Marist Studies - Recent changes [en]

Girard0328

Merv — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:26:00 GMT

Girard0327

Merv — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:40:43 GMT

Created page with "==3 May 1844 — Bishop Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier to Father Jean-Baptiste Épalle, Kororareka== ''According to the original sent copy, APM OOc 418.2.'' ''One sheet forming four written pages, together with an additional leaf written on one side only (p. 5); the sixth page bears only Poupinel’s annotation.'' ''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. '' [p. 6] ''[In Poupinel’s hand:] New Zealand — Kororareka, 3 May 1844 — Bishop Pompallier...."

New page

==3 May 1844 — Bishop Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier to Father Jean-Baptiste Épalle, Kororareka==

''According to the original sent copy, APM OOc 418.2.''

''One sheet forming four written pages, together with an additional leaf written on one side only (p. 5); the sixth page bears only Poupinel’s annotation.''

''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. ''

[p. 6]

''[In Poupinel’s hand:] New Zealand — Kororareka, 3 May 1844 — Bishop Pompallier.''

[p. 1]

:No. 9

:Jesus, Mary, Joseph

:Mission of the Assumption of Mary,
:New Zealand, Port Nelson, 3 May 1844.

:To Reverend Father Épalle, Pro-Vicar of Western Oceania.

:My Reverend and dear Father,

;[1]: Since 3 February last, when I wrote to you from the Bay of Islands, I have finally been able to make journeys which the lack of a ship had prevented me from undertaking, to the great detriment of the dear New Zealand mission. These journeys had been greatly delayed, were extremely urgent, and were made necessary on every side both by our desires and by the needs of the peoples. At the Bay of Islands I hired a schooner of approximately seventy to eighty tons for £55 a month. By this first means, within approximately three and a half months, I hope to have completed many pastoral visits and missionary works and to have travelled, including my return to the Bay of Islands, some six hundred leagues. I left the Bay of Islands on 18 February last and am now on my return journey. Since that time, accompanied at all times by one or two priests and a catechist, I have visited the following places and performed the ordinary works of preaching, baptising, hearing confessions, and confirming: 1º Auckland; 2º Tauranga; 3º Matamata; 4º Tamarakau; 5º the two tribes of Matata; 6º the three tribes of Whakatane;<ref>The source reads “Wakatane”; read “Whakatane.”</ref> 7º Opotiki; 8º Warekaika at East Cape; 9º Port Nicholson; 10º Akaroa; 11º Port Cooper; 12º Port Levi; and 13º Pigeon Bay.<ref>For Port Cooper, Port Levi, and Pigeon Bay, see doc. 151, § 1, note 3.</ref>

;[2]: I am now becalmed in Nelson Bay and shall be unable to enter the anchorage until tomorrow morning. I am taking advantage of this evening aboard ship to write the present letter to you. During all the visits I have just made, I saw what I had expected: the mission becoming green again and bearing fruit. The appearance of the ''epikopo’s'' ship, with the bishop himself aboard, followed by graces from above, soon brings everything back to life. I am going to write a letter to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith which may be of interest to it. All my visits since Port Nicholson have been made in the company of Reverend Father O’Reily,<ref>See docs. 140, § 9 and note 5; 247, § 49 and note 39; 259, § 11 and note 16; and 279, § 6.</ref> an Irish Franciscan priest who is very devout, very learned, and very experienced. I am extremely pleased with his assistance. He displays simplicity, faith, and docility in everything I recommend to him concerning the direction of the mission’s work. He is approximately forty years old and possesses an excellent religious spirit, [p. 2] which accords perfectly with the apostolic life. After arriving from Ireland at Port Nicholson, for which I gave him jurisdiction, he was unable to see any one of us until March, when I visited him and all the faithful of that fine settlement. He had arrived there in January 1843. He has done good there—genuine good. God blesses his ministry. On his own he has received ten Protestants of various sects into the bosom of the Church, and several more from England or Ireland are among the same company. Our New Zealand mission will be greatly favoured in regard to faithful people of English or Irish nationality.

;[3]: I would need another ten or so men from those same countries, but it is unnecessary for you to concern yourself in Europe with choosing them for me. I have taken every measure here to obtain excellent and reliable men from those countries. Mr O’Reily, who is thoroughly acquainted with the clergy in those places, together with other ecclesiastics and bishops who possess the complete esteem and confidence of the Holy See, are attending to this important matter at present. If you and I were both occupied simultaneously with selecting these men, there would be no unity of action; we might become overburdened and create confusion. It will be sufficient for you, using the funds of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, to meet the expenses I am about to specify: 1º £40 sterling annually to the seminary for Oceania in Ireland, near Dublin, at the request of the president of that college, for a period of five years; 2º the passage of the eight to ten men whom the gentlemen of that seminary are willing to prepare for this mission, in accordance with the letter I wrote to them and the special authorisation I have received from His Eminence the Cardinal Prefect of ''Propaganda Fide'' to seek several Irish or English men for our missions; 3º their ecclesiastical equipment, their small portable missionary chapel, and their passage from their country to the Bay of Islands, the latter having already been mentioned under item 2º; and 4º the same expenses for the two or three men whom Reverend Father O’Reily has been charged by me with selecting in Ireland. He is going to write to them. If they consent to come, they will communicate with you by letter, having been invited by me through Mr O’Reily. You will then need only to provide for the matters specified for them under item 3º. This is what I wished to [p. 3] communicate to you today, as my letters for Ireland will soon depart.

;[4]: Fairly lengthy manuscripts giving a detailed and precise account of all our missions have been entrusted by me to a reliable ship to be sent to Lyon and Rome, or to Rome and Lyon.

;[5]: From the letter I received here from the Very Reverend Father Colin, in which he reproduced a letter from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith—its reply to another letter addressed to it by either him or you upon your arrival in Lyon—it appears that you had rendered an account of our missions according to which our schooner had spent nearly 100 francs a day. Alas! How deeply I regret that the administration of this Apostolic Vicariate lacks unity of action and communication. It is dangerous for you in Lyon, or for anyone other than the Vicar Apostolic—or, at the very least, without his having seen and approved it—to render an account of the ecclesiastical administration of this mission. Even if you succeeded in presenting what was true and correct, there would always remain the difficulty of having two persons at the helm of this administration and two principles of action. While you were rendering one account, another might precede it or closely follow it on my behalf. It might then fail to agree with what you or the Very Reverend Father Colin had said, and our benefactors would be left anxious and distressed. Be sure to await the documents I have to provide before rendering an account to the central councils. My accounts are based not upon ''conjectari''—conjecture—as yours must have been on several points, particularly concerning the schooner ''Sancta Maria'', but upon facts and genuine certainty. When all the accounts are properly settled, that schooner did not even spend fifty francs a day. You can see the error committed in the account you could only have rendered by conjecture on this subject in Lyon. In any event, I earnestly ask you to send me as soon as possible a written copy of the calculation by which you arrived at an expenditure of nearly 100 francs a day for the ''Sancta Maria'', so that I may see for myself the causes of your errors and enable you to recognise them. I say that you could have rendered the ship’s accounts only by ''conjectari'', because you did not have the administrative ledger concerning it. That ledger always remained aboard the schooner, which I had outfitted and whose affairs I continually supervised. But send me your calculation as soon as possible. [p. 4]

;[6]: Remain in Lyon so that you may always act in perfect harmony with me. You will accomplish more good there than if you were here on the spot. For the transmission of our funds from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, follow carefully either my letter of 6 November 1842 to the Central Council in Lyon,<ref>Doc. 217.</ref> or the letter I sent you recently,<ref>Doc. 280, letter of 4 November 1843.</ref> in which I designated the Bank of Australasia in Sydney exclusively to receive our funds from a reliable bank in England—its correspondent bank—with which you would deposit them so that they might be sent immediately in my name every six months, or better still every three months, if possible. The amount of funding required for our remittances, including that for a ship belonging to the mission, is certainly important; but the regularity and promptness with which those funds are sent are even more important. Send me as many members of the Society of Mary as possible, both priests and Brothers, but do not yet send religious Sisters or companies of labourers and farmers. On that subject, be sure to await my very specific letters. Furthermore, when priests and Brothers are sent, it must be carefully remembered that the sums required for those already here must not be used for the travellers’ expenses and missionary preparations. We must first provide for those who have already departed before providing for those about to depart. Thus, if there are insufficient allocations to assist those who have already departed—according to the account in my letter of 6 November 1842 to the Central Council—the departure of those preparing to leave must be delayed, or only the number for whom our funds are sufficient should be sent, after provision has first been made for those already here. These funds must be sent to us regularly and promptly, as already stated. For the moment, this is what I urgently needed to communicate to you. With my approval, the mission procurator’s office should have sent you notes concerning temporal affairs and the things we require. The mission here is returning to life; I hope it will be completely restored if many workers can reach us and, above all, if I have a missionary ship at my service which I can purchase here.

;[7]: Here is the itinerary for my return to the Bay of Islands, together with the one I have already written: 1º Nelson, which I shall enter tomorrow and where I shall spend eight days; 2º Port Nicholson, where I shall take Reverend Father O’Reily and where Father Comte is stationed; 3º Mahia;<ref>The source reads “Maia”; read “Mahia.”</ref> 4º Opotiki and Weinia; 5º Whakatane<ref>The source reads “Wakatane”; read “Whakatane.”</ref> and Kupanga; 6º Rotorua and Taupo, followed by Maketu; 7º Tauranga, Matamata, and Waikato; 8º Auckland; 9º Ngangara; and 10º the Bay of Islands. I administer large numbers of baptisms and confirmations everywhere. My catechism books are being learned by heart in every place. This is what facilitates the mission, together with the labour, courage, peace, and prayer [written crosswise in the margin] of most of the workers. Matters are beginning to proceed well, and the impetus I am providing on every side is beginning to be properly received. Convey my greetings in Our Lord to the Very Reverend Father Colin and to all our friends and my acquaintances whom you know. Pray greatly, and have many prayers said for us and our work. Vows and tributes of love and confidence to Our Lady of Fourvière.

::Entirely yours in Jesus and Mary,

:::::+ Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier, Bishop,
:::::Vicar Apostolic of Western Oceania

;[8]: Postscript. I am sending you several letters which I ask you to have delivered to their destinations. + François [p. 5]

;[9]: Postscript. It is possible that, following my previous correspondence, you may have found several English men for this mission and reached a complete agreement with them concerning their journey to join me at the Bay of Islands. If you have reached such an agreement, my present letter should not be understood as preventing you from sending those men in accordance with what was decided between you and them. But as soon as you receive this letter, take no further steps to send other men of that nationality unless they are willing to enter the Society of Mary purely and simply. If they are unwilling to enter it, refer applications from Irish men wishing to work in our New Zealand missions to the examination and care of the gentlemen who direct the seminary established near Dublin by His Holiness to supply workers for the missions of Oceania. I have asked those directors to attend to this matter. The men selected will depart directly from their country for the Bay of Islands, where they will be kept for a time so that they may become thoroughly acquainted with our work. These measures will simplify matters concerning both travel and expenses, while unity in ecclesiastical work and missionary action will be perfectly maintained with the Vicar Apostolic.

;[10]: I stated in my letter that the schooner I have hired costs me £55—fifty-five pounds sterling—a month. This expense must not be made to alarm the entire world through exaggeration, as happened with the ''Sancta Maria''. Aboard are one captain, one first mate, four sailors, and one cook: seven persons in all to operate the ship. All of this is the responsibility of the merchant who rented the ship to me. In addition, I have the right to be fed aboard with three members of my company, if I wish and if my work requires it. Thus, upon paying the stated price of £55 a month, I have no other expenses to pay for the ship. From this rental price, the ''owner''—the proprietor—makes a profit of at least £18 sterling a month. Nevertheless, the personnel aboard are approximately the same as those aboard the ''Sancta Maria''. Two conclusions may therefore be drawn: 1º you seriously miscalculated the expenses of the ''Sancta Maria'' in Lyon; and 2º if the present ship belonged to the mission, we would not spend even £40 a month to maintain her in the mission’s service, including every expense. It should also be remembered that there is a great difference between a ship owned by the mission and a hired ship. A ship owned by the mission produces better moral and salutary effects and, above all, provides much greater freedom and facility for our sacred ministry. Work with me, therefore, to win the support of our benefactors for maintaining a ship as the property of the mission. [Written crosswise in the margin.]

:::::+ Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier

;[11]: [Written crosswise in the margin.] The ship to which the manuscripts containing a lengthy and detailed account of our missions were entrusted is called the ''Rhin''. Captain Bérard at Akaroa, that good commander, has undertaken to give special protection to all the sealed correspondence I entrusted to him.

;[12]: [Written crosswise in the margin.] I also inform you that I am establishing a school of agriculture and industry to train New Zealand catechists. With the grace of God and the assistance of Mary, it will become a seminary capable of doing as much good as all of us together. + François

[p. 1]

;[13]: [Written crosswise in the margin.] Postscript. A few days after writing this letter to you, without having found an opportunity to send it, I learned that the Society had just sent six men to Ireland to establish a missionary house there. This news, whether true or false, leads me to send you my letter to the directors of the Dublin seminary unsealed, so that you may acquaint yourself fully with it and forward it only in proportion to the number of men whom the Society’s establishment in Ireland may itself be able to provide for me. If this establishment of the Society does not take place, then forward my letter without restriction to the Catholic seminary in Dublin. + François

=== Textual notes ===

* Paragraph 3: The source edition notes ''collège pr + 2º p''; ''aussi'' is preceded by the deleted words ''tous les frais'' (“all the expenses”).
* Paragraph 5: ''pendant que'' (“while”) and ''pas'' (“not”) were written above the line.
* Paragraph 6: ''pas'' (“not”) and ''les'' (“them”) were written above the line.
* Paragraph 7: ''déjà écrit'' (“already written”) was written above the line.
* Paragraph 9: ''décidé'' (“decided”) and ''reçu'' (“received”) were written above the line; ''établi'' replaces ''établis''.
* Paragraph 10: ''à'' (“aboard/at”) was written above the line.
===Notes===
<references />

Merv — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:39:42 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:39, 12 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0325\|'''0325''', 18 Apr 1843 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0325\|'''0325''', 18 Apr 1843 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]
	:*[[Girard0326\|'''0326''', 25 Apr 1843 - Fr Garin to Fr Colin, Kaipara]]		:*[[Girard0326\|'''0326''', 25 Apr 1843 - Fr Garin to Fr Colin, Kaipara]]
			:*[[Girard0327\|'''0327''', 03 May 1844 - Bp Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier to Fr Jean-Baptiste Épalle, Kororareka]]
	:[[Girard0328\|0328, 20 May, 6 & 26 Jun, 19 & 25 Aug 1844 - Fr Charles Mathieu to his brother]]		:[[Girard0328\|0328, 20 May, 6 & 26 Jun, 19 & 25 Aug 1844 - Fr Charles Mathieu to his brother]]
	:*[[Girard0330\|'''0330''', Jun & 11 Aug 1844 — Fr Jean-Simon Bernard to Fr Colin, Tauranga]] & [[Girard0330b\|Amelia's translation]]		:*[[Girard0330\|'''0330''', Jun & 11 Aug 1844 — Fr Jean-Simon Bernard to Fr Colin, Tauranga]] & [[Girard0330b\|Amelia's translation]]

Girard0326

Merv — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:17:19 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:17, 11 August 2026
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			==25 April and 2 June 1844 — Father Antoine Garin to Father Jean-Claude Colin, Kaipara==

			''According to the original sent copy, APM Z 208.''

			''One sheet forming four pages, two of which are written; the third was left blank, and the fourth bears only the address and Poupinel’s annotation.''

			''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. See Below for Brian Quin's translation of the same letter''

			[p. 4]

			''[Address:] To the Very Reverend Father Colin.''

			''[In Poupinel’s hand:] New Zealand — Kaipara, 25 April 1844 — Father Garin.''

			[p. 1]

			:Kaipara, Hata Rohario, 25 April,
			:Feast of Saint Mark, 1844.

			:My Very Reverend Father and most worthy Superior General,

			;[1]: You may have learned that seven or eight months ago I left Kororareka to exercise the sacred ministry at the Kaipara station. If I consult my own preference, I certainly prefer this new position to the former one; but when I consider it in relation to the spiritual welfare of my soul, I recognise for myself that my former position was preferable. At Kororareka, in fact, I could benefit from the example of my confrères and advance more readily in virtue by following in their footsteps. Here, however, I have no model other than myself, and you may judge what I can accomplish with such a model. I need to be admonished and encouraged, yet I alone am my own monitor and corrector. Thanks be to Divine Providence, however, for I recognise that the good God gives His graces in proportion to our needs. I remember writing to you once from Kororareka that the sight of the natives’ nakedness made a strong impression upon me and that, as in France, I found myself subject to powerful temptations. But since I was sent out among the natives and called to live with them, I have found myself completely changed. I am now as insensible as I was formerly impressionable. The sight which formerly aroused concupiscence within me now repels me; I find it distasteful. Sleeping in Māori ''kainga'', mixed indiscriminately with the natives, once gave rise to improper imaginings within me. Now even persons of the opposite sex are like logs of wood to me. This leads me to say that Providence watches over me and apportions its favours according to our needs. Nevertheless, I do not feel entirely secure.<ref name="ms-a">Manuscript note: ''entièrement'' (“entirely”) is preceded by an added ''et'' (“and”).</ref> After a great fire, when it was thought that the flames had been completely extinguished, they have often been seen to flare up again and cause a new conflagration.

