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1 June 1848 - Letter from Father Joseph Mériais and the pupils of the seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Uvea (Wallis) to the Fathers and novices of Bonne Encontre (in France)

Translated by Mary Williamson, January 2017.

Based on the document sent, APM OW 208 Mériais.

Sheet of paper forming four written pages. The document dated 1st June (§ 1b) but without the year. The establishment at Lano on the island of Wallis is certainly under the direction of Mériais on 4th April 1848 (cf.doc. 691, § 4), and this fact is confirmed on 1st June of the same year (cf. doc. 709, § 25); so we can assume that the present document is from 1848. The original is written in two columns, with the Wallisian in the left column and the French text in the right column. Paragraphs numbered [a] are a transliteration of the Wallisian and those numbered [b] are a translation of the corresponding French text in the right column.

Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

To the Reverend Fathers and the novices of the Novitiate of Bonne Encontre at Bordeaux

[1a]

Kote tohi a te tamaliki uvea kia kou tou e nonofo ite seminalio a Patele Kolino nee tohi i te aho a tahi o te mahina ko sunio

[1b] Letter from the children of Uvea to you other people who live in the seminary of Father Colin, written on the first day of the June moon.

[2a]

Kote tohi eni ki te tamu liki ite kale sio i falani eau faka fe tai kia koutou i to kou tou ofamai kia matou pea eau tala atu kua lelu pe lara toma tou nofoaga. nei kua matou faka lago pe lava kite matua ena taupau matou pe emutou faiga te ako ote fakalatina mote gaue fe eau kale atu kia koutou ke kou tou hufaki mai sio amatou gaue nei kemanuia kite otua keiku sii gau nei ke matou poto pea eau tala atu sio matou ofa ma mahi atu kia kou tou pea matou fia folau atu kia kou tou ke tou feilogaki mo kou tou pea ke tou ko le foka tahi mo kou tou kite otua ke fonegalo ofa mai kia matou kote nua noa pea koutou hufaki mutou ke matou nanuia louipe oau kitoma tou mate alofa tomaliki mo te kou tou matua akonaki alofa

Sosefa

[2b]

This letter is a letter to you other young people at the college in France. I thank you for your love for we other folk and I am telling you at the same time that where we live here is beautiful too. We too are obedient to an older person who looks after us and we strive to learn Latin and to work hard. And I beg you, over there to pray for our work. May we be happy in God, may our work come to a happy ending and may we be educated. And we want you to know that we love you very much and wish to travel over to you so we can see you. But let us all pray together to our God, that he might exert his will on we, who are nothing. And you, intercede for us so that we might be happy up until our death. Greetings to you young brothers and to the old people who teach you, greetings.

Joseph

[3a]

Kote tohi eni ke ave kite kolesio kifalani se eau tala alu oku ofo ku koutou tamuliki enofo ite kole sio fui museape koutou enofo falanise momatou efea hoko atu kafalanisie kae mole molou felavei vave mo koutou hee koutou nofo koutou i mamao koia eau faiatu ai nei taku kii lea faka ofofa kia koutou hee mamao falaneseia hee tuuiu i aluga kae nofo matou i lalo hee lahi pe lava sio mo tau ofa atu kia koutou tamaliki mote matu eina tau pau koutou ite kole sio i falanise pea eau kole atu kia koutou ke koutou hufaki motou kia Malia hu ko tatatou fae pee lahi ko Malia kouetou tautehinuai mo koutou

Akatoto

[3b]

Letter that I am sending to the college in France. I should say to you first of all, young people, that I am full of admiration to learn that you are at college. I envy you who live in France. We would like to be nearer to you in France; but we will not meet with you soon as you live far away; that is why I am writing you this little letter of friendship to all of you who are far away in France and who live higher than us, we who are so low. And we have much love for you and for the older people who guide you in the college in France. And we beg you to intercede for us with Malie, we who are your brothers,

Agatoto.

