MiIUaA80A&
511
MADAOUOAft
making himself uitcful and agreeable to the queen and lay brothers, 8 Brothers of the Christian Schools, 20
the great peraonagea of the realm. He seat up a bal- Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny (besides 'i native poatu-
loou before the awe-stricken populace assembled in the lant« and 3 novices), 34G native male, and 181 native
holy place of Mahamasina; he contrived theatrical female, teachers, 20,000 pupilfi, a laity amounting to
perFormonces on a stage conntructcit and set by him- 80,000, 152 churcben and 120 chapels completed, and
self; he made them a telegraphic api^aralus, a. minia- 11 churches and 43 chapels in course of constnietion.
turo railroad, and other things wonilerful in their eyee. In the year ending July. 1882, there were IKil bap-
Mcanwhile, Fathere Jouen and Welier, mider assumed tiama of adults, 1882 infart baptisms, 55,41)G con-
names, joined Father Final at Ta:ianarivo, coming as tesslons, 680 first communions, 45,466 ordinary corn-
assistants to a surgeon, Dr, Milhet^Fontajahie, who munioiis, 800 confirmBtiDna, and 190 marriages. Sir
had been sununonM from Reunion by the Queen of Gore Jones, a British admiral, whose testimony can-
Hadagoscar, Ranavalona I, to perform a rhinopiastic not be suspected of favourable bias, declared in 1883,
operation on one of her favourites. But this state of in a report to his Government after a visit to tbo
affaim was not to last long; Ranavalona soon grew island made by its orders, that the Catholic mission-
suspicious and ordered the expulsion of the few £u- aries, "working silently in Madagascar", were plant-
ropeans who resided at Tananarive. The fathers, ing in that land "a tree far superior to all others",
however, had managed, during their brief stay at the On 17 May, 1883, Admiral Pierre took poesessioa of
capital, to conciliate the favour of the heir preeump- Majun^ in the name of Frunce, and on II June ot
tive, Ranavaloua's son. And so it was that, in 1861, Tamatave. A formal order of the queen expelled all
when thie same prince, on the death of his mother, the Catholic missldiianes and all French citizens,
succeeded to the throne as Radama II, FatherB Jouen " Do not resist the queen's word ", was the answer of
and Weber could return to Tananarive, bringing^ with the more responsible among the native Catholics when
... .. i._j ^i '- the course to be pup-
sued. "To do 80
would be to com-
promise our future
and, perhaps, to
bring upon u
Cluny, and witnout
I«ing oblieed, this
time, to dissemble
their object in com-
Radam
1 II gave
lun authorisation
for the teaching of
the Cathohc religion
in his dominions ;
and tfaia much hav-
ing been conceded
to the French Cath-
similar concessions
liad to be made to
the English Trotea-
ta:its of the London
Missionary Society.
Wliat with the large
subventions fur-
nished by this organ-
ization to its emis-
saries, and the clever
manceuvres of aome of them^porticularly
lisfortur
If you submit now,
you will the more
easilv return later
on." They left the
centre of the island
leaving the native Catholics to their own resources — and went down to the coast. For two years, more or less, while hostilities ktsted, the Malfl(!asy r.itholics, left wiihout priesta, were able to main- tain their religion — thanks to the devo- tion and energy of Victoire Rasoamanarivo, a 1a<ly related to the prime
....„ . minister, of thenative Brother Raphael of tbeCongre-
liah missionaries acquired considerable influence wiUi gation of the Christian Schools, and of some members the new queen, Rosoherina, and her chief adviaer, of the Cathohc Union. This organiiation, conaiating Rainilaiarivony. to the detriment of the Catholic mia- of };oung Malagasies, ahows a tmly wonderful leal in aionaries. The latter, moreover, were few in number — their efforts to make up tor the absence of the fathers. six fathers and five lay brothers at Tonanarivo, with Both in the city parishes and at Che country sCationa, two small schools for boys and one, under the Sisters they made themselves ubiquitous, instructing and of St. Joseph ot Clunv, for girls; and at Tamatave, three encouraging the neophytes. ■ At Tananarivo they sang fathers.onelaybrottier, and two sisters. Nevertheleas, the choral parts of high Mass every Sunday, just as u in spite of all difficulties, the number of neophytes the prieat had been at the altar; and the native Gov- increased, and, especially after the arrival of the erament, compelled to admire their fidelity, permitted Christian Brothers in 1866, the schools took on this exercise of demotion. On the fiist Sundav after fresh vigour. Already four parishes were in operation the departure of the fathers, when the Cathofica at/- within the capital city, and the missionaries thought tempting to enter the cathedral were w'amcd away, of extending their efforts oulaide. Father Fjoaa Rasoamanarivo said to the guards at the door: "If you opened the missionary station at Antanetibe on 12 must have blood, begin by shedding mine; but fear September, 1868; by the end of 1869, thirty-eight shall not keep us from assembling for prayer." After groups of neophytes had been formed, twenty-two that she entered, followed by all the faithful. The chapels built, and twenty-five schools opened. Bet- Franeo-Hova struggle came to an end, and the mi»- sileo was occupied in 1871, then Ampositra and Vak- sionariea returned to resume their work. Madagascar, inankaratra. A propaganda periodical, "Resaka", until then a prefecture Apostolic, was made a vicariate i founded. A leper-houae was built to receive under its former prefect, who became a titular bishop.
about one hundred f
nedies to the h
The sisters g
at their dispensary. A fine lai __ ___
stone was erected in the centre of Tananarivo. When the war between France and the Hova bn^e out in 18S3, tfie Catholic miaaion numbered 44 priests, 19
Mgr J. B. Cazet. Under his wise and firm administra-
tion the mission continued to progress. After a visit
to the island, in 1892, the Rev. Kenelm Vaughan, an
EngUsh priest, was most favourably impressed by the
mission work he saw.
In 1891 there was a new rupture between t.bft^i«s<i3^
