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Aotearoa-NewZealandandSamoaWhoweare

NineteenthcenturydevelopmentsOurfounderOnChristmasDay,1861,FrenchwomanEuphrasieBarbier(1829-1893)foundedareligiouscongregation, Religieuses de Notre Dame desMissions (RNDM). Euphrasie, a courageousand determined Frenchwoman fromNormandy,was from a young age, attracted to theforeignmissions.Shefirstjoinedanewlyestablishedmissionarycongregation,theSistersofCalvaryinCuves,France,butpolitical,historicalandreligiouseventsinthatcountrymeanttheSisterswent toLondon toworkwith theFathersof theOratory. However,Euphrasiewas concerned that the Sisters of Calvarywere becoming too involved in supporting theOratorians'rapidlyexpandingministryandwereforgettingabouttheforeignmissions.Shealso believed that their busy apostolic lives meant little time left for prayer andcontemplation.When Euphrasie learnt that the French Marist Bishop Philippe Viard, (1809-1872), ofWellington was looking for religious sisters to teach in his diocese, she respondedpositively to thisopportunity.SheandayoungEnglishnovicecompanion leftLondonandarrived in Lyon on 15 August 1861 where theMarist priests encouraged her to begin areligiousformationprogrammeforFrenchwomenwhowantedtojointheMaristmissioninthePacific. Euphrasieenthusiasticallybegan thiswork,hoping to founda congregationofwomendeeplycommittedtoprayerandcontemplation,toapostolicworkwithwomenandchildren, and to community life. A great love for contemplation, community andmissionweretobecomedefiningfeaturesofthenewly-foundedcongregation.HerdreambegantoberealizedwhenEuphrasieandhercompanionbegantheirnovitiateinLyon on 25 December 1861. The new congregation was registered with the SacredCongregationofPropaganda inRomein1862,EuphrasiemadeherperpetualvowsontheFeastoftheSacredHeart,3June1864,andon18August1864,justthreedaysaftertheirfirstprofession,thefirstfourRNDMsistersleftFranceviaEngland,fortheirmissioninNewZealand. It is apparent that the InstitutedeNotreDamedesMissionswas committed toforeignmissionsfromitsbeginnings,andwithinashorttimeyoungwomenwereattractedtothenewcongregation.

EuphrasieBarbier,(MreMarieduSacreCurdeJsus),bornin

Caen,Normandy,Francein1829,anddiedinSturry,England,1893

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SoonaftertheirarrivalinNapier,theSistersinvolvedthemselvesinteachingtheEuropeanchildrenof the rapidly growing settler population andMaori girls, the latter at the schoolwhichwas firstknownas the Providence and renamed St Joseph'sMaoriGirls' College,when itwas relocated toGreenmeadowsafterthe1931Napierearthquake.

L-RSistersMariedesAngesMarieSteAnneMarieStJean MarieStMadeleine

FoundersofNapierin1865Before theendof thenineteenthcentury, conventshadbeenestablished inChristchurch,Nelson,NewPlymouth,Ashburton,Hamilton, Pukekohe,Opotiki, Leeston, Stratford andRangiora. RNDMsweresoonteachinginparishprimaryschoolsandincongregation-ownedsecondaryschools.Moreoftenthannot,theyalsocaredfororphans.

EarlydaysinOpotiki

Christchurch1882,demolishedin2012afterthe2011earthquake

SSWalterHood,thewoodenclipperonwhichfourFrenchsisterstravelledfromEnglandon2October1864,arrivinginNapieron25February1865.http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/MaritimeHeritage/researchcentre/wreckwalterhood.htm

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RNDMsinOceaniainthenineteenthcentury

In1871RNDMsfromFrancejoinedtheSocietyofMarypriestsandbrothersandlaywomenknownasTertiarieswhoworkedwithMaristFathersintheislandsofOceania.SoontheRNDMsalongwithTertiaries,someofwhomjoinedtheyoungCongregation,wereinvolvedinvariousworksinTonga,SamoaandWallisIslands.Buttherewereproblemsahead.Euphrasie'sinsistenceontheneedforacloisteredlifestyleforhercommunity and thedifficultyothermissionariesworking inOceaniahadwith thatpositionmeantthattheRNDMslefttheIslandsin1878,andwouldnotreturnuntilalmostacenturylater.

