Mother Aubert
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Suzanne Aubert (19 June 1835 – 1 October 1926), better known to many by her
religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should n ...
''Mary Joseph'' or "Mother Aubert", was a French
religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and ...
who started a home for orphans and the under-privileged in
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on the
Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...
in 1885. Aubert first came to New Zealand in 1860 and formed the Congregation of the Holy Family to educate
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
children. She founded a religious order, the
Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show re ...
in 1892. Aubert later started two hospitals in
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
; the first, St Joseph's Home for the Incurables in 1900, and Our Lady's Home of Compassion in 1907. Aubert devoted her life to helping others. Her work took her from
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to
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
then to Hawke’s Bay, to the Whanganui River and finally to Wellington. And along the way, she founded a new Catholic congregation, cared for children and the sick, by skilfully combining Māori medicine and
Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
science, and wrote books in Māori, English and French adding significantly to a higher cultural understanding and literary heritage. Aubert was actively engaged with the local Māori population and spoke Māori well. She wrote a book ''New and complete manual of Maori conversation : containing phrases and dialogues on a variety of useful and interesting topics : together with a few general rules of grammar : and a comprehensive vocabulary'' which was published in
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
by
Lyon and Blair John Rutherfurd Blair (8 February 1843 – 25 November 1914) was the Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand from 1897 to 1899. Biography Blair was born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and was a paper merchant. His career started with a large Glasg ...
in 1885. The process for Suzanne Aubert's
beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...
was commenced in 2010.


Biography


Early years

Marie Henriette Suzanne Aubert was born at St Symphorien-de-Lay, a small village not far from
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
. Aubert's mother, Clarice, worked for Church welfare organizations, and her father, Louis, was a
huissier The French word ''huissier'' ("Doorman (profession), doorman", from ''huis'', an archaic term for a door) designates ceremonial offices in France and Switzerland. France In French government ministries and Parliament, a ''huissier'' is an emp ...
. Aubert had three brothers—Alphonse, Louis, and Camille—and the family was middle-class and respectable. When Aubert was about two years old, she fell through the icy surface of a pond onto some rocks below and became temporarily crippled and blind. Because of this traumatic incident and the premature death of her disabled brother Louis, she developed an enduring empathy for people with disabilities. Aubert recovered the use of her limbs and most of her eyesight but was left with a cast in one eye. Her mother Clarice was diagnosed with cancer in 1845 but was cured - a recovery attributed by some to a miracle at the shrine of Fourvière. Although Aubert's childhood illness slowed her education, she quickly made up lost ground at a boarding school under the care of the
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
nuns of La Rochette. Aubert went on to study music, fine arts, needlework, languages, and literature; she was an exceptional reader and read classical and devotional books. Aubert later taught herself Spanish in order to read the writings of St. Teresa of Avila in the original text. Aubert also learned cooking and household skills at home.


Missionary calling

Following the 19th century French custom among middle-class and upper-class families, Aubert's parents had arranged her marriage to the son of a family friend. When Aubert grew up, however, she refused to comply. Clarice sought the support of the much-respected Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney, parish priest of Ars and later St Jean Vianney, who instead told Aubert that she had made the right decision. God had other designs for her, he said. It was this encouragement she needed. In 1859 Bishop Pompallier, visited his home town, Lyon, to recruit missionaries for his Auckland diocese and Aubert accepted the invitation. Aubert set sail from France to New Zealand on 4 September 1860 when she was 25. On board the ship were 23 missionaries heading to New Zealand including three other Frenchwomen, including Bishop Pompallier's niece (Lucie Pompallier), as well as Antoinette Deloncle and Pauline Droguet.


