Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in New Zealand
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COHGl".?.EGATION OF OUR I,ADY OP LillHCY IN NEW ZEAL.AJifJJ Codeword: Aphis. 1. Preface Sisters of Eercy in our different dioceses have often expressed regret that, so far, no one has written a historical sketch of the Order of roy in New Zealand. Time is steadily stealing from our midst those who were privileged to enjoy personal acquaintance with the first religious wonen - the Auckland Sisters of Uercy of 1850 - to cone to this country. So, v1'11ile there yet remain ·with us, five of the original band who in 1873 founded the~- first Convent of I~rcy in the South Island, I have attenpted to break the ice, however feebly, and thus free the current for more competent explorers. Owing to the lack of a central authority for the Order, the collecting of sources and other data has entailed :'luch :1ore research than one rr1igllt infer fror:t the size of the WOl"k. A considerable a.rnount of detail was necessa:r'y but I have endeavoured to so use it as not to lose si~ht of the vivifyin~ spi t o~ nercy, which enbraces even the least works of the Order. pro;2pt an d. sene:;;ous response to :1any appeals and loans of useful naterials I owe abundant thad:s to ~Irs.S.R.Goulter, Fairlie; I<Iiss Rona Oonnor,TT.A., Auckland; Hev. li'a ther Fogarty, Geraldine; Rev. E:. I. nenrath, D.1I. 1~ditor, Parist I.~essenger, ';/ellington; :Rev. Brother iiL~.rcelli.n, Timaru; l'fr. Alan 1\.Garter, Editor, Hm;' Zealand r~ablet, Dunedin; Sergeant ,T. ~leary, Ashburton; Sergeant Devlin, ni~aru and to the foll.mving - named aenbers of the Order of 'leroy - father;:. ~reronica, I ... ineric~c; I.I. Benie;nus; Auckland; !1.~.1.:Wrances,'Jellington; !·I.~·~.Claude, 1.'!estport; S.!;~. Derch:1ans, · l}reyr1outh; H. :r. Claver, Eoki tika; !~. Aloysius, Lyttel ton; Rev. !'·~other IT. de Sales and E.I\.Beni~nus, Timaru; T.'·r.Ignatius and S.!I.St •.Tohn, Dunedin. 11 Aphisn Convent of ~ Iercy, n:'inaru, 1930. 8 MAR ZOOO 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS page 1. PREFACE. L~. BIBLIOGRAPHY. 7. CHAPTER 1 • ORIGIN AND SPIIUT OF' THE OHDER OP W~RCY. 1 L~. CHAPTER 11. THE COMING AND EARLY ACTIVITIES OP THE SISTERS OF' UERCY. 27. CHAPTI~R 111 • MOTHER CECILIA L~EER: AUCKLAND POUNDATIONS. St. Uary's, Ponsonby, 1850;. St. Patrick's, Auckland, 1850; St. John's, Parnell, 1862; St. Joseph's, Onehunga, 1864; St. Cecilia's, Otahuhu, 1866; St. hlar·y's, Coromandel, 1882; st. Joseph's Orphanage, Talcapuna, 1894; St. Leo's, Devenport, 1896; St. Catherine's, 'waihi, 1902; Te Aroha, Our Lady of J.Jourdes, 1903; Holy Cross, Epsom, '1921; r~,;t. Carmel, Milford, 1922; . St. Bride's Avondale, 1923; Star of the Sea Orphanage, Bowick, 1925; Monte Cecilia College, Hillsborough Rd., Onehunga, 1926; St. 1-.Iary' s, Pawarene§a, 1927; Holy Cross, Henderson, 1932. Mater Misericordiae Hospital, 1900. 39. CHAPTER 1V. WELLINGTON ARCHDIOCESE. Guildford Terrace, Thorndon, 1851; St. Joseph's, Upper Butt, 1852; St. Philomena's, 1873; Blenheim, 1885; Ne·wton, 1890; Sea- toun, 1909; Kilbirnj.e, 1912; Picton, 1914; Nai Nai: the Beaut.: .. lll, 1916- '17; Ha.taitai and Holy Cross. ·1930; Other Foundations, 1936; An Amalgamation - Reefton, 1881, Westport, 1894. 