PRESENTATION TO THE REV. FATHER GOLDEN.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1301, 30 October 1880, Page 2

PRESENTATION TO THE REV. FATHER GOLDEN.

The Rev. Father Golden, who, for the past seven years, has had the charjre of the Roman Catholic churches in Waikato, waalwfc night presented by the members of his congregations with a farewell address on the occasion of his departure from the district, to take charge of the Pukekohe district. The presentation was made in the Roman Catholic Church, Hamilton East, a large number of the congregation and some of the leading members of other denominations being present. A little after seven the Rev. Pastor, accompanied by the Key. Father Luck, entered the Churoh from the Sacri«ty, and prayers having been offered, Mr Laurence Cussen advanced to the Altar rails and read the following : — To the Rev. Father Golden, ox his departure from the waikato District. Reverend and Dear Sir, —As it is known to us that it is your intention to j take yoiir departure from the Waikato, in which district, amid many difficulties and discouragements, you have for nearly seven years past labored with such Christian and noble fortitude, we feel it to be our privilege as well as our duty to take such steps as would mark, however inadequately, the widely developed feelings of esteem and respect in which you are held by all the members of your Church in the Waikato district, as also by members of other denominations with whom you have come in contact. With this object we, the undersigned, have formed ourselves into a committee with a view to giving you a farewell parting address, and we, on behalf of the Catholics of this district, on the eve of your departure from amongst us, wish to convey to you our appreciation of your ministration amongst us, particularly when we consider the many and great inconveniences for holding public worship which existed at the commencement of your charge of this wide and now important district, having then had only three churches, viz., at Ngaruawahia, Rangiaohia, and Alexandra, and that now, from your untiring zeal, five additional churches have been built, and are now almost free from any incitmbrance. This alone would have been work enough for any ordinary man in the time, taking into account the scattered nature of the district and the great distance between the different centres of population. But by the aid of Him, in Whose service you were engaged, your great faith and perseverance have succeeded in accomplishing this grand work which is one of the greatest mementoes which any priest could leave behind. And whilst all this has been effected, our spiritual wants have never been neglected, and you have always been found ready to aid and console us in our temporal difficulties and misfortunes by your kindly advice and assistance. While we deeply rpjrrefc your departure, we remember that Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, will find work for you to perform in another district, as backward, perhaps, as ourn was, when you first took charge of it. In conclusion, permit us to express our deep and heartfelt regret at your departure from amengst us. We earnestly trust that wherever yonr lot may be cast, and whatever the future may have in store for you, that the chanjre will tend largely to the material advantage and permanent prosperity of yourself and the great cause for which you so zealously labour. l iubexoe cussex wllliam jones James Fakbkli. Robbbt McVeaoh M. Delaney E. McGarrigle And others. Mr Cussen, addressing Father Golden, said he felt it a great honor to be allowed to read the address that evening. From his own experiences of the district he could form some estimate of the difficulties the rev. gentleman had had to encounter and he felt sure that it was entirely thiough his energy, perseverance and devotion to the sacred cause that he had been able to carry out his onerous duties. He took away with him the best wishes of everybody in the district. He (Mr Cussen), had met with nobody whocuuld say anything against Father Golden, either as a priest, a man, or a friend. Father Golden, who was vi-ibly affected beforo reading an address which he had written, thanked Mr Cuj^en for the very kind remarks which he had been pleased to make. He appreciated them very much, and felt very grateful for them. Ho would take that opportunity of presenting to them one of his pucces-ors, Father Luck, one of the Benedictine Fathers lately arrived from the old country. He could assure him that he would find a congregation who would appreciate good works. He had always found them thus, and he knew they would continue so to his successor. The congregation would henceforth be better supplied than they had heen in the past, because they vrould havo two priests instead of one. He then read the following address: — Mr Cussen and Gentlemen of the deputation, — Allow me to express to you my most sincere thanks for the beautiful address just now read. I am deeply gratiful for your kindness. While your eloquent words too flatteringly applaud my humble services in the cause of Holy Church, they also inspire me with courage ami resolution to undertake fresh labors in a new and extensive sphere of duties. You are generous enough to point out many facts in proof of the large measure of success wherewith you say my ministrations have been blessed in the Waikato. Remember that the willingness, generosity, and faith of the people entrusted to my charge were ever present to my mind, acting as a wholesome stimulant, animating to renewed exertion, and rendering every fresh endeavor a labor of real affection. With such a people I could not lose heart ; I could not be idle. True enough, I have had some stern work to face and some privations to endure in so broad a field of action ; but I believe I always had your sympathy concurrently with your active support. Convinced of this, duties became easy to me. I wish to remark that it is not the will, but want of time, that prevents me from bidding a kind farewell to the other settlements, as I have done in Hamilton and Cambridge, for I owe it to them on many accounts. All the time at my disposal I have devoted to preparations for my departure for a new mission (Pukekohe), where I have announced myself for next Snnday. This, I trust, will be taken as sufficient excuse. In bidding an affectionate farewell to my own flock, I deem it a duty to record my deep and sincere sense of gratitude for the many acts of kindness and goodwill whereof I have so often been the recipient; from people of other denominations. May the bounteous Giver of all good gifts reward them a hundredfold with His choicest blessings. Though severance from a people with whom I have labored ■o long, and who have ever been good to me beyond my deserts, may appear hard to endure, yet I leave with, a cheerful spirit, both because you have assured me that I have been instrumental in effecting some good, and because ready obedience to our venerable Prelate I deem a sacred duty before God ; and still further, because, instead of one as heretofore, you shall have two priests in the future, which will become a source of great comfort and benefit to the district. To bring about this happy result you are aware that I have been very anxious indeed. I must not omit a word of thanks for the generous desire manifested to have accompanied your address with something

else besides. At my % own instance you have desisted, and my gratitude is all the same. It is not when the heart is full that the tongue is eloquent ; and in thanking you again for this very fine address, as also for the past, I venture to ask as the dearest favor that you will remember me, sometimes at least, in your prayers to God ; and in turn, I promise to be always mindful of you at the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Altar. Adieu, my very dear and kind friends, and the blessing of Heaven be ever with yo;i. At the conclusion of the address, the Rev. Father Luck briefly addressed the assemblage expressing the satisfaction and pleasure h.6 felt at being present on that occasion to witness the evidence of mutual attachment which existed between pastor and flock. He assured them that the knowledge of this would greatly encourage him in his ministration. The Divine Blessing having been invoked, the ißsemblage dispersed