			;[2]: The isolation and variety of occupations<ref name="ms-b">The words ''et la diversité des occupations'' (“and the variety of occupations”) were written above the line.</ref> in which I find myself are causing considerable relaxation in several points of my religious rule. Apart from that, I am very content in my new position. I greatly enjoy this way of life: visiting the natives, sleeping in their homes, putting my own house in order, etc., etc. These are my principal occupations. Although I have no Brother—and I very much desire one—I find myself very happy and peaceful with two young natives who obey me and love me. I also have a European with me. Were it not necessary, I would prefer not to have him, although he is a trustworthy man and a man of faith. [p. 2]

			;[3]: 2 June 1844. Several weeks have passed since I began this letter.<ref name="ms-c">The source edition gives the manuscript note: ''il s’est pr pr''.</ref> During that interval, I learned that you intended to write to each of us individually. I cannot sufficiently bless Providence for furnishing us with so many means of salvation. I admit that, for my part, I greatly need them. I am often troubled when I see myself tending toward laxity; but when I learn that our dear confrères in France—and you above all, my Very Reverend Father—are concerning yourselves with the salvation of each one of us individually, I regain confidence. Yes, write to us and give us salutary advice, so that we may be helped to discharge our duties as good religious and holy missionaries.

			;[4]: Please commend me in a particular manner to the Reverend Fathers and dear Brothers of the Society, so that the Blessed Virgin may preserve me in the religious spirit, so that I may not fall into laxity, and, above all, so that I may not fall into mortal sin. May those who pray for me also remember to pray for the flock entrusted to me.

			;[5]: Please accept, my Very Reverend Father, the assurances of the sincere affection and respect with which I have the honour to remain,

			:::Your wholly devoted and most obedient servant,

			:::::Garin
			:::::Apostolic Missionary

			===Notes===
			<references />




	==Antoine Garin to Jean-Claude Colin, Kaipara, 25 April & 2 June 1844==		==Antoine Garin to Jean-Claude Colin, Kaipara, 25 April & 2 June 1844==

Girard0322

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 23:57:29 GMT

Created page with "==April and 25 July 1844 — Father Jérôme Grange to a Marist Father, Tonga== ''According to the copy, APM OC 208 (Tonga), Grange.'' ''Three sheets forming twelve pages, ten of which are written; the eleventh was left blank, and the twelfth bears only Poupinel’s annotation.'' ''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. '' [p. 12] ''[In Poupinel’s hand:] Letter from Reverend Father Grange to a Father of the Society — Tonga-Tabou, April 1844.''..."

New page

==April and 25 July 1844 — Father Jérôme Grange to a Marist Father, Tonga==

''According to the copy, [[APM]] OC 208 (Tonga), Grange.''

''Three sheets forming twelve pages, ten of which are written; the eleventh was left blank, and the twelfth bears only Poupinel’s annotation.''

''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. ''

[p. 12]

''[In Poupinel’s hand:] Letter from Reverend Father Grange to a Father of the Society — Tonga-Tabou, April 1844.''

''Letter from Reverend Father Grange, Apostolic Missionary of the Society of Mary, to a Father of the same Society.''

----

:Tonga-Tabou, April 1844.

:My Reverend Father,

;[1]: The news we received concerning the Society and our friends through His Lordship the Bishop of Amata last November was more welcome to my heart in this distant land, I may say, than the pure, clear water of a spring is to a man who is thirsty and exhausted by the heat: ''aqua frigida animæ sitienti, est bonus nuntius de terra longinqua'' (Proverbs 25:25).<ref>Proverbs 25:25: “Like cold water to a thirsty throat is good news received from a distant land.”</ref> Until now, letters have not reached us, but please do not grow weary of writing to us. Entrust as many letters as you can to the sea; it will not always be cruel, and sometimes a kindly wave will cast a few of them upon the shore, where I shall gather them with happiness and gratitude.

;[2]: You ask me, Father, what my occupation is here in the land of your antipodes. Oh! I do here what you do in France, except that I do it less well than you. I instruct myself and I instruct others. I teach our Kanaks the purpose for which they are on earth; I teach them to abandon falsehood and embrace the truth. I have the consolation of seeing some of them listen to me and put what I tell them into practice. Others lend a fairly attentive ear to my words but take little trouble to abandon their wicked way of life. The greater number, however, find the doctrine I preach to them too severe, and I have the sorrow of seeing them turn away from me, at least for a time. In twenty-four hours the sun circles the globe, and everywhere it finds men with the same character and the same inclinations; everywhere it finds them cold and icy when eternal truths are concerned, yet filled with fire for vanity and falsehood. I recite my breviary; I try to recollect myself in order to pray. Like you, I celebrate Holy Mass almost every day, but while you are resting, just as you perform these holy actions while I am asleep. If I discharged all these duties well, we would fulfil to the letter these words of the Psalmist: ''dies diei eructat verbum, et nox nocti indicat scientiam'';<ref>Psalm 18 (19):3: “Day pours out the story to day, and night imparts the knowledge to night.”</ref> we would thus form two choirs singing the praises of the Lord in turn, and our God would be glorified at all times as well as in all places. It is my fault alone if this devout concert does not become a reality.

;[3]: In my letters of last July, with which you are doubtless familiar, I spoke in detail about the island of Tonga and its inhabitants. Today I shall give you a few extracts from my journal so that you may become acquainted with the difficulties we encounter in preaching the Gospel and the hopes we may entertain.

;[4]: Since that time, God has allowed us to encounter many difficulties, from which His goodness has delivered us and will continue to deliver us, thanks to the fervent prayers you deign to address to Him on our behalf. The Wesleyan missionaries have redoubled [p. 2] their efforts and their slanders against us; I am not surprised. Every day they see their influence declining and ours increasing in the same proportion. They see that those among their coreligionists who are able to communicate with us always end by coming over to our side; the same is not true of those among our people who live with them. Apart from grace, the reason is that our disciples freely professed our holy faith, whereas the followers of heresy were brought to it by violence. Of our neophytes who came from Wallis, only one, who lived with the large Protestant tribe, consented after repeated solicitations to call himself a Protestant. But this apostasy, which lasted only a few days, merely brought the deceit of the heretics into the open. When the holy day of Easter arrived and he saw his Catholic brethren receiving Communion, while through his weakness he had deprived himself of that happiness, our prodigal came weeping and threw himself at our feet, begging for the grace of being admitted to the Communion of the Church. He also asked our Catholics to forgive the scandal he had caused, explaining that violence had been used against him.

;[5]: He had good reason to lament, for what an immense difference there is between receiving at Easter a piece of banana or breadfruit, as the Methodists give, and feeding upon the sacred Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ. A few days after the baptism mentioned in my previous letters, we arranged for fifteen people to make their First Communion. We gave the ceremony as much splendour as possible, for these new people are especially moved by the beauty of our ceremonies. The faithful, heretics, and unbelievers flocked to it in great numbers, and all went away filled with wonder.

;[6]: Confession, which at first sight appears so difficult a practice for our pride, has been embraced with joy on our island. I admit that the Protestant ministers have contributed somewhat to this, for those gentlemen require their followers to make public confession and perform public penance. Our islanders have no doubt keenly appreciated the gentleness of the yoke of Jesus Christ, which makes allowance for the sinner’s weakness and conceals his shame beneath the most inviolable secrecy. Moreover, before the arrival of the Europeans, our Kanaks had a kind of confession, practised especially in cases of illness. In their view, if someone suffers from a serious illness, it is always because he has offended some divinity, which is thus taking vengeance upon the guilty person. When the sick person is too weak to accuse himself, a friend who knows his fault takes his place.

;[7]: We have won one of the greatest victories that can be won over this people, whose pride equals, if it does not surpass, their extreme poverty. On this island a European occupies roughly the same position that a Negro slave occupies in Europe. Our Kanaks say quite casually, “my white man, my European,” just as our planters in the Antilles say, “my Negro, my slave.” I certainly do not approve of the European who despises his brother because he is black, although I recognise that the European is far superior to him in knowledge and civilisation. But for a poor islander of Tonga to trample upon us and despise us is altogether too ridiculous. Be that as it may, one of the principal chiefs, the one who had received us upon his lands, had been troubling us for a long time and [p. 3] even went so far as to claim the right to dictate laws to us in matters of religion. It was, he said, his religion, not the religion brought by the two old men. Fearing a complete rupture, we had offered him only slight resistance. Finally, on the occasion of a great festival, this chief issued an ordinance forbidding our neophytes to dance, while ordering everyone who was not baptised to dance under pain of a heavy fine. Perhaps you will laugh, but we considered this ordinance destructive of our mission, for the following reason. From the time of our arrival on the island, we had said that several of their dances were permissible. In fact, several of these dances are quite decent; they are performed by persons of the same sex, and when taking part they even wear clothing more modest than usual. Thus, if we now forbade our neophytes to perform them, our adversaries would be there to portray us as liars. They would not have failed to say that this was the way our religion proceeded: advancing little by little and ending by reducing men to slavery. We therefore wished to uphold to the letter what we had said at the beginning: we had permitted freedom. We did not want a chief, in the name of religion, to order or forbid anyone to dance.

;[8]: We therefore believed ourselves obliged to tell him that his ordinance was unjust. He lost his temper in front of everyone and said, “What business is this of these two white men, cast by the waves upon our lands? In whose house do these two white men live? Is it not mine?” We also answered him in front of everyone: “It is true that these two white men are lodged with you, and they thank you for it. But know that these two white men are not here to do your will. They are here to show you the way of truth, as well as all the peoples willing to listen to them. They are lodged with you, but if you are not satisfied, you need only say so and they will find lodging elsewhere. All lands do not end at the boundary of your domain, and several chiefs who are here would gladly receive them into their homes. You may command other white men, but not those sent by Jehovah. We shall fulfil our mission independently of your will. If no one is willing to receive us, we shall nevertheless have fulfilled our mission, as we have said many times. We shall depart with the blessings we came to bring you, leaving you only curses.” (We had reduced him almost to the point where he could no longer do without us.)

;[9]: At the word “curses,” he lowered his head and remained profoundly silent. (He was a catechumen.) We then withdrew from him, followed by several islanders who begged us to forgive him; it had been, they said, merely a fit of anger that would soon pass. At nightfall, he sent one of his children to ask whether we would see him. We answered that he might come, for we never bore hatred toward anyone. He came immediately, carrying a large kava root and accompanied by one of the wisest elders, who had recently made his First Communion. He sat at the door of our hut. When we renewed our entreaties for him to enter, he threw himself at our feet, bathed in tears, asking our forgiveness and kissing our hands. He then lowered his head and remained profoundly silent. After we had told him several times that we had forgotten everything, he said: “Forgive me, and forgive me a thousand times, for the offensive words I spoke to you. My house is yours, and I am only too happy that you are willing to remain in it. I ask you, as a great favour, never to leave it and to pray to the good God to make me better. Our ancestors were wicked, and we are wicked too. You who know so well how to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ, forgive me and remove from me the curses of which you spoke. Command me, and I shall carry out your orders.” Thereupon we gave him a small present, and he withdrew content. We had every reason to think matters would turn out in this way.

;[10]: For a long time we were unable to enter every part of the island because the Methodist gentlemen had taken pleasure in portraying us in highly unfavourable colours. But because truth always prevails in the end, these unfortunate impressions, the consequences of their slanders, gradually disappeared and are now found only among a few stubborn fanatics. In general, people do not hate us; indeed, I may say that they love us. Toward the end of last July, we visited an entirely Protestant tribe for the first time. The great chief and all the inhabitants gave us an excellent welcome. We even paid a short visit to the minister, our adversary, who received us politely but coldly. We had scarcely left when he mounted the pulpit and began pouring forth against us and our religion all the customary slanders. That evening we had to answer all his accusations: that we are idolaters who worship the Blessed Virgin, the saints, and the Cross; that we prohibit marriage; that we forbid the people to read the Bible; and that ours is a religion which kills men or converts them by force. You will doubtless not have anticipated this, but I had to refute for our islanders the objections concerning the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre and the Inquisition.

;[11]: They were very satisfied with our arguments. We refuted some of the objections very seriously, while against others we employed ridicule, a weapon that is sometimes very effective among our islanders. I noticed, however, that my answers concerning the Cross made little impression upon a chief who had given us a very friendly welcome. I then took my pencil and began writing a few words in my notebook. “What are you writing there?” he asked me. “I am writing about the fine welcome you gave us. I am deeply touched by your friendship, which I never wish to forget. I even want my friends in France to know of it, and they will certainly love you when they learn that you have done me good. Today I am firmly resolved always to remember your kindness, but man is weak and easily forgets things when he does not have before his eyes objects that recall them to his memory. That is why I am writing these words, so that if I should ever forget the good Nukuvakano has done me, I may recall it by looking at my book.” Immediately understanding my meaning—that the Cross was a venerable sign recalling God’s immense love for us—he said to me, “Old man, your tongue is upright, and doubtless your heart is also.”

;[12]: Concerning the accusation that we compel people to embrace our religion by violence, I was in a tribe whom the Protestants had converted by force of arms, and I answered: “Yes, we force people to turn to our religion. Our religion is a religion that kills, a religion intended for the ruin of men. Yours is a religion that brings people to itself through gentle persuasion, a religion of peace, charity, and love. Wherever your ministers have passed, one sees evidence of this persuasion and charity. I see proofs of it here, and on my way to visit you today I passed through Hule<ref>See [[Girard0261|doc. 261]], § 26, note 5.</ref>—a tribe whose entire population was massacred because it refused to become Protestant. I looked for men there and found only bones. That is love and charity, but the kind of love cats have for rats and sharks for other fish.” At this point an old man from the tribe of Hule, who had witnessed everything, interrupted me: “Your tongue is strong, but it speaks the truth. Say no more about it; spare us our regrets.”

;[13]: The Methodist was terrified by the warm reception we had received. “Those bewitched papists,” he said, “are capable of drawing everyone to themselves.” Consequently, he forbade all his people to have any dealings with us or even to receive us into their homes, saying that there was no crime comparable to communicating with a Catholic. Thus, on our second visit, we were received coldly. When we left the tribe, a native followed us to say that the chief asked us not to return to his home or his lands. We judged it appropriate to retrace our steps and speak to him as follows:

;[14]: “We have returned to learn exactly what you think and why you receive us so badly today, when on the previous occasion you gave us such a cordial welcome.” As he did nothing but stammer, we continued: “You do not wish to tell us what you think, but we understand it perfectly. Your language toward us has changed, but your heart has not; it is still the same, always inclined toward gentleness and friendship. It is a true Tongan heart. Indeed, ever since your islands became known, everyone has agreed in giving them the name Friendly Islands because of the goodness of their inhabitants. You were already friends of all men while you were still unbelievers; now that you have embraced religion, if it is good, it should have increased and perfected the goodness of your hearts. We may therefore conclude that your hostility toward us did not originate on your island; it comes from a foreign land. But what am I saying? It is not hostility, but only the appearance of it. It is indeed upon your lips, but it is far from your heart. Yes, when you were forbidden a thousand things that are forbidden neither by God nor among any people in the world, you obeyed because your hearts desire only peace. But when you are forbidden to love and an attempt is made to force you to hate, it will be impossible for you to obey. One might as well command fish to fly or the sea to abandon your shores.”

;[15]: “Besides, why should you hate us? Have we harmed anyone? We do not take up arms to force you to embrace our [p. 6] religion. We come to visit peoples in friendship, and if anyone wishes to learn our doctrine, we are always ready to teach it.” “But,” he replied, “we have our religion and our missionary.” “You have a missionary—that is, he assumes the title. But ask him where he comes from and who sent him; if he tells the truth, you will know what he is. If he refuses to tell it, we shall tell it ourselves. Why does the man you call your missionary hide when we approach and say so much evil of us after we have departed? If he is a true missionary, let him come forward, show his credentials, and defend his cause. Only those who do evil have reason to hide. As for us, who are true missionaries, we seek the light and desire everyone to see our works.”

;[16]: While we spoke in this way, the poor chief trembled in every limb. We could draw only these words from him: “I do not forbid you to come; you may do as you wish.” Nevertheless, so frightened were the people by the minister’s threats that no one dared offer us hospitality, something unheard of in Tonga. This tribe had been brought to Protestantism by force, and they feared their conqueror. It was night when we departed. Exhausted by hunger and fatigue, we were reduced to taking shelter in an abandoned hut outside the tribe. We were content, however, for as disciples of Him who had nowhere to lay His head,<ref>See Matthew 8:20: “Foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”</ref> we had more than we deserved.

;[17]: On our third visit to this tribe, we were received hardly any better because of the Wesleyan minister’s renewed diatribes. Everyone loves us, however, but they are afraid. Nevertheless, one family dared to give us an excellent welcome in defiance of the missionary’s orders. “We have seen in the Book,” the head of this family told us, “that the great commandment is to love God and all men as ourselves.<ref>See Matthew 22:37–39: Jesus said to him: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. A second is equally important: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”</ref> We therefore do not wish to listen to the missionary who orders us to hate you. My house is yours. Come whenever you wish; come often. We shall receive you as well as we can.”

