ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY

New Zealand Tablet, 26 June 1913, Page 15

ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY

BLESSING THE FOUNDATION STONES An epoch in the history of the Catholic Church in New South Wales was the ceremony on Sunday, June 8, in connection with the laying of the foundation stones of the additions which will complete St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. Though there were the usual large congregations. at the early Masses, the Cathedral was filled to overflowing, for the Pontifical High Mass at 10.30 o’clock. The State Governor (Sir Gerald Strickland), attended by General Finn, A.D.C., and Captain Talbot, A.D.C., arrived at 10.20, and was escorted to a seat in the sanctuary.. The ecclesiastical procession was formed in the grounds of the presbytery, and precisely at 10.30 the celebrant of the Pontifical High Mass (Right- Rev. Dr. Dwyer, Bishop of Maitland), with his assistant priest and deacons in their vestments of green and gold, preceded by. a cross-bearer and acolytes, entered the Cathedral from the sacristy. Immediately afterwards a golden cross appeared through the eastern door, and as the choir sang Staedler’s ‘ Ecce Sacerdos ’ the procession proceeded to the sanctuary. First walked the Catholic Knights, then came his Grace the Archbishop of Sydney. After him walked his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, his Grace the. Coadjutor-Arch-bishop of Melbourne, their Lordships Bishops Higgins, O’Connor, and Carroll, and then came the visiting and local clergy. THE OCCASIONAL DISCOURSE. When his Lordship Bishop Dwyer, his assistant priest and deacon, bad withdrawn from the sanctuary, the Archbishop of Melbourne delivered the occasional discourse. His Grace’s magnificent voice resounded throughout the edifice, even those beneath the organ gallery at the opposite end of the Cathedral being able to catch his words. , His Grace took for his text the 25th Psalm Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth.’ He said : It is my privilege to-day not to preach a formal sermon, but to congratulate you, and to encourage you in the work to which you have set your hands, namely, the completion, of St. Mary’s historic and queenly Cathedral. Congratulation, indeed, is appropriate, but there is not much need of encouragement, for every one of you, I am persuaded, is imbued with the spirit and the longing of the psalmist when he uttered the words I have quoted: ‘ Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house and the place where Thy glory dwelleth.’ When David composed the 25th Psalm from which these words are taken, he was an exile. He had to fly from the insane jealousy and fury of King Saul. But in his exile, and in the midst of the privations he had to endure, his heart turned to the Ark of the Covenant and to the treasures it contained. These treasures were valuable chiefly as memorials of the past, and as prophecies of the future treasures of the Church of Christ on earth. . . There is no more thrilling incident in the early ecclesiastical history of Australia than the loving worship which the exiles of Erin offered before the true tabernacle of God with men, as long as it remained in Mr. Davis’ house, and the ardent desire they felt to build a noble temple in which, that tabernacle might rest, and in which their children might enjoy the religious blessings which were denied to them. As Solomon, the son of David, built a magnificent temple to receive the symbolic Ark of the Covenant, so did those Irish exiles at a very early period undertake to build a temple which seemed unduly large and ambitious to those who did not understand what it was intended to contain. That church, as you are aware, which was built by the indefatigable labors of Father Therry, lasted for 29 years. On June 29, 1865, it was consumed by fire. Great was the grief of the venerable Archbishop Folding; great also was the grief of the clergy and people.

All Things Work for Good.

