Silver Jubilee of Very Rev. Father O'Donnell, Ashburton

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 26, 29 June 1905, Page 19

Silver Jubilee of Very Rev. Father O'Donnell, Ashburton

Saturday, June 24, the feast of St. John the Baptist, was the twenty-fifth annivers-ary of the ordination to the priest<ho o d of the Very Rev. Father J. J. O'Donnellj the popular and highly esteemed rector of Ashburton. The parishioners and friends outside the district deemled the occasion a suitable one for showing in a tangible form their appreciation for his long and valued services to the Church in New Zealand. Their mark of esteem took the form of a presentation of a motor car, which was made at a public meeting at Ashburton on Tuesday evening. Among those present on the occasion was the worthy jubilarian's brother, the Rev. J P. O'Donnell, of Queenstown. Owing to the fact that the Ashburton ti-legraph office is not open on Tuesday nignts for *tihe transmission of press messages, we are unable to give/a report of the proceedings in this issue.

The Very Re\ . Father O'Donnell was born in the County of Limerick in 1 &">(>, being now in his 49th year. He re.ei.ed his oaily education at the Christian Bro^ thers' School, MiUhelstown, and pursued his higher studies at (the well known Monastery ii Melleray from 1872-0. In the last-mentioned year he entered the greaft missionary college of All Hallows, Dublin, whew his brilliant abilities found a wide scope, and where he won the admiration of his fellow-students and professors by his cominamimg talent, and the esteem and affection of all by the amiable qualities of heart with which he was gifted. I!e was raised to the priesthood an June 24, IcXM, and soon alioi wards came out to New Zealand. He has served in the fellow ing parishes in this Colony :' Wellington, Christehuich, Ahaurj, DarheW, and Ashburton. C) q- half of Ins mi^ionary life has been spent i n Ashbtirton. 'I he Very Re\ uibilarian is one of the most popular piiests in New Zealand, and a wide circle of lay and clerical Lionels will echo our wish that he may be spaied ' ad nuiltos annos ' to work ' pro Ecclesia Dei.'