THE VISITING PRELATES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 8, 21 February 1901, Page 3

THE VISITING PRELATES.

AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION.

As briefly stated in our last issue, Mb Grace the Archbisop of Melbourne, his Grace the Archbishop of Wellington, his Lordship the Binhop of Ohristchurch, hia Lordship the Bishop of Dunedin, the Ili^Lii licv. 3Tgr. O'Reil'y (AnrVlanrn accompanied by the Right Rev. Mgr. Mackay ( Oam aru), Very Rev, Mgr. O'Leary (Lawrence). Wry Re\. Dean Foley (ChrMehnrpb) Very Rev Father I e.vin. V <;. (Wellington). Very Rev. Father Boyle" (Sydney), R< v rather McCarthy (Melbourne), Rev. Father Regnamt (Wai mate), Rev. Father Coffey (South Dunedin), and Rev. Father Cleary arrived by the express in Dunedin from Christchurch on Wednesday evening, when the visiting: prelates were accorded an enthusiastic reception. The distinguished visitors were received at the station by the Rev. Father Murphy, Adm., St. Joseph's Cathedral, Very Rev. Father O'Neill (Milton), the local clergy, and a number of prominent Catholic laymen. The Hibernian Society formed a guard of honor from the station to the carriages which were in readiness for the visitors. Having taken their seats in the carriages a procession was formed. This was headed by a large number of boys bearing: torches, who were followed by a brass band in a drag. Then came the Hibernian Society, the members of the various confraternities, and the general public, after which were the carriages containing the visiting prelates and clergy and prominent Catholic laymen, a number of the Hibernian Society walking on each side of the Archbishops' carriage as a bodyguard. The pro" cession was of considerable length, and was witnessed with much* interest by the large crowds who had assembled on the line of route, and at many points enthusiastic cheers were given as the distinguished Tisitors were recognised. The procession was admirably marshalled by Messrs. Hill and Fleming, assisted by Mr. Clancy. The Dominican Priory and the Bishop's palace were brilliantly illuminated with Chinese lanterns in honor of the visitors. The latter looked very pretty with its scores of colored lights, many of which were placed among the foliage of the grounds with most picturesque effect. The fine proportions of the priory were shown to advantage with every window illuminated, the following inscriptions being displayed : ' Ad multos annos,' • Cead mile failte,' and ' Welcome.' The Cathedral bells rang out a peal of welcome as the procession left the station. On the prelates and clergy entering the Cathedral the choir sang ' Ecce Sacerdos.' Immediately after the clergy entering the main doors of the Cathedral were thrown open and the vast crowd, which had been patiently waiting for a considerable time, poured into the sacred edifice, filling it in every part. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne was seated on the Bishop's throne, the other prelates being accommodated with seats in the sanctuary. THE ADDRESSES. Mr. J. B. Callan, supported by Mr. John Carroll, then lead the following addresses from the clergy and laity oi J him dm • — 'io his Grace the Moßt Rev. Thomas J. Carr, D.D.. Archbishop of Melbourne, on the occasion of hia vibit to Dunedm February 13, 1901. May it please your Grace, — We, the Catholic clergy and laity of Dunedin, bid you a read viilh fadtr to our southern city. Your Grace's visit to New Zealand is directly associated with the inauguration of great religious edifices which give tangible evidence of the advance which the Catholic Church is rxaking in this young and flourishing Colony. W T e thank your Grace for that kindly evidence of goodwill towards New Zealand Catholics which brought you over a thousand miles of Btormy water to assist in the good work of extending the material instruments of the Church's activity in our midst. Your presence amongst us is to us a proof that your zeal for the good Master's glory, like the taith and charity of His Church, knows ' no bound or bar of mountain, sea. or stream.' We welcome your Grace also as one who has achieved great things both in the material and the spiritual building-up of the church in the great archdiocese over which you bo worthily preside. We congratulate your Grace on the triumphant achievement by which you have made architecture the handmaid of religion in the completion and consecration of the noble temple raided in your cathedral city to the glory of the living God under the invocation of the sainted apostle of the isle which gave you birth. We rejoice likewise in your labors in the cause of education, of charity, aud of church extension, and in your masterly and triumphant exposition and defence of Catholic truth and Catholic principles. Your Grace's literary labors have strengthened the faith of Catholics ; they have dispelled from the minds of many outside our fold erroneous and injurious notions regarding our tenets and practices , and by the unfailing courtesy and winning kindliness of their tone have done much to promote that good mutual understanding and harmony of feeling which tend so much to compact society and to strengthen the sinews of the State. — We have the honor to remain, your Grace's humble servants, P. Murphy, Adm. ; J. B. Callan, F. Meknan, J. J. Carroll. To the Most Rev. Francis Redwood, S.M., D.D., Archbishop of Wellington ; the Right Rev. John J. Grimes, S.M., D.D.. Bishop of Ohriatchurch ; and the Right Rev. Monsignor O'Reilly (representing the Right Rev. George M. Lenihan. D.D., Bishop of Auckland), on the occasion of their visit to Dunedin, February 13, 1901. Your Grace, your Lordship, Right Rer. Moneignor,— We, the Catholio clergy and laity of Dunedin, bid you a hearty welcome to our midst. We thank you cordially for the kindly feeling which brings you among us to aid in the inauguration of those institutes of learning, piety, and charity which are destined to carry out the

