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

~_

TENING OF THENE TV 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 Ilaand Park gates, in a hollow square of
houses, o❑ the site of Capper House S,:hool and its
playground.

The plan consists of nave and aisles, spacious
apsidal choir, side chapels, sacristies, and a chapter
room. ()wing to the limited width of the site the
width of the church is only GO feet, with a total
length of 155 feet. The style is 13 ih 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 an 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 Kensingtoa-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 de Cetto, Lord and Lady Clifford,
Lord Southwell, Lord Herries, 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 ecclesiastics, amongst whom were the Bishops of
Beverley, Northampton, and Clifton, Monsignors
Clifford, Cape], Bonomi, Patterson, Searle, Dr.
Oakley, and the other Canons of the diocese,
having taken their seats on the right of th.;
altar, the Bishop of Troy sang the MasT. The lii ri
Gloria and Credo was from Beethoven's mass in C,
and the Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Ilaydn's first.
The scene during the celebration of the mass was
of the most imposing 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 carpat, 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 m ith his
silver crozier, came into the midst of the congre-
gation, and, standing on a small elevated pia! form,
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's, 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 was 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 were then assembled in, there were nothing
but the dwellings of the great, churches wore not planted
there, but a change had come over them, and now the
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 centre of the diocese should,.
be changed from the east to the west. They must not
thick that the seat of the diocese would for ever remain in
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 chinch 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 he could nit 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
the 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 he 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
great 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 choize 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
It. (Cheers.) He had communicated the fact to Father
Foley, and at the same time told him that it would be
the health of the Pope--and Father Foley believed him.
(Laughter.) He was sorry to say the health he had to
Propose to them was not the Pope, but that which
11
_o._,,ey would propose was " The Health of Father
and his flock." (Cheers) Of Father Foley
I r
could truly say few had succeeded to a greater
dheisgree in securing the good wishes of his friends and of
ploinp• It was but two years ago, when he (the
Chairman) was satannddiNnvghiin the place in which they were
then assembled,
-worship, but bad now becomehfothrmeierrslychweeasl-
proposal to build the church was then maderknown
p thattleache theimo
f.
and t slender, there was nothing tangible iu it
Foley felt co4areared so weak that, although Father
Speaking, thoun.hdent, he (the Chairman), humanly
thing t it b3yond his power ; but the
of lag:iLtubede
iclone-(cheers) - and done on a scale
The vast magnifite 'ant 11° had never any idea of.
called forth the admiration of all,
day
had,
he
was
sure
of the church they had opened that
and to bring about' such a work a man must have had
faith, zeal, determination Patience, Lear) - and Father Foley' had and self-denial -(hear,
brifested those qualities in
the highest degree. If not, s splendid church would
could not, in submitting to
Separate
never have been built.
them the health of Frther Foley, the Pastor from
his flock; they had all w.rked to.• ethe
and he fervently hoped
still cohtinue to do
they
would
getter- cheering) _
so. They must not, however, think that now all had been
done, as there remained a debt pay, and it would not be
right to leave the whole of the burden on the shoulders
of Father Foley. He should be glad to do all he could to
lighten the load, ani others he hcped Would do the same.