Sacred Heart College, Auckland

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1, 4 January 1906, Page 4 (Supplement)

Sacred Heart College, Auckland

The following is the report, read at the recent annuaJ entertainment by the students of the Sacred Heart College Auckland:— Before the prizes are distributed it may not be uninteresting to you to hear a summary of the work of the colle«-e-ciuring the past year. And from the outset I may say that aft both the members of the staff and the boys themselves, have hecu working hard to make our college a model Catholic College. Wehave fully realised that the future of the Sacred Heart College and therefore the future of Catholic secondary education^ Auck and, depends to a very large extent on our initial efforts. We ha\e therefore used our best endeavours to make tilecollege, as constituted by the boys and teachers, as solid andD efficient as the material edifice itself. The main object of a Catholic educational institution such as ours is, and ever mast be to turn out men of strong practical faith— men who will' take their paces in the cry fotefront of every Catholic movement, and whom the Church will ever find among her staunchest and most I 03.1! children; but while this is the main object, it is by no means the only one. And we shall not be satisfied" until we see students going forth from us, not only fullyequipped for the struggle they must engage in if they wish toattain to prominence in the eyes ot their fellow-countrymen, but fired with a lofty ambition to persist in that struggle with indomitable perse, eiance, until they reach tho highest positionsm the land. Perhaps one of the things that conduces most towards this object is a sound training in debate, and consequently a few months ago a Debating Class was established in the college. ou can judge for yourselves by the performance of the members to-night whether that class has beensuccessful or not. But if a man wishes to push his way to* the front in this progressive ago, the most essential asset is not necessarily debating powers, but rather a good, modern* up-to-date education. That the students of the Sacred Heart Co lege aie recenmg such is evidenced by their success in thepublic examinations for in 1901 Master E. Mahoney secured a matriculation and solicitors' general knowledge pass, whileMasters E. Mahoney, A. Tobin. C. Cosgrove, and V Blate secured passes in the civil serw. c. 'Master E. Mahoney continued his studies with us this year; Masters A. Tobin C Cosgrove, and V. Blake accepted Government appointments ii^ Wellington In the athletic field the boys have entered intc* the inter-col ege competitions with their usual zest. They eat. good places both in the football and cricket competitions The good old Celtic game of handball has become very popular will* the boys and a tournament recently held resulted in some, most exciting contests. A gold medil was awarded by Mr F !«V? ? nn °u tO *- c f llOO^ 111 competitor. To promote tfc«^ spiritual welfare or the boys, a short retreat was preache* early in the year by the Rev. Father Brodie, himself an «*_ student of our college in Sydney. The retreat was very successful, and proved a valuable stimulus to the boys in theirS en S°" *° their spiritual duties during the rest of the year.. The Sodality of the Children ot Mary was formally established on August 15 of tins year. Master H. Kearin was the first president of this Sodality. We are proud to be Tffe to %££ that he is now prosecuting his studies for the priesthood at the seminary in Tlmrles, Ireland. In order to give moS Catholic boys in Auckland an opportunity of receiving a. secondary education, two day scholarships have been established open to the boys attending the Brothers' School in, I ltt street, who have passed the Sixth Standard. TTiesescholarships are offered annually, and are tenable for three yeaS! We are able to announce that in future years a boardimr + T' ° P u n . tC V the bb ~ OyS attend »>K the Marist BrotheS schools throughout New Zealand, shall be offered annually. Si / P -ll aSed *,? be l abl 1 c , t0 re P° rt that boys have beiL blessed With excellent health throughout the year/ the present of a doctor being rendered practically unnecessary for the wholeof the year. _ In conclusion, I beg to thank most sincerely £ ««, d .£ nends ,who have subscribed to the Prize Fund, an* to assure them of the deep gratitude of myself and staff fair