Girard0249

30 March 1843 - Father Reignier to his parents (an extract only), New Zealand

Summary

Complains about no news from them, but insists that his regard for them is the same.

He reports an incident of cannibalism, but tries to soothe his parents’ evident fears that he might be the next victim. Insists he is as safe as he would be in France.

Reports travelling through a hot springs area - no doubt near Rotorua. (Reignier was at Opotiki at this time). Springs have curative powers – useful also for cooking. (Footnote indicates he saw the Pink and White terraces). Brief account of missionary work.

Translation by Merv Duffy SM, January 2025.

From a copy made for Detours, APM Reignier dossier. Volume 17

Test of the Extract

Excerpt from a letter by Father Reignier, missionary of the Society of Mary, to his parents.

New Zealand, March 30, 1843

My dear father and mother,

[1]

For a long time, I have been waiting in vain for some sign of life from you. I have not had the happiness of receiving news from you. Blessed be God for everything. This does not diminish my love for you, and I always pray to the Father of the great family that He may one day unite us in His bosom.

[2]

Thanks to divine mercy, my stay here has not been in vain. Already, a certain number of souls have gone to heaven who, without the help of my ministry, would not now have the happiness of seeing God for all eternity.

[3]

My first apostolic journeys were made in the company and under the guidance of Father Comte. While we worked together for the good of the mission, we had the sorrow of learning that a band of savages had set traps for a rival tribe and that several natives had been massacred. The bodies of the vanquished, torn to pieces, were devoured by the victors. This horrific scene, of which the Protestant Kanaks were the instigators, cast great discredit on their sect, covering it with shame. Consequently, many islanders embraced the Catholic faith.

[4]

My dear parents, moved by excessive tenderness for me, you may perhaps worry, fearing that I too might fall prey to cannibals. I beg you, cease to be alarmed on my account. The people among whom I live did, it is true, have the dreadful custom of devouring the steaming flesh of their vanquished enemies. But, thanks to the blessings of religion, these scenes of horror have become extremely rare. I am as safe here as I would be in France. The natives fear Europeans and respect missionaries.

[5]

I recently undertook a journey about fifty leagues into the interior of the island and had the happiness of proclaiming the holy names of Jesus and Mary among populations lost in the midst of the woods, where no priest had ever gone before. With what astonishment these poor savages viewed us! And with what joy many of them welcomed us into their huts! By His mercy, God granted me the immense grace, so dear to a missionary's heart, of bringing new disciples to Jesus Christ by conferring holy baptism on a great number of children. Many of these little angels soon went to heaven, and I have the consolation of having in them as many holy and powerful protectors.

[6]

In my new mission, the country presents extremely curious phenomena. In the depths of valleys and on mountain slopes, one finds countless warm or boiling springs, streams of hot and sulfurous water, and burning abysses. Among others, I saw a vast fountain whose bubbling jets shot six to seven feet into the air amidst thick white smoke. Our islanders call them the vents of Satan’s empire.

[7]

These springs are not without their usefulness. Besides offering very beneficial baths, they serve the natives as ovens for cooking their food. Each person brings their potatoes, vegetables, or fish and cooks them in a manner as quick as it is economical. Several mountains offer the most awe-inspiring spectacle. One of them, extremely high, has its slopes covered with snow, while a great source of hot water gushes from its summit. How many times have I admired another hillside, whose appearance is far grander than the palaces of your richest cities. At its peak spreads a basin of thermal waters, whose azure sheets cascade down in successive waterfalls over a hundred-foot terrace. These flows leap over granite spires, enveloping them like graceful turrets in a transparent mist, and descend upon a marble-like bed streaked with blue, red, and countless fresh colors. The water that bathes the steps of this curious amphitheater allows... The overall view is, I repeat, more magnificent than your most admired monuments.

[8]

Recently, after returning from one of my journeys, I went to rest for a few days at the home of a nearby confrere. There, I had the consolation of giving Holy Communion to twenty-two natives. For the first time, they received the God of all charity, who deigned to purify lips once defiled by devouring human flesh. How powerful is the grace of my God to thus transform the most savage men into gentle lambs!

[9]

I must shorten these details, my dearest parents. I am being called by the sick. In one day, walking along the seashore on the sand, I will reach them.

Your son, who loves you ardently and prays to God for you with all his heart,

Reignier, apostolic missionary

Notes

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