HIS LORDSHIP'S REPLY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8, 25 February 1909, Page 295

HIS LORDSHIP'S REPLY.

His Lordship in replying to the various addresses said: — From my heart I tender you grateful, thanks for your kind words of welcome, and for the hearty greeting that. I have received from all classes on my return to the diocese. In thinking over the work of the past year, there are many things of interest to dwell upon. The visit of his Eminence Cardinal Mbran of Sydney, of his Grace the Archbishop' of Wellington, of their Lordships the Bishops of Dunedin, Goulburn, Armidale, and the Right Roy. Mgr. O'Haran to assist at the solemn dedication of our Cathedral in February last, is an honor that we should hold in special reverence and gratitude, and the noble work of the committee of laity in arranging for their comfort and ' hospitality assures me of the earnest desire of my - people to do homage to those in authority in the - Church. Added to this his Holiness sent his special Apostolic Blessing' to- all those present at the ceremony, andfor all those who bad contributed towards the erection of the Cathedral. As a special, mark of favor, we received through Cardinal Merry del Val, the Pope's Secretary of State, "the beautiful reliquary which now adorns our Cathedral. In my letter of thanks to his Eminence Cardinal Merry del Val, I wrote : 'In the presonce of several prelates, many of the clergy, and a vast gathering of our people, and with great rejoicing, our Cathedral was solemnly dedicated by his Eminence Cardinal Moran, Archbishop of Sydney. Your gracious letter conveying the Apostolic Blessing was read to the congregation, and the blessing was imparted by his Eminence. The magnificent reliquary, so kindly presented by "His Holiness, was

greatly admired by all, and I beg your Eminence to contn y +«l? A™ H f ol , lness ° ur - dee P and appreciated thanks, and to tell him of the undying gratitude and renewed affection of my priests and people for "our .Holy Father, for his great condescension lam leaving for Europe to secure more students for the diocese, to attend the Eucharistic Congress in London, and to make my visit ad Sina about the time, of the Golden Jubilee of his HoKnSTlo Sfi I + . may + * ake , P ar * ™*¥ tnlliwit functions 'of that SSSS fir time> a 1 -l eft Au « kand wi^ his Eminence Cardinal -Moran and suite on their return to Sydney and during my stay in that city nothing could equal the kindness , shown me by his Eminence. Busy as he was in the affairs ot his large, archdiocese, and warranted by his length of years m resting after his trying journey to Auckland, he yet found time to show - me many of the large institutions under his care, daily going his rounds to encoufage the various communities in their good work and impressing on all of us never to tire in dome: srreat things for our Holy Church. You- and I espedafly^owe him a debt of gratitude that we can never sufficiently repay, and the obligations we are under will assure'dlv compel us to pray that God may preserve his Eminence to us tor years to come, to be our leader and defender in all that appertains to God's honor ancl glory. . Accompanied by ±< ather Patterson, who proved such an ideal companion, and who made things so pleasant and agreeable on our long holiday, we sailed for Europe via Vancouver The readers of our Catholic 1 monthly and of the Dunedin J-abtet have read of the kind reception we received in that country. We were warmly welcomed at 'Vancouver bt. lauls, Dubuque, Chicago, New York Chatham, and Montreal. We arrived at Dubuque in Holy Week, and as the Archbishop was in bad "health I very gladly relieved him of the trying ceremonies of