DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 13 December 1906, Page 22

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

- , ). j- (From our own correspondent.), - - '■-■■- „ December. 10~/ ~. ' "^A fancy fair -and- salei of work -were, opened in St Joseph s .schoolroom', Lyttelton, oa last Thursday, ..and continued over- the following evening., y -.' .-.-^. > On. last Saturday evening, in honor of the feast of • the. Immaculate Conception; -the Convent of . the SacHeart was brilliantly illuminated ~by the-.Sisters v f .',9 vi: - -r*? y of Miss ions. Every window -ot , the large building- had its quote of lighted candles, th& ; effect being very-fme. - '- .'_ - ; , „ ,t,, t , .» * '- At ' a" special children's Mass"- celebrated' by the Yer y Rev." Father Chine,-. C.'SS.R., -at:~ eight o^cloclc in-the Cathedral on. last Sunday .■ morning,.^l36 boys- J^and ; - girls-/- after a three-days:'. ■ retreat, , made ■ their- >First Communion", and were -afterwards ■" entertMned at breakfast,, which was laid in the Marist Brothers' schoolLadies of the congregation- provided the necessaries, and also- attended the children. -At half-past three in the- afternoon the children's mission „was solemnly closed by the Rev. .Father McDermolit - with the Papal Blessing. . The first communicants of the moimng renewed their- baptismal vows, and, after . Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, took part in an out-door pro- - cession through . the adjoining grounds. ' The mission the •' Redemptorist " fathers in the Cathedral ,has been attended Tvith very gratifying results -during the week, the congregations at all the services being uniformly large. The impressive- sermons ,of the missionaries well maintain the traditions of their great religious Order. " The first great solemnity of the mission was observed on. last Friday evening in ' honor of the Blessed Sacrament; .-the' preacher for the ..occasion being, the' Very Rev. Father Clune. On '.Sunday evening there was a very large congregation," the' main sitting accommodation" was_quickly absorbed the corridors were next filled, and finally- tie, overflow/ -were accommodated &n the " ' sanctuary and!, galleries. The Very Rev. Father Clune delivered an -eloquent discourse oii '-Faith.' - -' '' - Whilst feeling gratified at the large' attendance , morning and evening during the -week, at the mission :.<sa«T the" Very Rev. "FaflSer -Clune 'at' the k C%tbedTal- on last Sunday morning), I have also. "a, gooff memory" for faces, especially men's/. , Now during this Mass (he con--tinued) I have -just .-been- rc'arefuliy- ~ekaminiHg"tne"con- ■ gregatiou, with- Ihe /result that -1,. haye seen . many here -that I hjuve not, previously "' observed.., I am thus forced to the conclusion that a large-, jjody of men . select one of the eafly'.Masses, "the slipriest' for' pre.ferenoe, and one at which a sermon- is not .usually , preached, , for the ' discharge 'of ' wliaii they still' "have . sufficieu l/- faith' left ' to"' consider their religious v duty.' We - Otobe missionaries)- intend -during the "remainder "of "bur stay here preaching a mission' sermon" ' at, all the ..Masses_on .Sundays. -- , "' , r -. ,°, ° • - .By\ the time these- line's .appear. ' in print ' there .is ..'no doubt tJi©. attendance at the Exhibition • will, have . -more . thanr reached"^ tlie first half- million. It v may- be .- easily inferred, - therefore, that the^gerieral inaTnager's estimate of two millions for , the , season will be quitepossible of attainment., .The"" Exhibition in itself may be considered' now 'in a perfect , state, and fre^li novelties are, from timfc to tUnic introduced. In out-door the r amusementflovirig public hav'-e never' before .had such- a variety. 'By' the "generosity of Sir John Hall, Mayor of the city, who bears the whole

expense, - th.c. children attending _ the .Catholic schools of the ■/ city have; J been .granted' iree' passes to^tfae Exhibit tion, and Wonderland, the' same' kindness^ .amd .thoughtiulnessi being- extended, to the , children who are inmates • of -.-Nazareth House. The - children '. attending the:_Rangiora. Catholic , schools- -visited the Exhibition last week.^ The/ Native settlements, "wherein are depicted' the customs, aits, :and pastimes 6f r .'the : ' inhabitants "'repre- - sen ting, the various pepple — Maoris "Fijian, and' Cook Islanders— prove' an apparently 'never-ending source 'of attraction to crowds daily. , : ' ' "■- " . " '£ general meeting of members '* of the - Society .-l-'of I StY Vincent de , Paul ' under the Particular Council "of Christchurehrwas held at . the Presbytery on "last Sunday ', afterno'bn week. The Very Rev/ Father Le'.Menant.des Chesnais, v V.G.., presided,"" and "addressed, those present on , the .fostering qf/ 'Boys' Clubs'.'. He enlarged "•! on' what had' already been done in*" Christchurch, and ! spoke of the" impetus recently given to the work -by the interest and' energy of the Rev. FaiherP'Dwyer.* Bro. K. O'Connor, president of. the Cathedral 'Conference,- referred; .' to" the Boys' Club now *in existence here,' and. the great good" to be done on belialf of ; the boys after "leaving school. Bro, A. H. Blake, - president of the St. Mary's Conference, also spoke on the subject, r - urging an,-., active, interest-, in our boys and youths. Mr. M. Nolan said he "was in perfect sym- - pathy and . accord, jwit'lr the moyement, and" suggested that pronAnent persons should be urged' to take more interest in the work. .Clubs s for boys was irideed a most deserving work, and the society was doing a duty and doing ifc well in taking an active interest interest in the boys • of the city, A great deal of correspondence was .dealt with fro.m the- Superior Council at Sydney and elsewhere. Much gratification was pressed at the formation of , a conference at- Wellington. Advanced . movements in^ the -same ""direction". were reported from Auckland and ' JDunedin, at both of which places conferences are expected to be in active ..operation before the close- of- the year. The President-an-nounced the intended visit of Bro the Hon. •L. F. Hey don, .M.L.C., "presidenfc^of the ' Superior. Council ,of^ Sydney to Mew Zealand, who was - expected-^ to arrive - early in -January. Whilst in the Colony 'he intended v devoting a good deal- of time -to the «.work. of extend-, 1 ing the Society, and would open conferences .wherever preparations were completed. The President , intimated that steps , would be taken- to fittingly receive- -Bro. Heydon. The Missions to "Catholic Seamen at Lyttel- : ton and Timaru, in connection with the local . conferances, wero reported, most satisfactory. - _/