Arrival in Auckland

Aubert had expected to be affiliated with the Third Order of Mary in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. Instead, the ship sailed on to Auckland and the four Frenchwomen joined the English-speaking Sisters of Mercy. The French sisters wanted to help indigenous people and not, as expected, teach French, singing, sewing, and embroidery to the daughters of wealthy Aucklanders. As a result, they were transferred to the Nazareth Institute for Māori girls. In 1862, Aubert and the Sisters of Mercy formed a new religious congregation in Freeman’s Bay named ‘The Holy Family’, under the jurisdiction of Bishop Pompallier, who was responsible for the teaching of Māori girls. Here, Aubert, now Sister Mary Joseph, became affectionately known by Māori as 'Meri'. Aubert's mentor in all things Māori was Hoki, known also as Peata, an influential and gifted relative of the powerful Ngapuhi chief, Rewa. Aubert had been baptized by Bishop Pompallier in 1840, shortly before
the Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
was signed, and became a Sister of the holy family. In 1868, Bishop Pompallier traveled to Europe with his niece, officially to seek support. His diocese was in total financial collapse and low on staff numbers. Pompallier never returned and died in
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in 1871. After Pompallier left, Paeta and Aubert ran the school by themselves and the Native Schools Act of 1967 meant the government wasn't interested in providing support. Aubert, unwilling to give up and return to France, left Auckland to live and work at the Marist Māori mission station at Meanee in Hawke’s Bay with Father Euloge Reignier. Aubert's Māori pupils went back to their Kainga, or villages, and Peata, now blind, returned home to Northland and died not long after.


Hawke's Bay

Aubert, now 35 years old and no longer a member of a religious congregation, arrived in Hawke's Bay to play her own part in the revitalization of the Catholic Māori mission. Aubert settled into the French household, helped on the farm, taught
catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
, trained the local choir, played the harmonium, embroidered and prepared the church for religious festivals, and soon became well known for her skillful nursing capabilities. She became well known to Māori and Pākehā, Catholic and non-Catholic communities as she moved around the district ministering to her people. Aubert pinned her hopes for a revival of the Māori mission on Bishop Redwood who succeeded Bishop Viard as Bishop of Wellington in 1874 and became her lifelong supporter. In anticipation of the arrival of more priests, Aubert began revising and enlarging the 1847 Māori prayer book, compiling an English-Māori dictionary and producing a French-Māori phrasebook (which she followed up in 1885 with a groundbreaking Māori English phrase book). In 1879, Father Christophe Soulas arrived from France, familiarized himself with Māori families in the district, and constructed a new church at
Pakipaki Pakipaki is a pā kāinga ''village'' and rural community in the Hastings District, New Zealand, Hastings District and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. The village is home to many Ngāti Whatuiāpiti hapū ''tribes'' represented b ...
. Three years later, Māori from the
Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...
area on a trading trip asked Archbishop Redwood for a priest for their area. In 1883, Father Soulas and Suzanne Aubert left Hawke's Bay to go to
Hiruharama Hiruhārama is a village and rural community in the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. It is located just south of Ruatoria and north of Makarika, on State Highway 35. The area has two marae. Hiruharama Marae and Kapohanga a Ra ...
, or
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, 60 kilometers up the Whanganui River.


Hiruharama-Jerusalem

In 1883, Aubert assisted Father Soulas as an interpreter and Māori cultural adviser along with two young Australian Sisters of St Joseph: Sisters Aloysious and Teresa from Whanganui. The two sisters from Whanganui were to teach in the school; their superior Mother Hyacinth arrived in Hiruharama to revive the Catholic Mission. Aubert taught the Sisters the Māori language and customs; many children and adults came to the school, and became devout converts. In May 1884, and despite having impressed the locals with their dedication, the Sisters of St. Joseph decided to leave Jerusalem. Aubert was asked to lead and establish a branch of the Marist Third Order Regular of Mary. She recruited more teachers. Anne O’Rourke, Bridget Brownlie and Carmel Gallagher joined her in 1884 and became Sisters shortly after. The Sisters at Hiruharama, in addition to the usual customs of religious life, taught and nursed, farmed newly cleared bush, tended an orchard, made and marketed medicines, sold fruit to tourists and raised homeless children, as a result the community grew and thrived.