• • But for those who love God all things work together for good. v If that accident had not happened, the old Cathedral, imposing and cherished as it was in its day, might probably have remained up to the present, as a very imperfect expression of the marvellous growth of religion in the meantime in this State of New South Wales. Some similar happy ; misfortune—culpa—occurred in connection with the -building,of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. . Three years after the destruction of the old Cathedral, on December 8, 1868, the foundations of the present Cathedral were laid by Archbishop Folding with the cordial and generous cooperation of the citizens of Sydney, without distinction -‘ of nationality or denomination. During the rest of his saintly episcopate, during, the brilliant episcopate of Dr. Vaughan, which flashed like, a meteor across the southern sky; during the learned and laborious episcopate of Cardinal Moran, the advancement and completion of the Cathedral, have been’ the constant subjects of their thoughts and objects of their desires. Some of you are old enough to remember the plaintive and prophetic words spoken by Dr. Folding when he laid the foundation stone of this Cathedral. Many more will remember the last words of Dr. Vaughan on the occasion of his departure for Europe when he told you never to pause till you saw the shining cross set on the highest point of the guardian spires of the Cathedral. And alb of you were witnesses of the unremitting zeal of Cardinal Moran -in the same sacred cause. No more appropriate monument can be raised to his memory than will appear in the completed nave and towers of St. Mary’s Cathedral. With his wonted’ energy and -devotion he undertook the collection of funds. He visited the parishes of the diocese, and received a most generous response. He laid the founda-tion-stone of the unfinished portion of the Cathedral, and looked forward to the day of the dedication of the completed Cathedral. But that consummation which his heart so nr, Hi desired he was not destined to witness on earth. -' - , United and Generous Action. As David of old collected the materials for the temple which was to be completed by his son and successor, so did the deceased Cardinal leave to his successors the funds he had so laboriously collected. These funds are fortunately capable of bearing the cost of laying the. foundations and carrying on the work to a considerable extent. But they are utterly inadequate to complete the Cathedral. It will require the united and generous action of those .who love ‘ the beauty of God’s house and the place where his glory dwelleth,’ and who desire to give expression to their esteem for the great leaders who were connected with the building of the Cathedral from the beginning —Father Therry, Archdeacon McEncroe, Archbishop Folding,“ Archbishop . Vaughan Cardinal Moran, and the present most devoted and zealous Archbishop of Sydney. You are acting on the tradition of the Catholic Church ever since peace was granted to her by the Edict of Constantine. Immediately and instinctively she set about erecting great churches, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and the Church of St, Sophia in Constantinople. The great basilicas and Cathedrals of the old world, complete in the minutest details, give undoubted proofs that divine faith inspired the plan and supernatural motive completed the structure in each case. The conversion of the great Gothic architect Pugin was due to the discovery that it was to the eye of God and not to the eye of man that the builders looked for their reward. Emulating Those Who Have Gone Before, You are emulating the faith and piety of those who have gone before you. You are entitling yourself to the support and encouragement not of a limited diocesan area, but of a spacious Commonwealth. May we live to see the day when St. Mary’s, fair as a queen, beautiful as a bride, shall be complete and perfect*