;[18]: The great chief of the tribe in which we live had recently been warned and had resolved to force the unbelievers and Protestants either to become Catholics or leave his tribe. Before undertaking anything, however, he came to consult us. We strongly exhorted him to allow everyone complete freedom of conscience. “But the Protestants,” he said, “certainly used violence.” “Yes, but they are not the envoys of Jehovah. They do not understand the spirit of the Gospel, which forbids coercion and teaches us to win over unbelievers and heretics by our good example, persuasion, and the power of truth. If Jehovah wished to employ force, who could resist His omnipotence? He wishes to leave all men free; we must do the same.” This incident became known throughout the island and caused the natives to say: “The papists are not like the others. When we desire a religion, theirs is the one we shall embrace.” [p. 7]

;[19]: Two causes, among others, greatly retard the mission’s progress here. The first arises from Protestantism and the incessant slanders of the Wesleyan ministers. “Let us always lie; let us lie boldly,” Voltaire said, “something will always remain.” If you experience the disastrous results of this detestable maxim so strongly in France, how much more harmful must its effect be upon the minds of a far more ignorant people, full of prejudices and lacking the means to uncover the deceit. Furthermore, we have the misfortune of arriving after the heretics, and the brutality they use toward their disciples makes the unbelievers fear that we will treat them in the same way later if they join us. “We fear beatings,” they say; “that is why we remain unbelievers.” It is useless for us to let them witness the happiness enjoyed by those who have been baptised; the Methodists are there to frighten them: “They appear gentle now, but wait a while and you will see the most extraordinary punishments fall upon you: red-hot irons, imprisonment, and death. They appear good, but they are wolves covered in sheepskins.”

;[20]: Party spirit is also extremely unfavourable to us. I have heard people say: “I do not wish to belong to that man’s religion because he is not of my tribe; I hate him.” A small path dividing the territories of two tribes often makes them bitter enemies who exchange the epithets “fools,” “ignorant men,” “cowards,” and “savages.” As a consequence, they come to feel genuine contempt for everything connected with their adversaries, even their religion. As you can see, we shall require time, patience, and an abundance of grace to demolish this wall of separation completely and make all the inhabitants of Tonga one people of brothers.

;[21]: Nevertheless, grace is already working in a fairly perceptible manner, as the following small incident shows. An old woman had gravely insulted the son of a great chief who, with his entire family, is Catholic. It had been decided that the guilty woman would receive forty-five blows with a stick as punishment. But the chief’s wife, our most fervent neophyte, said to her husband: “You wish to punish this woman as though you were an unbeliever. Yet before being baptised, did you not say five or six times a day, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’? You wish to punish this woman according to the gravity of her fault, but if God treated us as we deserve, what would become of us? Since He is good enough to forgive our enormous and innumerable faults, must we not forgive the offences committed against us? That is what the two old men told us last Sunday. Send for them, and you will see what they say.” As you will anticipate, we pronounced a sentence of absolution, and the woman, who was an unbeliever, immediately converted.

;[22]: A serious cause of war arose following a theft committed in the tribe where we live. It concerned several whale teeth that were worshipped there. Through repeated approaches to both parties, we succeeded in concluding peace. The two old men have also had the happiness of bringing several other fairly serious quarrels to a successful conclusion, and this ministry of reconciliation has benefited our holy cause. Everyone [p. 8] said: “The Wesleyan missionaries made us wage war, while these missionaries restrain us when we wish to do so. Their religion is a religion of love; it is good for Tonga.”

;[23]: At the same time, the chief of the heretics visited all the unbelieving tribes. He was poorly received everywhere. Everywhere people answered that they did not yet wish to convert, that they still wished to examine matters, and that the religion they would later embrace would doubtless not be his, but the one preached by the two old men. “It is a false religion and the enemy of mankind,” the minister said. “You say so, but we do not believe you.” He proposed sending one tribe a particular missionary whom he named. This was the answer he received: “When we wish to learn debauchery, we shall ask you to send us Mr M…”<ref>Mr Miles; see [[Girard0321|doc. 321]], § 25.</ref> He is a sailor, formerly the cook aboard a whaling ship, who, after leading the dissolute life of a deserter from a ship in Tonga for six years, was accepted as a missionary by the Wesleyan Society.

;[24]: Despite everything I have just said, because of His Lordship Pompallier’s delay in visiting us, our mission had fallen into a state of languor that, humanly speaking, was bound to bring about its downfall. Suddenly, on 22 November, we were informed of the arrival of a French warship, the ''Bucéphale'', with His Lordship the Bishop of Amata aboard.<ref>See [[Girard0321|doc. 321]], § 27, note 13.</ref> I shall not speak to you about this most welcome visit, for you know the details.

;[25]: Since the departure of the ''Bucéphale'', our mission has regained its vigour. But because the work of God can never progress without hardship, a general illness came to afflict our island, and our enemies spread the rumour that the French ship had brought it. Nevertheless, their influence declines from day to day, and ours increases in the same proportion. The principal chief of their party loves and respects us. We have just held a solemn baptism of forty people, fifteen of whom had belonged to the heresy. A few days later, we arranged for twenty-four people to make their First Communion. Today we number fifty-four communicants in our small Christian community. May your prayers help us increase that number.

;[26]: A little girl, seven or eight years old and already well instructed, has shown us that intelligence and feeling are foreign to no people. Her father and mother called themselves Catholics, but took little trouble to prepare for baptism. Since we had reasons for not baptising the little girl without her parents, we told her to wait a little longer. Deeply distressed by our answer, she went to her parents and said: “You are always neglecting to prepare yourselves for baptism. You continue living in the same way; you are damning yourselves. If you were to die in this state, you would go to hell, as the two old men say. Yet you are not content merely to be unhappy yourselves; you are also the cause of my unhappiness. All my companions will be happy the day after tomorrow, while I remain in my unhappiness, and it is because of you. And yet you say that you love me.” As she was weeping profusely, her parents answered: [p. 9] “Take comfort, dear child; at the next baptism, all of us will be included.”

;[27]: Do not imagine that everything here is marvellous. Good and evil are mingled everywhere. In Tonga one encounters indifference toward religion, ingratitude, and even contempt for its ministers. But here, as elsewhere, the good God knows how to find His chosen ones, and we have several very fervent Christians. Among the first converts was a young married couple in whom we found great uprightness of mind joined to genuine piety. We asked them to live in a small unbelieving tribe, hoping that their good example would bring some people to the faith. Our hope was not disappointed. They spread the sweet fragrance of Jesus Christ so thoroughly around them that we already number more than forty people in this small settlement, all of whom appear to have been formed upon the model of those first two edifying neophytes.

;[28]: In this same tribe, I found a little prodigy whom you will have difficulty believing. He is a small child only three years old, yet already sufficiently instructed that, however I questioned him, I could not confound him with any question from his catechism. This little angel asked our permission to instruct his relatives, all of whom, except his father and mother, are still unbelievers. He is an excellent catechist, all the more because no one can refuse his innocent simplicity. He says the blessing before meals and the thanksgiving afterward for the family. He has seen Mass celebrated five or six times and already imitates all its ceremonies. A banana leaf serves him as a corporal and a seashell as a chalice, but when he grows up, he intends to celebrate it in earnest. One day he said the following to his grandfather and grandmother: “You love me very much, and I love you very much too. But you serve the devil, who is wicked, while I serve Jehovah, who is infinitely good. You are walking upon the road to hell, while I am upon the road that leads to happiness. You must join me and abandon the devil, that wicked master. I wish to go to heaven, and we must go there together; otherwise we shall be obliged to part and no longer love one another.” In another tribe, I saw a six-year-old girl who was no less interesting and possessed the same aptitude. I assure you that these consolations make me forget a thousand hardships.

;[29]: If I told you there was no suffering here, I would be deceiving you. We have hardships, and indeed many of them. If I related them all in detail, I might perhaps frighten some of those who are considering joining us. But God is powerful enough to sustain the one He sends. Therefore, do not let the thought of tribulations restrain your noble zeal for the missions; consolations are still more abundant here. Hardships! But missionaries perhaps suffer fewer than so many seafarers. The seas are traversed by countless merchants who suffer as much as, and more than, we do. Hardships! Whalers and pearl traders have them. No doubt those who, driven by the love of glory and science, travel from one pole to the other at the risk of being buried beneath mountains of ice in search of terrestrial magnetism have them too. And would we not do, to win souls for God and fish for those pearls that [p. 10] must one day adorn the heavens, what others do every day to serve vanity or enrich the domain of science? Many of those seafarers labour only for time; we labour for eternity. They place their reward here below, where at any moment it may be swallowed up with them in the depths of the sea. As for us, we can and must say: ''Scio cui credidi, et certus sum quia potens est depositum meum servare in illum diem.''<ref>2 Timothy 1:12: ''Ob quam causam etiam hæc patior, sed non confundor. Scio enim cui credidi, et certus sum quia potens est depositum meum servare in illum diem.'' (“That is why I endure these sufferings. But I am not ashamed, for I know in whom I have placed my faith, and I am certain that He has the power to guard the deposit entrusted to me until that Day.”)</ref>

;[30]: A final word about the vine I planted. After a thousand different attempts, I succeeded in restraining this exuberant power of vegetation and had the consolation of seeing it bear fruit. What do you think I did with the first grapes harvested in Tonga? Do you think I gave them away? Preserved them? No, nothing of the kind. I picked them reverently. I pressed them through a very clean cloth; then, after clarifying the juice, I used it to celebrate Holy Mass on the first of January this year. Since my confrère<ref>Joseph Chevron.</ref> was absent that day, I had no one to whom I could express my New Year’s wishes. I thus found myself alone, six thousand leagues from my homeland. I could not make you hear my most sincere wishes, yet my heart needed to pour itself out. What could I do? I celebrated for all the members of the Society of Mary and for my relatives, friends, and benefactors in France. I entrusted the One who is present in all times and all places with conveying my wishes to you. May they be fulfilled! You will be happy—happy on earth, where we probably shall not see one another again, and happier still in heaven, where I hope to precede you, never to be separated again.

;[31]: 25 July. My letter had been finished for a long time. I now have an opportunity to send it to you. His Lordship Bataillon, our new Vicar Apostolic, has come to visit our mission aboard the ''Adolphe'', a French merchant ship, and is about to leave us. May the Star of the Sea guide the ''Adolphe'' safely amid the waves; may it carry my letter to you as quickly as possible and be able to bring one back to me from you, my very dear Father. Write to me whatever you wish—only write to me—and do not forget to pray for us.

::Farewell.

:::Jérôme Grange, Apostolic Missionary
:::of the Society of Mary.

===Notes===
<references />

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 23:56:10 GMT

1844

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	:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0321\|'''0321''', 26 Feb & 26 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Frs Nicoud, Villerd, Fond, & Duplay, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0321\|'''0321''', 26 Feb & 26 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Frs Nicoud, Villerd, Fond, & Duplay, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0322\|'''0322''', Apr & 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to a Marist Father, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]		:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]
	:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]

Girard0321

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:51:26 GMT

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	;[39]: What do you think I did with the first bunch of grapes harvested at Tonga? Gave it away? Preserved it? No, neither. I reverently harvested it, pressed it in a very clean cloth, and after clarifying the juice, used it to say Holy Mass. It was 1 January 1844. I was entirely alone that day, my confrère being absent, with no one to whom I could express my New Year's wishes, while you, amid your many friends, spent the day in gladness. Thus I found myself ''[p. 23]'' entirely alone, six thousand leagues from my friends. I could not make them hear my most sincere wishes, yet my heart needed to pour itself out. What was I to do? I celebrated for everyone - friends, relatives, and benefactors in France - and entrusted the One who belongs to every time and place with conveying my wishes to them. May they be fulfilled according to my desires. You will be happy, perfectly happy, upon the earth where we probably shall not see one another again, but happier still in heaven, where I hope we shall meet one day never to be separated.		;[39]: What do you think I did with the first bunch of grapes harvested at Tonga? Gave it away? Preserved it? No, neither. I reverently harvested it, pressed it in a very clean cloth, and after clarifying the juice, used it to say Holy Mass. It was 1 January 1844. I was entirely alone that day, my confrère being absent, with no one to whom I could express my New Year's wishes, while you, amid your many friends, spent the day in gladness. Thus I found myself ''[p. 23]'' entirely alone, six thousand leagues from my friends. I could not make them hear my most sincere wishes, yet my heart needed to pour itself out. What was I to do? I celebrated for everyone - friends, relatives, and benefactors in France - and entrusted the One who belongs to every time and place with conveying my wishes to them. May they be fulfilled according to my desires. You will be happy, perfectly happy, upon the earth where we probably shall not see one another again, but happier still in heaven, where I hope we shall meet one day never to be separated.

	;[40]: May God guide the ''Adelphe''<ref>The French editor corrects this to the ''Adolphe''. This ship carried Fathers Jean-Baptiste Bréhéret, Philippe Calinon, and Jean-Victor Favier and Brothers Annet Pérol and Jean Raynaud from Tahiti to Wallis, where Bataillon embarked with them to “strengthen” the Tonga mission and establish a new mission in Fiji (cf. doc. 328, § 1 and n. 1, and § 12). The ''Adolphe'' called at Tonga from 12 to 27, or possibly 31, July 1844 (cf. docs. [[Girard0312\|312]], § 14; Girard0338\|338]], § 1 and n. 1). Grange probably entrusted this letter to the captain of the ''Adolphe'' at that time.</ref> safely amid the waves, may it carry my letter to you as quickly as possible and bring me letters from you, my dear friends. Write to me whatever you wish; only write to me. Pray for me.		;[40]: May God guide the ''Adelphe''<ref>The French editor corrects this to the ''Adolphe''. This ship carried Fathers Jean-Baptiste Bréhéret, Philippe Calinon, and Jean-Victor Favier and Brothers Annet Pérol and Jean Raynaud from Tahiti to Wallis, where Bataillon embarked with them to “strengthen” the Tonga mission and establish a new mission in Fiji (cf. [[Girard0328\|doc. 328]], § 1 and n. 1, and § 12). The ''Adolphe'' called at Tonga from 12 to 27, or possibly 31, July 1844 (cf. docs. [[Girard0312\|312]], § 14; [[Girard0338\|338]], § 1 and n. 1). Grange probably entrusted this letter to the captain of the ''Adolphe'' at that time.</ref> safely amid the waves, may it carry my letter to you as quickly as possible and bring me letters from you, my dear friends. Write to me whatever you wish; only write to me. Pray for me.

	:Farewell.		:Farewell.

Girard0321

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:27:50 GMT

Created page with "==26 February and approximately 26 July 1844 - Father Jérôme Grange to Father Nicoud, parish priest at Saint-Clair near Condrieu, Rhône; Father Villerd, teacher at Saint-Jodard near Roanne, Loire; Father Fond at Les Chartreux, Lyon; and Father Duplay, superior of the major seminary of Lyon, Tonga== ''Based on the original, APM OC 208 (Tonga), Grange.'' Six sheets of “Bath” paper, comprising twenty-four pages, twenty-three of which are written; the twenty-fou..."

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Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:26:51 GMT

1844

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	:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0321\|'''0321''', 26 Feb & 26 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Frs Nicoud, Villerd, Fond, & Duplay, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]		:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]
	:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]

Girard0320

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:23:20 GMT

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Girard0320

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:59:18 GMT

Created page with "==20 February-25 July 1844 - Father Jérôme Grange to Father Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga== ''Based on the original, APM OC 208 (Tonga), Grange. In the ED1 letter register it bore number 140.'' Five sheets comprising twenty written pages, together with a slip of paper measuring 50 mm × 146 mm, pasted at the top of the first page and bearing text that seems better placed at the end of the letter. Poupinel's annotation is at the top of the first page. Translated by Merv D..."

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Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:58:10 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:58, 10 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0318\|'''0318''', 14 Feb 1844 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0318\|'''0318''', 14 Feb 1844 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]
	:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]		:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]
	:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]

Girard0309

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:35:11 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:35, 10 August 2026
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	;[1]: You are probably expecting a long letter from me. If I had as much time as inclination, you would be satisfied. But, relying as much upon your kind friendship as upon your indulgence, I shall be rather brief today, while promising to make it up to you soon.		;[1]: You are probably expecting a long letter from me. If I had as much time as inclination, you would be satisfied. But, relying as much upon your kind friendship as upon your indulgence, I shall be rather brief today, while promising to make it up to you soon.

