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

accustomed in their loved Ennis convent.
Not many pioneer
58
religious facing li
in a new cauntry have had. such an
encouraging generous 1'riend. \Yi th the solicitude of a
fond parent, he ed them from the possibility of nancial
worries by providing theE ·. i
neans sufficient to
cover their< ex tu~e for over a year. January 20th,1879
saw the SL> rs PesULle teac not only in the primary
school of long standing but also in a select school later
to orne the present Hi Sc ol. By ( 1 ) PebrD.ary the roll
num1Jers had increased to 1 and included s music pupils.
In the followin2: l.iar>ch, Bishop Hec1.W.iQd vi ted Eol~i tika
:, ;,d perfox'ued the rst solnnn religious ceremony - tht~
Reception to the igious fe Sis tel, J.:. Patr and
Uister J',;.
Columba, the two postulants vrho had accompanied
the eight professed Sisters from 3nnis.
Before he returned
to Wellington the Bishop administered the Sacrament of
Confirmation (2) to forty children, and on two consecutive
days, visited the e.chools and
pleased with the spiritual, :Lntel
res sed himself as •;·-311-
tual and cultL'l,al progress
already manifest in children. On Eastel' Uonday,
)880, st. Columbkille's accep its first postulant who was
soon followed by ~70 many others that tvvo year>s 1 r the
Sisters were ~ble to comply with shop I?.edvrood' s request
to open a conv
in Greyli1outh, then a promising seaport.
1 • tr Zeal andia'' October 20th, 1 ~; , (unsigned. )
2. Ibio ..