Girard0279

3 November 1843 - Bishop Jean-Baptiste-François Pompallier to Father Jean-Claude Colin, Bay of Islands

Summary

Attributes the need to sell the mission ship to lack of money and regular communication. But its loss will only weaken the mission’s fight against heresy. The printer has been a big boost to the success of the mission’s work. But books alone not enough, priests and catechists needed to explain them.

Repeats the difficulties caused by irregularity, slowness of communications, and shortage of men and money. Repeats his earlier claim that if these problems could be overcome, NZ would quickly become entirely Catholic. Also claims that the mission is being betrayed by the views of people who do not know the real situation well enough. Most of the rest of the letter is a development of these problems.

He ends by saying that Father Tripe, after repeated requests to be allowed to return to France, has got his way and has left NZ. Some background to this is given.

A sheet and a half of “Bath” ordinary paper forming six written pages, the annotation by Poupinel at the top of the first page.

Translation by Merv Duffy, March 2025.

Text of the Letter

[In the hand of Poupinel]

N(ouv)elle Zélande ¤ M(onsei)g(neu)r Pompallier

(nº 28) J(esus) M(ary) J(oseph)

New Zealand, Bay of Islands, the 3rd of November 1843.

To very reverend Father Colin, Superior General of the Society of Mary in Lyon, France.

My Most Reverend Father,

[1]

I trust with confidence that the many letters I have written to France and Rome have reached their destination. I have sent you two since my journey to the islands of the torrid zone. All this news will have informed you of our abundant consolations, our tribulations, and our trials.

For more than a year, I have no longer had a mission ship to sustain the battles of the Lord and to confront heresy, which, with the help of its own (it has three or four), sails these waters in all directions and makes itself present everywhere. The lack of resources—or rather, the lack of regular communications—forced me to sell the one that had served us so well for about two and a half years. Because of this deprivation, the work of God has been significantly delayed, and heresy has taken advantage of it.

Poor peoples of Oceania! O altitudo! ... Yet, wherever we are present, the Catholic faith has gained ground, and heresy has lost. We are still in such circumstances that, if missionaries were to arrive with aid from Christian charity to settle and sustain them, New Zealand would, in all likelihood, become entirely Catholic; and I do not believe I am mistaken.

The printed books I have written for these dear and tested peoples, at the beginning of their conversion to the faith, have supported and advanced all that had previously been accomplished. Many Protestant natives have converted to the Catholic Church. But written instruction is not enough; oral explanations are necessary. For this, we need missionaries and catechists who are well-instructed, zealous, prudent, joyful in the Lord, and courageous. They must have a certain facility (with the help of grace) for learning languages; here in New Zealand, a missionary must learn both English and the native Maori language to be effective. He must possess a strong kindness and a firm character to face ever-renewing difficulties and remain steadfast.

Heresy does not become discouraged by its humiliations and setbacks; rather, it remains ever active. One must constantly resist it and snatch souls from it, not only tribe by tribe but one by one. What a glorious crown awaits the soldier of Jesus Christ who defends the purity of the faith and makes it shine among peoples so besieged by error!

[2]

Since my return from the tropical islands in August 1843, I have sent you two letters and six to Monsieur Épalle. Have they reached you? Alas! I do not yet know. One of the greatest trials of this mission is the length, irregularity, and uncertainty of communications.

Not knowing here the reality of the resources—both in personnel and finances—that are being prepared for us in France, not knowing what hopes or possibilities exist regarding these two essential points, paralyzes us to some extent in our work. It causes us to miss opportunities that could be most favourable, opportunities that, once lost, sometimes never return.

On these matters, heresy has a great advantage over us: its communications are regular and highly effective. It is very observant; it knows our weakness in this area and exploits it to harm our cause. I have no doubt that the majority of the population of New Zealand would be Catholic today if missionaries had been able to come in sufficient numbers, if our financial resources had not been lost at times or delayed in transport, and above all, if I had been made aware of what we could accomplish and what I could rely on. May the unfathomable designs of God be adored in all this!