	;[2]: Our passage was among the happiest and as pleasant as possible, thanks to the kindness of the governor and his wife and of the officers and passengers of the ''Uranie''. At our various ports of call we received the kindest hospitality: at Tenerife and Gorée, from the good Sisters of Saint Joseph and the young and excellent priest serving the colony; at Rio, from the nuncio of His Holiness and a French missionary of the Sacred Heart; and at Valparaiso, from priests of the same society. They made us forget the minor discomforts of the sea. In the latter city, I baptized a young child from the Marquesas, for whom Monsieur and Madame Bruat<ref>Admiral Armand Joseph Bruat, governor of the French Establishments in Oceania, and his wife (cf. doc. 292, § 4).</ref> kindly agreed to serve as godfather and godmother. I then administered the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to him. I shall pass over in silence a Mass celebrated at Houapou on the seashore for the installation of the governor; the senior officers of the ''Uranie'', several landing companies, and the garrison under arms were in attendance. ''[p. 2]''		;[2]: Our passage was among the happiest and as pleasant as possible, thanks to the kindness of the governor and his wife and of the officers and passengers of the ''Uranie''. At our various ports of call we received the kindest hospitality: at Tenerife and Gorée, from the good Sisters of Saint Joseph and the young and excellent priest serving the colony; at Rio, from the nuncio of His Holiness and a French missionary of the Sacred Heart; and at Valparaiso, from priests of the same society. They made us forget the minor discomforts of the sea. In the latter city, I baptized a young child from the Marquesas, for whom Monsieur and Madame Bruat<ref>Admiral Armand Joseph Bruat, governor of the French Establishments in Oceania, and his wife (cf. [[Girard0292\|doc. 292]], § 4).</ref> kindly agreed to serve as godfather and godmother. I then administered the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to him. I shall pass over in silence a Mass celebrated at Houapou on the seashore for the installation of the governor; the senior officers of the ''Uranie'', several landing companies, and the garrison under arms were in attendance. ''[p. 2]''

	;[3]: A few days later the same ceremony was repeated at Nouka-Hiva, and on the first of November we were once again crossing the sea toward our destination. This final passage offered nothing particularly new. At Tonga Tabou we found the Catholic mission in a flourishing condition. The presence of Protestant ministers did not prevent our gentlemen from winning the affection of almost all the inhabitants, and I venture to hope that great successes are reserved for them, judging by those they have already achieved, although they have been established there for scarcely twenty months. Wallis presents the spectacle of the Christians of the early Church. Bishop Bataillon has achieved the finest results. The ''Annals'' will tell you what occurred at his consecration, which was most imposing in itself and even more so because of the reverence of the inhabitants. Father Chanel's blood has made Futuna fruitful, and it now numbers only Christians. May God grant me similar success in New Caledonia!...		;[3]: A few days later the same ceremony was repeated at Nouka-Hiva, and on the first of November we were once again crossing the sea toward our destination. This final passage offered nothing particularly new. At Tonga Tabou we found the Catholic mission in a flourishing condition. The presence of Protestant ministers did not prevent our gentlemen from winning the affection of almost all the inhabitants, and I venture to hope that great successes are reserved for them, judging by those they have already achieved, although they have been established there for scarcely twenty months. Wallis presents the spectacle of the Christians of the early Church. Bishop Bataillon has achieved the finest results. The ''Annals'' will tell you what occurred at his consecration, which was most imposing in itself and even more so because of the reverence of the inhabitants. Father Chanel's blood has made Futuna fruitful, and it now numbers only Christians. May God grant me similar success in New Caledonia!...
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	::+ G(uillaume) Douarre, Bishop of Amata		::+ G(uillaume) Douarre, Bishop of Amata

	:Port Balade, New Caledonia~~<br />~~		:Port Balade, New Caledonia
	19 January 1844		:19 January 1844

	== ~~References~~ ==		== Notes ==
	<references />		<references />

Girard0309

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 01:44:47 GMT

Created page with "==19 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Augustin Marquand, New Caledonia== ''Based on the original, APM, Douarre II file.'' ''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. '' One sheet of “Bath” paper, comprising four written pages; the full address appears on the fourth page and the abbreviated address at the bottom of the first page. ''[p. 4]'' '''[Address:]''' Monsieur Monsieur Augustin Marquand Second lieutenant in the Third Marine..."

New page

==19 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Augustin Marquand, New Caledonia==

''Based on the original, APM, Douarre II file.''

''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026. ''

One sheet of “Bath” paper, comprising four written pages; the full address appears on the fourth page and the abbreviated address at the bottom of the first page.

''[p. 4]''

'''[Address:]'''

Monsieur 
Monsieur Augustin Marquand 
Second lieutenant in the Third Marine Infantry Regiment 
5 rue Saint-Vincent, second floor 
Toulon 
Var

''[p. 1, at the bottom of the page]''

'''[Abbreviated address:]''' To Monsieur Marquand, second lieutenant in the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment

''[p. 1]''

(2)

:Monsieur and very dear friend,

;[1]: You are probably expecting a long letter from me. If I had as much time as inclination, you would be satisfied. But, relying as much upon your kind friendship as upon your indulgence, I shall be rather brief today, while promising to make it up to you soon.

;[2]: Our passage was among the happiest and as pleasant as possible, thanks to the kindness of the governor and his wife and of the officers and passengers of the ''Uranie''. At our various ports of call we received the kindest hospitality: at Tenerife and Gorée, from the good Sisters of Saint Joseph and the young and excellent priest serving the colony; at Rio, from the nuncio of His Holiness and a French missionary of the Sacred Heart; and at Valparaiso, from priests of the same society. They made us forget the minor discomforts of the sea. In the latter city, I baptized a young child from the Marquesas, for whom Monsieur and Madame Bruat<ref>Admiral Armand Joseph Bruat, governor of the French Establishments in Oceania, and his wife (cf. doc. 292, § 4).</ref> kindly agreed to serve as godfather and godmother. I then administered the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to him. I shall pass over in silence a Mass celebrated at Houapou on the seashore for the installation of the governor; the senior officers of the ''Uranie'', several landing companies, and the garrison under arms were in attendance. ''[p. 2]''

;[3]: A few days later the same ceremony was repeated at Nouka-Hiva, and on the first of November we were once again crossing the sea toward our destination. This final passage offered nothing particularly new. At Tonga Tabou we found the Catholic mission in a flourishing condition. The presence of Protestant ministers did not prevent our gentlemen from winning the affection of almost all the inhabitants, and I venture to hope that great successes are reserved for them, judging by those they have already achieved, although they have been established there for scarcely twenty months. Wallis presents the spectacle of the Christians of the early Church. Bishop Bataillon has achieved the finest results. The ''Annals'' will tell you what occurred at his consecration, which was most imposing in itself and even more so because of the reverence of the inhabitants. Father Chanel's blood has made Futuna fruitful, and it now numbers only Christians. May God grant me similar success in New Caledonia!...

;[4]: What a beautiful day it would be for us if, one day, I found myself striding over its high mountains with the good Monsieur Marquand! Senegal is your delight, my dear friend; nevertheless, let us not disdain our own good fortune, for far more extraordinary and surprising things have happened to me. My diocese is magnificent even in its horrors. Would a mother proclaim that her child was deformed? So it is with your very little bishop: he found truth in the picture that had been painted for him of this island, which rather resembles a continent, although he also found that picture somewhat exaggerated. The mountains of New Caledonia appear rather arid; sandalwood is found on some of them. Its valleys, however, are beautiful and perfectly watered by numerous streams. The pastures appear excellent. Only one thing is lacking: livestock. There is not a single quadruped on the island, although there is plenty of game. Not even the breadfruit tree, which would be ''[p. 3]'' such a great resource for us, is found here. The inhabitants are short and black; nevertheless, they differ from those whom you love so much by having fine beards. They are also somewhat inclined to steal, although I have had no cause to complain about them. They have lavished every attention and consideration upon me. I travelled with them, accompanied by only one missionary, by day and by night; my best friends could not have shown me greater attentiveness. Quite recently, finding myself alone with the inhabitants and having a wide and deep river to cross, I entrusted myself to them and was able to reach the opposite bank safely, although I cannot swim. If I were less pressed for time, I would have a fine little story to tell you about that. The inhabitants' houses rather resemble the wheat stacks of our country. They have only a narrow opening, which is explained by the inhabitants' complete nakedness; the women wear a narrow belt around their waists. They cultivate yams and taro quite well.

;[5]: I am obliged to stop there on this occasion, however willing I may be to continue. You will not hold it against me, my dear friend, I am sure, and you will continue to send me news of yourself and of those colleagues whom I knew at Toulon and in whose remembrance I ask you to recall me. Offer my respects also to your worthy colonel. Tell me at length about your school and the progress of your young soldiers, because you know that I take an interest in it. Please also tell Monsieur Blerio that I received his letter. This is acting, as you see, without any ceremony; that is how one treats one's friends and those whom one esteems. Your fine conduct and everything you do for ''[p. 4]'' religion and for your country deserved this from me. I shall omit all the kindnesses you have shown me, contenting myself with preserving their precious memory. Pray for me and for my mission, which will be difficult at the beginning because the houses are far apart and the country is mountainous. But your prayers, together with those of so many good souls who take an interest in us, will smooth away the difficulties, and success will sustain our weakness. I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. It is there that one loves to find one's friends again. Farewell, my dear Monsieur Marquand. Love me as I love you, and believe in my complete devotion.

:Your servant and friend,
::+ G(uillaume) Douarre, Bishop of Amata

:Port Balade, New Caledonia 
19 January 1844

== References ==
<references />

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 01:43:50 GMT

1844

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	:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0308\|'''0308''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia]]		:*[[Girard0308\|'''0308''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia]]
			:*[[Girard0309\|'''0309''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Augustin Marquand, New Caledonia]]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]
	:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]		:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]

Girard0308

Merv — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:05:40 GMT

Girard0308

Merv — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 23:44:32 GMT

Created page with "==19 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia== ''Based on the original, APM, Douarre II file.'' Two sheets and one leaf, comprising ten written pages; the address appears at the bottom of the first page. ''[p. 1, at the bottom of the page]'' '''[Address:]''' To Monsieur Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice ''[p. 1]'' (1) :My very dear friend and vicar general, ;[1]: You must have been more than go..."

New page

==19 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia==

''Based on the original, APM, Douarre II file.''

Two sheets and one leaf, comprising ten written pages; the address appears at the bottom of the first page.

''[p. 1, at the bottom of the page]''

'''[Address:]''' To Monsieur Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice

''[p. 1]''

(1)

:My very dear friend and vicar general,

;[1]: You must have been more than good to me to receive a letter today. I have written so many, and such long ones, that I no longer know where I am; thus I shall race through the post, troubling myself little about style and punctuation. Besides, may one not make oneself comfortable with one's friends? I believe I told your ladies about the kindly manner in which the Sisters of Saint Joseph received us at Gorée and Rio.

''[p. 2]''

;[2]: His Excellency the nuncio<ref>Ambrogio Campodonico, apostolic internuncio and envoy extraordinary at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (cf. ''Notizie'' 1844, p. 336).</ref> and a French priest, as well as a French count whose name does not come back to me at the moment, offered us the most generous hospitality. So much has been said about Rio, Brazil, and its beauties that it would hardly become me to give you a description which so many others have produced with greater talent than I could myself. Let us therefore hasten to arrive as quickly as possible, and perhaps we shall find something along the way that may interest you.

;[3]: If a gale would give you pleasure, I would tell you about the one we experienced off the Plata; without it, I would not have known what a storm was. The hardships of the sea meant little to me, or rather I had no time to experience them, so attentive were Monsieur and Madame Bruat<ref>Armand Joseph Bruat, admiral and governor of the French Establishments in Oceania (cf. doc. 292, § 4).</ref> toward me. I likewise have nothing but praise for the officers and passengers of the ''Uranie''.<ref>A French corvette which carried Douarre and his six companions from Toulon to the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, where Admiral Abel-Aubert du Petit-Thouars placed the ''Bucéphale'' at Douarre's disposal for the remainder of his journey (cf. docs. 292, § 13; 293, § 9).</ref>

;[4]: I tried to make myself useful during our ports of call. At Valparaiso I administered baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist to a young child from the Marquesas; the governor and his wife kindly agreed to be his godfather and godmother.<ref>Cf. doc. 292, § 9.</ref> This moving ceremony took place in the chapel of the French priests who have been established there for several years. There is no need to tell you how kindly they treated us. We were ''[p. 2]'' missionaries, a recommendation more than sufficient to earn us an excellent welcome. I would also tell you about the multitude of children whom I confirmed,<ref>Roudaire states that Douarre administered the sacrament of confirmation to more than 5,000 people at Valparaiso (cf. doc. 292, § 9).</ref> were I not so eager to reach the Marquesas, and about the surroundings of Valparaiso, which offer nothing especially remarkable.

;[5]: We had been sailing for a month when we sighted the Marquesas. We greeted them with pleasure, so impatient were we to arrive, and the next day, at Houapou,<ref>This should probably read Ua Pu, 50 kilometres from Nuku Hiva; these two islands and others form the northwestern group of the archipelago. Roudaire, who was among the missionaries travelling with Douarre, nevertheless states that the ''Uranie'' called at Tahuata, in the southeastern group, and that the bishop celebrated Mass on the shore beneath a large tree (cf. doc. 292, § 11). Since the ''Uranie'' made the journey from the first port of call to Nuku Hiva on the same day, Monday, 16 October 1843, it seems more logical that the point of departure for this short journey was Ua Pu rather than Tahuata.</ref> I offered the holy sacrifice of the Mass on the seashore for the installation of the governor. The senior officers of the ''Uranie'', several landing companies, and the garrison under arms were in attendance.

;[6]: A few days later the same ceremony was repeated at Nouku-Hiva.<ref>This should read Nuku Hiva. Douarre and his companions were required to leave the ''Uranie'' there, but they were able to continue aboard the ''Bucéphale''.</ref> I shall omit my departure from the ''Uranie''; my heart is still heavy from it, for it is difficult not to love those who are so sincerely attached to you. Monsieur Laferrière, commander of the ''Bucéphale'', neglected nothing that might lessen my regrets. The officers under his command showed us nothing but the most sustained and benevolent consideration.

;[7]: We travelled with the greatest happiness aboard the ''Bucéphale'' over the remaining distance to Tonga Tabou. There we were able to admire the goodness of Providence and the wonders that God knows how to accomplish with, so to speak, no human assistance. Our missionaries have been established there for scarcely twenty months. They had to contend with Protestants who have resided there for twenty years, yet this did not prevent them from winning the esteem and affection of almost all the inhabitants. They have a church that would be admired in France. Neither nails nor pegs were used in its construction, yet it is no less beautiful or solid. Cords arranged in the most varied designs take the place of all these things; non-believers and Catholics alike had a hand in the work. Bishop Bataillon will soon send them reinforcements because, as this island sets the tone for the surrounding archipelagos, once it is converted the neighbouring islands will be converted as well. ''[p. 3]''

;[8]: I would need time and many pages to tell you about the inhabitants' beauty and strength, their perfectly constructed houses, and their canoes, far superior to anything I have seen so far. But you must attend with me the beautiful ceremony at Wallis: the consecration of His Excellency. Contrary winds detained the ship for several days at the entrance to the roadstead, so I decided to go by canoe<ref group="variant">“By canoe” was written above the line.</ref> to embrace our gentlemen. The first Sunday of Advent was chosen, and in the presence of almost all the inhabitants I placed upon the head and hands of Father Bataillon the anointing that was to give him a place among the princes of the Church. I was too deeply moved to know what was happening around me. The pencils falling from the hands of a Protestant officer who had asked my permission to draw the ceremony would say more than all my words. What struck him most particularly was a hymn sung by the inhabitants at the end of the holy sacrifice. Their voices were shrill, but they sang in perfect unison. Imagine, my dear friend, the Christians of the early Church and you will have an idea of those of Wallis. The men and women are beginning to work; our weavers' looms will not be useless and, perhaps, at the very moment when I am scribbling these few lines to you, they are already at work! There is, however, one young man with his wives who tempers His Excellency's satisfaction. If that unfortunate man had the courage to overcome his passion, nothing would be lacking from the happiness of this excellent missionary, who could obtain such fine results only through much hardship and fatigue.

;[9]: The Futuna mission was founded through the blood of the good Father Chanel. Will I soon be able to tell you of similar successes achieved in New Caledonia? I desire it keenly and await this grace from Divine Providence.

;[10]: On 20 December we entered the harbour of Balade, and on the twenty-first, the feast of Saint Thomas, I prostrated myself upon this unbelieving land, which ''[p. 4]'' I placed under the protection of Mary and the Apostle of the Indies. On Christmas Day I celebrated Mass on the site of my house, in the presence of the officers and commander of the ''Bucéphale'' and part of the crew under arms. A good number of inhabitants attended this ceremony, which was entirely new to them. The reverence on one side and the attention on the other were at their height. The temple was far grander than the stable; the poverty of my altar, which consisted of two candlesticks, a cross, and the altar frontal made by your good sisters, represented the manger rather well.<ref group="variant">The word “not” in the French expression “did not represent poorly” was written above the line.</ref> I cannot make you understand all the sensations and emotions of my heart. The day, the place, the people in attendance: everything was undoubtedly calculated to move me. If God has ever been bound to hear my prayers, He could not have been insensible to those I offered Him for the conversion of this good people. I thought I heard, echoing in the depths of the hearts of my poor savages, that admirable hymn which the shepherds heard on the same day. Their hearts could not have been simpler, and their poverty could not have equalled that of my diocesan flock.

;[11]: I have not yet travelled through enough of the country to give you entirely accurate ideas about this region. Nevertheless, I shall tell you what I can.