good work of the Master in this portion of His vineyard. We congratulate your Grace on those evidences of marked progress made in recent years by the Catholic Church in New Zealand, and with which you have been associated as its first Metropolitan : the elevation of this Colony to the status of a province of the universal Church, and tho successful holding of the firt,t provincial synod. We also rejoice in the recent and solemn opening of the splendid temple which baa risen over the ruins of your Grace's loved old Cathedral of St. Mary's. We congratulate you, my Lord of Christchurch, on the memorable ceremonies of last Sunday in connection with the noble (Jathearal which yuu ate now raioiag to the honor of God, and with which your name shall be for ever honorably associated. And we trust and pray that, wilh heaven's favoring h i-sning. the two great cathedrals which are to adorn the cities of Wt llington and Chriatchurch may rise to a speedy and happy completion in all their symmetry and beauty. And you, Right Rev. Monsignor : We greet you as the representative of the popular and beloved prelate who guides with such zeal and singleness of purpose the See of Auckland, and whose labors in the cause of education and charity, whose services to the orphan and the poor, are known to and appreciated by us all. We ask you to convey to hii Lordship the assurance of our deep respect and admiration. And we gladly take this opportunity of congratulating you on the high and well-merited dignity to which you have been recently raised by the aged and venerable Pontiff who sits in the chair of St. Peter.— We have the honor to remain, etc., P. Murphy, Adm., J. B. Callax, F. Meenan, J. J Carroll. REPLIES. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne said he had in the first place to thank them all most sincerely for the very splendid reception which they had given to the visiting prelates that evening There was no city in Christendom in which any body of prelates could be received with more honor and more reverence than they had received that evening. These outward marks of respect, if they were disassociated from the feelings which they naturally tended to express, would be of little value ; but when that outward demonstration was, as it certainly was, the sincere expression of their goodwill and reverence, such a demonstration was to be prized more than words could express, because it gave expression to that union which had always existed between the Catholic people and their prelates. Here they were in a new country. Many of the old people had come from older lands ; but their children were born in this new land, and could not have the traditions of the past bo vividly impressed on their minds as their parents. Their parents had brought with them to this country those glorious traditioni which had been handed down from generation to generation, amongst which was the indivisible union between the Catholio people and their pastors. Viewed in that light, that large demonstration and those addresses which had been prehented were matters of the utmost importance, as they were to the visitors matters of utmost rejoicing. As they had mentioned in the address to him he had come to New Zealand to assist at very important ceremonies He a«.s'>ted a fortnight ago at the dedication of a splendid basilica in Wellington, last Sunday at the hiying of the foundation of the future Cathedral of Chrietehureh, tnl next Sunday he hoped, with God's blessing, to assist at the inauguration of a noble institution of charity in their own city. But ov< r and above these ceremonies he had the opportunity of travelling through a great part of the country, and observing that which they expressed in the address— namely, the wonderful progress of religion and education in this Colony. It wa« not merely in material buildings that he found solid evidence of that progress, but he found that evidence in the character and the conduct of the Catholic people, and in a very particular manner in the number of Christian schools that had been multiplied so much throughout the land. In every small town through which he went he found that there was a Catholio primary school. He deeired to call them Christian rather than Catholic, but unfortunately, in this country as well as in Australia ChriHtian primary schools were almost without exception Catholio Bchools, and he thought that was a matter to be deeply deplored. He had himself over and over again appealed to those who were not members of the Catholic communion to try and check that downward tendency which existed amongst the rising generation of Australia, if not of Australasia. Those outside the Catholio Church had time and again given expression to the pain which they felt at viewing this decay of Christian ideals. They admitted that the Churches were neglecting their duty, and that there was a great deal of profanity and vice amongst the rising generation, but in this matter they took no steps to counteract a tendency which would be ultimately fatal to family and national life ; they would not cooperate with the Catholic Church in trying to introduce a system of education which was an absolutely necessary means of inducing a Christian character in any country. It was deplorable that nonCatholics would not take up that great question of Christian education. It was universally felt by those best competent to judge that as the years went on and as one generation succeeded another there would be more want of religion, there would be more lack of morality and Christian sentiment in the community if the schools continued to be of a non-Christian character. And hence he was delighted during his progress through the portions of New Zealand through which he travelled to observe the wonderfully successful efforts that had been made by the Catholio Church to provide Christian education for Catholio youth. Everywhere, as he had mentioned, he found these schools had been established, and in many cases— in most cases, indeed — they were under the management and control of good Sisters of one Order or another. Now he contended that there could not be a greater proof of the vitality of the Catholic religion than was to be found in the sacrifices which were being made by those devoted teachers, by the parents of the children, and by the clergy in support of that great principle of Christian instruction. He eaid without fear of oontra-

