FUNERAL OF THE REV. FATHER PETIT-JEAN.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4860, 19 October 1876, Page 3

FUNERAL OF THE REV. FATHER PETIT-JEAN.

There was a large attendance at St. Mary's Cathedral, Thorndon, on Sunday morning, 24th September; when a solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated for the repose of the soul of the Rev. Father Petit-Jean. The high altar and two side altars were draped in black, and the flowers wore removed from the super-altar. The coffin was placed at the foot of the steps leading'to; the sanctuary, with six lighted candles around 1 it. 'The lid had hot been screwed oh, and was plafced by the side altar. It bears the following inscription Of your charity pray for the soul of John Baptist Petit-Jean, S.M), Priest of the Society of Mary, Born 30th March, 1811, . died 21st September, 1876, aged 65 years.” The deceased father was fully vested in violet> and lay in the open coffin, with his, hands clasped on his breast, his biretta being placed beside him, and a handsome cross of lilies and other flowers at the foot.; The service corathehced with a procession, the Bishop bringing up the rear., The Bishop acted as celebrant, and was assisted by the Rev. Father Yardin, of the Hutt. The Rev. Father McGinnesa ■ acted as deacon, and the Jlev. Father Kearney as sub-deacon. The •deacon and sub-deacon were vested in black dalmatics, and, the assistant priest in a black cope. After the procession the alb, chasuble, and other vestments, which had been laid bn the altar for the use of the Bishop, were brought by an acolyte to the episcopal throne, where the deacon and sub-deacori vested him. The special epistle for the Requiem Mass is taken froth the 4th chapter of the Ist epistle • to the Thessaloniaiis, commencing “ Brethren we would not have you iguoraut of those that sleep,”-&c.j and was read by the sub-deaobn. After the Epistle the old hymn “ Dies trie dies ilia,”: was sung, and then the Gospel, taken from the, 11th chapter of , St. John, commencing. “I am the resurrection and the life,” &c., was read. After Mass the Bishop and other clergy came down out of the sanctuary to the foot of the coffin, and the Bishop, vested in a black velvet cope, pronounced the solemn absolution of the body, The body was then blessed and sprinkled with Holy water, and the antiphon commencing as follows, “Deliver us, O Lord, 1 from eternal death in that tremendous day," &0., was sung by the Christian Brothers. Prayers for the faithful .departed, and a special prayer that the

soul of the deceased might .be received into Paradise, were then_offered, which brought the morning service to. a close. A most touching Scene occurred after the service was concluded men, women, and children who' had attended the deceased father's ministrations going up one by one to take a last look at the body.' Many were in tears, and the feeling exhibited showed that in life the rev. father had earned the respect and esteem of all classes.