;[12]: The high mountains of New Caledonia appear rather arid, although some bear the precious sandalwood tree. Its numerous, well-watered valleys, however, could provide great resources if they were cultivated by hands other than those of the inhabitants, who are too indolent for this. The interior contains fairly extensive and very pleasant plains. In some places they are cultivated with yams and taro; from the manner in which the inhabitants arrange their land, one must believe that the country is subject to great floods. The continual rains that have fallen for three days give sufficient indication of this; if they are always so heavy, the country must frequently witness, if not universal deluges, at least semi-deluges. The pastures appear excellent. Only one thing is lacking: livestock. There is not a single quadruped on the island, although there is plenty of game. Not even the breadfruit tree, which would be such a great resource for us, is found here. ''[p. 5]'' The inhabitants are short and black; they are also somewhat inclined to steal. I have no complaint against them, however, because they have lavished every kind of attention and consideration upon me.

;[13]: From what I had heard about these savages, I believed them unapproachable. It appears that the angel of the Lord had prepared the way. We found nothing that we had feared most: no foreigners except a few inhabitants of a neighbouring island, no Protestants, and perhaps cannibals, although I do not know. Besides, I shall do what Monsieur Roudaire, whom I left at Wallis to manage the printing press, said he would do: if they wished to put me in a safe place, I would take care to open my arms wide. I admit that the thought of being eaten has not yet troubled me. Since my departure from France, I have yet to experience my first shiver. Are not the hairs of my head numbered, and can one of them fall without God's permission?<ref>Cf. Luke 12:7 and 21:18.</ref> How happy and peaceful one is when one expects everything from His infinite generosity and can rely upon Him alone!

;[14]: Thus I did not have the slightest difficulty entrusting myself to these thoroughgoing ''sans-culottes'', something you do not yet know: they are ''in puris naturalibus'', except for the women, whose waists are encircled by a belt three or four inches wide. This is an advantage not to be despised: no time is lost dressing, and there is no risk of getting one's clothes wet. Their complete nakedness explains the shape of their houses, which rather resemble a wheat stack, with a door one metre high and proportionately wide. In the middle, or in any other part, there are one or more fires, which is not always agreeable; I know something about that.

;[15]: On that subject, I shall tell you a little story in which your friend was the principal actor. Several chiefs had come to visit us. I was glad to return their visit and, at the same time, to learn which place would be most advantageous for establishing our residence. On an earlier excursion I had noticed a beautiful plain crossed by a magnificent river and quite well cultivated in several places. The numerous houses scattered along its banks had almost made me want to settle there without further delay, were it not for my present need to remain at Balade because of communications ''[p. 6]'' with the ships. Later, I shall have missionaries not only at Coco,<ref group="variant">“Coco” replaces “which is” in the source text.</ref> the name of the beautiful plain I have mentioned, but also at Bondé, about which I still have to tell you.

;[16]: Aboard the ''Bucéphale'' we had seen the chief of the latter place. His open manners suited my character rather well and, although the other chiefs appeared to fear him greatly, I was burning with impatience to become more closely acquainted with him. The commander of the ''Bucéphale'', wishing to see the river I had told him about, undertook to travel to Coco by sea, which took us a day. I would have waited until the following day to continue my journey, but time was precious and I needed to see what was happening at my house, which was then being built. I therefore continued, accompanied by a missionary, Father Viard, vicar general to Bishop Pompallier, and two inhabitants. Before long we encountered a river and houses scattered here and there. Everywhere we found great fires beneath the coconut trees and a good number of inhabitants gathered around them. Most of the young men had visited the ship, so our presence caused them little surprise. It was different with the old men, who expressed their astonishment with grimaces that made one want to die laughing. If the niece of the parish priest of Saint-Louis had been there, we would have held a fine funeral the next day. After the first houses, our escort grew larger. The inhabitants used torches to show us the path and took my hand whenever it became a little difficult. You cannot imagine their consideration and attentiveness toward me.

;[17]: We had travelled for three hours when we reached the end of our journey. We then had to cross the river, which I did without difficulty on the back of a savage. On the other bank we found a large company of men and women. Everyone wanted to see us, and only a few minutes after the missionary did I find myself in the reception room beside the great chief. Shouts of joy, embraces - everything was lavished upon me by this old man, who did not know how to express his happiness! ''[p. 7]'' I gave him my presents and, after remaining with him for quite some time, expressed the desire to go and rest.

;[18]: I was shown into a house<ref group="variant">“A house” replaces “houses” in the source text.</ref> exactly like those<ref group="variant">“Exactly like those” was written above the line.</ref> I have already described to you. The door was well sealed and there was a good fire, which was most welcome at that moment because my trousers were completely soaked. The smoke inconvenienced me considerably, but no matter: there I was, softly stretched out upon what bed? The hospice bed. That would have been too great a pleasure, or rather it would have been a poor way to begin my mission. But with a fine mat and my bag for a pillow, no prince ever slept better. At five in the morning I awoke completely refreshed, and this time my dressing took no longer than that of my diocesan flock. Nevertheless, I went to wash at the river. The tender caresses of my chief had left more than one mark upon my sweet little face because, to make themselves more handsome or more terrible, the New Caledonians take care to smear themselves with some black substance whose nature I do not know. If the chaplains and the sisters would not be too scandalized, I would tell them that, having to satisfy... You are going to say, “What a bishop! Can one speak so badly?” Well then, guess what is certain: I managed as best I could, although not to my great satisfaction, since the inhabitants were exceedingly curious.

;[19]: I then visited the surroundings of the royal residence, which are truly charming. The banks of the river are quite well cultivated. Seen from a distance, the taro and yam plants and a kind of reddish potato rather resemble beautiful vineyard slopes. I returned to inspect the interior of the palace before leaving. You already know two of its rooms: the reception room, a large shed open to every wind except on one side, and the bedchamber, a windowless rotunda. Another room, exactly like the latter, contains enormous and quite terrifying masks, with feathers reaching down to the knees of the person called upon to wear them. However bold the street children of France may be, they would flee in terror. I believe the inhabitants use them in their dances or perhaps at their burials. There remains one other room, exactly like the preceding two except that the interior has a double row of columns. Its much wider entrance is ornamented with two ugly heads, crudely carved and painted red. As it is used by their ladies, it is much larger than the others. The whole stands in the middle of a courtyard enclosed ''[p. 8]'' by bamboo. Two main entrances are decorated with crossed human bones and skulls. I think these are the heads of enemies killed in war. I did not want to incur the cost of an envelope, so let us continue; you will thereby save the postage on two letters, which you will forward to their recipients.

;[20]: Here we are, then, with the chief accompanying us to see the commander, aboard a rather poorly constructed double canoe moving very slowly. I had been in it for five hours and was becoming quite bored. I asked to disembark, leaving Father Viart, who spoke the Wallis language perfectly and who, through a foreign islander<ref group="variant">“Islander” was written above the line.</ref> recently arrived and familiar with the language of New Caledonia, was able to make himself understood by the inhabitants and speak to them about religion.

;[21]: I was far from expecting what was about to happen to me. I had been searching for more than an hour when I made a sad encounter: a river, or stream, of great width and proportionate depth. Although born beside the water like the ducks, I do not share their ability, so my embarrassment was considerable; yet this was still the least of it. I had already recruited many people along my route, far more than I wished, with curious onlookers everywhere. I had to make a change of clothing for which I would gladly have dispensed with witnesses. In vain did I make signs for them to move away; it was useless, for womankind is the same everywhere. There I was, surrounded by a band of male and female savages who went into raptures over every item of clothing I removed. You should have heard the cries of astonishment when they saw fairly white flesh and a body that was not too thin, because aboard the ships I have so far experienced only Carnival; Lent should not be long in coming. “Ah, the unfortunate man!” you say, because you dare not say anything more forceful!... Do not worry: despite the wishes of the spectators, and still more of the female spectators, I am not altogether in the costume of an angel. I have my trousers, which are going to bathe with me. Two inhabitants, supporting me with one hand and swimming with the other, soon carried me to the opposite bank. You no doubt think that this little taste of the water would have stopped my female diocesan flock, but they were with me on the other side of the river. It was the same river I had already seen without realizing it,<ref group="variant">“Without realizing it” was written above the line.</ref> and on this second occasion I once again had to dress in front of them, which I accomplished quite successfully.

;[22]: I would still have much to say, but I must turn my attention to very urgent business letters. I scarcely know what I have told you, so tangled up have I become. There is no need to urge you to share it with your good sisters and even with others if ''[p. 9]'' you consider it appropriate, because I care little about criticism and did not attempt to produce a masterpiece while conversing with a friend. You would greatly oblige me if you would be kind enough to give news of me to the Bishop of Fréjus.<ref>Louis-Charles-Jean-Baptiste Michel, bishop of Fréjus from 27 July 1829 until his death on 22 February 1845 (cf. Ritzler and Sefrin, vol. 7, p. 197).</ref> I would have liked to find one brief moment to do so myself, but it is impossible. Nor am I writing to the good parish priest of Saint-Louis, fully convinced that you will take my place with him. In your next long letter you will tell me whether his good mother still laughs as heartily, whether she prays for me, and whether she has stopped talking in church. I pass over many confused matters. Do not forget to tell the families who have shown an interest in me - you know them all - that I shall never forget the signs of keen interest they have constantly shown me; that I shall remember them before the Lord; and that I earnestly ask them to do the same on their side. Our mission, although beautiful, is nevertheless difficult because, of all savages, the New Caledonians are the least advanced; this is literally true. You will also offer them my most humble respects, as well as all the priests of Toulon whom I have had the happiness of knowing. Give my kind remembrance and earnestly commend me to the prayers of all the sisters, both within and outside Toulon. Please visit all their houses on my behalf, whatever order they belong to; I esteem them all equally. You also know the boarding schools that have shown an interest in me; you will know what must be done.

;[23]: I distributed a large number of smocks, which are probably no longer intact because the Caledonians share them as brothers.<ref group="variant">“Because the Caledonians” replaces “because they” in the source text.</ref> At the beginning, cloth will be more precious to us, but we would need so much of it!

;[24]: I have not spoken to you about your family, or about the sisters and clergy whom we visited on ''[p. 10]'' that journey of happy memory. I hope you will not allow anyone to forget me.

;[25]: It is time, my dear friend and vicar general, to bring this to an end. Love me as I love you; pray for me as I shall pray for you; and believe in the respectful attachment with which

:I have the honour to be,
::my very dear friend,
:::your wholly devoted servant in Jesus and Mary,
::::+ G(uillaume) Douarre, Bishop of Amata

Port Balade, New Caledonia, 19 January 1844.

;[26]: P(ost) S(criptum). It is expressly forbidden to give the newspapers the slightest passage from my letters. That would be entirely contrary to the interests of the Propagation of the Faith, which instructed me on this matter, and consequently contrary to my own interests as well.

== References ==
<references />

== Textual Variants ==
<references group="variant" />

Merv — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 23:43:46 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:43, 10 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0306\|'''0306''', 17 Jan, 24 Feb, 4 and 10 March, 12 and 24 July 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his mother, brothers, and sisters, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0306\|'''0306''', 17 Jan, 24 Feb, 4 and 10 March, 12 and 24 July 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his mother, brothers, and sisters, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0308\|'''0308''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia]]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]
	:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]		:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]

Girard0307

Merv — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 02:21:25 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:21, 9 August 2026
(3 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
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	''Based on the dispatched copy, APM, Chevron file.''		''Based on the dispatched copy, APM, Chevron file.''

	One sheet forming four pages, three of which are written on; the fourth bears only the address. This undated letter was written after the one the author wrote on 24 November 1843 (doc. 274), during Douarre's stop at Tonga (Bishop of Amata; cf. paragraph 1 below). It may be supposed that the author wrote the present letter during one of the interruptions in the composition of his letter begun on 17 January and completed on 24 July 1844 (doc. 292), but before 12 July, the day on which Bataillon arrived in Tonga with the new missionaries and, no doubt, the parcel which the author says below (paragraph 1) had not yet arrived. Since there is no other point of reference, it has been dated "after 17 January 1844."		One sheet forming four pages, three of which are written on; the fourth bears only the address. This undated letter was written after the one the author wrote on 24 November 1843 ([[Girard0274\|doc. 274]]), during Douarre's stop at Tonga (Bishop of Amata; cf. paragraph 1 below). It may be supposed that the author wrote the present letter during one of the interruptions in the composition of his letter begun on 17 January and completed on 24 July 1844 ([[Girard0292\|doc. 292]]), but before 12 July, the day on which Bataillon arrived in Tonga with the new missionaries and, no doubt, the parcel which the author says below (paragraph 1) had not yet arrived. Since there is no other point of reference, it has been dated "after 17 January 1844."


			''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026"


	=== Address ===		=== Address ===
Line 9:		Line 13:
	''[p. 4]''		''[p. 4]''

	Mr Chevron<br />		:Mr Chevron<br />
	Nantua		:Nantua

	=== Letter ===		=== Letter ===
Line 18:		Line 22:
	:Jesus, Mary, Joseph		:Jesus, Mary, Joseph

	;[1]: I received, together with your letters brought by the Bishop of Amata, the two crates, Nos. 1 and 2, packed together as a single parcel. They did indeed contain everything you mentioned in your letters. The third, containing the artificial flowers, is still in America with the rest of the Bishop's luggage. It is to be brought by the warship that will bring the priests who left France at the same time as the Bishop.<ref>The parcels sent from France with the first part of the eighth group of missionaries were left in the Marquesas Islands. After a long delay, they were transported to Tahiti, where Calinon and his companions were waiting for them (cf. APM 031, eighth departure, unpublished letter of 19 March 1844 from Calinon to Colin, paragraph 2). They did not leave Tahiti until about the beginning of May 1844 and arrived at Wallis on 17 May (cf. doc. 294, paragraph 1, note 1; doc. 328, paragraph 1, note 1). Bataillon chartered the French ship ''Adolphe'', which had brought the new priests, so that he could personally take them to their posts in Futuna, Tonga and Fiji (cf. doc. 345, paragraph 2). He arrived in Tonga on 12 July 1844 (cf. doc. 312, paragraph 14).</ref>		;[1]: I received, together with your letters brought by the Bishop of Amata, the two crates, Nos. 1 and 2, packed together as a single parcel. They did indeed contain everything you mentioned in your letters. The third, containing the artificial flowers, is still in America with the rest of the Bishop's luggage. It is to be brought by the warship that will bring the priests who left France at the same time as the Bishop.<ref>The parcels sent from France with the first part of the eighth group of missionaries were left in the Marquesas Islands. After a long delay, they were transported to Tahiti, where Calinon and his companions were waiting for them (cf. APM 031, eighth departure, unpublished letter of 19 March 1844 from Calinon to Colin, paragraph 2). They did not leave Tahiti until about the beginning of May 1844 and arrived at Wallis on 17 May (cf. [[Girard0294\|doc. 294]], paragraph 1, note 1; [[Girard0328\|doc. 328]], paragraph 1, note 1). Bataillon chartered the French ship ''Adolphe'', which had brought the new priests, so that he could personally take them to their posts in Futuna, Tonga and Fiji (cf. [[Girard0345\|doc. 345]], paragraph 2). He arrived in Tonga on 12 July 1844 (cf. [[Girard0312\|doc. 312]], paragraph 14).</ref>

	;[2]: I must thank you and the people who contributed to the shipment. Please thank them for remembering me; one day the good Lord will repay them a hundredfold. I was very pleasantly surprised by the watch, which I had not expected. At first, it was astonished to find itself at the antipodes and could not make up its mind to run. This lasted for more than a month, but at last it started, and now it is working wonderfully. None of the seeds would grow. If you should have another opportunity to send some, it would be a wise precaution to put them in bottles. The potatoes and the seeds from Chevron that were placed in the crate rotted and spoiled everything that was not made of iron or wood; thus, the spyglass<ref group="text">Editorial notation in the French source: ''d'approche pr + qu''.</ref> came completely unglued. The collection of newspapers gave us great pleasure. I now remember that, instead of the two crates of which I spoke a moment ago, there were three: one containing the books, pictures and paintings; another containing the watch, linen, shoes, etc.; the third coming from Bellegarde, with the fourth still to come. The broad beans and other loose seeds in the crates from Nantua were completely spoiled. It would be advisable to place objects susceptible to damp either in bottles or in a tin box.		;[2]: I must thank you and the people who contributed to the shipment. Please thank them for remembering me; one day the good Lord will repay them a hundredfold. I was very pleasantly surprised by the watch, which I had not expected. At first, it was astonished to find itself at the antipodes and could not make up its mind to run. This lasted for more than a month, but at last it started, and now it is working wonderfully. None of the seeds would grow. If you should have another opportunity to send some, it would be a wise precaution to put them in bottles. The potatoes and the seeds from Chevron that were placed in the crate rotted and spoiled everything that was not made of iron or wood; thus, the spyglass<ref group="text">Editorial notation in the French source: ''d'approche pr + qu''.</ref> came completely unglued. The collection of newspapers gave us great pleasure. I now remember that, instead of the two crates of which I spoke a moment ago, there were three: one containing the books, pictures and paintings; another containing the watch, linen, shoes, etc.; the third coming from Bellegarde, with the fourth still to come. The broad beans and other loose seeds in the crates from Nantua were completely spoiled. It would be advisable to place objects susceptible to damp either in bottles or in a tin box.

Girard0307

Merv — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 02:14:34 GMT

Created page with "==After 17 January 1844 – Father Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga== ''Based on the dispatched copy, APM, Chevron file.'' One sheet forming four pages, three of which are written on; the fourth bears only the address. This undated letter was written after the one the author wrote on 24 November 1843 (doc. 274), during Douarre's stop at Tonga (Bishop of Amata; cf. paragraph 1 below). It may be supposed that the author wrote the present letter during one of th..."

