ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1701, 21 February 1888, Page 2

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Morning Services,

The Right Rev. Dr Grimes, Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese, celebrated first Mass in St. Joseph’s Church, Temuka, last Sunday. There was a fair attendance. At 11 o’clock Solemn High Mass was celebrated, the Rev. Father Fauvel officiating. There was a very large congregation, extra seats having to be provided. Before Mass the Bishop performed the ceremony usual on the first visitation of a newly-consecrated bishop, and subsequently explained it. He said that every bishop made solemn promises to be faithful to his duties, and one of his first duties was to visit esch parish and examine everything cennected with the Church, schools, etc., and send to Rome as soon as possible an account of the state of everything. He was also required to,visit Rome within a given time. The Church not only watched over the earthly part of her charge, but commanded that they should be mindful of the souls of the faithful departed. Part of the ceremony consisted of prayers for the dead and the beautiful prayers “ De profundia ” (“Out of the depths, 0 Lord ”) wets offered up for that intention, The Bishop must glvs an account of everything, and correct abuses If there vere any and see the people, aad for this ho was in their miJst now. Any of them could, therefore, see him in the confessional or out of it; he was to be seen at any time until next Thursday evening, when he would leave for i'imarn. His Lordship next read his first Lenten Pastoral, which consisted mainly of a most beautiful account of his consecration as ia bishop, In ibis bis thoughts, bis anxieties, bis hopes, his aspirations were most beautifully set forth, in language which for simplicity of style and elegance of diction could not eaaily be surpassed, and be read it with such a delightful grace that won all present. The following is the concluding paragraph of the Pastoral letter t

“ Before concluding this Pastoral letter we beg, dearly beloved brethren and children in Christ, to offer you ear warmest thanks and heartfelt blessing for the truly princely welcome you gave u«. You saw in us not the man bat the Bishop, and in the Bishop you saw God’s own repre* aentative, God’s own elect, year divinely appointed chief pastor, and right well did you receive and welcome him aa auch. No word* of oura are adequate to ezpreaa our deep thanks to the clergy, the religions communities, and all the faith* ful, for the many and fervent prayer* offered up to the Almighty for our aafo voyage to this See, now become to u* moat dear aa the land and the home Heaven would have oa love and live in unto death. In return for the many and unmistakable proofs of your affectionate welcome, wo cheerfully renew the promises we made on the day of oar arrival. Like the Apostle of the Gentiles, "Moat gladly will we spend ourselves and be spent for your souls ; although loving you more we be loved less,” (II Oor, xiv., 15-16). Your every true interest shall be dear to us. After the greater glory of God, every thought and desire, every energy of our mind and heart and strength shall he for you and yours. In the daily Sacrifice of the Altar, in oar prayers (private or public) we promise to be mindful of you, and of all near or dear to you, whether living or dead.” The choir, under the direction of one of the Sisters of St. Joseph, sang—“Kyrio,” from Est’s Mass j Credo,” from Webb’s Mass in G; “ Sanctns ” and “Agnus Dei,” from Webb’s Mass in D; the selection at the Offertory being “ Oh I Maria.”

Evening Service. At a quarter to 7 o’clock the evening service commenced. The choir sang tbs Vespers, and Haydn’s “ Tantum Ergo ” and “0 Salutaris," and also the “Te

Deunir" .The Rev. Father Faovel officiated at Vespers, and the Right Rev, the Bishop in his Pontifical robes at the Benediction, The Bishop also preached his first sermon in Temuka, and we

venture to say that there was no one present who did not leave feeling that it was one of the most delightful anrhioDS they had ever heard. His Lordship makes no attempt at oratorical display ; he never strains after effects he uses very simple language; his gestsres are few, but graceful, free and unaffected,

and earnestness and zeal are bis chief characteristics. But, though his language is simple, nothing could exceed iti beauty, its clearness, its conciseness—nor

would it be possible to speak with greater fluency or more soul-stirring effect. His ii not a style which appeals to the emotions; he appears more to aim at reaching hie auditors’,reasoning powers, aud imparting to them that which must aronse them to think. In fine, bis sermon appeared as the outpouring of a heart over-

flowing with religious zeal, and of a mind full of high and holy thoughts and stored with a vast

amount of knowledge, We have no recollection of ever having listened to a more delightful sermon. His text was; “We exhort that you receive not the grace of the Lord in vain,” etc. Nearly 900 years ago, he said, a great conqueror was about to die, and ordered a shroud to be made

and borne before him, to show that that was all the greatest of kings or conquerors could take out of the world with thsm. The Church of God had given to the faithful equally forcible examples of the

instability of life in some of her cere* monies at the present season—the season of Lent. At the Ash Wednesday services, hsldjfonr days previously, the priest uttered the words “ Remember, man, thou art dnst, and unto dost thou must return,** and he laid the ashes on his own head and on the foreheads of the faithful present. Thus the Church reminded us that we were made out of the slime of the earth, and that to dnet we must return. God made man out of the slime of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life—a soul, a spirit—and gave him three great faculties—memory, will, and understanding. He thus made men a little less than the angels, but the day must come when there will be no more day for os, and the night when there will be no more night—when we must cross the threshold of eternity—and this was an awful thing to reflect upon. There was nothing \ awful in death, but sin. It was sin which made death terrible. A holy writer said that we should “die daily, so (bat we might live eternally (hat is that we should mortify our bodies so as to secure life everlasting. Mortification was prMtind during the i««mq 0 f

Lent in atonement far our sins, and if w e obeyed the Church and avoided sin death would only mean the patting on of immortality, and we could nay, “0 death, where is thy sting, 0 grave, where in thy victory 1” They must, however, remember, the words, “Unless you eat of My flesh and drick of My blood yon shall not have life in you,” and to attain the grace of a happy death they most approach the sacraments; they must cling to the Cross of Christ. If they wanted to live with God they muit die with Christ. God came down from Heaven to teach them a lesson in humility. He bad all power—everything —yet He came down amongst men, and despised riches and honors, and died for their sins on the cross. The religion He taught, and for which He died, had been preserved to them. There were many present whose forefathers had died for it, and thus gave them a glorious example. It was a precious gift they inherited—a gift watered by the blood of their ancestors, and be hoped they would never forsake it, but that they would always cling to the Cross of Christ, His Lordship spoke for over an hour, and wound up with a most telling appeal to them to avail themselves of the present season of the year to restore themselves in God’s grace by making use of the means instituted by the Church. They muit pray—pray in season and out of season—“ Pray always ” was the injunction Himself. His Lordship then said he would give them the Papal blessing, and said His Holiness the Pope—one of the greatest Popes that ever eat in the chair of St. Peter—com* missioned him to bless them. His words were, “ Tell them I bid you bless them, ■old tell them I would like to be there to bless them myself.’* His Lordship descended from the pulpit, and from the altar gave the Papal blessing, aid the ceremony terminated with the Benediction of the Holy Sacrament.