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

39
G!lA.FVEH 1 'T.
-·----
r; G ,_, o r:.
~arly in 1850 Bishop Viard ~ith five !~rist 7athers
and ten Brothers left Auckland for the ne~ly-created
Diocese of ~rellin~ton ',\'11ic:: hr:d been entrust to the
Dociety of =~ry. Shortly (l) after his arrivnl the shor1
directed the building of a ~athedral,
presbytery and
convent, and petitioned Aucl:land and I!elbourne for Sisters
of :.:ercy to teach the children v:ho ·were _y;rov:i
up '::i thout
an? education, religious or secular.
Sisters could then be
only JITOtlised, and l)fmd1ng their .arrival he sta:"'fed tJ:e
schools •.:i th four your:n; ladies '\'.'ho ;::ere desirous of becol"ling
nun.:;, anc1
on Gepte:1ber f3th, 1850 OTJener1 .St. r:ar:r's,
the :tst Catholic Girls I f.~chool' in '.'fellinr:;ton. ( 2) mhe
two-acre sitE~, the town be , on v:!lich the convent \vas
built y,•as the
f't o:" 7oord r·ctre, \\'hose daughter BUbsequently
beca:1e a 1 .1ellinc;ton f)ister. of l ~ercy.
In 1861, the
fai thfu.l :·:other Cecilia l:ep~c
her Dronise and sent the
Bishop three volunteers frau ./:..uol:land, 8. E. Augustine
·who had served at Gcutari, ''nd
f;is ter ~'arie, a tulant, to establish tht.."l first convent
in 1 dellin[ston. ( 3) ':'he tmm then extended ~'lainly
alons the
beach aYlC. held a roimlRtion of nome f.i ve hundred, of whon
1. "Zealn.ndia" L'ov. 18th, 1£3'7. (lr. Goulter)
2. ".Annals!! o;;. cit. }'a-:;e o34.
3. Ibid. p. 634.