INSTITUTE OF NOTRE DAME DES MISSIONS

New Zealand Tablet, 31 August 1911, Page 1703

INSTITUTE OF NOTRE DAME DES MISSIONS

GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS IN CHRISTCHURCH „, (From our own correspondent.) ■\ On Tuesday, August 15 (Feast of the Assumption), the golden jubilee of the foundation of the Institute of Notre Dame des Missions, familiarly known as the Sisters of the Mission, was celebrated in Christchurch —the mother-house of the Order in the Province of New Zealand —with imposing ceremonial. Solemn High Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the Sacred Heart Convent at 11 a.m. by the .chaplain, the Very Rev. Father Price, Adm., the Rev. Father Daull, S.M.A., being deacon, Rev. Father Taylor, S.M., subdeacon, and Rev. Father Hoare, S.M., master of ceremonies. There were also present:in the sanctuary Very: ;Rev. Dean Regnault, -S.M. (Provincial), Rev. Father Graham, S.M., Rector of St. Rede's College, Rev. Father Quinn, S.M., Rev. Father Fanning, M.S.H., Rev. Father Dignan, S.M., and Rev. Father. McDonnell. The occasional sermon was preached by the Very Rev. Dean Regnault, S.M., who delivered the following discourse: \ 'Let us rejoice in the Lord, whilst celebrating this festal day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for whose honor the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.' Dear Reverend Fathers, Sisters, and Children, —The words which I have just quoted are taken from the Introit of the Mass of this day. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. Mary into Heaven, which took place, tradition tells us, about two thousand years ago, was a source of joy and happiness to the angels and saints. When Our Lord had accomplished by His sufferings and death the work of our redemption, He returned to heaven accompanied by the whole heavenly court, but, as St. Bernardine says, the angels repeated without ceasing the words of the royal Prophet —' Come, O Lord, to Thy kingdom and bring with Thee the ark of Thy sanctification, that is, bring Thy mother, the ark which Thou didst sanctify by dwelling in her womb.' "Well, it was not until twenty-three years after, that Our Blessed Lord was pleased to admit His Holy Mother into her glory. Through an excessive love of the human race He left her in the world, to witness the beginnings of His Church, to edify His apostles by her example, to comfort them by her prayers and to enlighten them by her advice. At last He was pleased to put an end to her exile. He took her up with great splendor to the Heavenly Jerusalem, and placed her on the throne which He had prepared for her for all eternity. This day was for Heaven a day of triumph; a day of joy and happiness for the angels and saints; and for the Blessed Virgin herself it was the beginning of the full enjoyment of that bliss of which St. Paul says: ' Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him.' Hence the Church sings in the Office of to-day: Let us rejoice in the Lord, whilst celebrating this festal day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for whose honor the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.'

The Event which We are Celebrating To-day. cannot fail also to be a source of joy to the angels in Heaven, and why We are assured by the Gospel that the angels, who rejoiced when their Queen was honored and crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth and placed on a throne of glory, rejoice also over one sinner doing penance, over one sinner who comes back to the fold, to the sweet embrace of his Saviour. Will their joy not be infinitely greater, therefore, when whole nations are brought to the feet of Mary’s beloved Son, and acknowledge Him as their King and their God ? Great, therefore, must have been the joy of the angels and saints when, fifty years ago, on August 15, 1861, another Virgin, Sister Mary of the Heart of Jesus, led by the hand of Divine* Providence, came to the city of Lyons, in France, in order to found, under the protection of Our Lady of Fourvieres,

an Institute of Sisters who, guided by true missionary zeal, were destined to rescue thousands of souls from eternal death, and; bring them ,to the knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to eternal salvation. Burning, as she was, with zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, Sister Mary of the Heart of Jesus ■wished even then to leave her own country and hasten to the uttermost parts of the earth in order to bring assistance to the missionaries who, in the midst of great tribulations, were planting the Faith in the scattered islands of the South Pacific. But God had other designs in regard to her: He wished her to form to the likeness of His Divine Son hundreds, nay, thousands, of missionaries, inspire them with the true spirit of zeal, and send them to work for the conquest of souls, and thus to lay the foundation of an institute which is your own, and is known as the Institute of Notre Dame des Missions.

