upstairs 4

This paper was delivered by Brother Bryan Stanaway on behalf of its author, Brother Edward Clisby, to the Symposium organised by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust on “The French Place in the Bay of Islands” held in Russell in January 2004.

The punctilious observance of the rule, or regularity, was considered essential for the smooth running of the house and the success of the missionaries’ various ministries. The chief function of the local superior and the provincial superior was to see that the rule was kept. In a report to Colin in May 1842 Antoine Garin, provincial from June 1841 to September 1843, comments: Our brothers have been laden down with work from the beginning. The land had to be cultivated or else we would have died of hunger, and soil never worked before requires a long preparation at the cost of incredible labour and difficulty. Now the work is not so heavy and less urgent. The brothers have more time to carry out their exercises of piety (i). The following March Jean Forest, Visitor of the Marist Missions since April 1842, and Garin’s successor as provincial, has this to say of the brothers at the Bay: In general, they have a good spirit and are faithful to their religious exercises. (ii) He had just finished giving the missionaries a retreat which all agreed had been beneficial. As if in confirmation, Pierre-Marie, writing to Colin in November 1843, declares: We are the spoiled children of Providence. Our procure is a foreshadow of paradise, since from our arrival we have fitted together like the fingers of a hand. We grow in good understanding like the blessed (iii). His statement probably tells us more about himself than about the actual state of affairs, since there had been tensions between the architect Perret and the brothers working on the building, and there was also the tension between Pompallier and some of the priests.

But there is no doubt that the spirit at the procure was generally much better than it might be in the stations. Claude-Marie Bertrand spent only a couple of short spells at Kororareka but his experience there reflects that of Pierre-Marie. Describing the various brothers and their work at the procure, he comments: All do their work with admirable regularity. What contributes most to this good order is the timetable they keep to faithfully. At fixed times the bell calls you to prayer, the refectory, etc. and everyone responds instantly. That is what most pleases me, I assure you. Finally, the brotherly union which exists among us all, the love we have for one another! All that certainly makes for a paradise on earth (iv) . According to his letters, regularity and brotherly union were not very much in evidence at Hokianga where the brother spent much of his time.

The rule required the brothers to write to the superior general, Colin, or to their own superior, Francois Rivat, styled director general, every six months or so.