New page

==After 17 January 1844 – Father Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga==

''Based on the dispatched copy, APM, Chevron file.''

One sheet forming four pages, three of which are written on; the fourth bears only the address. This undated letter was written after the one the author wrote on 24 November 1843 (doc. 274), during Douarre's stop at Tonga (Bishop of Amata; cf. paragraph 1 below). It may be supposed that the author wrote the present letter during one of the interruptions in the composition of his letter begun on 17 January and completed on 24 July 1844 (doc. 292), but before 12 July, the day on which Bataillon arrived in Tonga with the new missionaries and, no doubt, the parcel which the author says below (paragraph 1) had not yet arrived. Since there is no other point of reference, it has been dated "after 17 January 1844."

=== Address ===

''[p. 4]''

Mr Chevron 
Nantua

=== Letter ===

''[p. 1]''

:Jesus, Mary, Joseph

;[1]: I received, together with your letters brought by the Bishop of Amata, the two crates, Nos. 1 and 2, packed together as a single parcel. They did indeed contain everything you mentioned in your letters. The third, containing the artificial flowers, is still in America with the rest of the Bishop's luggage. It is to be brought by the warship that will bring the priests who left France at the same time as the Bishop.<ref>The parcels sent from France with the first part of the eighth group of missionaries were left in the Marquesas Islands. After a long delay, they were transported to Tahiti, where Calinon and his companions were waiting for them (cf. APM 031, eighth departure, unpublished letter of 19 March 1844 from Calinon to Colin, paragraph 2). They did not leave Tahiti until about the beginning of May 1844 and arrived at Wallis on 17 May (cf. doc. 294, paragraph 1, note 1; doc. 328, paragraph 1, note 1). Bataillon chartered the French ship ''Adolphe'', which had brought the new priests, so that he could personally take them to their posts in Futuna, Tonga and Fiji (cf. doc. 345, paragraph 2). He arrived in Tonga on 12 July 1844 (cf. doc. 312, paragraph 14).</ref>

;[2]: I must thank you and the people who contributed to the shipment. Please thank them for remembering me; one day the good Lord will repay them a hundredfold. I was very pleasantly surprised by the watch, which I had not expected. At first, it was astonished to find itself at the antipodes and could not make up its mind to run. This lasted for more than a month, but at last it started, and now it is working wonderfully. None of the seeds would grow. If you should have another opportunity to send some, it would be a wise precaution to put them in bottles. The potatoes and the seeds from Chevron that were placed in the crate rotted and spoiled everything that was not made of iron or wood; thus, the spyglass<ref group="text">Editorial notation in the French source: ''d'approche pr + qu''.</ref> came completely unglued. The collection of newspapers gave us great pleasure. I now remember that, instead of the two crates of which I spoke a moment ago, there were three: one containing the books, pictures and paintings; another containing the watch, linen, shoes, etc.; the third coming from Bellegarde, with the fourth still to come. The broad beans and other loose seeds in the crates from Nantua were completely spoiled. It would be advisable to place objects susceptible to damp either in bottles or in a tin box.

;[3]: Please thank in particular Mr Lengre, Mr and Mrs Brachet, Misses Maissiat and Berou - Miss Julie in particular - and all the other people whose names the good Lord knows. Do not forget to thank Mr Servant of Sagny for remembering me when you have the opportunity.

;[4]: Several of the objects sent cannot be used here for the purpose indicated. I mean the belts and other objects intended for distribution among the indigenous people. Our position here is very different from what it was in Futuna. Everything pleased the people there because everything was new; here we find ourselves among indigenous people accustomed to ''[p. 2]'' European manufactures. They have often been visited by ships. For a long time, the Protestant missionaries have accustomed them to solid, well-made tools from England. Brightly coloured printed cottons are sold to them, and they are now perhaps more particular about all these things than people are in France.

;[5]: If Alphonse could obtain for me the volumes missing from the two complete courses, it would give me pleasure; the volumes we lack would be the most useful in our present circumstances.

;[6]: If you should send another crate one day, I would ask Chevron, who is near Geneva, to send me a few ells of carpeting by the piece for altar platforms. In the past, I saw some very attractive and inexpensive ones in Geneva.

;[7]: You asked me whether we were supplied with linen here; you may be entirely at ease on that point. I would say that we have an abundant supply. We suffered badly, very badly, in Futuna and Wallis, but that time has passed. I hope that no confrère in the future will ever undergo the conditions in which we found ourselves, except perhaps in some extraordinary circumstances. In general, however, we are much better off here than people in Europe imagine. For some time now, our meals<ref group="text">Editorial notation in the French source: ''sont pr + regl''.</ref> have been more or less regular. By meals, I mean yam soup - yams being rather like potatoes - in the morning and evening; and at midday, some beans, salads, etc., and a few pieces of pork or fish to help us swallow the banana. With that, we do not die of hunger. Our difficult days are those on which we make our rounds. Sometimes we find plenty and sometimes nothing. But the heat, fatigue and kava cause us to notice it little and, above all, I think, there is the grace of God. If we had only bodily fatigue to endure, it would be nothing, but the hardships of the mission affect us much more deeply.

;[8]: We have a garden beside the house. It contains about thirty beds, each fourteen feet long and at least three feet wide. The plants that grow well are beans, perennial onions or scallions, cabbages, turnips and beets. The first lettuces that we ''[p. 3]'' sowed were magnificent; those we have sown since then have refused to do anything, perhaps because of the heat. We shall make another attempt in a few months. The wheat that was sent did not sprout. We obtained some yellow grapes, but they were not very good and took more than a year to grow. European plants generally grow very slowly. We have celery, parsley, fig trees and grapevines. Few plants produce seed here, or else their seeds are not very good. The potatoes would not grow either. There are some lemons and oranges here, but the latter are not very sweet and are all infested with worms.

;[9]: On several occasions, I have been seized by an illness which I believe to be asthma; it is a truly exhausting difficulty in breathing. It is severe only at night. This has happened to me three or four times; I then find myself completely out of breath. I think this is only the beginning of an illness; nevertheless, it will be as God pleases. But if it should occur to you one day to send me something again, I would ask you to include some medicine that might, if necessary, serve to stop or lessen this illness. If it should one day develop when one is far from a pharmacist, it is well to take precautions beforehand. I fear that one day this illness might stop me and prevent me from making my rounds. Nevertheless, do not be anxious; what I have told you is merely a precaution.

: Entirely yours,
: Joseph Chevron

;[10]: You can see that I am ending this letter in great haste. Please forgive me.

;[11]: I hope that one day, if I am permitted, I shall be able to send you a few small objects from these islands, some curiosities. Until now, and still at present, this has been impossible. I am sending you only a few pictures.

=== Notes ===

<references />

=== Textual Notes ===

<references group="text" />

Merv — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 02:13:58 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:13, 9 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]		:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]
	:*[[Girard0306\|'''0306''', 17 Jan, 24 Feb, 4 and 10 March, 12 and 24 July 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his mother, brothers, and sisters, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0306\|'''0306''', 17 Jan, 24 Feb, 4 and 10 March, 12 and 24 July 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his mother, brothers, and sisters, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]
	:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]		:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]

Phillippe Calinon

MAW — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:19:52 GMT

Provincial of the Missions of the Central Oceania Vicariate 1844 - 1847 CS3 doc 28 [8] and footnote p.93 from 16/06/1844-15/06/1847.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:19, 6 August 2026
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	:In replying to Bataillon’s complaint, Colin responded,		:In replying to Bataillon’s complaint, Colin responded,
	:::It is not surprising, Bishop, that Father Calinon and your grace have encountered some difficulties in practice concerning the regulations for the provincial. Our thinking is not completely and clearly enough formulated for either of you to have been able to grasp it at first sight. Prudence had suggested this kind of reserve. The idea of a provincial and its regulations had been imposed on us by what was happening in New Zealand. We wrote these regulations at the time of the departure of the Bishop of Amatha and under the impression of all the complaints we were receiving from New Zealand. Even though you had given us every proof of your attachment to the Society, your charity and your prudence, we thought it useful to appoint a provincial, as we have the right to do, and to outline his main duties. However, we did not wish to effect and indicate for your vicariate the separation of the temporal affairs of the fathers and brothers of the Society from those of the Vicar Apostolic; we wanted to wait and find out more specifically the true intentions of your grace. Nevertheless, we should have warned Father Calinon to leave to you until further notice the full administration of the finances. Today I am somewhat pleased about this oversight; it has given you, my lord, and Father Calinon, the opportunity to provide us with a fine example of prudence, charity and good spirit. <ref> CS3 doc 21 18451026 Colin to Bataillon. </ref>		:::It is not surprising, Bishop, that Father Calinon and your grace have encountered some difficulties in practice concerning the regulations for the provincial. Our thinking is not completely and clearly enough formulated for either of you to have been able to grasp it at first sight. Prudence had suggested this kind of reserve. The idea of a provincial and its regulations had been imposed on us by what was happening in New Zealand. We wrote these regulations at the time of the departure of the Bishop of Amatha<ref>This was Bishop Douarre's titualar see</ref> and under the impression of all the complaints we were receiving from New Zealand. Even though you had given us every proof of your attachment to the Society, your charity and your prudence, we thought it useful to appoint a provincial, as we have the right to do, and to outline his main duties. However, we did not wish to effect and indicate for your vicariate the separation of the temporal affairs of the fathers and brothers of the Society from those of the Vicar Apostolic; we wanted to wait and find out more specifically the true intentions of your grace. Nevertheless, we should have warned Father Calinon to leave to you until further notice the full administration of the finances. Today I am somewhat pleased about this oversight; it has given you, my lord, and Father Calinon, the opportunity to provide us with a fine example of prudence, charity and good spirit. <ref> CS3 doc 21 18451026 Colin to Bataillon. </ref>

	:Calinon, recounting in 1846 of Mathieu’s resignation from the position of vice-provincial among others, wrote,		:Calinon, recounting in 1846 of Mathieu’s resignation from the position of vice-provincial among others, wrote,

Pierre Marie Bataillon

MAW — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:15:49 GMT

Religious Superior of the Missionaries He was appointed religious superior for Central Oceania by Fr. Colin on 30 November 1845 to take effect from the end of Calinon’s term, i.e. 16/06/1847. He remained so until 1857, when Poupinel was appointed Visitor General. CS3 doc 28 [8] 1847 – 1857

Girard0306

Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 03:10:22 GMT

Created page with "==17 January, 24 February, 4 and 10 March, 12 and 24 July 1844 - Father Joseph-André Chevron to his mother, brothers, and sisters, Tonga== Based on the dispatched copy, APM, Chevron file.'' ''Four sheets of “Bath” paper, sewn with white thread, forming sixteen pages, fifteen of which are written; the sixteenth bears only the address.'' ''[Address:] Monsieur A. Chevron - Nantua (Ain)'' :Jesus, Mary, Joseph :Tonga Island, 17 January 1844 :My dear mother, my dear..."

Show changes

Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 03:09:29 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:09, 4 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0304\|'''0304''', 10 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, New Caledonia]]		:*[[Girard0304\|'''0304''', 10 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, New Caledonia]]
	:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]		:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]
			:*[[Girard0306\|'''0306''', 17 Jan, 24 Feb, 4 and 10 March, 12 and 24 July 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his mother, brothers, and sisters, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]
	:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]		:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]

Girard0304

Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:34:55 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:34, 4 August 2026
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	==10 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Father Jean-Claude Colin, New Caledonia==		==10 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Father Jean-Claude Colin, New Caledonia==
	Based on the dispatched copy, APM ONC 418.1.''
			''Based on the dispatched copy, [[APM]] ONC 418.1.''

	''Five sheets, the fourth and fifth being “Bath” paper, sewn with white thread, forming twenty written pages. Poupinel's annotation appears on the twentieth page. In the letter register, ED 1, it bore number 139. The end of the present letter is dated 10 January 1844, but it was probably begun before the arrival in New Caledonia on 21 December 1843.''		''Five sheets, the fourth and fifth being “Bath” paper, sewn with white thread, forming twenty written pages. Poupinel's annotation appears on the twentieth page. In the letter register, ED 1, it bore number 139. The end of the present letter is dated 10 January 1844, but it was probably begun before the arrival in New Caledonia on 21 December 1843.''

Girard0304

Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:34:14 GMT

Created page with "==10 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Father Jean-Claude Colin, New Caledonia== Based on the dispatched copy, APM ONC 418.1.'' ''Five sheets, the fourth and fifth being “Bath” paper, sewn with white thread, forming twenty written pages. Poupinel's annotation appears on the twentieth page. In the letter register, ED 1, it bore number 139. The end of the present letter is dated 10 January 1844, but it was probably begun before the arrival in New Caledonia o..."

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Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:33:03 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:33, 4 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0302\|'''0302''', Jan 1844 – Fr Euloge-Marie Reignier to Fr Victor Poupinel, with a note added by Fr Jean Forest, Rotorua]]		:*[[Girard0302\|'''0302''', Jan 1844 – Fr Euloge-Marie Reignier to Fr Victor Poupinel, with a note added by Fr Jean Forest, Rotorua]]
	:*[[Girard0303\|'''0303''', Jan 1844 - Fr Antoine Séon to Fr Benoît Lagniet, Matamata]]		:*[[Girard0303\|'''0303''', Jan 1844 - Fr Antoine Séon to Fr Benoît Lagniet, Matamata]]
			:*[[Girard0304\|'''0304''', 10 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, New Caledonia]]
	:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]		:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]

Girard0303

Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:01:13 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:01, 4 August 2026
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	==January 1844 - Father Antoine Séon to Father Benoît Lagniet, Matamata==		==January 1844 - Father Antoine Séon to Father Benoît Lagniet, Matamata==
	~~“Based~~ on the dispatched copy, Archives of the Province of France, personal file of A. Séon.''		''Based on the dispatched copy, Archives of the Province of France, personal file of A. Séon.''


	''Three sheets and one leaf, forming fourteen pages, thirteen of which are written.''		''Three sheets and one leaf, forming fourteen pages, thirteen of which are written.''

			Translated by Merv Duffy using ChatGPT, August 2026



	:Station of the Holy Angels, Matamata, January 1844.		:Station of the Holy Angels, Matamata, January 1844.

Girard0303

Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:00:01 GMT

Created page with "==January 1844 - Father Antoine Séon to Father Benoît Lagniet, Matamata== “Based on the dispatched copy, Archives of the Province of France, personal file of A. Séon.'' ''Three sheets and one leaf, forming fourteen pages, thirteen of which are written.'' :Station of the Holy Angels, Matamata, January 1844. :To Reverend Father Lagniet. :My dear and Reverend Father, ;[1]: I duly received your two letters: the first, dated 4 October 1841, receipt of which I ackno..."

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Merv — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 01:58:50 GMT

1844

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:58, 4 August 2026
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	==='''1844'''===		==='''1844'''===
	:*[[Girard0302\|'''0302''', Jan 1844 – Fr Euloge-Marie Reignier to Fr Victor Poupinel, with a note added by Fr Jean Forest, Rotorua]]		:*[[Girard0302\|'''0302''', Jan 1844 – Fr Euloge-Marie Reignier to Fr Victor Poupinel, with a note added by Fr Jean Forest, Rotorua]]
			:*[[Girard0303\|'''0303''', Jan 1844 - Fr Antoine Séon to Fr Benoît Lagniet, Matamata]]
	:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]		:*[[Girard0305\|'''0305''', 15 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Victor Poupinel, on the ''Tryphene'']]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]

Biographical Notes

MAW — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 02:38:32 GMT

Alphabetic Order of Wave I

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	#[[Joseph-François Roulleaux]]		#[[Joseph-François Roulleaux]]
	#[[Pierre (Br Pierre-Marie) Pérénon]]		#[[Pierre (Br Pierre-Marie) Pérénon]]
	#[[Michel (Br Basile) ~~Monchanin~~]]		#[[Michel (Br Basile) Monchalin]]
	#[[Pierre (Br Colomb) Poncet]]		#[[Pierre (Br Colomb) Poncet]]
	#[[Pierre (Br Emery) Roudet]]		#[[Pierre (Br Emery) Roudet]]
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	#[[Luc (Br Luc) Macé]]		#[[Luc (Br Luc) Macé]]
	#[[Étienne (Br Élie-Régis) Marin]]		#[[Étienne (Br Élie-Régis) Marin]]
	#[[Michel (Br Basile) ~~Monchanin~~]]		#[[Michel (Br Basile) Monchalin]]
	#[[Delphin-Victor Moreau]]		#[[Delphin-Victor Moreau]]
	#[[Pierre (Br Pierre-Marie) Pérénon]]		#[[Pierre (Br Pierre-Marie) Pérénon]]

Michel (Br Basile) Monchanin

MAW — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 02:37:56 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:37, 3 August 2026
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	'''Br. BASILE (Michel) ~~MONCHANIN~~''', aged 27 (on arrival in New Zealand in [[Biographical Notes#Group V\|Group V]] on 15 Jun 1841).		'''Br. BASILE (Michel) MONCHALIN''', aged 27 (on arrival in New Zealand in [[Biographical Notes#Group V\|Group V]] on 15 Jun 1841).