Holy JLhursday Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. We spent Easter Week in Chicago, and thanks -to the exceeding kindness of Father Kelly and his friends, we had a most enjoyable time. Here I heard read out' the list of Easter ioon U \ Ann s Chur ch— close upon 4400 dollars, about « • i °l* x" 1-*1 -* mone y- l was almost envious enough '- to think that if the priest there and I were to exchange our faster dues for a few years, I could do so much more tor the good of the diocese. But perhaps if I adopt his system — a most excellent one — we may effect a great improvement, fend I will disclose his method at another time At Baltimore-I was present at the consecration of Bishop 0 Connell, when thirty bishops assisted" at the ceremony lhrough delay at Baltimore we missed the magnificent celebration of the men's procession through the- streets ot JNew York, when from forty to sixty thousand men took part in the same. Just think of it ! Try and realise that this should happen in a city full of hustle and business worry, where, the world will tell you, the people have no time for high aspirations or thought of God, for life is too strenuous and the survival of the fittest, or the success of the craftiest, is the order of the day. - And yet when called upon, this huge army appears on parade in the public street, to show the" world what they- are, to make public profession of their Catholicism,' and if as we may presume some of them may prove weak in their morals, for temptation is strong and the flesh is weak, yet they wereSghere to. march as a proof to the world that they believed in their Church and were ready to do honor to the faith in which they were baptised. On arrival at New lork we were most kindly entertained by the Dominican Fathers of Lexington Avenue. Here I learnt in some, measure of the procession, for the Dominican Fathers throughout New York have established the Holy Name Society — numbering nearly twenty thousand men. These meet in their respective parish churches on a Sunday afternoon once a month for prayer and instruction. Fancy • what this means. These men of every grade' and station — lawyers , doctors, merchants, clerks, mechanics, laborers, policemen, firemen — without distinction, living in a country where the winter is . appalling, rushing in business matters all the week in a way unknown to us, were justified .surely on almost the first bright Sunday after a longwinter in enjoying a drive, or a walk, or a rest, and yet 1 met nearly four hundred of these at the Dominican Church, Lexington Avenue, on such -a bright Sunday afternoon, and for more than an hour and a half they gave themselves up to the duties of their Society. No wonder that being so practical in prayer and penance, they gladly responded to the call of the" Archbishop of New York and helped- to swell the imposing array of Catholics. So impressed was I with this Society that when in Rome I sought out the Master-General of the Dominican Order and received from him the power to erect this Society of the Holy Name of Jesus," with its simple and practical conditions, and shortly I will arrange with Father Gilbert to carry out -this mission throughout the diocese. God's Name to be honored, profane language to be avoided, these are primary conditions that will appeal to the heart of every priest. Arriving in Ireland early in June, I held ordinations at All Hallows on three days, ordaining twenty-one to tonsure and minor orders, twenty-eight to subdiaconate and diaconate, and twenty-two to the priesthood. At the Passionists', Mount Argus, Dublin, I pontificated _on the occasion of the magnificent ceremonies held there in honor of their "young saint,' who, in

