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

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five years ago made Reefton' s name and fame." In 1875
Rev. Pat:,er C:umm:i.ngs, s .. M., erected a church and school, and
after la:r te: chers had taught '.l~e
chilO.ren for twelve years,
the question of religious t(;ac
rs vms considered.
Hev. Pather Rolland, finding that Hoki tika was unable to
supply him with Disters of },iercy, successfully appealed to
the foundress of Singleton, Mother 1-J.
t:>tanislaus Kenny, who
not only gave up four of her Sisters but even acc~mpanied
them on their arcl.uous jourm:y, first across the Tasman and
thence to \'/ellington, Greymouth, Hol;;:i tika, ac:cnsB t 1 1e
Terematau by aerial tramvvay, and, by coach as :ear as the
railway terminus W11er·c: they boarded the train fo1· ~.e
ton.
'l 1 he ;isters found a girls' school ax;aited them wlth some
hundred and forty on roll; they added a Hi
i3choo1 which
opt:necl i'.'1th 30 pupils and almost at once began the v7orlc of
visitation 0f the Biclc.
'l:'he Sisters visited Boatrnam regularly
to truct the child~en in their religion.(1) A
school was opened in 1893 at Ikamatua, a little fanr:ing
settlenent in the Grey Valley, and \7as attended by an average
of about forty children not all of' whom vvere Catholics.
It
was a gl'ate:ful work and. though it meant trwt the Sisters
had to leave l?.eefton at 7: 30 a.m. and return at 8: p. rn.
they d.id not grudge the sacrifice.
However, a grr.::ater
sacrifice was still to be made, for one of the two Sisters
1. I.iarist L~essenger Page 12, Sept - November· ·1931.