THE MAORI MISSION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 14, 22 January 1892, Page 23

THE MAORI MISSION.

(London Universe, October 31.)

His Lobdship the Bight Rev Bishop Luck, 0.5.8., last Sunday morniug, at St Dominic's Priory, Haverstock Hill, said : — I come to plead the cause of a very distant mission. Our Divine Master gave His apostles a special and divine mission to go forth and preach His name to every creature. I was a Benedictine monk, happy and contented in tbe solitude of the cloister, when I received a command from the Supreme Pastor of the faithful to go to the utmost limits of this globe to carry the name and the love of tbe faith of our Adorable Master and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is a very reasonable prejudice probably felt by many here present about which I would at the outset speak. You may inquire, wby does the Bishop of Auckland come here and dilate on behalf of a prosperous British colony 1 That, no doubt, is a reasonable objection to which I have a reasonable answer. I shall place it before you by informing you of the fact that lam placed in the position of having two flocks— one of them distinct for the European emigrants who have emigrated there during the last ten years. There are men and women with generous hearts, and whose charity is not slow in manifesting itself when called upon by their pastor and bishop, but, however willing they may be, they

are unfortunately poor. Tbe chief reason why the Catholics in Auckland are not in the same position, financially and othervrue, as thoee the other colonies in Australia ia that there is, besides these cmia second flock, whose welfare I have very much at heart— the original Maoris of New Zealand — an intelligent and warlike race, susceptible of great improvement in the arts of civilisation. The census of 1886 gave a population of 45,000, 35,000 of whom form a large proportion of the inhabitants of Auckland. I have, therefore, to make proviaion for two separate and distinct people, totally different from each other, and both capable of being brought into the most intimate relations with the Church of God. The history of this mission goea back to about fifty years, when Gregory XVI. selected Mons. Pompallier, a priest of the city of Lyons, who took np his abode in a province of Western Oceania. Unfortunately, by this time other than Catholic miasionaries had arrived, and when it came to their knowledge that a Catholic waa about to come amongst them, they suggested to the natives the advisability of causing him to disappear. The latter, being little better than savages, were indeed at this time absolute cannibals, were only too glad of the opportunity. Three days after the arrival of the Catholic missionary he was startled one morning while reading his Breviary by beholding himself surrounded by about thiity of these cannibals. The chief addressed him somewhat in this manner — " Stranger, who has invited thee to our shores? We are informed that tbon art here with the intention of taking possession of these our lands, and we therefore regard thee as our enemy, and as such purpose dealing with thee." The missionary, who was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and whose heart was rapidly failing him, conveyed, though the medium of an interpreter, that his intentions were not hostile, but, on the contrary, were allied with those of peace and prosperity, and he had come, not to make war, but " to teach them tbe way to heaven and the Oospel of Jesus Christ." " I am here," he said, •' simply to put you in possession of a far better land than that which you now possess. Let time prove whether lam your enemy or not. Meanwhile I shall regard you as my friends." These simple words had a marvellous effect. Tbe chief again rose to his feet and said— " The stranger speaks words of reason ; he is light. It is better for ns to wait and see whether he is our enemy or not — we will wait." The next difficulty which presented itself was the partiality with which all the chiefs began to regard him, for instead of wishing him from amongst them, they now began to clamour for him individually* As he had only two missionaries, it was utterly impossible to comply with all th»ir requests. He was therefore compelled to content himself and the chiefs by hoping that at the earliest opportunity he would cause other missionaries to come out from Europe who would teach them the doctrines of the Christian religion. At the time of which I am speaking it took three years before the missionary could receive a reply to any appeal to Europe, and about this time the Bishop died. The diocese was consequently left without a priest, and it is not to be wondered at that they relapsed into heathenism. Previous to the death of Mons. Pompallier, the British Government bad despatched to New Zealand, through the medium of the Bible Society, Protestant missionaries, who caused the Bible to be written in the language of the Maoris. It was scattered broadcast among the natives, and for a considerable time remained the only printed book in tbeir language. Having been taught the arts of reading and writing, they were now arrived at a considerable state of civilisation, bo much so that they wanted to shake off the British yoke and begin life anew. The contact with the British settlers made a decidedly antagonistic impression upon the minds of the natives with regard to tbeir intercourse with any new Catholic missionaries, and when, eight ytars after the death of M. Pompallier, a successor was appointed through the instrumentality of his Grace Archbishop Croke it was found that the diocese would have to be converted, not from mere cannibalism and ignorance of any dnty, but from absolute heathenism. The work of re-convert-ing tbe Maoris continued under the direction of bis Grace Archbishop Croke, and afterwards under that of bis Eminence Cardinal Cullen, till I was sent out, about ten years ago. In due course I arrived at my new destination, and was not slow in realising that I was not about to enter upon a life similar to that of the parish priest of HiTerstock Hill. It is a question of living amongst uncivilised people, far away from congenial society, exposed to th« greatest hardships in every department of social well-being. And on this account it ia indeed an apoitolic life, and it is not every priest in the Ch«rch of God that ia called to that apostolic life. 1 set to work among the missionary societies to ascertain whether I could get help to re-eitablish the Maoties' mission . Tbe bulk of the answers were unsatisfactory ; but at last I received a letter from a society at Mill Hill stating that a priest would be duly sent out to me. To this I amid, Dea Gratias—thnakt be to God — and on the Christmas day of 1885 arrived in Auckland one who deemed it a noble work to endeavour, by hard work and perseverance, to gain over the poor Maoriea who were again beginning to follow tbe teaching of God's Gospel. At present there are four missionaries devoted to the work ; but daring last year it was my misfortune to lose five, and it is now a

question of haying to take out more. It is my with to take oat four priests and three nuns, but the expenae attached to thia wish, if carried oat, necessitates an expenditure of £50 for each. Tbo populition is also increasing rapidly, and we muat provide for the accommodation of the boys and the girla in proper schools. Besides thia there is the all-important question — the erection of fit and proper places for divine worship. These necessities cannot be met without a sufficient sum of ready money, and it ia for this that I appeal to your generosity to-day.