CONFIRMATION AT ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5353, 24 May 1878, Page 7

CONFIRMATION AT ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL.

The sacrament of confirmation was admistered on Sunday, May 19th, by the Right Rev. Bishop Redwood at tlie Roman Catholic Cathedral. At, half-past 7 .o’plppk, (bo hour ; at which Divine service commenced, the building wan filled in every, part.; Tho Bishop, was assisted by the Rev. Father MoGuiunoaa and tho Rev. Father Kerrigan. After muss had been solemnised, - about . forty, received com- 1 muuiou'for the first .time, a special address having been first delivered to them., .Then the candidates for confirmation , were presanted. There .were in all .about ; 120, of whom forty were from the To, Afo parish, the remainder; being ifrom tho Thorhdon pariah, and tho country. Among those .whq presentefl-tihomaclycEi,, were several adults,; some of whom had been in places where confirmation had not been administered, some had by neglect, omitted to take this and ythers wprja recent, converts to the faith. ‘ “The girls were , till dressed. la. white, with a blue sash, a,ud.,w6ro„ muslin veils thrown over' tho head a,nd reach-, iug nearly to tho ground, r The greater number of the boys had ahwhite silk sash/ with a blue or green rosette. '" ‘ ’ . His L'OKDSHXP ‘"delivered ~ii' very' eloquent address, in which be earnestly impressed upon

those who were about' to receive the sacrament the responsibilities they thereby took upon themselves. He dwelt upon the necessity of all members of the Church being confirmed, iu order that they might be thereby encouraged to persevere iu leading Christian lives. He thou proceeded to point out tho obstacles they would meet with iu the world—obstacles which thuy would have to overcome if they loci a life of faith aud morality. Confirmation would assist them in overcoming those obstacles. His Lordship then showed . .very vividly the great clangers that beset their faith, and pointed to tho necessity of faith in order that they might reach another and. a better world. If a traveller was deprived of sight, or partially lost it, he would he in danger of falling over a precipice, or. getting into other peril ; so faith was an eye or a light by which people were assisted to advance to tho next life. . If they were deprived of that light, all guides, would vanish from them, and they would bo lost. By faith they knew there was a place of punishment, a hell which thuy had: to avoid ; through faith they believed there was.a heaven,-, towards which their whole life should tend ; by faith they were led to fulfil their duties'to God.and to man, and to believe in the .real presence of our Lord in the holy Eucharist. Faith was the great means by which they advanced on their, way to Heaven and to the reward prepared for them in the next life.