Receiving regular and active communications from the Congregation and the Propagation of the Faith would be to provide me with vital cooperation in achieving success. The opposite, however, paralyzes me and gives heresy opportunities to triumph over us. Everything here was undertaken with the assumption that, once acquired, a small mission ship would be maintained for the service of our work. To be deprived of it—whether by loss or by delays in resources—and to be forced to sell it to obtain the funds we lack, is to lose a central element upon which our efforts for success depended. It even risks reducing all our past victories to what we call in our language, "a blow of the sword in the water." No one can fully grasp the consequences of this deprivation as I do, being at the helm of directing the spiritual battles against the devil and heresy.

[3]

Another cause of misfortune for these missions is the reports from all sorts of people who lack the experience, knowledge, and graces of the Lord to judge the course of the Church in these seas. They distort not only the intentions but also the facts of the apostolic vicar. At the very moment when the harvest holds the greatest promise, they cry out that the land is barren; at the moment when complete victory is about to be won, they cry out in alarm about defeat and even retreat.

[4]

My Most Reverend and dear Father, do not think that in this letter I intend to reproach anyone. On the contrary, I know how much your heart is devoted to the interests of the faith in these missions, how deeply you love those who dedicate themselves to them, and how dear to you are the peoples of Oceania.

To the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, I send news of the successes of our work—everything that can inspire the charity of the faithful and apostolic zeal in the clergy. To you and the central council of the association, I reveal the difficulties and share some of the bitterness of my chalice, to associate you with my tribulations, to unite you ever more closely with Jesus Christ in the Garden of Olives—the frequent dwelling place of the episcopate—and to show you what I need here to overcome obstacles to the good and secure the full success of our mission.

[5]

The loss of the mission ship has deprived me of frequent and regular communications with all the missionaries' stations, which extend over more than 700 leagues across New Zealand and the islands of the tropics. I am still unable to provide definite reports on all points. I have not received any news from Wallis, Futuna, or Tongatapu for eleven months. Given the dispositions in which I left these peoples, I have reason to believe that they continue to bring ineffable consolations.

[6]

New Zealand is more than ever in a situation where, if irrigation could take place, the growth (incrementum) would be abundant and universal. But, including myself, we are only fourteen priests working for a country as large as all of France, with a population of about 120,000 souls, whom the relentless efforts of heresy dispute with us at every moment.

The books printed in Māori for our numerous catechumens and neophytes were distributed just as the mission ship was lost to us, and they have helped somewhat to mitigate the blow of this deprivation. The tribes that we can cultivate beyond a superficial level bring us very sweet consolations. But our missionaries, scattered far and wide, are overwhelmed by poverty, fatigue, and their inability to meet all the needs before them.

Otago and its surroundings have not seen a single priest since my first visit; all the work done there, as well as the expenses incurred, have become fruitless. The entire island of Tewaipounamu (the South Island) is without a priest. The entire southern part of this North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) is abandoned due to a lack of resources and missionaries. There is only one Irish priest in Port Nicholson, who is new and whose ministry is ineffective for the native people.

In the north, we occupy only a stretch of 180 leagues in length and 50 to 80 in width, and even then, several of these mission stations lack boats and means of travel for visitation. Heresy spreads everywhere in our absence, though it has not yet gained success among our tribes. However, the frustration of not receiving the support they desire and so desperately need may eventually lead them to succumb.

The Protestant bishop travels everywhere, while I am bound to the Bay of Islands, unable to undertake long sea voyages—especially as the arrival of resources continues to be delayed.

[7]

You may say, my Reverend Father, that I am always the same, that I complain incessantly, that I am unbearable. But let it be understood that I complain about no one—I merely present the difficulties, obstacles, and needs of God's work. I do not speak for myself, but for the clergy and the flock. You in Lyon believe that your letters and the funds you send us arrive in a timely manner. But that is not the case, and it would be a disservice to the mission not to tell you the truth.

[8]

Since the arrival of the Reverend Fathers Bernard, Morau, and Chouvet on February 18, 1843, we have received no news from France. I was very pleased to welcome these new warriors. The funds they brought me, amounting to 18,000 francs, had been left on deposit aboard the ship Le Rhin, which had stopped at Akaroa, 250 leagues from here. A portion of these funds (10,000 francs) was given to me by Commander Lavaud in February 1843, while the remaining 8,000 francs only reached me in November of that same year. These delays cause my administration great suffering and humiliation! The entire manoeuvring of our battles is hindered by them.

