Manaia

New Zealand Tablet, 4 September 1913, Page 49

Manaia

(From an occasional correspondent.) An Okaiawa Catholic resident is one of the representative footballers chosen to represent New Zealand in the tour to America. I refer to Dick Roberts, and offer him congratulations which his merit as a footballer deserves. Manaia is the principal town in this parish, which also includes Okaiawa, Otakeho, Auroa, and Kapuni. This parish, acre for acre, surpasses anything in this Dominion as regards the production of milk, from which is manufactured principally Cheddar cheese for the English market. The Rev. Father Saunderson, late of Waipawa, is the parish priest, and celebrates Mass at Manaia every day, and on alternate Sundays at Auroa and Okaiawa., The Manaia church is taxed to overflowing on Sundays, and has, I believe, twice as large a congregation as any other in the district Catholic or non-Catholic. Our pastor has been delivering, on Sunday evenings during this last three months, a series of lectures on the Bible, tracing its history from century to century down to the present day, which is essential, as well as educative, on acount of the Bible-in-schools agitation just now. The church property in Manaia has just been painted, and a number of willing workers among the parishioners have cut fences, etc. As many as twenty-five men, and half a dozen drays and teams have been engaged weekly during the winter in improving the church property. The result is not only a credit to them as Catholics, but it beautifies the town, and shows they are a live body. <