Wellington

In 1899, Aubert and two sisters arrived unannounced in Wellington and quickly set to work. The much-needed home they planned for permanently disabled people would require trained nurses; so the Sisters of Compassion completed a St. John Ambulance Association course. Doctors took a personal interest in the training of the Sisters, and people of all creeds were welcomed; none were unwelcome. The Sisters set up a soup kitchen that is still operating to this day. In 1903, the Sisters established a crèche for the children of working parents. Aubert and the Sisters pushed wicker collecting prams, begged for food, and cast-off clothing for distribution to the needy, becoming a familiar part of the city's daily life. In 1907, the impressive Home of Compassion was opened, initially for the care of children and babies. In 1910, a home for babies was opened in Auckland. Unfortunately for Aubert, the unconditional admiration that the people of Wellington had shown her for her work was not shared by some of the hierarchy. Problems surfaced. The Society of Mary in France, however, was not happy with the direction the Hiruharama community had taken. Archbishop Redwood intervened, and with Aubert they established the first religious congregation in New Zealand.


Rome

Unable to carry out her plans, Aubert traveled to Rome to enlist the support she required. She hoped to be granted the Decree of Praise which would ultimately give her order independence from the church in New Zealand. While in Italy she nursed victims of the
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, people in the slums of Rome, and joined the Italian Red Cross to nurse war wounded (though she was not able to join a frontline unit). She displayed a New Zealand St John Ambulance medal, which she passed off as the medal of a registered nurse. In April 1917—four years and four months after Aubert arrived in Rome—
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granted the Decree of Praise to the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion. It was the only Catholic congregation born and growing to maturity in New Zealand, and the smallest congregation in the world ever to have attained this status.


Wellington

Returning to New Zealand in January 1920 and back in Wellington, Aubert wanted to ensure continuing security for the Sisters and to provide general hospital treatment and trained nursing free of charge to the poor of New Zealand’s post-war depression. She arranged for extensive alterations to the Home to provide a complete surgical section, including an operating theatre and wards. In 1922 the sisters began training for the surgical work the new hospital would provide. On 1 October 1926, Aubert died aged 91. New Zealand's newspapers spread the word and crowds gathered to pay their last respects. Her funeral at the church of St Mary of the Angels was widely reported to be the largest funeral ever accorded a woman in New Zealand.


Legacy

Aubert is mentioned in the late poetry of
James K. Baxter James Keir Baxter (29 June 1926 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. He was also known as an activist for the preservation of Māori culture. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and controversial literary figures. ...
, who founded a commune in Jerusalem. The process for Aubert's
canonisation Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sai ...
as a
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was commenced with the appointment in 2010 of Maurice Carmody as
postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...
or advocate for that cause; it is currently before the authorities in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. Two archives of material relating to Aubert have been inscribed on the
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Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao Register is a national register of New Zealand's documentary heritage as part of the Memory of the World Programme, maintained by UNESCO Aotearoa New Zealand Memory of the World Trust. ...
register: Aubert's ''Manuscript of Māori Conversation'' (1885), a handwritten English-
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
phrase book, was added in 2020, followed by Aubert's personal letter collection, which was added to the register in 2022. Aubert is recognised as the first person known to grow
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
in New Zealand and as the first green fairy.


Notes


References

* * * * Documentary : "The Story of Suzanne Aubert" by Chantal Perrin with the contribution of Sr Bernadette Mary Wrack, Sr Josephine Gorman and Jessie Monroe. France 2/KTO/RFO 2006


External links


Objects relating to Mother Aubert from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
* from the ''
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online ...
'' * http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2a18/aubert-mary-joseph
Heritage NZ: Church of the Immaculate Conception Pakipaki

Mother Aubert's book on Māori grammar 1885
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aubert, Suzanne 1835 births 1926 deaths Roman Catholic missionaries in New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand Roman Catholic nuns French emigrants to New Zealand People from Loire (department) French Servants of God 19th-century New Zealand Roman Catholic nuns French Roman Catholic missionaries