TwentiethCenturyDevelopments

Aotearoa-NewZealand1900-1965ThecongregationexpandedrapidlyinthetwentiethcenturyintheyearspriortoVaticanII(1962-65),withRNDMsstaffingmorethanfiftyparishprimaryschools,andteachingintheirownsecondary schools which usually had boarding schools attached. Vocations to religious life wereplentiful.

FinalProfession,Hamilton,1956,SistersM.GenevievePunch,M.LawrenceOToole,M.PhilippaReed,M.CatherineCurry,M.CorneliusCrowley,M.RoseMalone,M.BeatriceHammersley,M.

PhoebeHassan,M.ChanelO'Donnell

1966-2000VaticanIImeantextraordinarychangesfortheCatholicsallovertheworld.CatholicSisterseverywherewereamongthefirsttorespondenthusiasticallytotheCouncil'scallforrenewal.ThiswasmostapparenttootherCatholicswhenSistersbeganchangingtheirhabitsordress!!Butotherchangeswereafoottoo.

ChangingHabits,1974.M.BndicteOllivier,M.AloysiusMcCormick,M.HenryHudd

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Thecall tochangeandrenewalsawmoreRNDMsbeingsentonmissionoutsideofAotearoa-NewZealand,andembracingnewministriesathome.Thisperiodofchangealsocoincidedwithadeclinein thenumberof youngwomen seeking admission to religious life. Ministries undertakenby theSisters in the decades after Vatican II included chaplaincy work in hospitals, prisons, educationalinstitutions, ethnic, youth and refugee communities. Other RNDMs were involved in adult andtertiaryleveleducation,spiritualdirectionandcounselling,andparishministry.SamoaIn1970,theRNDMsreturnedtoSamoa,totheislandofSavai'itoteachintheprimaryschoolatFusi,and in 1971 began to build a co-educational secondary school at Logoipulotu,where they taughtuntil 1996. Between 1970 and today, more than 38Mission Sisters have worked in Samoa in avarietyofministriesthatincludededucation,theestablishmentofanagriculturalprojectthatwouldprovide young Samoan men with practical skills for working on the land, pastoral ministry andworkingwithyoungwomeninterestedinjoiningtheSistersofOurLadyoftheMissions.

LosaTofilauworkingwithStVincentdePaulvolunteersinApia,Samoa

EarlydaysinSamoa1972L-RSarahGreenlees,JoanRobertson(laymissionary),BishopPioTaofinu'u,PatriciaBarrett,CynthiaKearney,PusaFonoti,Mary

Jerome

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AnImportantTwenty-firstCenturyDevelopmentRNDMsfromVietnam,Bangladesh,MyanmarandIndiaarrivetostudyinAotearoa-NewZealandOne of themore significant developments in the twenty-first century was the arrival of youngerRNDMssistersfromMyanmar,Vietnam,andBangladeshtostudyEnglishinAotearoa-NewZealandandifpossiblegainprofessionalqualificationsthatwouldbeusefulintheirdifferentministrieswhentheyreturnedhomeortooverseasministry.NotonlydidthedifferentSistersappreciatetheirtimeinNewZealand,sotoodidolderRNDMsenjoyhavingstudentsisterssharingtheircommunitylife.