At three o’clock the cathedral was densely crowded in every part, many not being able to get inside the building at all. The members of the Hibernian Association and the Young Men’s Catholic Association' were present in good round numbers; the former wearing green and the latter blue scarves, across the front of which crape was placed. The service commenced with a procession, the Bishop being vested in mitre and a black hope, and the assistant clergy in cassocks and surplices. The attendant choristers wore red cassocks, a black cross being placed in front of each, surplice, and the Christian Brothers wore their black robes and white bands. The office for the dead was then chanted, the Bev. Bather Kearney and the Christian Brothers acting as cantors. The Bishop then proceeded to the pulpit and delivered a panegyric on the deceased Bather, of which the following is a condensed report;—-In his opening remarks he said that he must claim their indulgence on the present occasion, as it was no very easy matter for him to talk in the presence of those dear and holy remains, and it was more difficult to apeak of a man who had left the record of such a life behind him. He thought a few plain remarks would be most appropriate, and he would leave it to their sympathies to supply that which was- left unsaid. He who had passed from among them had served God in all times and places and in every difficulty and trial. St. Paul had said, .“ Labor as a good soldier of the Lord,” and their dear friend had fulfilled that injunction to the very letter. He had begun his life jf piety when young, and came of a race which had left a great nanmin history. He (the Bishop) was personally acquainted with some of his relations, and found. in them the same simple faith which characterised the departed one. He was born in a village a few miles from Lyons, in the department of the Rhone in Brance, and at college greatly distinguished himself for learning, but above all for virtue and godliness of life. Afterwards at the great seminary of Lyons he showed a most superior ability, being the class companion and rival of the late Bishop of Nismes, one of the most distinguished of the Brench bishops. By his assiduity he had prepared himself for the highest intellectual positions, and then for the love of God renounced friends and country, and consecrated himself to the warfare of Christ. What pangs must he have suffered in parting from friends and home and coming to this distant land. It was early in 1840 that he first came to the Bay of Islands, and a letter which he had sent home in answer to one from his brother-in-law, showed how he felt the parting, for he said that he had gone into the little chapel of St. Brands Xavier and wept like Joseph wept over his brethren ; but the keenest of those feelings of sorrow had been removed, and he had determined, to work and gather fruit in the Lord’s vineyard. He had suffered from hunger and privation, and, worst of all, from the calumnies of those who did not agree with him. Yet in all humility, for when asked if he suffered much his reply was that he had been compelled to sleep out at night among the ferns and on the sea shore, but he thought nothing of it- when he contemplated the sufferings of the missionaries in China, who had to undergo torture on the rack, and even die in the cause of their Lord and Master. After years of toil and labor amongst the native population, he came down with the first Bishop of Wellington on the Ist May, 1850, and they ail knew what he had been amongst them since then. He had carried on his work heedless of men, except that he tried to bring: them within the fold. There were many there who had been baptized and married by him, and many more had reaped the benefit of his instructions. He was accustomed to remain at work long after the midnight hour, was always at early Mass, and often before that heard confessions. He was an indefatigable and laborious student, and when consulted his words were always those of wisdom. By prayer and communion with Heaven his study bore the fruits of wisdom, for he did not employ himself with trashy things, but with such as would make him the more able to do good. His faith was so simple and ardent that he seemed, as it were, to see God in all that he did. One day seeing a Maori woman coming along, tearing her hair and face, and covered with blood, he asked what was the cause of her conduct. She said that she had lost one that was very dear to her, and love was only content with blood, not tears. His reply, that the Lord so loved the world as to shed his las' drop for it, was quite characteristic of the man , and his only object in life was to save souLi His time and convenience were both subjecl to this end, and by ignoring self altogether and in a spirit of true charity he was very successful in his object. Sometimes he had been literally besieged in the midst of his work, but still he never complained, and if he found it necessary to reprove, the reproof was administered so lovingly and charitably as to nearly always have the desired result. That body they saw lying before them would one day rise again and shine in glory, and that pale thin wan face, the result of years of penance—and he might say that means of penance were found upon the dear body after death—would shine for all eternity. He would like to give them particulars as to the death of their dear friend. It was but a few minutes before' that he had been to ' confession, and he had,, entered the church to say his ■ evening , office. While kneeling at the altar steps he was seen to fall by some children, who called Mr. Brost. Mr. Brost raised him, and he said, “ I wa: sleepy.” On Mr. Brost saying “Bather, you are sinking fast,” he replied, “ I am.”: He (the Bishop) was then called in, and gave him absolution. He was then carried home, and the last rite of extreme unction was'administered., Dr. Grace was called, but at that time life was extinct; in fact, the period of time from his fall to his decease was but a few .minutes. It was a sudden death ; but he was prepared, and had fallen on the battlefield at the foot of the altar. He had been spared the terrors and pains of the deathbed, and now his soul was with those who were to enter Paradise. Let those who were young make a strong resolution to live a life of purity .like him ; and let them all make good resolutions for the future. If they had erred in the past, let his dying voice call them ; back to the right path. They owed him » debt of charity and justice in that they might -ihave been, the cause of some small sins which he would have to expiate in the fire of purgatory. They should pray for him, and the greatest honor they could do him was to have Masses offered for his soul. He could help them move now than when upon earth, and grace would be showered down upon them He (the Bishop) felt how cold his words worn When they thought of the warmth of the warm heart that had passed away. He would leave them to think of his kindness and ser vices to them, and they should pray that God would cause many more such men to be sent among them. He was a saint in the sense that bis virtues were more than ordi nary, and if hot absolutely heroic were touching on heroism. Baith, zeal, justice, and charity such as his were uncommon, and the Catholic community in New Zealand would b- , indeed happy if they could get men lit him to come amongst them, for then the* coidd all walk more perfectly before God. They must bid adieu to the dear re mains. They would see them no more in thi> world, but he hoped that they all woul(l ; sn : them again, after the great judgment‘day, • i great glory. After the panegyric the lid ■». ,s screwed down on the coffin, and a procession was formed to the cemetery, headed by a crossbearer vested in black cassock and white surplice. The Artillery band came next, and on the way to the grave played the “Dead March” from Handel's “Saul.” The'Hibernian and Catholic associations followed, then the coffin, covered by a black pall, on which a white cross was worked. The clergy, Christian Brother's, and friends of the deceased then

came in carriages, and a number of gentlemen well known in the City, including his Worship the Mayor, brought" up' the rear. The procession, passed from the Cathedral down Molesworthstreet and Lambton-quay, and up Willis-atreet, Boulcott-steeet, and Wellington Terrace to the cemetery. At the grave the special prayera ordered by the ritual were offered, and the body was then interred. A vast concourse o£ people attended the procession all through its course, and by their respectful demeanor testified their esteem for the rev. father who has gone from among us;