History of Marists in New Zealand
History of Marists in New Zealand<
Bishop Pompallier
Arriving in the Hokianga on January 10th 1838, Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier (left) along with Father Servant and Brother Michael, were the first Catholic missionaries to New Zealand. The other priests and brothers had been dropped off at various islands on the way, for example, Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna.
Beginning their ministry immediately, Bishop Pompallier celebrated the first Mass on January 13th with local Maori and European settlers. A second band of Marist missionaries arrived in 1839 allowing missions to be set up in Kororareka (present day Russell) and Whangaroa. Later that year, missionaries moved to the South Island setting up a mission station in Akaroa.
At this stage, Bishop Pompallier was in charge of a vicariate stretching from New Zealand to New Caledonia, Tonga to Fiji in a region known as Western Oceania. On May 28th 1848 Rome created two dioceses in New Zealand; the Diocese of Auckland under Bishop Pompallier and the Diocese of Wellington under Bishop Viard.
Marist continued to work throughout New Zealand, setting up parishes and schools throughout the country. In 1890 the Marists set up their seminary in Meanee, ordaining their first priests three years later.
Present Day
In the present day there are 166 priests and 24 brothers in the New Zealand province. A variety of ministries characterise the Society of Mary in New Zealand:
- Maori Pastoral Care
- School teaching
- School Chaplaincy
- Chaplaincy to other Religious Orders
- Missionary work overseas
- Ministry to Refugees and Immigrants
- Hospital Chaplains
- Police and Ambulance Chaplains
- Work Place Chaplaincy
- Parish Ministry
- Internet Ministry
- Spiritual Direction
- Youth Ministry
- Chaplaincy to the Antarctic
- Retreats, Counselling
- Marist Messenger
- Marist Laity
- Catholic Enquiry Centre
Marist Beginnings
The Society of Mary was founded on the background of the French Revolution in 1789.
Key figures of the Society of Mary would be born during this time. The initial idea of a society dedicated to Mary was given to Jean-Claude Courveille. Praying in the Cathedral of Le Puy where he had earlier been cured of blindness caused by smallpox, he heard "not with his bodily ears, but with those of his heart, interiorly but very distinctly:
The Cathedral at Le Puy, France
Of this Church, I am the Protectress. I am like a powerful army, defending and saving souls. When a fearful heresy threatened to convulse Europe, my Son raised up his Servant, Ignatius, to form a Society under His name, with members called Jesuits, to fight against the hell unleashed against His Church. In the same way, in this last age of impiety and unbelief, it is my wish and the wish of my Son, that there be another Society to battle against hell, one consecrated to me, one which will have my name, which will call itself the Society of Mary, whose members will call themselves Marists."
At the same seminary as Courveille was a man called Jean-Claude Colin, who would become the founder of the Society of Mary.
Colin shared Courveille's enthusiasm to found a Society dedicated to Mary. It would be Colin's inspiration and leadership that would lead to the eventual approval of the Society of Mary by Pope Gregory XVI on March 11th 1836.
The years prior to the approval had seen a number of people, lead by Jean-Claude Colin, involved with the Marist project, particularly involved in education and missions to outlying and far-flung parishes in the mountainous region outside the French city of Lyon.
After the approval in 1836, the Society of Mary began to expand throughout France and into the new mission lands of Oceania. On December 24th 1836 Bishop Pompallier, along with seven priests and brothers, including Father Peter Chanel, left France for New Zealand. This was the beginning of the Society of Mary in New Zealand, Australia and Oceania.
19th Century Map of Oceania
Expansion continued in the years following, with Marist now in every continent in the world. At the end of the year 2000 there were 1,087 priests, 117 brothers and 72 seminarians in the Society of Mary throughout the world.