-. From the Earliest Ages of the Church God seems to have made use of religious Orders to plant the Faith in new countries,' or to carry on the works of education and charity. It. seems as if without them the Church would be unable perfectly to fulfil her mission on, earth; as if she would remain, so to speak, incomplete, maimed, and lacking one of her crowning glories. Hence it is that the Doctors 0 the Church assert that religious life in all its essentials will endure as long as the Church itself. No sooner had the Church emerged from the Catacombs into the full light of day, and its full development %gun, than religious Orders appeared. St. Anthony the Great, St. Pachomius, St. Hilarion, and St. Basil were the first masters of religious life in the East St. Martin of Tours. and St. Benedict in the West; and very soon the sons of St. Benedict went to England, then a vast expanse of forest and waste lands, where they laid the foundations of those great institutions which were to become centres of social power and influence, of enlightenment and civilisation. What Almighty God did in the early ages of Christianity He did last century; and what He did yesterday He does to-day. Towards the beginning of last century, the reigning Pope cast his eyes on this new world of ours, on New Zealand, and on the numberless islands of the South Pacific; and He saw there an immense field to cultivate, an abundant harvest to gather in, but he had no laborers to send. He saw the inhabitants of these islands buried in darkness and in the shadow of death, but there were none to whom He could say: ' Go forth and preach the Gospel to them. Bring them to the fold, teach them all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Bring them to the light of Christ and the knowledge of truth, and baptise them in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' At last a religious. Order, the latest in the field, the smallest and most insignificant of all, j The Society of Mary, made its appearance in the world; and to this Order our Holy Father gave the commission to go and preach the Gospel on those inhospitable shores of the islands of the South Pacific. Four priests and two lay-Bro-thers accompanied Bishop Pompallier. in December, 1836; one died on the way, and another, after three years of apparently fruitless ministry, laid down his life for the Faith. Now that blood of our martyr, Blessed Peter Chanel, was to be truly the seed of Christians.' The others were soon reinforced by companions, and continued to preach in the midst of hunger, fatigue, persecutions, and tribulations of every kind; but the tree they had planted by their labors and watered with their tears and their blood, grew, and soon spread its branches over the whole of the islands, and a new Church, fair to behold, had arisen. In order to carry on this work, the missionaries did what they have ever done in the whole history of the Church. "By the side of the church they erected a school, or if their means did riot allow them to do this, they made the church serve the. purpose of a school. But they needed auxiliaries to impart knowledge to the young, and to train them in the path of virtue. . Whence were those teachers to come? As our Holy Father the Pope had done in their regard,

the Marist missionaries appealed for assistance to a religious Order, 1 to the Institute of the Incarnate Word in London, an institute which had been originally founded for the foreign missions. : . Unfortunately, this Order was then in a state of transition. It was about to change its name and to abandon one of its principal works— give up its primary object, namely, the foreign missions, in order to devote itself entirely to the work of education in England. Hence the Superiors were obliged to refuse the work offered them by the Marist Fathers. But there was one member of that Institute, known in the world as Euphrasie Barbier, and in religion as Sister Mary of the Heart of Jesus, who did not change with the Order. She held the important offices of First Assistant and Novice Mistress, and was thus the soul of the Institute and of its good works yet she still felt that her vocation to the religious life was primarily that of a religious missionary. The Superioress of the Convent well knew Sister Mary’s leanings ; and as she appreciated her .high qualities she informed the Marist Fathers as to how matters stood, when, on a second occasion they knocked at the door of the Convent and asked for assistance. After mature reflection and fervent prayer, Sister Mary of the Heart of Jesus looked upon the appeal of the Superior General of the Society of Mary : as the voice of God, as a direction and as a line of conduct traced for her by Heaven. She consented to undertake the work offered her by the Marist Missionaries; and with the approbation of the Superiors both religious and ecclesiastical, and the permission of the Holy See, accompanied by a novice, Sister Mary St. Wilfrid, she bade farewell to her Sisters in London. Under the protection of the Queen of Heaven, and the guidance of Father Favre (Superior General of the Society of Mary), our two pilgrims reached Lyons on August 15, 1861,, that is, just fifty years ago; and laid the foundation of the Institute of Notre Dame des Missions.