diction that such sacrifice was to be found amongst Catholics and Catholics only. He was aware that both in Australia and New Zealand efforts had been recently made to throw upon the Government the duty of imparting religious instruction to children — a duty which belonged not to the State, but the Christian Church. But he would not occupy their time in pointing out the utter inadequacy and inconsistency of the proposed remedy. It would hopelessly fail to reach the root of the evil, and wvnld only t-erve to delay the application of a real and effective remedy m the future. He should rnly ray in cor.clu°ic T i thtit r< o i° »"■ >-' >-inf>«rfly jTßteful for their splendid reception and very elo : [>X nt address. Ilia Gra.cc the Archbishop of Wellirgfn °yd t-W 9<>«r the very eloquent reply of his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, he must of necessity be brief in his remarks. He thanked them for the splendid reception that had been accorded them that evening. This wafi in keeping with the character of the people of Dunedin, who had been noted in this respect. It was their faith that had prompted the warmth of that reception, and it was that same faith which had enabled them and other Catholics of New Zealand to record so splendid a series of facts proving the vaßt progress the Church had made in this fair land. lie need not enter into the record of that progress. They had instanced several facts which had amply proved it. He went on to say that one of the greatest phenomena of our time was the marvellous spread of the Catholic Church in the country where freedom prevails to the highest degree. In the free lands that boasted most of their freedom, in Australia, in the United States, and everywhere where the flag of liberty floats, it was there they saw the most marvellous developments of the Catholic religion. His Lordship the Bishop of Chriftchurch said that he did not desire to speak at any length after the eloquent addresses of the illustrious prelates who had preceded him, but merely to thank the people of Dunedin for the addresses presented and the splendid reception accorded the visiting prelates. He also thanked them for the interest which they showed in the memorable ceremony which took place in Christchurch on Sundny. The Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly returned thanks on behalf of his Lordship Bishop Lenihan and himself for the expressions of goodwill, and incidentally mentioned that it was their first Bishop who had appointed him to his first charge at the Thames. The proceedings were brought to a close by the Archbishops of Melbourne and Wellington imparting their benediction. On Friday evening the members of St. Joseph's Cathedral choir entertained the visiting prelates and clergy, to a social evening in St. Joseph s Hall. Mrs. J. Woods having played a pianoforte solo, Bongs were given by Misses C. Pearson, M. Heffernan, K. Hegarty, and M'Ker.sey. and Messrs. P. Carolia, .1. Woods, T. llus«ey, and T. M'Cosker, and instrumental items by Messrs, 11. Phillips, T. Deehan, Crean, and M'Donr.ell. Archbishop Redwood played as a violin solo Gounod's ' \ve Maria.' ard had to re-pond to ;v\ eiicoie. Dean O'Leary sang ' God Save Ireland' in Irish, an encore buii.g insi-ted upon. Dur.ng the e\enmg refreshments were handed around by the ladies of the lli ir, to whom much credit indue for theadrnirable way in which they had decorated the hall. The accompaniments during the tuning were played by Mrs. J. Woods and Mr. A. Valliß.