BISHOP VERDON IN ROME.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7, 15 February 1900, Page 20

BISHOP VERDON IN ROME.

Yesterday (Wednesday) morning a cheery letter was received by Father Murphy, Administrator of St. Joseph's Cathedral, from the Bishop of Dunedin. At the date of writing (January 4) his Lordship was staying at the Irish College, Home, with which he was so long and honourably associated, first as Vice-rector, afterwards as Rector. We make the following extracts from his Lordship's letter :—: — 4 1 dare Bay my letter and the two young Waterf ord priests arrived soon enough to put you in good humour for the Christmas celebration. The two young Thurles priests should by this time be near the New Zealand coast. I shall certainly bring one priest. probably two, with me when I sail in February. All have been highly recommended by their College superiors, so I expect my trip to Europe will prove beneficial to the Diocese. ' I was preparing to send off a full account of the opening of the Porta Santa and the Christmas festivities here, when I unexpectedly got a lot of work thrown upon my shoulders. On the eve of Christmas the Propaganda authorities requested me to put the Ada and the Decrrta of our Provincial Council into shape and get them printed in full for distribution among the Members of the Congregation. Of course this meant a great deal of work, but I shall have all the printing done and the proofs revised before the end of next week. I hope to get the Decrees approved by the Congregation before I leave Rome in February. ' The Holy Father wan suffering from a severe cold when I arrived in Rome. He had been c mfiaed to bed for a couple of days ; but he soon gets over such attacks, and he gave me a private audience on December 11. Of cour.s •ho was very gracious, a^ he is to every one who iipproach.es him lie inquired about the clergy and the people of the diooese, and manile^tcd a deep interest m their welfare, spiritual and temporal. He «eemed greatly consoled when I told him of the zeal of the clergy and ot the f,»ith and devotion of the people, of their generous support of the Church. and the'r noble efforts to give their children a good, sound religious education, although heavily taxed to support a godless system ot education which they condemn and abhor. His Ilolme-s bestowed his Apostolic Benediction on each and every member of my flock, and wished them every bleshing, spiritual and temporal 'I have presented 8.500 frnncs [over £1!H) j to the Holy Father in the name of my flock. When I made, my offering the iitily Father prayed that God might reward all the contributors for their generosity. Money is not as plentiful in the Vatican now as it was a few years ago, and the Peter's Pence are indeed <>a<ily needtd by the Holy Father. Whatever is off 'red to him is not thrown away At the close of my audience the Holy Father allowed me to present our good student, Mr. D. Buckley, ot the Propaganda Colleg". The Holy Father received him most paternally, and spoke kind words which, I am sure, will never be forgotten. ' A few days after my audience 1 saw the H"ly Father again at the Consistory — accounts of which I have no doubt you have seen in the papers — and on Christmas Eve I assisted in cope and mitre at a most impressive and deeply interesting function, when the Holy Father opened the Porta Santa of St. Peter's and gave his benediction to a very great concourse of privileged people. For 7~> years tbat ' Holy Gate ' had been walled up and never been opened. The Holy Father — probably the only one of that vast concourse — had pas-sed through it in 1825, and now, after 73 years, he parsed through it again, and we were all deeply moved as we watched tee venerable old man kissing the portals as he advanced with slow but firm step into the great Basilica. His frame is bent with the weight of years, but his eye is bright, and his intellect clear, and his will is as strong as it was during the best days of his long Pontificate. " Will he close that gate on December 24, 1900 ?' was a question which many asked, but few could venture to answer. He is now over DO year--of age, but to give you pome idea of his vigour I may tt 11 you that his voice was heard distinctly when he sang the prayers and invocations ; and he wielded the golden hammer with puch effect that he left his mark on the marble slab which he struck, and the ringing sound of his blows reached the very end of the portico ' Making use of the Holy Father's great concession, I enjoyed the rare privilege of pontificating at the midnight hour which marked the close of the old and opening of the new year. In presence of the Blessed Sacrament enthroned on the altar at that Bolemn hour, I offered up the Holy Sacrifice for my flock, thanking God for all the blessings showered down upon them during the past year, and begging for additional favour? and blessings during the year that was commencing. The 'Te Deum ' and the ' Veni Creator Spiritus.' with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, concluded our

solemn function. Thus you pee that my first thoughts and prayers as the year a.d. 1000 began were for my people. But I have, indeed, thought of them during all my travels, and at many holy shrines I have offered up my prayers for their spiritual and temporal wellbeing. I feel very happy in Rome. lam occupying the very rooms which I occupied for many years during my term of office in the Irish College. But much as I enjoy Rome I am longing for horne — my adopted horne — longing to be back again in my dinceee of Dunedin. I have travelled through some of the richest countries of the world during the last nine months, I have visited some of the greatest cities of America and Europe, I have seen very matrnificpnt buildings, but I have not seen a more beautiful country than New Zealand, or a more picturesquely-situated city than Dunedin. or a more faithful, fervent people than our own gooil, faithful people of the diocese of Dunedin. ' Dean O'Leary talks of leaving Europe in February. Possibly he may sail in the Omrah with me, but he has not decided yet. ' Tell Father Cleary thut the Tablet is greatly praised by all who see ie in Ireland and elsewhere. lam proud of it. I shall present a number of it to the Holy Father before I leave Rome, and ask his blessing on the good work.'