The Church in New Zealand

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 26, 15 July 1925, Page 21

The Church in New Zealand

\. . * y : ■ /Auckland’s Franciscan Missionaries : An r; Echo of Long Ago M 1 - - Mention was made in earlier notes regarding the Franciscan Missionary Fathers - who, for a number of years, labored in the , Auckland diocese and* to the subsequent dispersion of these zealous and well-beloved sons of St, Francis in foreign missionary fields;

SOME HISTORICAL NOTES.

£ among them being Father Nivard, who went to China. A friend has favored the present writer with a. number of extracts from oldtime Auckland newspapers relating to Catholic matters in the early days, among them y being this: “FATHER NIVARD IN CHINA. “The following interesting letter has just been received from the Rev. - Father Nivard, late of the Thames. It is dated ‘ Chefoq, Shantung, China, August 27, 1878. My dear Mr. Landers, — day , before yesterday I with pleasure received your kind letter of - June 4, with £26 Os 6d, a gift sent to me I- by dear friends of mine at the Thames, and whose names I have with delight seen in the list joined to your letter by my friend Mr. Foy. I cannot express in words how welcome and gratifying to me that donation is. It is a sure, real sign that several people continue to remember me with affection; I am sure also, that, as you say, if the Thames had not been so dull many others who appeared to be very friendly to me, and whom " I, ;on my part, remember still very well, whilst I was amongst you, would have also sent me something" as a remembrance; but 1 j suppose some must have become too poor to do so; many others must have left the place, and.besides of others the proverb says /‘Out of sight, out of mind.” But, my dear :, friend, I beg ,of you to tell - all my bene- ,* v ’ r„- • J . .. . ■ r factors that their present is very welcome, because I should not be ashamed to say that

it is a great alms to a very poor missionary', as I am in fact, and that it will be used in a good manner. Assure them that I never forget to pray for them, and for all my other ancient parishioners of the Thames. I hope we all shall meet again in the joy of heaven. I cannot write my heartfelt thanks to each of them, because the letter carriage is too costly, but I hope you will be able to make known my grateful sentiments to every one of them. I received your letter with the donation whilst lying sick in bed through a fearful attack on the night of the 23rd instant, that I thought I was going into the other world. But God would not have me yet, for I am unworthy; and thus, through the skill of a good doctor, after nine hours of great suffering,.! was all right again, but very weak. I remained two days in bed. To-day I got up, and I am-able to answer your amiable letter. So, you see, I have had a short illness, -which, I believe, was caused by the awful heat w have had these two last months. Soon the autumn will commence, and it is a very agreeable season here; so is the spring; but summer is very hot and winter very cold. Some time ago I wrote to Oapt. Fraser, R.M., and to Mr. Foy, about the famine still ravaging the west of this large province. I hope they have received my letters, and got some alms for those dying of hunger. Wo have a good deal of alms from the ports of China, from Europe, etc., to relieve the famished; but they are so many that those alms are by far not sufficient to relieve all, so that many are dead and die of hunger. May the will of God bo done. What you say of my poor person T take it as a compliment; and I thank you for your good-will, and also for the good-will of others. ... I belong altogether to the Shantung mission, and I am under the authority of the Propaganda and, I must say, very happy on the whole, because I am loved by iny bishop (who is an excellent good gentleman), by my fellow, priests, and by those who know me. lam poor, but that I don’t count; other priests, more worthy, were poor before me; and was not Christ poor? Yet, if sent, I would gladly go back to New Zealand. The crops here in Chefoo are very good this year. My best love to all my' friends. Pray for me.—Yours most affectionately, Nivard Jgubdan, Catholic Priest, O.S.F.’ ” Bishop Moran at Auckland Many will remember that for a fairly lengthy period following on the death of Bishop Viard in the - ’seventies, Dr. Moran was the sole Bishop in New Zealand, and, as a consequence undertook episcopal duty in all the dioceses. The following extract from a northern newspaper of the time refers to a visit Dr. Moran was paying to Auckland; “On Thursday his Lordship Bishop Moran, of Dunedin, and administrator of the diocese of Auckland, visited the following Catholic schools—Newton, St. Peter’s, St. Patrick’s, the ; Infant School, St. Joseph’s, and St.

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Francis de Sales - Select School. The . three, latter belong to the Wyndham Street establishment. .. The infant school numbers 150 pupils; i St: Joseph’s, 70; and the select school, 38. : The children in the infant school acquitted themselves with great credit, and evidenced the untiring care of the good Sisters in whose charge they are. A similar result, was obtained: at St. Joseph’s School, and as for the select school, the selections of music, dialogues, recitations, etc., the per-

THE LATE DR. MORAN, . J First Bishop of Dunedin; whose fruitful episcopate was marked with wonderful zeal in the cause of Catholic education, and in the progress of the Church generally. formance was such that the visitors could not help concluding that the education: afforded was of a high standard. Addresses to his Lordship were read at these schools, expressing deep feelings of gratitude for the honor conferred on them by his presence, and offering them encouragement in their exertions. Reference as also made to his Lordship’s indefatigable exertions in sanctioning, as ho had done, the all important question of imparting a. sound Catholic education to the pupils. They r also (as did the pupils at St. Mary’s) expressed deep feelings of sympathy for the-Bishop, of Brisbane, . who has been suffering from an acute attack of rheumatism. Bishop Moran replied in very, suitable terms, and said the compliment paid to h|m he considered more applicable to the good Bishop of Brisbane, who had, under God, been instrumental in .‘establishing in his diocese .no fewer, than 18 convents of nuns, the greater number being of the excellent order of the Sisters of Mercy. He concluded by thanking the nuns and pupils for the treat afforded him, and said that he had ho misapprehension for the progress of the pupils, seeing that they were under the care of such religious teachers. Their Lordships were accompanied on their visits to the schools .by several local clergymen,” ; , •