Here at the Very Dawn of Your Existence,

dear Sisters, it seems to me that, more than at any other period in the history of . your Institute the finger of God and the designs of Divine Providence in your regard are clearly manifested. Your Venerated Mother Foundress intended to spend a few days in Lyons and then sail for New Zealand. Divine Providence, however, arranged everything so that she was forced to stay. She did not even become a missionary; but she remained at home to lay the foundations of an Institute which was to give to the Church hundreds of missionaries, who were to carry the blessings of faith and of education to every part of the world, not only to New Zealand, but to the Islands of the South Pacific, to America, to India, and other parts. Was not this a reason for the angels to rejoice on August 15, 1861, as they had rejoiced on the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary ?

The beginnings of this Institute were humble and small, as became the followers of the humble Virgin of Nazareth. A house was rented which was approved by the Holy See as a Novitiate House ; and on Christmas Day of the same year, his Eminence Cardinal de Bonald, Archbishop of Lyons, delegated the Superior General of the Society of Mary to give the holy habit of the Institute de Notre Dame des Missions to the Venerated Foundress and Sister Mary St. Wilfrid. Rev. Father Yardin assisted at the ceremony, and preached on the occasion. Two young ladies were present, onp of whom became a member of the Institute and later on was sent to New Zealand, where for about thirty years she devoted herself to the manifold activities of the Institute, and is known to many of the old friends of Christchurch as Mother Mary St. John, She is still devoting herself to the good works of the Institute in England.

The First Novices knocked at the door of the Institute in February of the following,year; and then another Assumption Day arrived when the angels again rejoiced, for on the 15th August, 1864, four Sisters destined for the first foundation in New Zealand, made their Holy Profession. This foundation was made in Napter; where", a

few i months later, the Sisters arrived and had the happiness of being welcomed by Bishop Viard, of WeiImgton, and a few days later by Rev. Fathers Forest and Reignier. The Novitiate prospered ; and in 1867, another foundation, that of Christchurch, was made. The Venerated Foundress pursued her work ; she gave to the Order its characteristic spirit, which is the spirit of zeal for God’s greater glory, the spirit of humility and modesty, of simplicity and charity, modelled on the interior dispositions of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, and thus uniting the contemplative * with the active life. Having formed her daughters on that beautiful model, she sent them to their Spouse’s work in every part of the world. She then perfected the Constitutions, which were finally approved by the Holy See, July 6, 1906. But this definite approbation the eneiated Foundress had not the happiness of receiving during her lifetime, as she was called to her Eternal reward in 1893. On the other hand, however, she was spared the cruel pain of witnessing the banishment of her Institute, together with other religious Orders, from her beloved country; and the surrender of her Mother House, her convents, and all her property to the rapacity of the unworthy Government of France. „ To-day have assembled here to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Institute, the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. Fifty years have flown by since your Venerated Foundress commenced its work, and humbly laid the foundations of the Institute. And although fifty years. in the life of a religious Order are no more than a year in the life of an individual, is it not worth asking ourselves What has the result been ‘Have the angels oft this day reason to rejoice and bless the S n .. of God? Has the Institute been true to the ideals of its Venerated Mother Foundress, and to the holy : men who were associated with her in that great work ? Has it been a centre of piety, truth, and virtue, of religious spirit and intellectual life, a fountain of pure and refreshing waters?’ Let the works of the Sisters of Notre Dame des Missions speak. Are they not an eloquent testimony to the marvellous progress made in educational and charitable works? Look at this Institution here in Christchurch, at the different works in Nelson, Napier, and in many other parts of New Zealand. Has not the grain of mustard seed sown in privation and penances, has not the little .plant tended with untold care, in the midst of manifold trials and difficulties become a tree which, as your Very Rev Mother General makes mention of ,in her jubilee circular, spreads its branches from Europe into Asia, America, Australia, and even to the uttermpst bounds of the earth to New Zealand, which contains one of your most flourishing provinces ?