[4a]

ko sii tohi ofa eni kia kautou ima matuafuape monii kau tamaaliki fuape ekoutou nonofo isii seminalio ko sii oku ofa atu kia koutou fuape pea koutou ofa mai o hufaki matou ke malou poto vase ite seminalio nei kua matou iloi pela va niihi sea pa faka lati na sii pe pea kotou faimioga moo matou sifihufaki matou ki te tupuaga ko lala tami pe e tahi mokoutou fakafetai mo kou tou te ofa i sii tohi mai te mamao pea koutou kole kia malia kotatau fae ta fito ia mo koutou.

Sanualio Kakaheehau

     [4b]  Here is my letter of friendship to all of you, as well as to your elders and all the young people who are with you in the seminary.  I am sending you my love and please have love for us too and pray that we rapidly become educated at the seminary.  We now know, others of us too, several words of the Latin language.  Hold a mass for us so as to intercede for us with the Creator, who is our father in common with you others.  I thank you for the letters that you have sent to us from so far away and please pray for us to Mary, our mother in common with you.

Januario Kakaheehau

[5a]

Kote tohi eni kite tamali ki ifalanise kotaku Alofa atu kia koutou tamaliki eau faka feti atu kia koutou konai oku tahina mata pule koutou kua mamahi toku loto ite talama osiou tou ofa kiamatou kote ofa mooni o koutou hekua folau mai te tohi kiamatou mea noa pea eau kole Atu. ke koutou hufaki matou kemalou manuia kite Atoua pea eau. fakafetai mofa ka amu Atu amousia koutou nee tupu ite lotu momanu ia mopoto mo matou nee tu pu ite fakate volo mote ma laia mo vale koia ematou kole atuai ke koutou hufaki mai matou kematau manuia kaoe tau felavei kite Atua ihe aho iselo munumu

Kaio Fatuloamaka

[5b]

Here is a letter to the young people in France. It is my friendship that I am sending to you other young people. Many blessing to you, my older brothers. My heart is full of joy for the sentiments of affection that you show towards us, for it is love. Your letters have reached us, we other children who are nothing. And I pray that you will intercede for us so that we might be happy with God. A thousand acts of grace; I envy you as you have been born into the happy and learned religion. We others here are born into the land of the devil, with curses and ignorance. I beg you then to pray for us so that we might be happy and we might all meet one day beside God in heaven.

Caio Fatuloamaka

[6a]

Malia ima ku lata kote tohi eni kia koau tou eno foite seminalio falani se pea kosi o ku ofa atu kia kou tou la ma li ki enafo ite seminalio io faka fetai ta maliki isioma tou ofaatu kia koutou la ma li ke enofo ite seminalio pea kaei ai ho koutou ofo pea kou tou tuifa ki matou ke te Atua ke vave pama tou a ko ite seminalio nei pea ofa ki hia nuia ta matou ako kileahua pea masiuia

Paino Kalolo

Amole Mikaele

[6b]

Immaculate Mary. Here is a letter to you other people who live at the seminary in France. At the same time I send my love to you young people who live in the seminary; I thank you. We feel friendly towards you who live there; please feel love towards us too and intercede for us with God, so that we might quickly become learned in our seminary and that our education might have a happy result with God.

Paino Kalolo

Amole Mikaele

[7]

Your letters, very reverend Fathers and Brothers, gave us great pleasure and augmented our faith, piety and enthusiasm to extend the work of our common Father out here in this vale of tears. You spoke to us about Mary; here, as in the heart of the loving Society, it is through her that everything is achieved; but alas, as we often wound her tender heart and as we ourselves are as harsh as the rocks that border our ocean, you instead are the soft wax that she fashions as she pleases to make the perfect Marists. — Farewell, my Reverend Fathers. Many thanks, my Brothers of the novitiate of Bon Encontre. Pray for us and continue to write to us.

Your very devoted and very humble servant,

Joseph Mériais