The Henson Journals

[182]

Saturday, March 20th, 1926.

I spent yet another morning in writing letters. Also, I prepared notes for the afternoon's sermon. At 2 p.m. Lionel & I left the Castle, & motored to Cleadon Park, where I dedicated the temporary church of St Columba. There was quite an imposing array of clergy, & a crowded congregation. The general impression was that of sincerity & hope. Booth, the curate–in–charge, was formerly one of Knight's curates in Houghton–le–Spring. He has secured a small house, where he lives with his mother & sister. We had tea there, & then returned to Auckland.

In Bishop Lightfoot's time, the dedication of mission rooms & the consecration of churches were frequent functions: for both men and money were plentiful. There was abundance of enthusiasm in the clergy and no lack of hearty response in the people. Now all is changed for the worse. Such few clergy as we have are aging or ailing men, with very few exceptions: all are so poor, that the determining question with them is always the amount of the "salary" which their curacy or incumbency will carry. Mostly they are married, & mostly to wives precisely worthy of themselves!

---