PetoneCommunity2008BackRowL-RM.PaulHodgson,ThMinhTrangNguyn,M.PhilomeneWalsh,TheresaGalvin,ThBchThuPham,FrontRowThanHtay,M.Epiphania(BenedictineSister

fromSouthKorea),SuchitraRozario

ThanHtay,RNDM,Manila

CarmelColeandEmilySoeSoeLinRNDM,Myanmar

L-RDungTranandMinhTrangNguyenwithmigrantsinaTaiwanesedetentioncentre

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ProvinceofAotearoa-NewZealandandSamoatoday

ProvincialLeadershipTeamAotearoaNewZealand/Samoa2015FrontRowBarbaraHenley,ColleenEdgecombe,CarmelCole(Leader)BackRowSusanSmith,ChristinaCathro

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Pentecost,Ellerslie MoanaKingiandSusanSmithRNDM,BackRowAleiLeilua,GeraldineDonovan TeHotuManawaoRangitaaneoFrontTwoMoyraFoster,RoseMalone ManawatuMaraeforNZBudgetingElizabethBeeler Conference

PentecostEllerslie MaryMaitlandRNDMwithparishionersBeeDanksElizabethBeeler,ChristinaCathro, andCathyTorvik,McLeodBay,WhangareiHeadsLeoneMarkham,GeraldineDonovanElizabethBeeler

AleiLeiluaRNDM,CatholicChaplain,AucklandPublicHospital

InWaikatothereareseventeensisterslivingindifferenttownsCambridge,Hamilton,

Kiwitahi,Morrinsville,Opotiki.FivesistersliveattheAtawhaiAssisiHomeandHospital

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RaewynHoganRNDMandElizabethWoodhouseatMaryKatarina'stangi

InTaranakieightRNDMsliveinNewPlymouth,fiveofthemintheMissionRestHome.TwosistersliveatOpunake,whileanotherlivesatWaverley

After15yearsinPeru,BarbaraCameronRNDMreturnedtoNewZealandwhereshededicatedherself,herlittlehome,andgardentopeaceandcontemplationfortheindividual,thecommunityandtheworld.Barbarawrites:"ThePeaceSanctuaryoffersawayofmakingtangiblethecontemplativedimensionofourlifestyle.Calledtobecontemplativesattheheartoftheworld,wearechallengedtomaketangiblethecontemplativedimensionofourlifestyles.Theflockofwhitedoves,universalsymbolsofpeace,whichliveattheSanctuaryareaconstantandbeautifulreminderofourdesireforandcommitmenttopeace."

PentecostinTaranakiMaryLidwinaVanBeers,MaryWyss,PatriciaMaryFord,JuneWalsh,PatriciaBarrett,MargaretMonaghan,VeronicaKeaveney,MargaretMullin

OrianaDriver,residentatMissionRestHome,andMargaretMonaghanRNDM

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RNDMscelebratingwithEllenMahoneyRNDMBackRowMaureenDuncan,MurielKivell,RosaleneHoban,MaryPeterChanelHoban,CarmelCassin,JeanetteMcRae,MargaretMaryHunterFrontRowCarmelCole,MaryJohnBosco,EllenMahoney,SarahGreenlees,ColleenEdgecombe

RNDMsrelaxingatAhuriri,NapierJeanetteMcRae,CarmelCole,MaureenDuncan

RNDMsintheWellingtonRegion

BackrowTheresaGalvin,ValerieLawson,PaulineLeonard,ColleenEdgecombe,MerleHiscock,MoiraRoss,MaryPaulHodgson,ConnieHurleyFrontrowThiBichVanDangVietnam,NguyenVuKieuVanVietnam,EmilySoeSoeLinMyanmar,AnnetteYoung,CarmelCole

InHawkesBaythereisonesisterlivinginDannevirke,oneinGisborne,andoneinPalmerstonNorth.TherearesevenRNDMsinNapier.

WellingtonThetwofull-timemembersoftheProvincialLeadershipTeamliveinLowerHutt,anothersisterlivesinWaikanae,whiletwoliveinPetonewhichalsohousestheProvinceArchivesandtheProvinceOffice.AnothersixsistersliveinLowerHutt,andbothPetoneandNelsonoftenhaveyoungAsianstudentsisterslivingincommunitywhiletheystudyatWeltecortheNelsonMarlboroughInstituteofTechnology.

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Nelsoncommunity SpiritualDirectorsKarenMoynagh,IleneBackRowJosephineMoses,MariJosefPark,AllenmeetwithMariaJosefParkRNDMRosaleneHoban, toplanretreatdaysFrontRowHel