54. CHAPTER V. HOICITIKA: "All Saints," Greymouth, 1882; St. Joseph's, Lyttelton, .1890; St. MaT·y's Christchm.•ch, 18:J4; "Villa L1aria," Riccarton, 1918; Loreto College, 1929; Convent of Mercy, Tirnaru, 1936. 3 Page 71. OHAPrER V1. DUNEDIN DIOCESE. Gore, 1897; St. Philomena's College 1897- 1904; Liosgiel, 1898; St. Vincent's Orphanage, 1898; Winton, 1898; \'!rey' s Bush, 1899 Alexandra, 1912; Riverton, 1~:13; Nightcaps, 1916; I;Iornington, 1919; \,Vaveley Boys' Or;)hanage, 1920; Mater Misericordiae Hospital 1936. 79· -·-------OHA-',TEH V11. CONCT.USION. 4 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1. PUBLICATIONS. 1. RELIGIOUS WORKS CONSULTED. Cardinal Patrick Francis Jvloran: History of the Catholic Church in Australasia. (Oceanic Publishin~ Cor:J pany, Sydney 1895.) J.J. Wilson: 11 Memoirs of Early Days. 11 (The New Zealand Tablet Publishing Co. Ltd., Dunedin, 1910.) "In the Path of the Pioneer (New Zealand Tablet Publish ing Co. Dunedin, 1921.) A New Orleans Sister of Mercy: 11 Leaves from the Annals of the Sisters of Mercy. 11 Vols 1 and 11. (P.O'Shea, New York. 1883) Sister M. Josephene Gately: 11 The Sisters of L~ercy. rr Maci;lillan. Co., Nevr York, 1931. ) M.G. Thither: Thesis - Roman Catholic Educational Activity in the Province of Otago, N. Z. (Canterbury College 1934.) 2. NON-~~L~GIOUS '.'IOR!CS CONSULTED. CYclopedia of New Zealand.~ Timaru Public Library, ) Vol. 1. ~ellington Vol. 11. Auckland. Vol. 111.Canterbury. (1903) Vol. V. Nelson, I~arlborough, and Westland. Cambridge History of the British Empire. Vol. V11., part 11 n.z. · (cru~b. Press. London, 1933.) Horsley: 11 The Romance of N. z." ('.r.c. and E.G. Jacli:.London, 1908. ) Rusden: 1'History of N.Z.," Vol. 11. (Melville, lilullen and Slade, Melbourne, 1882. Hight ana Bamford: 11 'l'he Constitutional History and Law of Nevr Zealand. 11 (Whi tcornbe & Tombs, Ch. Ch. 1914. ) 5 Shrimp ton and Mulgan: "Maori and Pakeha." (Whi tcombe & Tombs, Christchurch, 1921.) Scholefield: "New Zealand Affairs." \L. Il. Isi tt, Christchurch, 1929.) Reeves. "The Long White Cloud." (Horace Marshall & Son, London, 1898.) 3. OFFICIAL DOCU!i!EWrG. Australian Catholic Directory, 1938. Year Book by I.larist Fathers, 1927 and 1928. New Zealand and A11stralia. The New Zealand Police Gazette, 16th June, 1897. 4. NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS. New Zealand Tablet. 23rd February 1938. (Dunedin. ) 30th.March 1938. 23rd November 1938. 30th Noveliilier 1938. Zealandia. 18th November 1837. (Auckland. ) 5th March 1938. 12th I.·larch 1938. 28th July 1938. 20th October 1938. 8th December 1938. hlarist Messenger. 1st December 1931. (Wellington. ) 1st September' 1934. 1st October . 1934. 1st November 1934. Centennial Nur:1ber, March 1938. Westport News. 11-tth December 1931. The Universe. 2nd Septenilier 1938. (London. ) English Catholic Times. 11th December 1937· (London. ) The Catholic Press. 3rd December 1931 . (Australia. ) Centenary Number, N. Z. Catholic Schools Journal: 1838 - 1939. 