on tuif > familiar shore to receive the congratulations of your spiritual children. - Tho appointment of a holy and learned man so intimately connected with tho colony, and identified with its interests, to tho diocesan chargo so long vacant by Mia death of our lato bolovcd Bishop, Dr. Viard, has given the greatest satisfaction to the whole Catholic community, and we have every confidence you will find that to the very utmost of our powers wo shall bo ■willing, one and all, to aid in tho good works It will bo your duty to carry ou and initiate. Wo desire to take this opportunity of assuring your Lordship of our devotion to tho Holy See., and to express our sympathy with the trials of tho Vicar of Christ, whose personal character has secured for him the admiration of the civilised world, and wo are glad to think that one of your Lordship's last public acts before leaving Europe was to visit tho Eternal City, ami solicit and obtain his blessing upon the diocose. Wo feel confident that, with the blessing of God, tho administration of your Lordship will prove of immediate and lasting benefit to the cause of religion, and we pray that there may bo vouchsafed to you a long career of usefulness in tho service of your Master, and that your labors may bo lightened by tho consciousness that you possess tho affection of your people. N. Reid O. E. ILuranTON S. Cemino John O'Meaha Alex. McDonald James O'Shea J. G. Dees. His Lorbship expressed his gratification at tho kind welcome accorded him, and ho would have pleasure in replying to the address in the Cathedral. Mr. Vincent, on behalf of the Catholic Young Men's Society, presented his Lordship with tho following address:— May it ploaso your Lordship,—We, tho members of the Catholic Young Men's Society, Wellington, New Zealand, beg most respectfully to wclcomoyour Lordship as the pastor sent to us by the representative of Jesus Christ, Popo Pius IX. Wo offer our thanks to Almighty God for your Lordship's safe arrival in this dioceso, so long in a state of bereavement and widowhood, through tho demise of our late lamented prelate, Bishop Viard. Ab a Catholic association wo cannot but rejoice, in common with tho whole Catholic bodyiu this country, at tho choice of tho Holy Seo having fallon upon ono so eminent and so fit to extend our holy faith in this distant land, whero tho harvest is so plentiful and tho laborers so few. Wo feci wo are the echo of all those who liavo tho prlvilego of personal acquaintance with your Lordship in expressing our hope that you will bo allowed, by Divino Providence, many years to'work successfully in this now sphere of your apostolic labors.

In conclusion, we desire to recommend our society to your Lordship's spiritual guidance, trusting that, our aim and objects being the promotion of the glory of God, in consonance with.the teachings of our holy mother the Church, --we may ever, bydevotion, merit your Lordship's approbation".—We are, &c., Thomas HoRAy, '•• Eeginald H. Vinceht, '' Jekemiah HnitLEV, ' On behalf of the Catholic Young Men's Society. Bishop Redwood thanked the society for their land expressions, to which he would also reply at the Cathedral. -Mr. 0. E.- Haughton, as President of the Hibernian Society, welcomed, his Lordship to Wellington. He pointed .'out'that the society had been hut recently-formeTJ,'-which precluded its members from appearing in regalia. His Lordship thanked Mr. Haughton for the society, and would acknowledge its kind wishes in the Cathedral. The Bishop "then started for the Cathedral, the band playing the Hasc Deus. A procession, arranged in the following order, preceded Dr. Redwood :—School girls dressed in white, carrying emblematical banners, followed by girls who wore no particular costume ; then came ladies, who were followed by the members of the Hibernian Society and the Catholic Young Men's Society, the latter appearing in the costume of the order. The clergy and Bishop were at the end of the procession. At the threshold of the Cathedral—the procession, excepting Ms Lordship, the clergy, and the prominent gentlemen of the congregation:— having entered, the Bishop was invested with the staff and mitre, the clergy presenting him with the following address. His Lordship stood under a silken canopy, supported by four gentlemen, while it was being read : ! At the moment your Lordship reaches the' threshold of your Cathedral, it behoves your clergy to express to God their heartfelt thanks for having ended the bereavement of a diocese, plunged into widowhood by the premature death of your lamented predecessor, I>r. Viard. I The administration of the distinguished Bishop of Dunedin being of a temporary character, we solicited from God one who would be to us a pastor and a father for life. We were graciously heard. The 20th of January, the day of your Lordship's election to the See of "Wellington; the 25th of the same month, when the choice of the Propaganda was confirmed by his Holiness Pope Pius IX. ; and the 17th of March, the festival day of glorious St. Patrick, when your Lordship was consecrated by the eminent Archbishop Manning, will be duly for ever treasured in our memory. Blessed be our Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ, and His Immaculate Mother—our perpetual advocate — for the nomination of a pastor such as the Bishop whom we now salute and welcome with profound reverence, and, if your Lordship will permit us to say it, with the most cordial affection. In your Lordship's call to this diocese, we recognise the wonderful ways of Divine Providence, directing the various steps of your-Lordship through life, to the distant end, that you should return to New Zealand to preside over this important. portion of Christ's Church. The fact of your Lordship being an Englishman by birth, a New Zealander from childhood, a Frenchman by education, and an Irishman by residence and sympathy—apart