Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in New Zealand - UC Research ...

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General Sir Sheffield Dixon, and grand-daughter of the
sixth Marquis of Lothian, had served in the Scutari Base
Hospital and was destined to f'Dund the first convent in
\Vellington in July, 1861.
On ( 1) December 8th, 1861, Bishop Pompallier blessed
the foundations of the present I\.fother House Mount Street,
Ponsonby, and wrote the following to .B 1 ather Therry of
Sydney:
" ••• The Sisters of Mercy (have) a part of Diocesan
ground of' eighteen ( 18) acres in extent near Auckland t t-self
for religious, charitable, and educational purposes, v i"Z.:
for their parent convent in the Diocese, for a Hospital,
and for their vast establishments of boarding-schools
in favoul' of bother races, 'whites and native' of
this countl'Y• The intended establishment, not yet built,
shall cost very likely between three and four thousand
poUnds •••• To build it) I depend .on the charity of the
faithful, and upon the assistance of God in His paternal
providence. 11
In 1852 the care of native children was handed over to
Dr. Pmpallier' s new· Order c ed the Holy F'ami ly. Thie
Order did not survive the
shop's departure, and his
niece, who was its Superior returned with him to Frsnce.
Yet the existence of this Order is of historical interest
for tvvo reasons.
Maori race who were undoubtedly
take the veil.
(2) It included several members of the
first liaori women to
In that Order also we first meet the noblehearted
Suzanna Aubert who, before founding the Order of
the Sisters of Compassion, spent nearly a quarter of a
1 • Ibid. p • 1 9.
2.,
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Zealandia" (M. Goulter). November 18th, 1937.