The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-03 00:00:00

OPENING OF THE NEW PRO-CATHEDRAL
AT KENSINGTON.

Yesterday the new pro-Cathedral Church, situ-

ated at Newland-terrace, Kensington, was solemnly
opened with great splendour. The new church is
built off the high road to Hammersmith, nearly op-
posite Holland Park gates, in a hollow square of
homes, on the site of Capper House School and its
playground.
The plan consists of nave and aisles, spacious
apsidal choir, side chapels, sacristies, and a chapter
room. Owing to the limited width of the site the
width of the church is only 60 feet, with a total
length of 155 feet. The style is 13th century
Gothic, treated with a certain and legitimate free-
dom in its adaptation to the material—brick—of
which the fabric is mainly constructed. Exteriorly
great simplicity has been observed, excepting in
the principal entrance, lost at present behind some
houses not belonging to the property. A lofty
wooden spirelet, with angels standing about. its
base, forms a striking feature, and marks the
extent of the choir ou the long and otherwise
unbroken ridge of the chief roof ; it rises to
a height of 135 feet from the ground level. In
the interior, ornament has been applied with a less
niggard hand, though with a very judicious sobriety
and taste. The nave columns are magnificent
shafts of polished red Aberdeen granite, surmounted
by beautifully sculptured capitals, whilst au upper
arcade embraces the lofty Celestory lights, and
bears the arched roof. The church presents a strik-
ing effect with its vaulted roof, its nine great tra-
ceried windows, its arcade, and its sumptuous Altar
of varied foreign marbles. As yet all other fittings
and the softening effects of stained glass are want-
ing. The total cost of the completed church will
be £lO,OOO. The architect of the beautiful fabric
is Mr. Goldie of Kensington-square, whose church
at York is well known to travellers in the north.