c vint L™ & had + en J°ysd tie fascination of the world, who g t J£? W*° dancin e and *™cE frivolity, but no£tit?« SFaT 1 ! fr ° m hes i e ' entered upon a strict novitiate, and died as a simple cleric of the Order, known but to a tew, and m an unfrequented town, but who had found such grace with God tliat many miracles were worked at his -tomb, and he is, now placed on our altars for our veneration and supplication, while there are- still living those who were m daily contact with him;' What a w°™««£i US to rea i 18 ?, tha \ the a £ e of livin S sai *ts has not passed away, and that their prayers before-the throne ot trod must go far to appease the wrath of His offended

Then began a series of pleasant outings under the auspices of Mr. Joseph Devlin and his many friends. I met many of the notables of the Irish Party, and from wft ,M t? t cx P e J ie . nced much courtesy and kindness. Witn Mr. Devlin and friends of Belfast, I journeyed about a thousand miles m my motor car, visiting all the interesting points on the eastern side of Ireland from Portrush to Wesrord. Amongst my special visits were those paid to Mr. John Redmond at his seat in the Wicklow Hills - bringing to one's memory the trying times of the Insurreotion of '98 and Michael Dwyer ; to Mr. William Redmondwho asked so kindly after many friends here : and to his imminence Cardinal Logue at Armagh. In memory of this visit to his Eminence Cardinal Logue, I have a photo of my motor car drawn up before the main entrance of the Armagh Cathedral, and his Eminence occupies a prominent place in the car. The story of the'Eucharistic Congress in London is now well known to you. The interesting ceremonies in that huge Cathedral impressed all who attended there. The Byzantine Rite on- the Saturday was full of quaint ceremonial, but carried out with such decorum and reverence. The gatherings in the Albert Hall were marked with the greatest enthusiasm. The children's procession on Saturday afternoon seemed never ending. On the balcony of the Archbishop s House the prelates were gathered, and as body after body of these thousands of children passed by, singing the refrain, ' God bless our Pope,' I noted how quickly the ; tears welled up in one's eyes (these come easily in childhood and advancing age) in witnessing this interesting demonstration of the Catholic children in England Surely these little ones will never forget that day of days Temptation will try them, many may fail, but that day will be thought of by them when we who witnessed it will have passed away, and the promises they made to fight and if need be die for their faith, will make their consciences cause them to turn to God. The Sunday's procession I refrain at present from dwellingvupon. After visiting Ramsgate, where I arranged with the Benedictine lathers for the purchase of St. Benedict's presbytery I went with the English pilgrims to Rome, and was present when this large body of seven hundred was received by the Holy Father. They were placed in several roooms or the Vatican, and when the Pope appeared and greeted the Bishops, nine in number, we followed him through the various rooms and halls while he gave his ring to each one to be kissed. Then we assembled in the large hall when the address of the pilgrims was read by the Archbishop of Westminster who then presented a sum of £6000 as Peter's Pence offering from England. After the Pope s reply, and when leaving the hall, the ringing cheers and loud hurrahs of the pilgrims visibly affected his Holiness, who, turning again, once more imparted his blessing. As the meeting broke up the English Bishops retired, while I stayed talking with friends. Then we heard that a photograph of the pilgrims was to be taken, and I have a copy of this in which four to five hundred English pilgrims are seen, and the only representative of the hierarchy is myself, a New Zealand Bishop. The picture reminds one of Lord Macaulay's statement of the New Zealander taking his stand on the broken arch of London bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's. Having presented my report on the diocese to Cardinal Gotti, the Prefect of Propaganda, accompanied by Father Adalbert O'Sullivan, 0.5.8., who proved such a kind and valued friend to me and acts as our diocesan agent in Rome, I was received in private audience. His Holiness expressed great pleasure at the progress that has taken place here, and after introducing Father Patterson and my-' relatives to the Holy Father, I obtained his Apostolic Blessing for all my people and priests and friends. This I will impart in due time. I handed him the collection of Peter's Pence for the last nine years, amounting to £200. I had the honor of piesenting a letter from the Hierarchy of New Zealand, expressive of the fidelity of the Catholics of our Dominion to the Holy See. - His Holiness wrote his reply, which is .now in my possession and which is a treasure that I would nof' easily part with. I applied to the Monsignore in charge of the distribution of the Pope's Jiiinlee gifts for help for our diocese, but while Father Adalbert O'Sullivan did his utmost to obtain as many gifts as possible, the result has not been as large as I hoped for. So many -were the requests made, the division meant small lots to, individual dioceses. Cardinal Gotti replied personally to renprt of the work of our diocese, expressing his utmost satisfaction at the condition of affairs, the zeal of the clergy and the faith and good works of the laity. He urges on the work of Catholic oducation, pongratulating the diocese on the legacy left by Monsignor