Fifty Years Ago the Institute Consisted of Two Novices, yoixr Mother Foundress, and Sister Marv St. Wilfrid * to-day it numbers over five hundred Sisters and novices’ not including the one hundred and twenty-five who have already gone to their eternal reward. Fifty years ago the Institute dwelt in a small house which the Foundress could not even call her own ; to-day, the Order possesses, scattered throughout the world, over fifty convents most of which are ornaments to the towns in which they have been erected, and all of which are a shelter for the orphans, and a sanctuary of piety , and learning for the children entrusted to their care. These pupils and orphans number at present about five thousand; but think of the thousands of others /who, during the last htty years have received from you a Christian education, have led a life of virtue and innocence, and have exercised a wholesome influence on those with whom they lived. Surely tins is sufficient reason for the angels to rejoice to-day ! But there is a still greater reason • and that is, the fact that even according to the testimony of your Superioress General herself, the religious spirit is ever progressing in the Order, that after the lapse of fifty years there is no dimunition, but rather an increase in the religious fervour of the Instituteand that each one of the Sisters is striving to acquire a more intimate union with God, and a filial and simple obedience to the rule. This is, after, all, the seoretof their success. w ■

I hope that the daughters of Mother Mary of the Heart of Jesus will never deviate one iota from her spirit. It was that spirit that crowned her work with such success; and it is that spisit which will render the labors of her devoted children equally successful throughout the world. Congregations which have departed from the ideals and the spirit of their founders have never done so well, nor have their labors been blessed by God.

What feelings ought now to be uppermost in your hearts? During the last few days you have made reparation . for any shortcomings which may have existed during the past fifty years. ' You have likewise offered' up prayers in thanksgiving for all the benefits bestowed on the Institute, and on each of its members by Almighty God during the past fifty years. ' You have also paid a tribute of affection to those of your Sisters who now enjoy the Beatific Vision; and you have offered up your pious suffrages for the repose of the souls of those who may still be in the place of expiation. You have also prayed for your benefactors both clergy and laity, living and dead, and especially for those good and holy men who worked for, and helped you, in your time of need here in Christchurch, particularly Rev. Fathers Chataignier and Chervier, and above all, the late Rev. Dean Ginaty. And now what remains to be done? To rejoice with the angels and saints in heaven for the good which has been done through you.

We, your friends, have come here to-day to share your joy and to unite with you in thanksgiving. I know that you have already received by cable a special blessing from our Holy Father the Pope, for of you, fortyour benefactors and the children entrusted to your care and I am certainly most happy to tender you in the name of his Lordship the Bishop and in that of the clergy of the diocese our heartiest congratulations. To these we add our most fervent wishes that the Institute may continue to prosper, and that its centenary may be a record of still more marvellous progress, of a still greater good achieved, and of a greater number of souls gained for. Heaven.

At the conclusion of Mass there was Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until after Benediction in the evening. At the conclusion of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament,'given by the Rev. Father Fanning, M.S.H., there was a torchlight procession in honor of our Blessed Lady around the convent and grounds in ideal weather. Before the grotto of the Blessed Virgin, an act of consecration to the Mother of God was read by the Rev. Father Fanning. For a time the convent and grounds were brilliantly illuminated, the whole scene being beautiful in the extreme. It is , fortyfour years since the pioneers of the community came to Christchurch, being preceded by the Napier foundation and followed by one at Nelson, after which foundations of the Order were made at New Plymouth, Ashburton, Hamilton, Pukekohe, Opotoki, Leeston, Stratford, Rangiora, Kaikoura, Opunake, Cambridge, Panmure, and Howick, Inglewood, Petone and Hutt, and Dannevirke. At Napier the Sisters conduct a flourishing college for Native girls, the number s of pupils this year being 75. They have also an orphanage at Nelson with 112 inmates. They teach the parish schools in all the places where they are established, and have boarding schools in all the principal convents. Although education is the, principal work, the constitution of the Order provides for visiting the poor and distressed, and attending the sicklabors of love . and duty and of much kindly ministration which have earned the gratitude and appreciation of numberless recipients. Sisters to recruit the. Order where needed have gone from New Zealand to Canada, India, Burinah, West Australia, and England. When the religious Orders were obliged in recent years to quit France, the mother house of the Order was established at Deal, in England. The convent of the Order there is' of great historical interest, being no other than ‘Turret House,’ where Charles I. was imprisoned. The basement, the identical apartments of his imprisonment, and its approaches are little altered since that long-past exciting period, and are used by the community- as a cellar for storage purposes.