DIOCESE OF DUNEDIN

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 17, 23 April 1903, Page 19

DIOCESE OF DUNEDIN

Amongst the last admissions to the membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (writes the London correspondent of the Dunedin ' Evening Star ') is Mr E J. O'Neill, M.8., Ch.B., of Otago University. His Lordship the Bishop made his visitation to the Palmerston. South parish this week and administered Confirmation at Hyde, Macraes, Palmerston, and Hampden. •

The annual meeting of St. Joseph's Men's Club will be held m St. Joseph's Hall on Friday evening, when it is hoped there will be a large attendance. The principal business will be the reading of the report and balance sheet for the past year, and the election of oflicers The Club provides healthy and rational amusement for members, and is, therefore, worthy of the generous support of parents and others, as it offers a means of interesting young men, and keeping them from mixing with undesirable company about town.

The ceremony of blessing and opening the recentlycompleted portions of St. Patrick's Basilica, Oamaru, will take place on next Sunday, when his- Grace the Archbishop of Wellington, and their Lordships the Bishops of Chri^tchurch and Dunedin, and also a large number of clergy from Otago and Canterbury will be present. The occasional sermons will be preached by his Grace Archbishop Redwood, and his Lordship Bishop Grimes. There will be special music both morning and evening, and no effort has been spared to make the occasion a red-letter day in the history of the Catholic Church in Oamaru.

A new convent for the Sisters of Mercy at Moegiel has just been completed, and the community, consisting of four nuns, has entered into possession. Some time ago a section, having a house thereon, situated at the rear of the church and fronting a road, was purchased as a site. The house, which now forms a portion of the convent, was raised nearly two feet from the ground, and fitted up as a dining room and three bedrooms. Running out from the back a wing has been built, containing kitchen and workroom, and on the south side an addition has been carried out containing an entrance hall (•7 feet wide), a parlor (15ft. by 18ft.), a small chapel, and another room. All this part of the building has been finished in wood with plaster walls internally, iron roof, and good fittings, so that the nuns have now, if not a pretentious building, certainly a comfortable home. The additions were constructed from plans drawn by Mr. F. W. Petie, and the work was carried out by Mr. Mulquin.

A pleasant social gathering under the auspices of the Catholic community took place in the Garrison Hall, Queenstown, on Easter Monday evening. Judged from all points (says the ' Lake Wakatip Mail '), it must be considered to have been a thorough success. As regards numbers, a large and most representative gathering of townspeople as well as country folk accorded patronage to the affair, while the forms of amusement provided were of the mopt popular kind. Owing to its being one of the boat's late nights it must have been somewhat after 'nine o'clock before the first part of the programme — the musical — was got into swing. This Was, commenced by a pianoforte duet at the hands of Mrs. Proudfoot (a visitor to the town) and Miss Gudgeon, which was well received. The other items given, which also met with a srood reception, were a vocal duet, ' In the dusk of the twilight,' by the Misses Robertson, a Aocal solo ' Robin Adair,' by Miss Knott (also a visitor), and three choruses by ladies' voices comprising Mrs Black, Miss Knott, Misses Gudgeon (2), and Misses Robertson (2). These latter items were entitled ' Don't you hear them bells,' ' The flower greeting,' and ' Good-night.' A couple of tableaux with limelight effects completed the entertainment. Mr. Black then came forward, and, on behalf of Father O'Donnell, who, he stated, was unavoidably absent, thanked those present for their attendance, and also all those who had contributed to the programme just completed.