NAPIER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 11, 14 March 1901, Page 5

NAPIER.

On Sunday evening. March 3, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, there was a large congregation at St. Patrick's, and the Very Rev. Dean Grogan preached on the subject of ' Transubstantiation and the new King's oath. 1 Amongst the congregation were many Protestants. Bean Grogan, taking for his text the words of the institution of the Blessed Eucharist from St Matthew's Gospel, said, of the many serious news we have received from Home of late, not even excepting the demise of the late esteemed Sovereign or the appointment of her successor, none was so serious, so far reaching or concerned Catholics so much as the ' Oath of Accession ' with which the new monarch, Edward VII., has inaugurated his reign, if the cable message be reliable. The other news only prove the instability and changeable nature of things earthly, whilst this news attacks the supernatural and encroaches on the domain of God

Himself as well as on the interests of millions of human souls. The substance of this so-called royal oath consists in this, that King Edward VII., in presence of the Parliament of the nation and in the face nf the civilised world, calls God to witness that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the invocation of the saints is idolatrous and puperstitious. The Dean then showed how Christ instituted the adorable Eucharist, how He gave the Apostles the power not only to do the same, by making them participate in His own divine priesthood, but also gave them the power to communicate this priesthood to others, namely their successors. It was in this way Bt. Paul and all the bishops and priests coming after the Apostles received the power to consecrate the bread and wine into the sanr«d Body and RinQfJ of Christ. This povvcr ia iraiiouiit.UiU by the channel of Holy Orders from Christ at the Last Supper table through thp /\pn=>tl("* to every bishop and pilc»t, in llie Church to the end of time. Hence Transubstantiation is the doctrine of the Catholic Church in all nations for 1900 years, and it is to-day the faith of 2C0,000 000 Catholics spread throughout the world. How then (continued the preacher) does the question stand ? We have on the one side this vast number of Catholics in every age who build their faith on the infallible authority of the Church, ' the pillar and ground of truth,' whii h Christ commands us to hear and obey. Open the inspired word of God Himself , open the writings of the Fathers as well as on the practices of the saints and the faithful in all past ages. On the other side we have the King of England's royal oath, a sort of a last relic of the penal times, the outcome of the Puritan hatred then in England, which has no parallel in the history of civilised nations. The preacher then explained what an oath is, and how as an act of religion, it is the only means adopted by civilised nations of ascertaining the truth in all cases of doubt. As such, he continued, an oath must have three qualities, truth, justice, and judgment, In the oath of the new King we fail to find even one of the required qualities. The truth of the oath is not founded on the King's own scholarly abilities in being able to study the question even to his own satisfaction. It is not found in history, even in that of his own country, much less in the monuments and practices of the people of England in the past. Where is the justice of such an oath, not only to the Catholics of England and the Empire, but to those of other nations ? It is not complimentary to them or their fathers before them to have their religion branded as idolatrous and superstitious ? Is there any judgment on the part of a Christian monarch in all this ? All honor to the great and noble-minded OTonnell who spurned the idea of taking such an infamous oath. If the French nation (continued the Dean) appointed a king to-morrow and, in contempt of Protestantism, put on his lips an oath to say that the Protestant religion is undoubtedly a human invention, that private interpretation is but a scheme invented by the first reformers to elude the authority of the Catholic Church, whut would English Protestants say, though such an oath would h.ue tie support of all authenticated history.' Need we then feel Mirpriied to hear that Cardinal Vaugh.w. the chief Catholic authority in England, appointed a ppeuiil day tor a general Communion and a public act of reparation m the churches of England in atonement to God for the insult offered Him by such a blasphemous oath, particularly when taken by the sovereign of the nation. The preacher concluded by asking his hearers to pray together with their brethren thr >ughout the kingdom that thy time may not be far distant when this infamous rt?lio of the penil times may be a thing of the past, and th it the present sovereign may be the last to have the covvauh^e to com in it himself to it. Dean Grogan said he would tarce the invocation of saints and the King's oath on next Sunday evening. The celebratioa of the national f< a-t in this parish this yeir promises to surpass all its predecessor:*. The social gathering in the Gaiety Theatre is to be preced'-d by a grand Hibernian pruct won accompanied by two bands through the principal streets to the hall. It is fully intended that everything connected with it i« to be. entirely Hib°rnian. It is anticipated that the Irishmen of the city will tauve a large amount of support from outsiders and from many friends in the couutry districts. Besides the beautiful national burner imported recently by Mr. John Higgins from Dublin two others are on their way for private families, and are expected to be here for the celebration.