LOOKING BACKWARD

New Zealand Tablet, Issue 17, 25 April 1907, Page 11

LOOKING BACKWARD

- The first Mass celebrated in New Zealand was at - Ilokianga, on January 13; 1838, in the residence of Mr. Poynton, a timber merchant on the river. The celebrantwas Bishop Pompallier, Vicar-Apostolic of Western Oceania. The first meeting of Catholics for the piurp'ose of building a church in Auckland was held on July 2V), 1841. At the meeting a sum of £65 10s was subscribed. At this time there were between 300 and 400 Catholics in Auckland, the total population being about 3000. Bishop Pompallier visited Auckland in July of that year, when he interviewed the Governor, who granted him an allotment of land as a mission station, and another section for a cemetery (Symonds - street). Shortly after tenders were called for the erection of a church and a priest's residence in Wyndham street. By this time the building fund had reached the modest total of £100. A wooden building was erected towards the end of 184-2, to be used as a temporary church and school, with residence«lor a Driest- Father J. B. Petitjean arrived from the Bay of Islands in 1842, taking up Ms abode in Auckland, when he con> menced collecting subscriptions towards the erection of a school. The < priest's residence '" gave the scantiest accommodation, being simply a portion screened off from the schoolroom, where was placed the altar, and ' Father Petitjean and the lay Brother slept on the floor 'behind the altar. The next important event in the history of the C Jiurdi in Auckland" is the visit of Bishop Po/mpallier in February, 1-814, when he blessed the Symonds street Cemetery, and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation. About this time Father Forest, another French priest, joined Father Petitjean. It was about this time also that Governor lutzroy gave a- pic.c of land as a site for a conivent school. In December of 1814, Bishon Pompallier, who was then visiting Sydney, presided at a meeting oj the bt. Patrick's Society for the Propagation of the Faith, when he gave an account of his mission to New Zealand, and a collection was .taken up in 'aid of the fund for the erection of St.. Patrick's Church, Auckland, in April 184G, Bishop Pompallier closed a tour of his New Zealand mission by embarking at Akaroa for France, m a F-eneh corvette, en route for Rome to grwe an account of his ten years 1 - labors as- VicarApostohc of Western Oceania to his Holiness the Pope. Prior to his departure he was asked if he would remove his See to Auckland, provided a Cathedral 'was erected during his absence. The Bishop would not make any promise, however, further than . that he would, do all in his power to assist to carry out their object. Shortly afterwards a meeting was held, when it was determined to co on with the building of a stone church, and before leaving on his ad limina visit, Bishop Pompallier laid the foundation stone. Among those who took •an active wart in the work were Messrs. P. Dignan., A. O'Brien, - Fairs, Ryan, Fa-gam, P. Grace, P. Covle, Conway, Harkins, McGarVWS, Lorngan, Sheehan, Ilennessy, Walsh, McCarthy, and' Dr. Lee. A start was made with the work in 1846 amid many difficulties, financial and otherwise. Some of the contributors gave labor, others carting, or timber. t atner - Forest, who supervised the erection of the church, was architect, foreman of works, "and general

manager, and went with a lay Brother and assisfteld to quarry out the stone at Mount Eden. The church was finis/he'd in the following year. It was not* dedicated till March 19, 1848, the feast of St. Joseph, when the ceremony was performed by Father ( afterwards Bishop,) Viard, the occasional sermon. - being preached by tth<? Rev. Father O'Reilly, of Port Nicholson (now Wellington). When the stone 'church was finished the wooden cmc was turned round, and' made to form part "'of the convent schools. These buildings "were afterwards 1 removed by the Church extension of 1885. „ -Bishop Pompallier returned in 1850, and with him, came a number -of Irish and French, priests," and the" first body .of the Sisters of Mercy. Bishop Pomipallier "died in France in 1870. Me was succeeded in the See of Auckland by Bishop -CioT.e, who was . consecrated on June 23, 1870. The new Bishop inaugurated a movement to build a Cathedral in keeping with the importance of the city, but- in 1874 he left for Europe, amd .on then following year was appointed to the Arehiepiscopai See of- Cashel." He was succeeded in 1879 'by the Right Rev. Walter Steins, 5.J.,. Bishop of Bombay. During the following year Bishop Steins took immediate steps to build, a new Cathedral. A most, successful bazaar was held at the close cf the year, thereby augmenting the fund aheadv well advanced* Soon after Bishop ' Steins, owing to ill-health, had to resign. He died in Sydney in -the following year. The next occupant of the See was the Right Rev. John Edmund _ Luck, 0.5.8., who was consecrated in August, 1882, "and under his administration St. Patricks-b ecame too small for the congregation. • A meeting of the parishioners was held in November, 1883. under the presidency of his Lordsbio, when il was" determined- to build an extension (with spire) of the- Cathedral at a cost of £5500/ The foundation of the ('new extension was laid on May 1, 1884, and on March 15 of the) following year it .was solemnly blessed and opened in the presence of his Grace Archbishop Redwood, and their Lordships Bishops Moran and Luck., and a-_ lar^e number of the clergy and laity. The sermioh in .th&t morning was preached by Bishop Moran, and in the evening by Archbishop (then Bishop) -Redwood. The -collections for the day amounted "to • o»er £500, £50 oFwpich were contributed by. Bishop Luck. - The greater part of th©money required for the work was collected through) the untiring zeal of the late Mgr. Walter McDonald. . The 1 Cathedral of 1885 was Gothic in design, constructed of brick, and cemented on the outs.ide, and roofed with slate. The nave was 85ft <bj-_ 40ft. Over the main entrance was a tower 140 ft in " height, sur- ' mounted by a gilt cross, lift higlrr At .'the date of opening six 'of the old settlers, who had taken a prominent part in the 'building of the. eld church, were still alive. _ Bishop Luck did great work in the diocese, but his health was net good. -Towards the end of 1895 he applied to Rome for a Coadjutor, and in November of that year the choice . of the clergy fell upon the Rev. Father Lenihan, at that time parish priest of Parnell. Before the choice cciuld be confirmed by the Holy See, the Right Rev. Dr. Luck-, Auckland's fourth Bishop, passed to his eternal reward on January 23, 189(5. A new election, at which the Metropolitan presided, look place a few clays afterand resulted as before in the choice, of Father Lenihan by the priests of the diocese, and his Grace Archbishop Redwood appointed him Admdnisitrator of the Diocese. At the Consistory held , in June, 1896, his Holiness the Pope ratified the repeated choice' of the clergy, and on September 13, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, his Lordship . Dr. Grimes," Bishop of Christchurcb, -arrived in Auckland, bearing the Pontifical Brief for the new prelate. In the evening, before a large congregation in ' St. Patricks Cathedral, , Bishop Grimes, in eloquent language, announced the object" of hiis visit .to the northern • capital, and congtravtulated his new colleague in the ranks of the"Ei-«iscopacy^.The ' newly-ap.pointed Bishop was the recipient of congratulations from far and wide, 'but thee Was one. bearing an unique and historical interest. It came all the way from ' Cash'ol of the Kings ' ; it was from Archbishop Crake, the third Bishon of Auckland," who' offered Wis "congratulations to the "fifth Bishop of that See.