Girard1184

22 September 1852 - Father Louis Rozet to Father Victor Poupinel, Hutt

Translated by Fr Brian Quin SM, March 2006

APM Z 208 22 September 1852

Hutt, New Zealand

22 September 1852

Dear and Reverend Father

[1]

I have just, at last, received the books sent by my parents and which Bishop Pompallier had kept up till now. He thought that they had been sent by his correspondent. I have received a letter from him. We are now friends. It is a very long time since I have received news of what is happening in Auckland . I only know that he has received a priest and six religious women from Ireland. The priest he has received cannot preach. He has sent him to the college. Mr Faynes is at Howick, Mr O'Rourke is presently visiting the north, Mr Breen who left five months ago is at Whakatane. I do not know where the money stands.

[2]

Some months ago he [Bishop Pompallier] wrote to Father Forest and offered him a district in his diocese . He gives all faculties and all possible permissions so that a priest will come in to help. The Society could buy land and build and do what it wished on its land. He was offering Tauranga but I am convinced that on seeing him, a man could have what he wanted.

[3]

Bishop Viard doesn't want to make any appointments. He is, he says, waiting for his letters from Rome and from Father Superior [General]. Once he has received them he will make appointments. In the meantime his mission goes on scattering. Father Bernard, who had gone with Father Pézant to found a mission at Wanganui, has left. He has gone to Sydney. Father Pézant is now on his own. Father Lampila is expected soon to leave for Sydney as well, and from there I do not know where. However, I think that he will not be able to go for lack of money, because the Bishop is refusing to give anything if Father Bernard has gone to Sydney. That is why Father Forest paid for his passage; but now that he has nothing more, I think that Father Lampila will be obliged to wait. The Bishop has promised Brothers Luc and Justin to pay for their passages as soon as he has received his money from the [Society of the] Propagation of the Faith. Father Comte is still of a mind to leave soon. Father Pézant does not want to stay in Bishop Viard's mission. He prefers to go back to Bishop Pompallier . You could inform Father Superior of all that.

[4]

Father Forest thinks that the Bishop will now make arrangements and the he will entrust us with a district, then we will gather as soon as possible, but for that we will have to be sent money to buy land, and a huge property will be needed: several hundreds of acres for us. Then we could accept the proposition made by the governor. He has offered to give 800 to a thousand acres for gathering Maoris together. He would give the property to the Society on condition that we would gather Maoris together there. That is very well and good, but we would need some hundreds of acres bought by the Society, adjoining the property designated for the Maoris, so that later on, if anyone wanted to contest us being there we would have a home base. We would begin, as well, by properly connecting the property that is the Society's own.

[5]

The little girls have entered the house in Wellington. They are 16 in number, as many half-caste as Maori. It is thought it will do well.

[6]

I am sending you, as well, a document which shows the number of Maoris living in New Zealand.

[7]

Now to get to the subject of books: 1) Father Migne has promised me a third of the prices in Masses which I would offer here. 2) I would like the books in the following order. 3) I want you to draw from the money which you will be given, I think, for Masses, the sum of 400 francs, which, when added to the 500 francs which I have sent you will make 900 francs. I have asked the parish priests of St Louis in Lyons and of St Louis in St Etienne for Masses. See them for these Masses. On 1st September I began to offer these Masses for the intentions of the parish priest of St Louis at St Etienne, or, failing him, for those of the parish priest of St Louis in Lyons, but it is not necessary to tell them that. Say only that I have begun to fulfil the Masses for their intentions. If you add 300 francs which Father Migne must add to these 900 francs, since the third of 900 francs is 300, that makes 1200 francs. I will fulfil or have fulfilled these three hundred Masses because Bishop Pompallier and Father Garavel owe me 300 francs, and I will write to them once the books are received to fulfil the 300 Masses at once.

[8]

I earnestly beg you to make yourself responsible for getting these books from Father Migne in Paris. I also entreat you to pack them or box them yourself— in one or several very strong boxes and send them, freight paid. Before Bishop Viard's money gets here, deduct it from our allocations because these books are for the Society, for the mother house where we will gather after arrangements have been decided by Bishop Viard.

[9]

If there is not enough money; that is, if I have asked for more books than the money you have in hand, send only as many as you can pay for, but beginning in the order I am asking for them.

• Encyclopédie théologique [Theological encyclopedia]
• Cours complet de théologie [A complete course in theology]
• Démonstration évangélique [Proofs from the Gospels]
• St Augustin [St Augustine]
• St Christostome [St John Chrysostom]
• Catholicisme philosophique polemique historique dogmatique moraux etc etc [Catholicism philosophical, polemical, historical, dogmatic, moral etc etc]
• 'Histoire du Concile de Trente' par Pallavicini [History of the Council of Trent — by Pallvicini]
• 'Concordance ' de Dutripou ['Biblical Concordance' by Dutripou]
• 'Vie de Pères ' par Rosweyd ['Lives of the Fathers' by Rosweyd]
• Oeuvres du Père Le Jeune [Works of Father Le Jeune]
• Sermons de Bossuet [Bossuet's Sermons]
• Sermons de Massilon [Massilon's Sermons]
• Oeuvres de Ste Thérèse [Works of St Teresa (of Avila)]

[10]

Begin by giving 600 francs for the Encylopedie théologique and get all the volumes which have been published. Tell them to send the other volumes, as they appear, to the house of the Marists in Paris, who will send them to Father Bernin in London. I am also sending you Father Migne's letter.

[11]

I entreat you, very dear Father, to be so kind as to take a personal interest in these books to buy them, to pack them and send them to Father Bernin in London. Get concerned about them as quickly as you can. I will try to keep you up to date with what is going on here and in Auckland when I know of it. The Doctor's three little girls are with the Sisters. Miss Field, the convert, has gone to Sydney. People are leaving here in crowds to go to the gold fields. For Port Phillip eight days ago a ship left here for the gold fields with 200 people from Wellington and its environs.

Your very humble and loving confrére

L Rozet

[12]

Father Forest has been very dangerously ill. The doctor despaired of him. He has been more than a month in Wellington. I am on my own here. His windpipe was affected. He is getting better. He is almost out of danger.' His voice has come back. However he is recovering very slowly.

[13]

I do not need to tell you that I want all the books I am asking for bound. If you can get them for 1200 francs and if the whole sum is not used up for the already-mentioned books, [please] add the following works, but only up to the limit of 1200 francs, or the sum you have in hand.

• 'Institutiones Catholicae in modum catecheseos' par Pouget ['Catholic principles of catechesis' by Pouget]
• 'Institutions liturgiques ' par Boisonnet ['Liturgical rites' by Boisonnet]
• St Gregoire de Nazeanes [St Gregory Nazianzen]
• St Athanase [St Athanasius]
• St Basile [St Basil]

[14]

Fr Bernard will have got back before this letter or a little after this letter.