DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 32, 6 August 1903, Page 19

DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND.

(From our own correspondent.) July 30. His Lordship the Bishop has not yet, I regret to say recovered from his illness. Rev. Father Buckley, speaking at St. Patrick's last Sunday mormng, gave some good and wholesome advice to parents and guardians of children. He told them they were bringing up their children in a very different manner from that in which they themselves were brought up, and that so surely as parents neglected their children, the children in turn would neglect the|u. The Rev Father also deprecated the doggerel lines inserted with Catholic obituary notices in the local press, ,and advised Catholics instead to ask for prayers for the repose of the souls of the departed ones. In my report of the Rev. Father Patterson's presentations it was made to appear that the dinner and tea service, etc., were the gift of the Bishop. This was an error, as the gift was from the ladies of St. Patrick's parish. The Very Rev. Dean Hackett's sermon at St. Patrick's last Tuesday evening on the occasion of the memorial service in honor of the late illustrious Pope Leo XIII. has been generally voted to rank with the finest over delivered in Auckland. The memorial services in Auckland in connection with the death of his Holiness were carried out with unusual impressiveness. At. St. Patrick's on last Sunday evening the Rev. Father Gillan, of St. Benedict's, was the preacher, and a panegyric of the late Pope was given by him. He said that looking back on the life of Leo XIII one might well consider that he had a specially-appointed training for his arduous work. There were three forms of experience in which a Pope, over and above his other qualifications, required to be pre-eminently verseki—administrative capacity, familiarity with diplomacy, and spiritual government. These seemed particularly Leo's gifts. The preacher then sketched the life of Leo XIII. irom his ordination to his election as Supreme Pontiff, and then went on to speak of the rise and necessity of the temporal sovereignly of the Roman Pontiffs, and showed how Leo had to maintain principles and rights in opposition to the ideas of all, or nearly all, of the Governments of modern times. He had to uphold the traditions and dignity of the Papacy, and, at the same time, to conciliate and soften his adversaries. How skilfully Leo did this is evidenced to-day, and voiced in e\ery tongue, and in every paper throughout the world. Father (Jillan then spoke of the spiritual government of the late Pope, saying that Leo XIII. was pre-eminently a teaching Pope Concluding his discourse, the preacher .spoke of the piety of the late Pontiff, his zeal for the diffusion of the knowledge of the Sacred Scripture, and ins filial piety to the Mother of God, his great desire to consecrate mankind to its Divine Redeemer, and how — ao the cables tell — when the world was passing, and death rapidly approaching, in calmness and joy, he dictated a last poem to our Lord and His Blessed Mother.

The church was tastefully decorated in the papal colois, purple and gold. The catafalque, draped with purple velvet and gold, was erected in the centre aisle before the high altar, and was surrounded by lighted cand'es. At the head of the Cathedral was the papal coat of arms, which included the keys of St. Peter, surmounted by the tiara, with stole. On the right of this was his Lordship Bishop I.enihan's coat of arms; 'For faith and country,' and on the left was the Corporation's coat of arms, ' Advance Auckland.'

On Tuesday evening the services were continued, the cathedral being crowded. The foreign consuls occupied seats in front of the altar rails, also Captain Breen, of the Delphic and his chief officer, Mr. Simmonds. The Rev Canon Nelson and Rev. Mr Wilson, Anglican clergymen, were present, and the members of the Hibernian Society in regalia. His Lordship the Bishop occupied Ihe throne, and was supported by the Very Rev. Mgr. Paul, V.G., and the Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly. The dirge commenced with the recital of the solemn office of thd dead, matins and lauds

The panegync on the late Pope by the Very Rev. Dean Hackett was delivered in a most eloquent manner. and is considcied one of the most able sermons heard in the Cathedral for many years. In the course of his sermon the preacher said that to-day the eyes of 250, (MO, 000 Catholics were turned to Rome, and the voice that spoke to all nations and all classes, from the Sovelcign on bis thione, to the workman in his pit, was silenced The heart that loved the poor, the suffering sons of toil, was stilled ; the hand that steered the barque of Peter through troubled seas had fallen from the helm ; the eyes of the watchful sentinel were closed and sealed in death. This mourning was not confined to

any one nation or people ; it was world-wide and universal. Leo was a great ruler, whose power came from the right hand of God, whose sceptre ruled over the willing hearts of men, whose throne rested not on the will of any nation. Greater was he than Abraham in power, than Melchizedek in priesthood, than Moses in authority, than Samuel in jurisdiction. In him Catholics recognised the centre of human faith, the infallible guide and shepherd of Christ's flock militant, the cardinal point of all the Churches. To-day he is taken from his flock. Time and history will ciovvn him with outlined the life of the Pontiff, who, re said, had outlined the hte ot the Pontiff, whom, he said, had striven with uncompromising hostility, to check the advance of atheism, materialism, and socialism, which were very rampant when he ascended the throne. All combined forces against him, but he arose like a giant and smote them. His tactful suppression of the persecution in Germany and the defeat of the powerful Bismarck was one of the glories of his reign. Leo always exhibited the greatest zeal in the cause of education, and ■was unswerving in his efforts to uplift the poor. The speaker concluded by enjoining the faithful to offer prayers for the repose of the soul of the departed sovereign Pontiff, thus assuring him that their blessings follow him beyond the grave.

On Wednesday morning the Cathedral was again crowded, when Solemn Requiem Mass was sung, Rev. Father Patterson being celebrant. Very Rev Dean Hackett, deacon, Rev. Father Brodie sub-deacon. His Lordship the Bishop occupied the throne, and there- were also present Very Rev. Mgr. Paul, V.G , and Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly.

The ceremonies at the catafalque were conducted by the Bishop, assisted by the assembled priests, who sang appropriate music, the Rev. Father Patterson accompanying them upon a small organ inside the sanctuary rails, Rev. Father Gillan being master of ceremonies. At- the conclusion of the services on Tuesday and Wednesday Mr. Harry Hiscocks, organist, played the Dead March in ' Saul.'