Fynes, of revered memory, for that purpose Win']* a ciously granting all the faculties and privileereY 1 ' »E~A for, he prays that the Divine help of God may L SS us m our apostolic labors.. The fascfnaHrvn ™c t> Wlth ins??, iSi.SSi-t.t-A's sSs year of hts priesthood. Our united prayer was that < ™ WnL da^ hlch bTin § S SUC^ glor y and honS To you Most Holy Fatter, your devoted children .consecrate their S? thought and their first prayer toyofa S fmf . ties m upholding the Cross of Christ. We know that your p&Sisrs ™i~ faltom ~EB St 6 PcS' *5? ¥ ge Cr ° Wd fi , lKn - g ever r sTace in bt. Peter s, the long array of mitred prelates in procession &S gGOX f S + vestments ° f *%« Easte «i Bishops, P the caval the TWI P % Sw !f S+lGuS +I Gua i' d ' the ma gnificent costume of the Papal Guard, and then the entrance of the Pope borne on the sediha through the aisles amid the inspiring strains LSfL^ 7 ' / n J^ ud ? d a ritual that the world knows not of and while I visited various pageants in England describing the historical events of that land they were poor and tawdry as compared with the impS siveness of the Pope's Jubilee Mass in St Pete?f on November 16, 1908 And God has favored me with I pleasant journey out, and. everywhere I called I met with great kindness and attention. • S e 5 Ol^ concluding this address I must not prove unmindful of the work that has. been done in the diocese fn my absence, under the fostering care of our good VicarGeneral. The following summary will show the result of the work done under his supervision, and the success attending the efforts of those who labored so willingly with liim. I have gleaned all this news from letters, from the Catholic monthly, and from the Dunedin Tablet, and if it should so happen that I fail to record incidents m any parish that are worthy of no.te, .1 must blame tho retiring modesty of the priest in charge, who failed to inform me of them. Clergy— Since January 1, 1908, we have obtained the services of six priests— Fathers' Doyle, ligar, 0.P., Wright, Brennan,- Carran, and Ormond, and' we welcome Fathers O'Hara and Holierhoek on- their return from an. extended holiday. During this time, however, two priests left the diocese, and we have to. record the death of Father Veale,_who was ordained for' the diocese, but was ordered to hospital by the doctor immediately *on arrival, and- who SHfcd>; within a short- time. May lie rest in peace. Churches— We have already spoken ot the completion of the Cathedral, and the ceremonies presided over by his Eminence Cardinal Moran. New churches have been erected at Te Puke, Avondale^ Raglan, lologa Bay, Taumarunui,- and at the Little Sisters of the Poor. Convents — New convents have been erected at Mangavhare (Northern Wairoa) and at Te Aroha. Legacy —We hold in grateful memory the late Mrs. Knox, of Auckland, who left bequests to the Little Sisters and St. Mary's Orphanage totalling £1000. Missions— Successful missions have been held^by the Redemptorist Fathers at Devonport, Gisborne, and Ormonde, and the mission given by Father Gilbert, 0.P., along the East Coast from Gisborne North has done immense good for the Catholics in this scattered district. Nuns — The community of the Sisters of Mercy enrolled six newly professed in their ranks. I have to record with regret the deaths of Sister M. Vincent, and of an old favorite with the Auckland people, Sister M. Borgia, whose name is cherished by all her former pupils. May she and her companion rest in peace. The Sisters of St. Joseph have founded another community in our midst,and are in charge of the school at Mangawhare, N.W. The Little Sisters have built a largo chapel for their old people, and this was solemnly blessed by his Grace, the Archbishop of Wellington. Parishes — New parishes have been opened '. at Ellerslic, Cambridge,- and Taumarunui. Properties — New properties, by gift or purchase, have been secured at St. Bonediet's, Ponsoiiby, Te Awamutu, and Tologa Bay. For this last property we arc indebted to the generosity of Mr. Frank Harris, of that township. Parish bazaars — In the parishes of the Cathedral, Ponsoiiby, Otahuhu* Pukekohe, Rotorna, Devonport, Cambridge, Raglan, successful have "been held for the improvement of the properties or for the reduction of the debt. Schools — New schools have

been built at Mangawhare, N.W., and Otahuhu, and Gisborne, and a new system of support for the teachers has been inaugurated at Hamilton and, I believe, Gisboine. You will see by this record how the diocese has progressed in my absence, and while offering my good -wishes to all those taking part in these good works, I feel that you will readily join with me in congratulating the VicarGeneral, who is entitled to all the honor due to any leader of a cause. • Indeed so satisfied am I with his work and (from letters that I received) so pleased are most of you with his energy, zeal, and devotion, that I now quite understand, in my case, the force of the saying, ' Some of us never will be missed. 3 So wisely has he administered ~ the diocese that my absence was in no way a detriment to its progress, v and so content am I with his work that I propose to leave in his hands much of the detail of operation, leaving myself free for other duties. "Ungracious and ungrateful would I be if I had not tried to obtain some mark of commendation of his zeal "from his-. Holiness, and I hold in my hands the Brief from Rome, appointing him the Right Reverend Monsignor Gillan, Domestic Prelate of the Holy See. I would hand him over the Brief at once, but I feel that his people of St. Benedict's will rejoice most of all at his elevation, and that they would like to signalise this happy event by inviting us to meet our new Monsignore in St. Benedict's" Hall, allowing us to join with them in any presentation they would wish to make him, when I could formall\ hand him the Brief he has so richly deserved. For our churches built in brick and for the mother houses of our communities, I have obtained the indulgences of a ' Privileged altar,' so that our dead may be greatly benefited by our prayers. For all our communities, for our socie- - ties, and for all those joining in Church* work, I have obtained the special blessing of his Holiness, and while you kneel down this I will gladly impart. At the conclusion of the address there was Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament by his Lordship the Bishop, Dean Hackett being deacon, Father Mahoney subdeacon, and Dean Gillan master of ceremonies. The

choir, under Mr. Hiscocks, sang the 'Te Deum. The high altar was artistically decorated for the occasion. The members of the Hibernian Society .again acted as a guard of honor as the Bishop left the church, and- his Lordship took occasion to thank them heartily. The function on the whole was a great success. The attendance wag, very large, in fact the Cathedral was crowded long before the commencement of the ceremonies.