6 5. PHAf,:PHLJ:TS. Bishop Cleary: 11 Seventy Fifth Anniversary of the landing in New Zealand of the Sisters of lilerc ( 1850 - 1925.) (Mercy Convent Archives, Auckland.) Rev. W. LocJcington S.J. '''.I'he Sisters of Mercy - (Centenary 1831 - 1931. Convent Librar•y, \Vellington. ) Rev. J. Ryan s. J. !1!. A. Mother Catherine LlcAuley - Litt. D. An Al?preciation (IJimerick 1938) (Convent Library, Timaru. ) Teacher's Bulletin: Surnrrw ·y of Hi or•y of Cath olicCJ:F.lrch in New Zealand (1828 - 1936.) (Lrs. Goulter, Pairlie.) 11 1 Ur. Paul Kavanagh 'l'he Sisters of Mercy ' in Nevv Zealand. Catholic Schools' Journal, Deptember, 1932. (Convent Library Timaru). 1 1 . Ul:J:PUBLI smm. SOUlWES ._ 1. Annals. /mnals of the Lytt ton (Convent of Uercy, Lyttelton). Convent: \ Annals of the Hokitika (Convent of l'.lercy, Hold t a J. Convent: 2. Personal Interviews. ----------··~ -- I have been able to eo;.;: u.p on much ma·i.;t;;;rial by discussing doLtbtful points ·ai th five pioneers who, though. they have passed beyond the allotted three-score- and-ten are still quite clear on the events and life of sixty years ago, though not always so clear as to more modern events. ~jisters: too, who have lived VJith the first Auckland and Wellington Sisters, have been kind in furnishing details. THE LIBRARY 7 fAWTERBURY UNIVERSITY COLLEGd CHAPT:Bm. 1 • CHRISTCHURCH, 11.1. Ox•iqin and Spirit o:t_:_ the Order of l,lercy..!. .. The Order of' Llercy sprang into being as an outc:owe of the zeal and chm·i ty of a beautiful, noble-hearted Irish heiress, Catherine McAuley, who was born in Co. Dublin, in 1787. ( 1) Although the second hal1' of the 18th century was a 11 CPitical period for adhel'ents of the old faith" :r:n Ireland, yet Catherine's father, a devout Catholic, enjoyed all the privileges of polite society without any apparent injury to his Catholic principles. In those penal days when Catholicity vras a crime and all things Catholic were 11 hidc1en away as in the days of the Catacombs, 11 Catherine's father used to asf~emble at his own home on Sundays and holidays the poor of the district to instruct them in the truths of their religion. His lessons were to bear fruit in the life of his young daughtel"' who never forgot them. 1:/hen Catherine, who was the eldest of three children vras but seven yem•s old, she lost her father; and her gay young mother seeing that to adhere to the Catholic faith meant to belong to (2) a upoor, despised, impotent, ragged and pitiful c onmnJ.ni ty, If willingly accepted the Protestant- isnt of her friends, with its monopoly of wealth, power, 1. Mother CathePine McAuley - An Appreciation (Eev. (.T. Ryan f3.J.ii:.A. D. Litt.) (Limerick, 1938.) 2. Ibid. 8 prestige and learning. She died when catherine was eleven and thenceforth the three orphans were brought up by Protestant friends who could never persuade Catherine to adopt their religion. ( 1 ) Vlhen sixteen years old, Catherine was adopted by Mr. and Idrs. Callaghan, lately l'eturned from abroad, who were old Protestant friends of the McAuley family. Her nevv guardians idolised Catherine but were in- flexible on one point - that she should not profess the Catholic religion. Yet so deeply.did she revere her father's memory that she offered· to relinquish all, rather than embrace any religion but his,· and this, even though she was yet ignorant of Catholic aching and was denied any association with it.