POMPALLIER HOUSE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 44, 15 November 1937, Page 3

POMPALLIER HOUSE

House of First Catholie Missionary in N.Z. UNALTERED AFTER 98 YEARS Established in 1839 as the administrative headquarters of Bishop Pompallier, the first Roman Catholie missionary to. arrive in New Zealand, a house in Russell will assume greater importance in view of .the approaching celebration of the Roman Catholie centenary in February and Mareh of nest year. The Bishop arrived at Hokianga on January 10, 1838, and lived for a time with an Irish family named Poynton, until a house was built for the mission in June of' the same year. A year later, on June 16, three priests and three cateehists of the Society of Mary (Marists) arrived at the Bay of Islands in the Reine de Paix. The priests were Pathers Baty, Epalle and Petit. With funds that were brought to him the bishop bought a house at Kororareka. The new establishment served as the head of the Apostolie •Yicariate and was used as a store and principal mission station of all the missions confided in Bishop Pompallier. It was plaeed under the patronage of St, Peter and St. Paul. Now known as Pompallier House, the ' idwelling and grounds have been kept beautiful by*the"present owners, whoss name has been associated with it for 33 years. The house stands to-day just as it was when built 98 years ago, with iits outer walls of adobe two feet thiek and an interior of a rambling network of passages and slfairways connecting xooms ,on three floors. Visit by Scientist. An interesting ineident connected with the mission 's headquarters is contained in Bishop Pompallier 's diary. Af ter a trip to Tauranga and Matamata the bishop returned to Kororareka in May, 1840. "I learnt then," wrote Bishop Pompallier, "that ,two Prench corvettes belonging .to the seientifie expedition of M. Dumond D'Urville had remained there for several days expeeting mej that the. captain had shown himself .very well disposed toward the mission and the Catholie bishop; .that Solemn Mass had been eelebrated one Sunday by the Rev, Father Petit, and that the commander, VM- D 'Urville, and several sailors of the crew, had assisted at it with much edification; and, lastly, that this illustrious commander had made a present of a quantity of useful objects to the mission, and that he -had left the port greatly regretting not having seen me." Not Destroyed By Maoris.' Among the great afflietions suffered by the bishop was the state of war icaused through tho rebellion of some jof the tribes against the authorities. In this confliet, which occurred shortly after the bishop V pasoral visit to his stations, the flagstaff at Bay of Islands was cut down by the' Maoris and in the ,eventual clash with the colonial troops at Kororareka .the Maoris were victorious. / "Both sides understood our Bpirit of ,neutrality in political matters," wrote |the bishop, "and our desire for peace. 'So all the ravages of the pest of war passed over our heads without touching us; our missionary establishments reimained standing by the side of the ruins jand cinders of tho unhappy town oi i Kororareka- ' '