from personal virtues, to which your Lordship's presence forbids .us to allude—must excite a peculiar interest, and tend to make your Lordship's arrival agreeable to all. The peace and harmony that happily prevail among the people of Wellington, cause us to hope that our separated brethren will share in our joy, and in our confidence that all will find in your Lordship a real and constant friend. Wo cannot disguise from ourselves that what endears your person to us, is the spiritual mission that has come to your Lordship directly from the august successor of St. Peter; bur glorious but sadly tried Sovereign Pontiff. Alas ! his reign of twenty-eight years, astounding by his duration, has been a continued period of persecutions and robberies, in an age of so-called liberalism: "The accounts of those calamities have continually rung in our ears, and your Lordship has not only heard of, but witnessed tho noble fortitude with which those misfortunes have been ' borne. More ' than once you have contemplated the afflicted but serene countenance of Pope Pius IX., yes, a new Jacob, the Venerable Pontiff has lavished his tenderness and blessings upon your Lordship, another Benjamin (so to speak) among your brother Bishops. 'Ah ! My Lord, in our present jubilation it would be impossible not to dwell upon the name 'Of our most beloved and sorrowful father, and wa feel inclined to repeat with impassioned expression the words of the Israelites of old in their captivity " If I forget thee, 0 ! Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten !" Trusting in our aspirations and prayers in union with all Catholic hearts, we hope the Almighty will be pleased to abridge evils -• that are, alas, so fatal to the salvation of many. We will implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus to have pity on souls. redeemed by His precious blood, to restore liberty to the church, and to procure for her a speedy and fruitful triumph. Finally, my Lord, we beg that you will accept the assurances of our unbounded respect and lasting obedience. After a brief thanksgiving, His Lordship ascended the pulpit and replied to the addresses. He offered his sincere thanks for the expressive addresses of welcome which - had just been - presented to him. He would first thank the clergy for the admirable sentiments expressed in their address regarding the Holy Father of the Church, the Pope, and concerning the persecutions which now assail. the Church. A ray of hope was, however, visible in the horizon, which indicated a speedy triumph by the Church over her enemies. He would also thank the clergy for the hearty expressions of affection which they had exhibited towards him—expressions which would add to the deep interest he felt toward his diocese, and which convinced him of the veneration between the laity and their pastors. He next thanked jthe laity for the hearty welcome they had accorded him, and for whom he already felt affection. He knew the support that he would hereafter receive from them would be as hearty as was their welcome. However unworthy he might be of the office he now held, ho nevertheless considered himself a successor of the Apostles, and went forth, as Christ had instructed the Apostles to do, to teach all nations, and to baptise them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. He exhorted his hearers to listen to him, for he felt towards them with the feelings of an earnest friend —a father, aye, even with the feelings of a mother. He trusted they would all work together, and in harmony, and if they but attended to his instruction and teaching all would go smooth over this sea of troubles, and they would find a joyful haven of rest in another world. He then thanked the young men who composed the Catholic Young Men's Society for the sentiments.expressed by them in their address. To him the society represented hope, and he likened it to a beautiful tree in blossom, and he looked forward to the time when the blossoms would become fruit. He hoped the society would meet with every success, and reap the fruit of the blossoms which were now apparent. Lastly, he would recommend himself to the prayers of his flock. There was much work before him, many difficulties to overcome and perils to go through, but he felt that were the prayers of his people with him all would go well. He hoped, when all-their labors had ceased, to share the eternal crown of glory with them. He then gave them his. blessing, and prayed that the angels who preside around the Throne would watch over them all, and that Jesus Christ would bless and preserve them. He impressed i\pon his hearers the necessity of frequent prayer and attendance at the Holy Sacrament, and exhorted them in no wise to be afraid to confess their creed. He trusted they would ever rem'aiu good Catholics, and always endeavor to carry their creed further, aye, even unto the end of the earth. He then invoked the blessing of Heaven upon them. The benediction of tho Blessed Sacrament was then given, followed by Mass. All the arrangements for the reception of the Bishop we're most perfect. The girls occupied the right side of the Cathedral, the boys the left, the centre being allotted to the congregation and visitors, most of whom, however, were ladies. There were ten Catholic clergymen who welcomed his Lordship, one of whom was Father Gavin, from Nelson, and another a priest from Wanganui. His Lordship appeared to bo enjoying robust health, and diffei'ed in appearance from any of his brethren, having allowed a fine beard and moustaches to add to his genial and handsome face. He was met at the steamov and accompanied to the Cathedral by Messrs. Kedwood and Ward, his brother and uncle. Father Kearney, a promising young gentleman, arrived from Europe with his Lordship. The Museum house, recently occupied by Dr. Hector, has been secured as » residence for his Lordship.