	:By trade he was a shoemaker, and he remained at Kororareka where he proved very resourceful and versatile in many occupations. In 1845 he went to Opotiki and later to Rotorua. Before leaving with the 1850 Marist exodus for Wellington, he knew his destination was to be Hawkes Bay, and he was in place by the end of that year to remain for 48 years. First at Pakowhai, and then at Meeanee and in tandem with Florentin for 18 years, he developed a sizeable productive farm from swampland. Early on he planted the grapes that would later develop into the Mission Vineyards. Thanks to his initiative, with a drilling rig hired from Wellington, the well on the Heretaunga Plain was sunk on the Mission farm. It released a copious supply of artesian water from which, in time, the whole district would benefit. He lived to see the long term results of his work in the 1890 opening of the Meeanee seminary, and in the first New Zealand born and trained candidates for the priesthood ordained in 1895. He died at Meeanee on 23 April 1898, aged 83, and is buried in Taradale cemetery. Basil Road in Taradale is named after him.		:By trade he was a shoemaker, and he remained at Kororareka where he proved very resourceful and versatile in many occupations. In 1845 he went to Opotiki and later to Rotorua. Before leaving with the 1850 Marist exodus for Wellington, he knew his destination was to be Hawkes Bay, and he was in place by the end of that year to remain for 48 years. First at Pakowhai, and then at Meeanee and in tandem with Florentin for 18 years, he developed a sizeable productive farm from swampland. Early on he planted the grapes that would later develop into the Mission Vineyards. Thanks to his initiative, with a drilling rig hired from Wellington, the well on the Heretaunga Plain was sunk on the Mission farm. It released a copious supply of artesian water from which, in time, the whole district would benefit. He lived to see the long term results of his work in the 1890 opening of the Meeanee seminary, and in the first New Zealand born and trained candidates for the priesthood ordained in 1895. He died at Meeanee on 23 April 1898, aged 83, and is buried in Taradale cemetery. Basil Road in Taradale is named after him.

Girard0125

Merv — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 01:56:54 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:56, 31 July 2026
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	''Translated by Fr Brian Quin SM, October 2014''		''Translated by Fr Brian Quin SM, October 2014''


			[[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon \| Bataillon biography]] and [[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon#Letters \| Letters of Bataillon]]

	:Very Reverend Superior,		:Very Reverend Superior,

Girard0119

Merv — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 01:56:25 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:56, 31 July 2026
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			[[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon \| Bataillon biography]] and [[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon#Letters \| Letters of Bataillon]]
	{\|border=1; style="width:100%"		{\|border=1; style="width:100%"
	\|+		\|+

Girard0098

Merv — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 01:55:55 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 31 July 2026
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			[[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon \| Bataillon biography]] and [[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon#Letters \| Letters of Bataillon]]
	{\|border=1; style="width:100%"		{\|border=1; style="width:100%"
	\|+		\|+

Girard0075

Merv — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 01:55:22 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 31 July 2026
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			[[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon \| Bataillon biography]] and [[Pierre_Marie_Bataillon#Letters \| Letters of Bataillon]]
	{\|border=1; style="width:100%"		{\|border=1; style="width:100%"
	\|+		\|+

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:39, 12 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0325\|'''0325''', 18 Apr 1843 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0325\|'''0325''', 18 Apr 1843 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]
	:*[[Girard0326\|'''0326''', 25 Apr 1843 - Fr Garin to Fr Colin, Kaipara]]		:*[[Girard0326\|'''0326''', 25 Apr 1843 - Fr Garin to Fr Colin, Kaipara]]
			:*[[Girard0327\|'''0327''', 03 May 1844 - Bp Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier to Fr Jean-Baptiste Épalle, Kororareka]]
	:[[Girard0328\|0328, 20 May, 6 & 26 Jun, 19 & 25 Aug 1844 - Fr Charles Mathieu to his brother]]		:[[Girard0328\|0328, 20 May, 6 & 26 Jun, 19 & 25 Aug 1844 - Fr Charles Mathieu to his brother]]
	:*[[Girard0330\|'''0330''', Jun & 11 Aug 1844 — Fr Jean-Simon Bernard to Fr Colin, Tauranga]] & [[Girard0330b\|Amelia's translation]]		:*[[Girard0330\|'''0330''', Jun & 11 Aug 1844 — Fr Jean-Simon Bernard to Fr Colin, Tauranga]] & [[Girard0330b\|Amelia's translation]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:56, 11 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0321\|'''0321''', 26 Feb & 26 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Frs Nicoud, Villerd, Fond, & Duplay, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0321\|'''0321''', 26 Feb & 26 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Frs Nicoud, Villerd, Fond, & Duplay, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0322\|'''0322''', Apr & 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to a Marist Father, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]		:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]
	:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:26, 10 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0321\|'''0321''', 26 Feb & 26 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Frs Nicoud, Villerd, Fond, & Duplay, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]		:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]
	:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:58, 10 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0318\|'''0318''', 14 Feb 1844 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0318\|'''0318''', 14 Feb 1844 - Fr Forest to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]
	:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0319\|'''0319''', 15 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 — Br Attale to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
			:*[[Girard0320\|'''0320''', 20 Feb - 25 Jul 1844 - Fr Jérôme Grange to Jean-Claude Colin, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]		:*[[Girard0323\|'''0323''', 06 Apr 1844 - Fr Chouvet to M. Fourmon, priest, Opotiki]]
	:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]		:*[[Girard0324\|'''0324''', 17 Apr 1844 - Br Pierre-Marie to Fr Colin, Bay of Islands]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:43, 10 August 2026
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	:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]		:*[[Girard0307\|'''0307''', After 17 Jan 1844 - Fr Joseph-André Chevron to his family, Tonga]]
	:*[[Girard0308\|'''0308''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia]]		:*[[Girard0308\|'''0308''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia]]
			:*[[Girard0309\|'''0309''', 19 Jan 1844 - Bp Guillaume Douarre to Augustin Marquand, New Caledonia]]
	:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]		:*[[Girard0310\|'''0310''', 20 Jan 1844 - Fr Louis-Maxime Petit to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Hokianga]]
	:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]		:*[[Girard0311\|'''0311''', 28 Jan 1844 - Fr Claude-André Baty to Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Sydney ]]

Marist Studies - Recent changes [en]

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Phillippe Calinon

Pierre Marie Bataillon

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Biographical Notes

Michel (Br Basile) Monchanin

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← Older revision		Revision as of 12:05, 10 August 2026
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	==19 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia==		==19 January 1844 - Bishop Guillaume Douarre to Abbé Vidal, chaplain of the naval hospice, New Caledonia==

	''Based on the original, APM, Douarre II file.''		''Based on the original, [[APM]], Douarre II file.''

	Two sheets and one leaf, comprising ten written pages; the address appears at the bottom of the first page.		Two sheets and one leaf, comprising ten written pages; the address appears at the bottom of the first page.


			''Translated by Merv Duffy and ChatGPT, August 2026''


	''[p. 1, at the bottom of the page]''		''[p. 1, at the bottom of the page]''
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	;[2]: His Excellency the nuncio<ref>Ambrogio Campodonico, apostolic internuncio and envoy extraordinary at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (cf. ''Notizie'' 1844, p. 336).</ref> and a French priest, as well as a French count whose name does not come back to me at the moment, offered us the most generous hospitality. So much has been said about Rio, Brazil, and its beauties that it would hardly become me to give you a description which so many others have produced with greater talent than I could myself. Let us therefore hasten to arrive as quickly as possible, and perhaps we shall find something along the way that may interest you.		;[2]: His Excellency the nuncio<ref>Ambrogio Campodonico, apostolic internuncio and envoy extraordinary at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (cf. ''Notizie'' 1844, p. 336).</ref> and a French priest, as well as a French count whose name does not come back to me at the moment, offered us the most generous hospitality. So much has been said about Rio, Brazil, and its beauties that it would hardly become me to give you a description which so many others have produced with greater talent than I could myself. Let us therefore hasten to arrive as quickly as possible, and perhaps we shall find something along the way that may interest you.

	;[3]: If a gale would give you pleasure, I would tell you about the one we experienced off the Plata; without it, I would not have known what a storm was. The hardships of the sea meant little to me, or rather I had no time to experience them, so attentive were Monsieur and Madame Bruat<ref>Armand Joseph Bruat, admiral and governor of the French Establishments in Oceania (cf. doc. 292, § 4).</ref> toward me. I likewise have nothing but praise for the officers and passengers of the ''Uranie''.<ref>A French corvette which carried Douarre and his six companions from Toulon to the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, where Admiral Abel-Aubert du Petit-Thouars placed the ''Bucéphale'' at Douarre's disposal for the remainder of his journey (cf. docs. 292, § 13; 293, § 9).</ref>		;[3]: If a gale would give you pleasure, I would tell you about the one we experienced off the Plata; without it, I would not have known what a storm was. The hardships of the sea meant little to me, or rather I had no time to experience them, so attentive were Monsieur and Madame Bruat<ref>Armand Joseph Bruat, admiral and governor of the French Establishments in Oceania (cf. [[Girard0292\|doc. 292]], § 4).</ref> toward me. I likewise have nothing but praise for the officers and passengers of the ''Uranie''.<ref>A French corvette which carried Douarre and his six companions from Toulon to the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, where Admiral Abel-Aubert du Petit-Thouars placed the ''Bucéphale'' at Douarre's disposal for the remainder of his journey (cf. docs. [[Girard0292\|292]], § 13; [[Girard0293\|293]], § 9).</ref>

	;[4]: I tried to make myself useful during our ports of call. At Valparaiso I administered baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist to a young child from the Marquesas; the governor and his wife kindly agreed to be his godfather and godmother.<ref>Cf. doc. 292, § 9.</ref> This moving ceremony took place in the chapel of the French priests who have been established there for several years. There is no need to tell you how kindly they treated us. We were ''[p. 2]'' missionaries, a recommendation more than sufficient to earn us an excellent welcome. I would also tell you about the multitude of children whom I confirmed,<ref>Roudaire states that Douarre administered the sacrament of confirmation to more than 5,000 people at Valparaiso (cf. doc. 292, § 9).</ref> were I not so eager to reach the Marquesas, and about the surroundings of Valparaiso, which offer nothing especially remarkable.		;[4]: I tried to make myself useful during our ports of call. At Valparaiso I administered baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist to a young child from the Marquesas; the governor and his wife kindly agreed to be his godfather and godmother.<ref>Cf. doc. 292, § 9.</ref> This moving ceremony took place in the chapel of the French priests who have been established there for several years. There is no need to tell you how kindly they treated us. We were ''[p. 2]'' missionaries, a recommendation more than sufficient to earn us an excellent welcome. I would also tell you about the multitude of children whom I confirmed,<ref>Roudaire states that Douarre administered the sacrament of confirmation to more than 5,000 people at Valparaiso (cf. [[Girard0292\|doc. 292]], § 9).</ref> were I not so eager to reach the Marquesas, and about the surroundings of Valparaiso, which offer nothing especially remarkable.

	;[5]: We had been sailing for a month when we sighted the Marquesas. We greeted them with pleasure, so impatient were we to arrive, and the next day, at Houapou,<ref>This should probably read Ua Pu, 50 kilometres from Nuku Hiva; these two islands and others form the northwestern group of the archipelago. Roudaire, who was among the missionaries travelling with Douarre, nevertheless states that the ''Uranie'' called at Tahuata, in the southeastern group, and that the bishop celebrated Mass on the shore beneath a large tree (cf. doc. 292, § 11). Since the ''Uranie'' made the journey from the first port of call to Nuku Hiva on the same day, Monday, 16 October 1843, it seems more logical that the point of departure for this short journey was Ua Pu rather than Tahuata.</ref> I offered the holy sacrifice of the Mass on the seashore for the installation of the governor. The senior officers of the ''Uranie'', several landing companies, and the garrison under arms were in attendance.		;[5]: We had been sailing for a month when we sighted the Marquesas. We greeted them with pleasure, so impatient were we to arrive, and the next day, at Houapou,<ref>This should probably read Ua Pu, 50 kilometres from Nuku Hiva; these two islands and others form the northwestern group of the archipelago. Roudaire, who was among the missionaries travelling with Douarre, nevertheless states that the ''Uranie'' called at Tahuata, in the southeastern group, and that the bishop celebrated Mass on the shore beneath a large tree (cf. [[Girard0292\|doc. 292]], § 11). Since the ''Uranie'' made the journey from the first port of call to Nuku Hiva on the same day, Monday, 16 October 1843, it seems more logical that the point of departure for this short journey was Ua Pu rather than Tahuata.</ref> I offered the holy sacrifice of the Mass on the seashore for the installation of the governor. The senior officers of the ''Uranie'', several landing companies, and the garrison under arms were in attendance.

	;[6]: A few days later the same ceremony was repeated at Nouku-Hiva.<ref>This should read Nuku Hiva. Douarre and his companions were required to leave the ''Uranie'' there, but they were able to continue aboard the ''Bucéphale''.</ref> I shall omit my departure from the ''Uranie''; my heart is still heavy from it, for it is difficult not to love those who are so sincerely attached to you. Monsieur Laferrière, commander of the ''Bucéphale'', neglected nothing that might lessen my regrets. The officers under his command showed us nothing but the most sustained and benevolent consideration.		;[6]: A few days later the same ceremony was repeated at Nouku-Hiva.<ref>This should read Nuku Hiva. Douarre and his companions were required to leave the ''Uranie'' there, but they were able to continue aboard the ''Bucéphale''.</ref> I shall omit my departure from the ''Uranie''; my heart is still heavy from it, for it is difficult not to love those who are so sincerely attached to you. Monsieur Laferrière, commander of the ''Bucéphale'', neglected nothing that might lessen my regrets. The officers under his command showed us nothing but the most sustained and benevolent consideration.
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	;[19]: I then visited the surroundings of the royal residence, which are truly charming. The banks of the river are quite well cultivated. Seen from a distance, the taro and yam plants and a kind of reddish potato rather resemble beautiful vineyard slopes. I returned to inspect the interior of the palace before leaving. You already know two of its rooms: the reception room, a large shed open to every wind except on one side, and the bedchamber, a windowless rotunda. Another room, exactly like the latter, contains enormous and quite terrifying masks, with feathers reaching down to the knees of the person called upon to wear them. However bold the street children of France may be, they would flee in terror. I believe the inhabitants use them in their dances or perhaps at their burials. There remains one other room, exactly like the preceding two except that the interior has a double row of columns. Its much wider entrance is ornamented with two ugly heads, crudely carved and painted red. As it is used by their ladies, it is much larger than the others. The whole stands in the middle of a courtyard enclosed ''[p. 8]'' by bamboo. Two main entrances are decorated with crossed human bones and skulls. I think these are the heads of enemies killed in war. I did not want to incur the cost of an envelope, so let us continue; you will thereby save the postage on two letters, which you will forward to their recipients.		;[19]: I then visited the surroundings of the royal residence, which are truly charming. The banks of the river are quite well cultivated. Seen from a distance, the taro and yam plants and a kind of reddish potato rather resemble beautiful vineyard slopes. I returned to inspect the interior of the palace before leaving. You already know two of its rooms: the reception room, a large shed open to every wind except on one side, and the bedchamber, a windowless rotunda. Another room, exactly like the latter, contains enormous and quite terrifying masks, with feathers reaching down to the knees of the person called upon to wear them. However bold the street children of France may be, they would flee in terror. I believe the inhabitants use them in their dances or perhaps at their burials. There remains one other room, exactly like the preceding two except that the interior has a double row of columns. Its much wider entrance is ornamented with two ugly heads, crudely carved and painted red. As it is used by their ladies, it is much larger than the others. The whole stands in the middle of a courtyard enclosed ''[p. 8]'' by bamboo. Two main entrances are decorated with crossed human bones and skulls. I think these are the heads of enemies killed in war. I did not want to incur the cost of an envelope, so let us continue; you will thereby save the postage on two letters, which you will forward to their recipients.

	;[20]: Here we are, then, with the chief accompanying us to see the commander, aboard a rather poorly constructed double canoe moving very slowly. I had been in it for five hours and was becoming quite bored. I asked to disembark, leaving Father ~~Viart~~, who spoke the Wallis language perfectly and who, through a foreign islander<ref group="variant">“Islander” was written above the line.</ref> recently arrived and familiar with the language of New Caledonia, was able to make himself understood by the inhabitants and speak to them about religion.		;[20]: Here we are, then, with the chief accompanying us to see the commander, aboard a rather poorly constructed double canoe moving very slowly. I had been in it for five hours and was becoming quite bored. I asked to disembark, leaving Father Viard, who spoke the Wallis language perfectly and who, through a foreign islander<ref group="variant">“Islander” was written above the line.</ref> recently arrived and familiar with the language of New Caledonia, was able to make himself understood by the inhabitants and speak to them about religion.

