Girard0252

24 April 1843 - Father Jean Baptiste Petit-Jean to Father Jean Claude Colin, Auckland

Summary

He begins by opening his conscience –says he has been pretty slack in keeping the Rule. Sad at having had to leave the Maori at Whangaroa.

Describes the situation in Auckland. Irish very loyal Catholics, but impoverished. School seems to be attracting a good number of pupils, but collection of fees can be hard. Economic depression widespread – government has to provide work, a half-crown a day for married men. Sees the hard times as possibly God’s punishment for human pride.

According to the document sent, APM Z 208.

Double sheet forming four pages, three of which are written, the fourth bearing only the address and annotation by Poupinel. Translation by Merv Duffy, January 2025.

Text of the Letter

[p. 4] [Address]

Monsieur Colin Montée Saint Barthélemy ¤ No. 4 Lyon France

[In Poupinel's hand]

New Zealand ¤ Auckland April 24, 1844 ¤ Father Petitjean

[p. 1]

Mary conceived without sin pray for us —

New Zealand Auckland April 24, 1843

I put my signature here Jean Baptiste Petit-Jean Marist priest, apostolic missionary

My very reverend father and venerable superior -

[1]

Have someone read this letter to you for relief. If there is a child who should be ashamed to appear before his father and fear to account for his actions, it is me. It is true, it is only filial fear. To get straight to the point, my very reverend father, I am very negligent in the service of God and my conduct proves that I care little for my perfection. It is also true that my conscience testifies that I have resisted various temptations and this would give me some confidence to appear before the tribunal of God. But I am not regular in my exercises of piety, religion, and rule. I have often missed my particular examination. Oh God, finding myself alone and having been without a clock or regulator until today, there has been much disorder in me. I often found excuses to prolong certain occupations beyond reasonable limits that suited me more. I have been little exact in visiting our Lord and especially very cold in the service of Mary. For 5 months, I do not believe I have done more than 4 or 5 times, apart from communal spiritual reading, of particular reading for my own needs. One of the reasons that would deter me from going to France, if ever this natural inclination took hold of me, is that I would not want to show my friends my coldness, and I am happy for the glory of God that they think of the sacrifice I have been able to make, the good examples I have been able to give them. Rather than showing myself anywhere, let me hide in any corner.

[2]

Providence has willed that I be among the whites. I am resigned and content. However, when New Zealanders come to me, I feel in my element. The word, the gesture, the laugh, everything is then easy and without constraint; when I said goodbye to my dear Whangaroa, how many wishes of love these poor people made to me! Truly, I feel inwardly made for the savage and, like a child, I envy the fate of my brothers who are in an island only populated by its native inhabitants. You will pray for me, my very reverend father, so that the good God may have pity on me.

[3]

The place here is without money. Catholics especially do not have any. What money do you want the poor Irish, hunted in their country by misery, to bring here? Upon arriving here, they find themselves largely disappointed in their hopes, but they console themselves by finding their religion, their same faith. At home, they loved their priests, the priests cherished them like their children. These priests, these good shepherds, separated from their children in tears; write to us, they said, from New Zealand, if there are priests.

[4]

I count here about a hundred Catholic families. We are almost as numerous as the government Protestants and much more numerous than the other sects. Our provisional chapel can accommodate nearly 200 people. Our school has about 60 children.

[5]

I feel that I exaggerated when I recently said in a letter that the Catholic school was almost empty compared to the number of children who would still come if the pride of the parents did not keep their children chained at home. I remember, I spoke thus about the false shame of several who do not dare to send their children to school to be taught for free and by grace. The fact is that our children generally do not pay, for lack of means or due to the bad conduct of the parents, moreover the subscribers do not bring me what they promised. I hope that Bishop Pompallier will come to the aid of this establishment; otherwise it would be threatened with ruin.

[6]

My little experience teaches me that real republics are rare and difficult in practice. Everywhere it is a faction, a party that prevails, there is hardly always only one man who truly reigns. Imagine, my very reverend father, that to persuade our Catholics to build a small chapel, I had no other means than to go to them individually and get their signature one by one. About 1500 francs are still owed to our carpenter; fortunately, he has asked to become a brother in the mission.

[7]

I have seen here several Irish who came only to earn a little money for their fathers and mothers; and others solely in the hope of collecting a small sum to return home and enter a monastery. A Protestant abjured in my hands. Misery is growing here as elsewhere. The government, which can be said to be without money, is forced to give work to newly arrived immigrants who do not have any. Now, heads of families receive only half a crown for their day, about 3 francs. That is for them and their little children. — Unmarried young men receive only 1 shilling and 9 pence, that is, 2 francs and 15 centimes. In the past, a man easily made 10 francs, 12 francs, per day. Times have therefore greatly changed! Oh yes, everyone, humanly speaking, likes to assign causes to public distress, but who cannot see with the eyes of religion, in the present misery, this universal calamity, a scourge of God that goes around the world, afflicting all parts at once and humbling the pride of the age. However, hardly any crimes decrease, hardly even if ostentation knows how to impose sacrifices.

[p. 1, in margin]

end of the letter — retrenchments, to pay the most sacred debts. I leave this picture there. —

[8]

How much I rejoiced before the good God for the small and even great progress that Mary is willing to procure for her Society.

[9]

I am not nearly as happy with Brother Colomb as I was at Whangaroa with Brother Elie. The bishop promised me a confrere.

[10]

I am with the deepest respect, my very reverend father, your very humble and very obedient servant in Jesus and Mary.

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