ST. VINCENT DE PAUL ORPHANAGE, SOUTH DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Tablet, 22 July 1915, Page 27

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL ORPHANAGE, SOUTH DUNEDIN.

On Monday evening of last week the children of the St. Vincent de Paul Orphanage tendered Very Rev. Father Coffey, Adm. (legal manager of the institution) an entertainment to commemorate the silver jubilee of his priesthood. The study hall was tastefully decorated with green and silver, and it presented quite a brilliant appearance when the guest of the evening, accompanied by Rev. Fathers Delany, O'Neill, and Tobin, arrived. On behalf of her companions, the following address was nicely read by one of the girls: ' Very Reverend and Dear Father, —With feelings of gladness we, the children of St. Vincent's Orphanage, offer you our heartfelt congratulations on the happy occasion of your sacerdotal silver jubilee. There are many in New Zealand, in your dear native Ireland, and in other distant lands, who rejoice with you on this great anniversary, but we do not hesitate to assure you that none can surpass us in the affection and gratitude we feel towards you. For many years past you have been to the orphans a kind Father and self-sacrificing friend. Your paternal interest has followed all who have passed from the shelter of these walls and gone to fight the battle of life in the great outside world. We trust that, by leading good Catholic lives and being in every way a credit to the institution, they, and we, the present inmates, may be a consolation to you in the future, and thus show our appreciation of all you have done and are doing for us. We ask you to accept our gift as a slight token of our esteem, and our most fervent prayer, dear Father, is that God may grant you many, many more years to labor for His glory, and to receive the unstinted gratitude of ' The Little Children of St. Vincent's Orphanage.' The children's gift to Father Coffey was a solid silver teapot, cream jug, sugar basin, and a silvermounted oak tray. The orphans gave a very creditable rendering of Joseph Seymour's bright, pleasing operetta, 'An Irish May-day.' This work was well within the ability of the girls who took part in it. Each performer acted her part with self-possession duo to painstaking rehearsal. The choruses were well balanced and sung sweetly and correctly. The whole performance reflected well the training they received 'at,the hands of their teachers. Besides preparing a concert to honor Father Coffey's jubilee, the children had offered up many Holy Communions and prayers as a spiritual bouquet for the great day. At the conclusion of the musical programme, Very Rev. Father Coffey addressed the children. It had i >

afforded him, he said, great pleasure to see so; many happy, smiling faces, and to listen to their ' excellent entertainment. The correct manner in which they had spoken their parts would have done credit to any school in New Zealand. He thanked them very cordially for all their efforts to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination; he thanked them for their beautiful gift and for the kind sentiments so nicely expressed by the little girl who had read their address to him. It was always pleasing to know that-one’s efforts were appreciated, but his part in bringing about the success of the orphanage had been small. The credit of its success was due to the good Sisters of Mercy, who are making great sacrifices to feed, clothe, and carefully educate so many little ones who, from one cause and another, have been deprived of their natural guardians. The outside public had very little idea of the self-sacrifice of the Sisters who spend their lives in this work of Christian charity. For seventeen years he (Father Coffey) had been keenly interested in the orphanage. He had, during that long space.of time, watched the working of the institution and noted the training the girls receive. Each child had an eternal destiny, each was created for heaven, and it was to equip the orphans to attain that destiny that the institution was founded. In a few years the children there to-night would have to go out into the world to fight the battle of life. Then they must put into practice the lessons taught them by the nuns: they must lead good honest lives, and never do anything that would bring discredit 011 the orphanage. He earnestly urged all listening to him to be docile now in their years of training, to pray well and work well, and to remember that ‘ there’s no place like home.’ The orphanage was their home—the only home the majority of them ever knew. In after years when they came back to visit the Sisters, and re-visit again the scene of so many happy days, they would always receive a very warm welcome. Lie again thanked them most heartily for their very enjoyable entertainment. As their patronal feast of St. Vincent de Paul was close at hand, he would not now petition Rev. Mother for a holiday for them, but he knew she would give them a right royal day on the 19th. Me would not forget to contribute his share of good things for that day (applause). In late years, owing to the many calls on the generosity of the Catholics of Dunedin, he regretted to say that very little pecuniary assistance was available for the orphanage, but in future he hoped to be able to obtain more aid in that direction to help the Sisters to carry on this meritorious work of mercy.