The announcement that High Mass would be
sung by Dr. Morris, Bishop of Troy, and that his
Grace the Archbishop of Westminster would
preach the sermon, drew a very large attendance
of the clergy, and amongst the laity present were
the Duke of Norfolk, the Duchess of Buccleuch,
the Earl of Denbigh, the Earl of Gainsborough,
the Austrian Ambassador, Count d'Apponyi, the
Bavarian Minister, Count Ferdinand de Hompesch,
and the Baron do Cetto, Lord and Lady Clifford,
Lord Southwell, Lord lorries, Lady Dormer, Sir
George Bowyer, Sir Robert Gerard, &c. At eleven
o'clock the organ pealed forth, and his Grace the
Archbishop, in his full robes, attended by the Vicar-
General, the Rev. Dr. Gilbert, and a long train
of ecclesiastic; amongst whom were the Bishops of
Beverley, Northampton, and Clifton, Monsignors
Clifford, Capel, Banomi, Patterson, Searle, Dr.
Oakley, and the other Canons of the diocese,
having taken their seats on the right of the
altar, the Bishop of Troy sang the Mass. The K 3 ri
Gloria and Credo was from Beethoven's mass in C,
and the Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Haydn's first.
The scene during the celebration of the mass was
of the most i ',posing grandeur ; the high altar was
decorated with six magnificent silver candlesticks
of the most exquisite workmanship, in addition to
the large gilded candelabra containing the lighted
candles. The sanctuary was covered with a
splendid carpet, and the steps leading thereto,
on either side, filled with choice exotics.
The chapel of the Virgin on the left was
also profusely decorated, and altogether the scene
presented was one of the greatest splendour. The
effect of the whole was greatly heightened when his
Grace the Archbishop in his cope, a full and flowing
robe of silk, thickly embroidered in gold, wearing
his jewelled mitre, and supporting himself Stith his
silver crozier, came into the miost of the congre-
gation, and, standing on a small elevated platform,
preached the sermon, the text of which he took from
the 2d chapter of the Second Epistle of Saint Paul
to the Corinthians. His Grace, having alluded to
the immutable truths taught by the Catholic
Church, made reference to the removal of the seat
in which his noble and revered predecessor had so
long sat at St. Mary* Moortields, to the new
church they were then assembled in, and said that it
had become necessary to do so in consequence of
the new missions that had been opened of late
years. There was no reason why it was done,
indeed, beyond the circumstance that, as the
Church vas not stationary, that as it was so
largely extending itself to the westward, it had been
thought advisable that the pro-cathedral should
migrate thereto from the eastward. Forty years ago, in the
district they wore then assembled in, there were nothing
but the dwellings of the gr, at, churches were not
now i)lan
theted
there, but a change had come over them, and
westward was fully covered over with the organisation of
the Catholic Church, and all was fully occupied. That
circumstance alone would be sufficient, his Grace observed,
to render it necessary that the cartre of the diocese should N
bo changed from the east to the west. They must not
think that the seat of the diocese would for over remain iu
the church where they were then assembled. It was merely
being used as a provisional cathedral until the projected
memorial to his great and much-beloved predecessor was
erected ; the present church would then become a simple
parish church. A site for the proposed cathedral had been
obtained, but how soon or how long it would be before it
was erected ho could ntit say, but as soon as the means
were at his command not a moment would be lost.
The means might arrive before expected, but until
they came as a Godsend—and he used the term in its
sacred sense—nothing could be done. On Sunday next,
his Grace continued, he should ordain the first priest in
the new pro-cathedral, and from that time it would become
the seat of the archbishopric and the centre of the dio-
cese, until God translated that centre elsewhere. He
was rejoiced to observe a change was now coming over
tho country, old errors were passing away, the fictions of
the past were fading out, eternal truth was ascending, and
England was beginning to act justly to the Church of God.
Many were now doubting about that which they had never
doubted before, and that was which was—the true reli-
gion! The Catholic was the first, and he felt certain it
would be the last. All things tended to prove such would
be the case. The Catholic Church was not now treated
with contumely by Englishmen ; on the contrary, it was
now received by them, and they, the Catholics,were treated
as equals, and they received equal laws and equal freedom.
There was a great desire for unity ; he might truly say
unity was hungered after by tens of thousands, and that
it would be accomplished in good time there could not boa
doubt. The English people, his Grace observed, had never
rejected the Catholic Church ; but then it might be asked
—Who made the change ? Why, it had been brought about
by a handful of bad men in power, who did not scruple to
enact penal laws to carry their actions into force. Eng-
land therefore could not be guilty of that which it never
did. England seemed once more desirous of returning to
the unity and charity of the Catholic faith, and amidst the
groat changes and upheavings that were taking place
around them, he hoped and prayed they might be ani-
mated by feelings of brotherly love and forbearance,
without which the great. work would be retarded and
delayed. His Grace having concluded a very eloquent
sermon, the proceedings in the church terminated.
The company then proceeded to the school-room in
Holland-street, formerly the parish church, and there
partook of an elegant dejeuner, over which his Grace pre-
sided. After having partaken of a very choine repast,
His GRACE rose and said—As he had the happiness and
privilege of presiding over them, he had the power of
making law; that power he should exercise, and his law
would be as fixed and unalterable as that of the Modes
and Persians. (Laughter.) His law was that there would
be but one speech—(laughter) - and he (the Archbishop)
would make it. (Laughter and cheers.) There would
also be but one toast, and to save time he should propose
i_t• (Cheers.) He had communicated the fact to Father
-u:cleY, and at the same time told him that it would be
(Lau
rr
00 hgehatlet
rh. of )
He was sorryePope--and Father Foley believed him.
to say the health he had to
he
pose to them was not the Pope, but that which
would propose was " The Health of Father
Foley and his flock." (Cheers) Of Father Foley
he Could truly say few had succeeded to a greater
degreede in securing the good wishes of his friends and of
etallz.waslt
standing
but two years ago, when he (the
then assembled, in the place in which they were
'worship, but had now
which formerly was their place of
build thew church
their school-room, that the
proposal to
eanrdeedr,
so therewe
The prospect
wasc Was then made known to him.
and. the
felt
asthnaott,halilltghotaugngnibrleatihneirt
speaking, thoughtd
Foley
is bhayeon(cithohisChvoairreru);, humanly
thing had been but the
of magnitude that one—(cheers) - and done on a scale
he had
The vast magnificence of the never any idea of.
day had, he was sure,
called they church they had opened that
and to bring about such fotth the admiration of all,
faith, zeal, determin • a work a man must have had
ate); patience
hear) - ~ and self-denial —(hear,
and Father Foley had m the highest degree. If not, anifested those qualities in
never have been built. Hehis splendid church would
them the health of Frther F could not, in submitting to his flock; they had allo
w,rked
Y' separate the pastor from
and he fervently hoped they together—(loud cheering)
so. They must not, would still continue to do
done, as there remainedhowever, think that now all had been
a debt lo pay, and it would not
be
right to leave the 'who]
lot Father Foley. eof the burden on the shoulders
ighten the load, e should be glad to do all he could to
tuitl other's
he hoped Would do the same.