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

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beauties tlili Faith, of Scripture and of the Liturgy,
made her a rare teacher for alv1ays · s~1e c om'bined vri th
love of lmowlec1ge a love of heP pupils. 11
Second only to her
at love of God cmne her ardent love
of her native land, thOUc.Th she eschewed c ontr'cwers~r of
all kinds, yet, vvhen occasion deuano.ec5. it, she could launch
a crushin:?; rejoinder barbed with a polite ir·ony altogether
disaru:ing. Por the ')ris she had a very special love and
her stronJ sin~lici
gave her an empire over: then1 which
no diplo;:wcy coul1i have her to ac qui ''e, They, as
well as their: white neig11bour:c~,
sought he1·counsel and
syrnpatny in times of trouble, knowing full '.;ell t."'at her
frienC:Lship lmew no hesitations, r:o ehills, no wear•ying.
Great was the mournin::r at the Arahaura pall when on Octobe:r
20th, 1 1 they heard of her death. In the mess e of
sympathy ¥7l1ich t se L:aoris sent to the Iioki til(a Si rs,
and ';,:n:Lc!: the Sisters fondly che:ei , vre read - "The rata
flower l:la;~; f'slllen at last and we grieve for· her. u "\nd ·the
flmning rata 1
kindling the hillside with t
aze of its
glor•y., is indeed a fitting SYJ:lbol of her glowing charity,
soue sparks of \~Jllich
inflcuaed the he art ; of nany rrho v;ere
so fortunate as to come under the spell of her influ.ence.
Of the original band. of ten pioneer Sisters who began
the vtorks of the Institute of l'.'iercy in the South Islano.
sixty-one years ago, five are not only.still
ive, but
still mentally alert, tho
wont to view with yearning gaze