THE PROVINCIAL ECCLESIASTICAL SEMINARY

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, 28 February 1907, Page 11

THE PROVINCIAL ECCLESIASTICAL SEMINARY

THE NEW ADDITIONS

On May 3, 1900, nearly seven years ago, the Provincial Ecclesiastical Seminary of Holy Cross, College, M6sgiel, was solemnly blessed apd opened. The establishment of the new seminary was the outcome of the decision arrived at by the first Provincial Council held at Wellington during the previous year. The College opened with six students ; now there are about thirty, bince the opening many improvements and additions have been made to the college. Ihese include a very handsome chapel, a large and spacious refectory, ser- - vants' quarters, a suite of bathrooms, a large, lofty, . and well-furnished gymnasium, a students' library and reading-rotam, various out-buildings, and two well-ap-pointed ball courts. A complete, installation of acetylene gas and a high-pressure water-supply are also in full operation: " " — Some additions iiave also been made to ,the landed property, so that now the college is surrounded by over fourteen acres of as rich land as any that can be found in New Zealand. On May 3, 1906, his Lordship Bishop . Verdon laid the corner-stone of further additions to the college. Underneath the stone was placed a paper with an inscription in Latin, of which Ihe following is' a translation : — ' This corner-stone was laid by the Right Rev. Michael Verdon, Bishop of this Diocese of -Dunedin, on the third day of May, in . the year 1906, Pius X., Supreme Pontiff, happily reigning.' In the cavity underneath the stone were also placed copies of the current issues of the ' N.Z. Tablet' and' the ' Taieri Advocate. 1 The additions, which are to be used as a SeniorHouse, are now completed, and triie ceremonies iny>onnection with the blessing and opening comimenped on Sundlay at St. Joseph's Ca.thedral with the celdbration of Higjh Mass at 11 o'clock, at which his Lordship Bishop Verdon presided, his Grace the' Archbishop of Wellingiton being also present. The Rev. Father O'Reilly was celebrant, Rev. Father Buckley deacon, Rev. Father McDonald (Sydney) , subdeacon, Rev.. Father Coffey master of ceremonies, Very Rev. Dean Burke and Rev. Father Ryan (Geraldton) priests at the throne. The music of the Mass was Gounod's • Messe Solennelle.' Mr. Feil conducted, and Mr. Vallis presided at the organ. .__._ _ The Sermon. . - ' ' j The occasional sermon was preached by his Grace the Archbishop of Wellington, who took for his text the words, ' Thou a>rt a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech, ' from the 108 th, psalm. These' words, said his Grace, were used by God -. the Father in addressing His Incarnate Son and proclaiming His eternal 1 priesthood, and were appropriate tp the subject of the day's ceremonies, for the glory of the priesthood in the Catholic Church is that it participates" in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. In order to understand the glory of the priesthood of Jesus • Christ we must remember that^ ,He assumed that same priesthood for the redemption of the world by sacrificing Himself, and atoning for" the sins of the world. The office of the ,priosi)hood should be viewed in respect to the natural and" real body of Jesus Christ; and also to the mystic body, the faithful of the Church. "What, tften, is the priesthood of Christ ? It is the office He assumed by sacrificing Himself for the redemption of the world. What is meant by the

participation in Christ's priesthood is that Christ, being one perpetual and universal priest, the Catholic priest shares in that same priesthood. There are not two priesthoods, but . one, as there are. not two sacrilioes, but. oue offered up eternally in heaven by ' Christ himself, and perpetually on earth -"by the succession of His -priests'.' -'I'his-is1 'his -is the argument pf the Epistle to' the Hebrews. The priesthood of- the Old Law was but a shadow, the pries thood oL the.. New Law a reality. Consider \ the priest at the ' altar . offering the great sacrifice of the Mass instituted' by Christ. He stands there in the place "of ' Christ. He uses the 'words" -of Christ ; holding the bread and wine in his hands; he says over them, ' This is my 'body, this is my blood,' and instantly the real body of Christ is constituted upon .the "~al£ar, a real glorified - body united with his !T "soul and divinity. These are' words of" .Omnipotence Tike to the words of God, ' Let there be light,' or those" words; of Mary, 'Be it done unto me according to Thy word.' The act of x ' consecrating the body. .of Christ is ' the ' greatest -tha-t .can be performed by man. 'No act is greater than, the consecration of the body of Christ, 1 says - St. Thomas of Aquin. His Grace then developed this idea with considerable force. Equally wonderful is. the power of the priest over! the mystical body or faithful at large. It is of' divine faith that Christ c gave to His Apostles at His resurrection - the power .to forgive sins,' when he'^ breathed "upon them and said to them, ' Receive ye the Holy (jhost," whose sins ye shall forgive they are forgiven them, whose, sins ye shall retain they are retained..' A person, goes to. 'the "tribunal" of penance, his conscience stained with every possible crime, every form of sin -in" the world ; he makes his sins known to' one who has the power to absolve him, and the peuitent,.having tthe due disposition, resolves to avoid .sin.^in th££ futureV. to make restitution, and is sorry for ha^iag^^ggej^e^^od^-in a word, is' truly penitent, he leaves-^tfie . tritouiial of- .pen--arice, absolved by the priest in the name of Christ, with a soul bright before God. His XJrace showed also how the • priest administers the other , sacraments to the -faithful, and besides teaches ..^them-, revives their faith, and confers upon them a superabundance of grace.. Having thus enumerated some of the powers and duties of the priest, his Grace went^jon -to say how necessary and beneficial it was that<n>here should be a supply of the priesthoocU:^^^.?-^^;^- . 0n- the following day was to bless and open the new buildings at the „ Provincial Ecclesiastical Seminary, a. college which had been established as a result of a decision comer to at the First Provincial Council held in Wel- ! iington,- for the purpose of supplying New Zealand with- priests. It was necessary for coming generations that there should be a good supply of .priests. He trusted" that there would be no lack of aspirants for the 1 - priesthood in New Zealand, and' exhorted parents not to put any obstacle in the way of their sons who showed a vocation for the priesthood. So far they had been fairly successful. Their -noble prelate (Right Rev. Dr. Verdon), who founded the college, had devoted his whole , life-time to the great work of- preparing aspirants for the priesthood. He had been president of Clonlifie College (Dublin), and also of Manly College (Sydney), and was now head of the Ecclesiastical, Seminary in New Zealand, to which he had" devoted his money, time, and health. It has now been established^ for nearly seven years, and its success is a, good omen for the, future. The students go through, a - solid and excellent course of studies; they are ' trained to be good men, -to cultivate an interior spiritual life, and are safe-guarded from the various errors of the w.orld.All of the dioceses of the Province of New Zealand are looking with interest on that institution ; their hopes for the future are there. His Grace then exhorted the faithful in geneTal to have the greatest respect, for their priests, and to give them childlike obedience. . His Grace trusted that parents.- -would encourage ,iri every way those pf .their sons who • showed that they had a vocation for the priesthood. Among the good Catholics of Ireland it was " the 'greatest consolation and joy -to the father and mother to- give their son to be - a minister at God's altar, and :the same ought to be the case in this country, for no greater, blessing, could be vouchsafed to parents than to have their- son .show a vocation for the priesthood. - " . in conclusion his Grace hoped that the day's celebration and also that of .-the following day would excite in the hearts of . the Catholics of New Zealand a deeper interest in the, seminary, and that they