[9]

The Reverend Father Épalle has no doubt arrived in France and in Lyon near you; he must have informed you that he borrowed 30,000 francs in Valparaíso in August 1842 to support us. You may think that I have received these funds. But that is not the case. The bills of exchange were entrusted to the superior of the Picpus college in Valparaíso, who then passed them to Mr. Perret; the latter, in turn, handed them over to a young merchant departing for Sydney, where these bills were to be negotiated and then sent on to London.

However, the young merchant forgot the first series of these bills in Valparaíso. When he arrived in Sydney and explained to the bank the misfortune that had occurred, it aroused the bankers' suspicions, and the payment has been delayed until now—and possibly for several more months. I hope that nothing will be lost in all of this, but these delays are disastrous for our work; here we are, still waiting for thirty thousand francs that have been tied up for fifteen months.

From February until now, we have received only 10,000 francs to sustain us in our paralyzed operations, even though our circumstances require 60,000 francs per year for us to wage battle as we ought. The mission ship was sold for 17,500 francs, but so far, I have only been able to collect 7,000 of that sum.

[10]

You must have been deeply grieved, my Reverend Father, upon learning of our needs in these lands; the bills of exchange I sent you must have caused you distress. But Father Épalle has explained everything to you, and I repeat it here: I will no longer draw any bills in the future without formal authorization. I am firmly resolved to die here, a victim of whatever misfortunes God sees fit to send me—whether through the withdrawal of charitable support from the faithful, through false reports, or through the judgments of men. All my prayers are for the salvation of my flock, for the growth and perfection of the Society, for the exaltation of our Holy Mother Church, for the increase of heavenly blessings upon the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, and for the happiness of the august Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth.

It is in this spirit that I have the honour to remain, my Most Reverend and dear Father,

Your most humble and obedient servant,

+Jean-Baptiste François, Bishop, Vicar Apostolic

[In the margin and written sideways]

[11] Postscript.

I am sending to the Propagation of the Faith a copy of my letter to the Governor of New Zealand. It may be printed in the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, provided that all identifying details of its recipient are removed.

I am also sending you my official authorization, properly drawn up according to the advice of the French consul in Sydney, whom I have written to. Additionally, I am sending an English-language pamphlet that could be translated into French for the Annals. It has had a great impact in these lands among both Catholics and Protestants. It is a translation of my pastoral letter in Māori, published to accompany the first printed book for the natives. Lastly, I am sending you an article from the Sydney Journal on this matter, from issue No. 16, September 1843.

+ François

[12] Postscript.

For more than ten months, Mr. Tripe has been asking me to allow him to return to France. I have kept him here at the house since February to give him time to reflect. Seeing that he persisted in wanting to leave, and moreover, that his aptitude for religious and apostolic life was well below mediocre, I not only consented to his departure in the end, but also acted suaviter in modo to ensure he left as soon as possible.

The reasons he gave me for withdrawing from our work were related to his family, who are in need, to his lack of proficiency in the languages required to carry out the holy ministry, and to his health. However, a man truly devoted to God and to the mission could still have been of great service to our work by assisting in administration, bookkeeping, and procurement.

From the very beginning of his stay in this mission, I had a strong feeling that he would not succeed—due to his advanced age, his short time in the Society, his long experience as a parish priest with a well-established position and surrounded by his family, and, above all, a certain self-sufficiency that prevented him from properly receiving the bishop’s guidance on the mission and the languages. He always relied on his age, his knowledge, and his experience. A strong aversion toward the bishop and the resulting attitudes and behaviours—which, I believe, he has now somewhat corrected—were among the reasons why he did not receive God's blessings on his mission.

My Reverend Father, no more subjects of such an advanced age—especially if they are not willing to take on hidden administrative roles as well as preaching in the apostolate.

+ François

[In the margin and written sideways]

[13]

I have given Fr. Tripe sufficient letters to ensure that he will be well received wherever he goes, and his departure from here has taken place in a spirit of charity.

[14]

I have given Fr. Tripe four hundred francs to help him reach Lyon or his home diocese upon his arrival in France. He is departing from here to Sydney, where the French consul will assist him in his return to France at the expense of the French government, which repatriates nationals abroad who require its support for their journey home.

I do not believe that Fr. Tripe wishes to remain in the Society in Lyon, as he has indicated to me here; he intends to return to his diocese.

+ François

Notes

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