	;[21]: I was far from expecting what was about to happen to me. I had been searching for more than an hour when I made a sad encounter: a river, or stream, of great width and proportionate depth. Although born beside the water like the ducks, I do not share their ability, so my embarrassment was considerable; yet this was still the least of it. I had already recruited many people along my route, far more than I wished, with curious onlookers everywhere. I had to make a change of clothing for which I would gladly have dispensed with witnesses. In vain did I make signs for them to move away; it was useless, for womankind is the same everywhere. There I was, surrounded by a band of male and female savages who went into raptures over every item of clothing I removed. You should have heard the cries of astonishment when they saw fairly white flesh and a body that was not too thin, because aboard the ships I have so far experienced only Carnival; Lent should not be long in coming. “Ah, the unfortunate man!” you say, because you dare not say anything more forceful!... Do not worry: despite the wishes of the spectators, and still more of the female spectators, I am not altogether in the costume of an angel. I have my trousers, which are going to bathe with me. Two inhabitants, supporting me with one hand and swimming with the other, soon carried me to the opposite bank. You no doubt think that this little taste of the water would have stopped my female diocesan flock, but they were with me on the other side of the river. It was the same river I had already seen without realizing it,<ref group="variant">“Without realizing it” was written above the line.</ref> and on this second occasion I once again had to dress in front of them, which I accomplished quite successfully.		;[21]: I was far from expecting what was about to happen to me. I had been searching for more than an hour when I made a sad encounter: a river, or stream, of great width and proportionate depth. Although born beside the water like the ducks, I do not share their ability, so my embarrassment was considerable; yet this was still the least of it. I had already recruited many people along my route, far more than I wished, with curious onlookers everywhere. I had to make a change of clothing for which I would gladly have dispensed with witnesses. In vain did I make signs for them to move away; it was useless, for womankind is the same everywhere. There I was, surrounded by a band of male and female savages who went into raptures over every item of clothing I removed. You should have heard the cries of astonishment when they saw fairly white flesh and a body that was not too thin, because aboard the ships I have so far experienced only Carnival; Lent should not be long in coming. “Ah, the unfortunate man!” you say, because you dare not say anything more forceful!... Do not worry: despite the wishes of the spectators, and still more of the female spectators, I am not altogether in the costume of an angel. I have my trousers, which are going to bathe with me. Two inhabitants, supporting me with one hand and swimming with the other, soon carried me to the opposite bank. You no doubt think that this little taste of the water would have stopped my female diocesan flock, but they were with me on the other side of the river. It was the same river I had already seen without realizing it,<ref group="variant">“Without realizing it” was written above the line.</ref> and on this second occasion I once again had to dress in front of them, which I accomplished quite successfully.
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	::::+ G(uillaume) Douarre, Bishop of Amata		::::+ G(uillaume) Douarre, Bishop of Amata

	Port Balade, New Caledonia, 19 January 1844.		:Port Balade, New Caledonia, 19 January 1844.

	;[26]: P(ost) S(criptum). It is expressly forbidden to give the newspapers the slightest passage from my letters. That would be entirely contrary to the interests of the Propagation of the Faith, which instructed me on this matter, and consequently contrary to my own interests as well.		;[26]: P(ost) S(criptum). It is expressly forbidden to give the newspapers the slightest passage from my letters. That would be entirely contrary to the interests of the Propagation of the Faith, which instructed me on this matter, and consequently contrary to my own interests as well.

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	===Vicar Apostolic of Central Oceania 1843 – 1877===		===Vicar Apostolic of Central Oceania 1843 – 1877===

	===Religious Superior of the Missionaries<ref> He was appointed religious superior ~~of the Missions~~ by Fr. Colin on ~~30th~~ November 1845 ~~and remained so until 1857 (when Poupinel was appointed). To~~ take effect from the end of Calinon’s term, i.e. 16/06/1847 CS3 doc 28 [8]</ref> ~~1847 – 1857~~===		===Religious Superior of the Missionaries<ref>He was appointed religious superior for Central Oceania by Fr. Colin on 30 November 1845 to take effect from the end of Calinon’s term, i.e. 16/06/1847. He remained so until 1857, when Poupinel was appointed Visitor General. CS3 doc 28[8]</ref> 1847–1857===

	:Pierre Bataillon was born on January ~~6th, 1810~~, at St. Cyr-les-Vignes in the archdiocese of Lyons in eastern France. He chose an ecclesiastical career, and after studying at the preparatory school of St. Polycarp in Lyons, he entered the minor seminary at L'Argentière in 1827, and finished his studies at the major seminary in Lyons. He was ordained a priest in 1834, served for some time in a country parish, and made his profession in the Society of Mary with the first group of twenty on September ~~24th~~ 1836. He was one of the first group of missionaries whom the Society sent to Oceania.		:Pierre Bataillon was born on 6 January, at St. Cyr-les-Vignes in the archdiocese of Lyons in eastern France. He chose an ecclesiastical career, and after studying at the preparatory school of St. Polycarp in Lyons, he entered the minor seminary at L'Argentière in 1827, and finished his studies at the major seminary in Lyons. He was ordained a priest in 1834, served for some time in a country parish, and made his profession in the Society of Mary with the first group of twenty on 24 September 1836. He was one of the first group of missionaries whom the Society sent to Oceania.

	:Bishop Pompallier of the secular clergy, with seven Marist missionaries, including Fr Bataillon, left Le Havre for Oceania on ~~24th~~ December 1836. The ship sailed westward around South America and, on September ~~13th,~~ 1837, reached the Gambier Islands, where the Picpus Fathers who had travelled with them, landed and joined their Vicar Apostolic.		:Bishop Pompallier of the secular clergy, with seven Marist missionaries, including Fr Bataillon, left Le Havre for Oceania on 24 December 1836. The ship sailed westward around South America and, on 13 September 1837, reached the Gambier Islands, where the Picpus Fathers who had travelled with them, landed and joined their Vicar Apostolic.

	:Bishop Pompallier and the Marists continued on until, on ~~1st~~ November 1837, they were admitted by the king to the island of Wallis. Fr. Bataillon and Br. Joseph Xavier Luzy were assigned to this post. Father (now Saint) ~~Peter~~ Chanel and Br. Marie-Nizier Delorme were left on the island of Futuna. Bishop Pompallier, Fr. Catherin Servant, and Br. Michel Colombon sailed to New Zealand. Fr. Claude Bret, the remaining member of the original group, did not reach the Pacific: he had died on board ship near the Canary Islands and had been buried at sea.		:Bishop Pompallier and the Marists continued on until, on 1 November 1837, they were admitted by the king to the island of Wallis. Fr. Bataillon and Br. Joseph Xavier Luzy were assigned to this post. Father (now Saint) Pierre Chanel and Br. Marie-Nizier Delorme were left on the island of Futuna. Bishop Pompallier, Fr. Catherin Servant, and Br. Michel Colombon sailed to New Zealand. Fr. Claude Bret, the remaining member of the original group, did not reach the Pacific: he had died on board ship near the Canary Islands and had been buried at sea.

	:Soon, forced to face opposition, to endure many hardships and terrible privations, but armed with a precarious permission from the king to remain on the island and favoured by the heroic self-sacrifice practised during an epidemic, Fr. Bataillon in a few years brought about the permanent conversion of Wallis Island, also called Uvea.		:Soon, forced to face opposition, to endure many hardships and terrible privations, but armed with a precarious permission from the king to remain on the island and favoured by the heroic self-sacrifice practised during an epidemic, Fr. Bataillon in a few years brought about the permanent conversion of Wallis Island, also called Uvea.

	:When the Holy See in 1842 established Central Oceania as a new vicariate<ref> Initially (1842) “Central Oceania” was all of Western Oceania except New Zealand. In 1844, the Vicariate of Micronesia and the Vicariate of Melanesia were established. This left Central Oceania with Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, ~~N .~~Hebrides & N. Caledonia as the mission of Bataillon. Further divisions were to follow quite quickly: in 1847 the Vicariate of N. Caledonia (~~& N.~~ Hebrides) was cut off and in 1851 the Vicariate of Navigator Islands (Samoa & Tokelau) was established, but Rotuma was added to the Vicariate of Central Oceania~~. These divisions are shown clearly in the diagram “Oceania Dioceses 1836-1994)” given as an appendix~~.</ref> taken from the territory of Western Oceania, it named him the Vicar Apostolic of Central Oceania and Titular Bishop of Enos in Greece. The news of his appointment was brought to him by his coadjutor, Bishop Guillaume Douarre. The latter landed on Wallis with the Bulls of appointment on ~~30th~~ November 1843, and consecrated his superior on ~~3rd~~ December. The co-consecrators were the Marist priests, Philippe Viard and Gilbert Roudaire.		:When the Holy See in 1842 established Central Oceania as a new vicariate<ref> Initially (1842) “Central Oceania” was all of Western Oceania except New Zealand. In 1844, the Vicariate of Micronesia and the Vicariate of Melanesia were established. This left Central Oceania with Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, New Hebrides & New Caledonia as the mission of Bataillon. Further divisions were to follow quite quickly: in 1847 the Vicariate of New Caledonia (which included the New Hebrides) was cut off and in 1851 the Vicariate of the Navigator Islands (Samoa & Tokelau) was established, but Rotuma was added to the Vicariate of Central Oceania.</ref> taken from the territory of Western Oceania, it named him the Vicar Apostolic of Central Oceania and Titular Bishop of Enos in Greece. The news of his appointment was brought to him by his coadjutor, Bishop Guillaume Douarre. The latter landed on Wallis with the Bulls of appointment on 30 November 1843, and consecrated his superior on 3 December. The co-consecrators were the Marist priests, Philippe Viard and Gilbert Roudaire.

	:Bishop Bataillon was a man of imposing presence, robust constitution, inexhaustible energy and an overwhelming zeal for spreading the Kingdom of God. He now continued in the immense expanse of this vicariate the indefatigable work which he had accomplished in Wallis. In 1844 he travelled to Tonga to visit his men and then, with three men, moved on to Fiji to establish the mission there. The following year he introduced the Catholic Faith to the Navigator Isles (Samoa & Tokelau). In 1846 he sent Frs. Pierre Verne and Grégoire Villien to found the mission at Rotuma. They were newly-arrived missionaries to Oceania but they were accompanied by a few Wallisian catechists among whom was Filipo who spoke English, French and many dialects of the Pacific. They faced many difficulties until they eventually returned to Futuna in 1853; Bataillon visited the island in 1859 and 1861 and left catechists from Futuna there to minister to the people. He returned in 1868 with Frs. Dezest and Trouillet who were eventually more successful.		:Bishop Bataillon was a man of imposing presence, robust constitution, inexhaustible energy and an overwhelming zeal for spreading the Kingdom of God. He now continued in the immense expanse of this vicariate the indefatigable work which he had accomplished in Wallis. In 1844 he travelled to Tonga to visit his men and then, with three men, moved on to Fiji to establish the mission there. The following year he introduced the Catholic Faith to the Navigator Isles (Samoa & Tokelau). In 1846 he sent Frs. Pierre Verne and Grégoire Villien to found the mission at Rotuma. They were newly-arrived missionaries to Oceania but they were accompanied by a few Wallisian catechists among whom was Filipo who spoke English, French and many dialects of the Pacific. They faced many difficulties until they eventually returned to Futuna in 1853; Bataillon visited the island in 1859 and 1861 and left catechists from Futuna there to minister to the people. He returned in 1868 with Frs. Dezest and Trouillet who were eventually more successful.

	:Bishop Bataillon was a tenacious believer in the immediate need of a native clergy to establish the Catholic religion on a firmer basis and so made constant efforts to find ways to train native young men for the priesthood in Europe, in Australia as well as in his own vicariate. Bataillon initially tried to get the use of the procure at Villa Maria as a school for his seminarians. In 1856 he travelled to Europe with three Polynesian students for the priesthood. When he returned in 1859 he purchased a large property (1000 acres) at Clydesdale,<ref> John Hosie, Challenge, ''The Marists in Colonial Australia'', Sydney, Allen and Unwin. 1987 pp.169 ff </ref> outside Sydney where he tried to establish his seminary for Pacific Islanders, but it faced many problems and the land was eventually sold in 1871, The first Polynesian priest was ordained in his lifetime and the seminary of Lano, Wallis Island, ~~owes~~ its foundation to him, although he did not live to see the first graduates being ordained.		:Bishop Bataillon was a tenacious believer in the immediate need of a native clergy to establish the Catholic religion on a firmer basis and so made constant efforts to find ways to train native young men for the priesthood in Europe, in Australia as well as in his own vicariate. Bataillon initially tried to get the use of the procure at Villa Maria as a school for his seminarians. In 1856 he travelled to Europe with three Polynesian students for the priesthood. When he returned in 1859 he purchased a large property (1000 acres) at Clydesdale,<ref> John Hosie, Challenge, ''The Marists in Colonial Australia'', Sydney, Allen and Unwin. 1987 pp.169 ff</ref> outside Sydney where he tried to establish his seminary for Pacific Islanders, but it faced many problems and the land was eventually sold in 1871. The first Polynesian priest was ordained in his lifetime and the seminary of Lano, Wallis Island, owed its foundation to him, although he did not live to see the first graduates being ordained.

	:He made two journeys to Europe, and on both visits discussed his administrative policies with the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda and with the general administration of the Society of Mary. These policies were unduly patterned on his own ardent zeal and insufficiently adapted to the weaker vessels that worked under him. Furthermore, he was for his clergy simultaneously their Bishop, the representative of the Holy Father, and, although he had made at most only a two-months novitiate, their religious Superior, that is, the representative of the Superior General.		:He made two journeys to Europe, and on both visits discussed his administrative policies with the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide and with the general administration of the Society of Mary. These policies were unduly patterned on his own ardent zeal and insufficiently adapted to the weaker vessels that worked under him. Furthermore, he was for his clergy simultaneously their Bishop, the representative of the Holy Father, and, although he had made at most only a two-months novitiate, their religious Superior, that is, the representative of the Superior General of the Society of Mary.

	:On his first visit to Europe, 1856-1858, he and the Very Reverend Father Favre, the Superior General, spent nearly two months in Rome in negotiations with the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda regarding the administration of the foreign missions entrusted to the Society of Mary. These negotiations resulted in the drafting of a set of regulations which was approved by the Sacred Congregation. These directives were of general and permanent value, as they became a sort of charter according to which the Marist and some other missions were governed from then on.		:On his first visit to Europe, 1856-1858, he and the Very Reverend Father Favre, the Superior General, spent nearly two months in Rome in negotiations with the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda regarding the administration of the foreign missions entrusted to the Society of Mary. These negotiations resulted in the drafting of a set of regulations which was approved by the Sacred Congregation. These directives were of general and permanent value, as they became a sort of charter according to which the Marist and some other missions were governed from then on.

	:His second visit ''ad limina'' occurred much later. He arrived in Europe in 1872. His strength was then much reduced and his appearance indicated the hardships which he had endured for many years. It was suggested to him that he give up the idea of returning to his vicariate. His answer, given at the audience which Pope Pius IX granted him, was that he had but one request to make, namely, that he be granted permission to return to his dear people in the missions. The request was of course granted. He returned, zealously continued his work, and died at Wallis, ~~11th~~ April, 1877.		:His second visit ''ad limina'' occurred much later. He arrived in Europe in 1872. His strength was then much reduced and his appearance indicated the hardships which he had endured for many years. It was suggested to him that he give up the idea of returning to his vicariate. His answer, given at the audience which Pope Pius IX granted him, was that he had but one request to make, namely, that he be granted permission to return to his dear people in the missions. The request was of course granted. He returned, zealously continued his work, and died at Wallis, 11 April 1877.


	===End notes===		===End notes===
	A fuller description of the life and work of Bishop Bataillon is found in the following works of P. ~~MANGERET~~ SM		A fuller description of the life and work of Bishop Bataillon is found in the following works of P. Mangeret SM

	:*''Mgr Bataillon et les missions de l’Oceanie Centrale'' par le R.P.Mangeret de la Soc.de Marie. Lyons. Vitte et Perrussel: Paris: Lecoffre [usw], 1984		:*''Mgr Bataillon et les missions de l’Oceanie Centrale'' par le R.P.Mangeret de la Soc.de Marie. Lyons. Vitte et Perrussel: Paris: Lecoffre [usw], 1984

	:*''La Croix dans les isles du Pacifique; vie de Mgr Bataillon de la Société de Marie, êvêque d’Enos, premier Apostolique de l’Océanie central (1810-1877) ''. Mangeret. Lyons, Annales de Marie, 1932		:*''La Croix dans les isles du Pacifique; vie de Mgr Bataillon de la Société de Marie, êvêque d’Enos, premier Apostolique de l’Océanie central (1810-1877)''. Mangeret. Lyons, Annales de Marie, 1932

	:*''Mgr Bataillon et les Missions de l’Océanie centrale, Tome 1 and Tome 2. '' Mangeret. [S.I.]: Hachette Livre-BNF. 2018		:*''Mgr Bataillon et les Missions de l’Océanie centrale, Tome 1 and Tome 2.'' Mangeret. [S.I.]: Hachette Livre-BNF. 2018

	Of interest also are two chapters in John Hosie, ''Challenge. The Marists in Colonial Australia''. (Sydney, Allen and Unwin,1987)		Of interest also are two chapters in John Hosie, ''Challenge. The Marists in Colonial Australia''. (Sydney, Allen and Unwin, 1987)
	::*Chapter 12. "Bataillon, bishop and autocrat" (pp.105-112)		::*Chapter 12. "Bataillon, bishop and autocrat" (pp.105-112)
	::*Chapter 17. "Clydesdale and an islander priesthood" (pp.69-185)		::*Chapter 17. "Clydesdale and an islander priesthood" (pp.69-185)