Suzanne aubert

Suzanne Aubert Timeline

By burgesscp

  • Birth

    Born as Marie Henriette Suzanne Aubert at Saint-Symphorien-de-Lay, Loire, France.
  • Period: to

    Life Duration

  • Period: to

    Time spent in Auckland

    Here Suzanne taught young Maori girls. This is described as her first, shortest and least successful period of work

  • Break with the family

    This was after a period spent nursing

  • Sailed to New Zealand

    Suzanne (age 25) sailed to New Zealand on the General Teste. This was with Bishop Jean Baptiste Francois Pompallier and other Catholic missionaries he recuited during his visit to Europe

  • Arrival in Auckland

    Suzanne and three other french women went to live the the predominantly irish order of the Sisters of Mercy - established in Auckland since 1850

  • Became a novice of the Sisters of Mercy

  • A new order, Congregation of the Holy Family was formed

    this was the first order to accept Maori sisters in New Zealand. Suzanne Aubert became known as Sister Mary Joseph Aubert and became the new order's bursar

  • The Congregation established Nazareth Institute- a school for Maori girls

    The problem was that the number of children were never high and the work was doomed after Bishop Pompallier's final departure form New Zealand. Sister Aubert was left as the last of the European sisters affiliated with the institution

  • stage of Sister Aubert's work ended in failure

    This was because she was ordered by the new Bishop (Dr T. W. Croke) to abandon the school, refrain from wearing religious habit and return to France. Even if she fought for the right to continue her work with the Maori.

  • Period of missionary work

    First at Meeanee in Hawke's Bay. She describes her experience here as the happiest time of her life.

  • Response to a request by the Marist, Father Euloge Reigner

    He requested Sister Aubert to join his missionary work at Meeanee in Hawke's Bay. An assistant associated with the Third Order Regular of Mary in New Zealand, ster Aubert worked as a nurse, teacher and catechist.

  • Published a Maori-language prayerbook and catechism.

    Ko te ako me te karakia o te hahi Katorika Romana. Her interest in Maori herbal remedies inspired her to learn the language

  • revival of missionaries abandoned during the wars

    sister Aubert played a major part in reviving the Marist mission in Wellington. Mainly because of her persistent representations steps were taken to revive the Marist mission on the Wanganui river

  • Sister Aubert was sent by Archbishop Redwood to assist in the Wanganui mission

    This was because of her fluency in the Maori language . She was sent along with Soulas and three Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth

  • Missionary work at Hiruharama (Jerusalem), Wanganui River

    Here she began caring for unwanted Pakeha children. This led her into a hird stage of endevour, social work among the urban poor

  • establishment of another community of the Third Order Regular of Mary.

    Soulas and Mother Mary Jospeh Aubert as superior

  • The Sisters of St. Joseph withdrew

    They couldnt cope with the difficult and isolated conditions

  • Sister Aubert published her New and complete manual of Maori conversation

    This book included general rules of grammar and an extensive vocabulary

  • Mother Aubert purchased farm property

    This was to help fund the work undergoing. She also marketed her herbal remedies

  • agreement with Kempthorne, Prosser and Company's New Zealand Drug Company

    Mother Aubert became best known among Pakeha New Zealanders beccuse of her herbal remedies. Although there was disatisfaction with the quality of the medicines .

  • the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion was formed

    Mother Aubert was first superior

  • Mother Aubert and three sisters left for Wellington

    They secured a cottage and visited the invalid poor , primarily in the area of Te Aro. They begged for alms ,clothing and food - using baskets and prams. During this ime the Maori mission was still ongoing in Hiruharama

  • Moved to Wellington

  • St. Joseph's Home for Incurables was established

    This was the first institution Mother Aubert established in Wellington (Buckle Street)

  • The Nursing Guild of St. John was formed

    They worked in Wellington and thus Mother Aubert and the sisters thought i would be more effective if they worked elsewhere

  • Our Lady's Home of Compassion was opened at Island Bay, Wellington.

    This was a larger institution for younger children. Children were transferred from Hiruharama

  • Mother Aubert's work was extended to Auckland

    She established St. Vincent's Home of Compassion for foundlings. A problem that arose was that social workers in the Aucklnd region saw her as a rival for charitable funds
  • Period: to

    Time spent in Rome

  • Travelled to Rome

    she gained pontifical approval of the Congregationof the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion (which she had founded).

  • Closure of St. Vincent's

    She did not confine her work to catholics and concentrated on caring children rather than women. Mother Aubert did not do as instructed by the archbishop and the bishop of Auckland. Therefore obstacles were put in her way and it led to the closure of St. Vincent's

  • visitation of he sick

    & institutional care of the ill and disabled

  • Our Lady's Home of Compassion now took in chronically ill and incurable women

  • Death

    death was at Our Lady's Home of Compassion , Wellington, age 91