dedicated to the public worship ; of God, under the patronage of Our Lady Help of Christians. ' After the High Mass the Archbishop ■of': Sydney entertained the State Governor and the visiting prelates at; luncheon, in the Chapter Hall, at 1 o'clock. On his Grace’s immediate right sat his Excellency Sir Gerald Strickland, and on his left his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne. ; LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONES. • • The ceremony of laying and blessing the foundation stones of the additions to the Cathedral took place in the afternoon. The space upon which the new structure is to be raised was completely filled with seats, which rose up on the four sides, so that when filled it seemed like a Jloman amphitheatre. It was a great day for the Catholic guilds. About 2000 members of the H.A.C.B. Society, headed by their own band, marched from the Central Railway Station to the scene of the ceremony. The A.H.C. Guild, Irish National Foresters, representatives of the Catholic Federation, and St. Vincent de Paul Society, also marched through the presbytery gates. Then came the ecclesiastical procession. The scene was an impressive one. The predates in their purple robes and the clergy in white surplices, the members of the Catholic societies in their full regalia, imparted a tone of grandeur and brilliance befitting the important occasion. The arrival of his Excellency the Governor, who was accompanied by Misses Strickland and attended by General Finn and Captain Talbot, was the signal for applause from the huge crowd, the band playing the National An- ■ them. The first of the foundation stones was laid by his Glace the Archbishop of Sydney, who was presented , with a silver trowel by the architect, Mr. J. F. Hennessy. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne laid the second stone. The inscription was in English, and was _ as follows : —‘ In honor of the Most Adorable Trinity, under the title of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians, Patron of the Church of Australia, this stone was laid, and solemnly blessed by Thomas Joseph, Archbishop of Melbourne, June 8, 1913 the 48th year from the burning of the old church, and the 92nd from its foundation. Pius X. PP. and George V., King of Great Britain and Ireland. Happy Rejoicing.’ Under each stone was placed a glass bottle containing newspapers, coins, and other records. The two stones were of great size. One bore a Latin inscription. The Archbishop of Sydney, in asking the State Governor (Sir Gerald Strickland) to preside over the meeting, said that 92 years ago, when Father Therry laid the foundation stone of the Cathedral, the function was presided over by the Governor of the day. ‘We are assembled here,’ he added, ‘under the presidency of his Excellency the Governor, representing King George V. We are upholding the great principle by which we may hope to bring to pass the fulfilment of the motto, “Advance, Australia ” , His Excellency Sir Gerald Strickland, who was received most cordially, said: ‘I feel grateful for being associated with my fellow Catholics in Sydney on the occasion of the laying of these two foundation stones by the Archbishops of Sydney and Melbourne, i congratulate the whole of the people of Sydney upon the determination of Archbishop Kelly to enter at once with all energy and despatch on the completion of this magnificent Cathedral. The public buildings which a people erect are a testimony to the spirit of the nation, which remain for generation to generation, it is a great thing in a young country that. a monu- , menb erected in the present should be as indicative of ,* future aspirations as it is of the energy of the moment, it requires apostolic spirit; it requires the heart of a hon to undertake to collect the funds necessary to meet the difficulties incidental to placing the building m which we worship God in this our community on a standard which will be an honor to . ourselves and to posterity. ‘ • . The . Archbishop of Melbourne proposed— That with a view to securing the continuation of the works for the completion of St. Mary’s Cathedral subscrip-

tions be now opened.’ Let your motives,’ his Grace said, ‘ be to return to God some little part of the gifts which He has bestowed on you. The Cathedral is the home of God, and when you are preparing a horn® for Him do not do so with a niggard hand,’ v Mr. Holman (Attorney-General) said:— ‘ It is a great occasion in the history, not merely of the Catholic body, but in the history of Christendom in the Southern Hemisphere, that we are called together to celebrate to-day. This great building, as all in this audience are aware, must be .regarded by all of us as an - effort of the great, body of Catholicism which exists with so' much vigor and life throughout Australia at this moment. It has been the centre from which has radiated the spiritual and; religious influence of what is the oldest form of Christianity, and what is in Australia one of the strongest and most vigorous ... forms of Christianity in- our midst. I feel that the immense service done by the Church to Australia, from the point of view of ornamentation, is a service which those of us who do not belong to it might well take this occasion to offer our congratulations. This great building, when completed, will probably stand without rival, amongst the architectural triumphs of the southern world.’

Mr. P. S. Cleary, president of the Catholic Federation, also spoke. His Excellency put the resolution, which was carried. , • • ;

Rev. Father Murphy, secretary to his Grace, read a list of those who had contributed to the funds, which totalled nearly <£ll,ooo. The list was headed by his Grace Archbishop Kelly with £IOOO, the Archbishop of Melbourne following next wtih 100 guineas. ■ J udge Hey don proposed - that the prelates -be thanked for their efforts. Judge Edmunds and Mr. T. Hughes, M.L.C., supported the motion, which was carried by acclamation.

The Coadjutor-Archbishop of Melbourne returned thanks, and regretted that Providence had not provided more congenial weather;it was one of the things that made him more contented to settle down in Melbourne. Their Lordships Bishops Dwyer and O’Connor also spoke. The latter thanked his Excellency for presiding at that historic function. The motion was seconded by Sir William Manning, and carried by acclamation. ... His Excellency returned thanks, and he and Lady Edeline. Strickland were cheered as they left.