An Enduring Legacy: Marists Restore the Graves of Two Brothers Who Helped Shape the Marist Story in Tonga
- maristbrothers
- Sep 1
- 7 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
The strong and enduring Marist connection between Aotearoa New Zealand and Tonga was honoured last month through a special project to restore the graves of two Brothers who played important roles in establishing and strengthening the Marist presence in Tonga.
From 19 to 26 August, Br Samisoni, the only Tongan Marist Brother in the Province, was in Tonga alongside former Brothers Brendan Hickey and Brian McKenzie, undertaking restoration work on the graves of Br Urban Howie and Br William McIntosh at Lapaha, Tonga.
The graves have not been upgraded for many years. The restoration included remodelling the graves, sealing the grave vaults and installing new headstones. One of the graves has already been partly remodelled, with further work continuing during the visit.
It was a true team effort. Brothers Patrick and David provided vital assistance throughout the project. New headstones were prepared in Auckland and shipped to Tonga, while Brother Samisoni and Brendan Hickey maintained close contact with key people in Tonga, including the Principal of Takuilau College and former students. Their ongoing coordination helped ensure that all local preparations and arrangements were carefully organised.
While the work is practical, it is also deeply symbolic. The graves belong to two Brothers whose lives were closely connected to the story of the Marist Brothers in Tonga - a story that began with years of requests, grew through the establishment of schools and communities, and continues today through the generations of students and families who have been part of the Marist mission.
Work in progress:
The first Marist mission in Tonga
Before the 1970s, there was already a strong Marist connection with Tonga. The original Marist mission in Tonga began on 30 June 1842, when Fr Joseph Chevron and Br Attale Grimaud arrived in the country with the Vicar Apostolic and around 30 Tongan Catholic converts from Wallis.
The missionaries were given permission to establish themselves at the fort of Pea on Tongatapu by the local high chief, Moeaki’i. Despite receiving protection from Moeaki’i, the Marists had very limited resources and faced difficult conditions during the early years of the mission.
Br Attale played an important role in establishing the new mission. In addition to helping construct the mission house and church and attending to its practical needs, he became well known among the local population for his medical skills.
He treated everyone regardless of their background - Catholic or Protestant - which was significant at the time and became particularly respected for his work as a doctor and surgeon.
Br Attale died on 7 August 1847, and the whole population of Pea turned out to pay their last respects to him. The centennial cross erected in 1942 in the Ha’atoka Cemetery at Pea stands above his tomb.
The Marist mission continued to develop in the following years. By the time Br Ptolomee Royer was appointed to Tonga in September 1859, the political and religious environment had changed, with greater religious tolerance allowing the Marists to expand their presence.
Br Ptolomee worked in several parts of Tongatapu and was also known for his practical skills, particularly as a builder and dentist. He contributed to the development of the mission through his work constructing buildings and providing medical and dental care to the local community.
Br Ptolomee died on 5 September 1863, aged 42, and was buried at Ma’ufanga near the cemetery cross he had constructed.
The graves of Br Attale and Br Ptolomee remain part of the wider history of the Marist presence in Tonga and pre-date the arrival of the Marist Brothers in the country more than a century later.
A new Marist mission
The decision to re-establish a Marist presence in Tonga came after many years of requests from the country’s Bishops.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, two successive Bishops of Tonga had approached the Marist Brothers in Aotearoa New Zealand about establishing a community in the country. Bishop Patelisio Finau SM, who served as Bishop of Tonga from 1972 to 1993, continued those requests, seeking the Brothers’ assistance in developing a new secondary school in a rural district on the main island of Tongatapu.
For Bishop Finau, the vision was about more than establishing another school. He wanted to provide young men of his diocese with an alternative to the priesthood, while also developing a college that would serve young people in a rural part of Tonga.
In 1976, as part of the centenary celebrations of Marist education in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific, the Provincial and the Brothers agreed to establish a community in a new Pacific country. Tonga was chosen.
The new community would be based at Lapaha, the only Catholic village in Tonga, where a secondary school was being developed. The Brothers would begin their work at the start of 1978, giving them time to learn about the country, its culture and language while construction of the school was completed.
Among those chosen for the new mission was Br Urban Howie, who had just completed his term as Provincial of Aotearoa New Zealand, Br Christopher Poppelwell and Brendan Hickey.
Br Christopher took up residence in Tonga in July 1977, Brendan followed in September, and Br Urban arrived in December. By January 1978, the new community had come together at the presbytery in Lapaha.
The Marist mission in Tonga had begun.
Building Takuilau College
The school that the Brothers had been asked to establish became Takuilau College.
It began modestly in temporary buildings, but the school grew rapidly, with enrolments increasing by around 80 students each year. In its early years, the staff included a local priest, Marist Brothers, Tongan lay teachers and a Mercy Sister from Aotearoa New Zealand.
By late 1978, the school had moved to a new property, and enrolment had reached around 320 students.
Br Urban played a central role in those early years. Alongside his work as a teacher, he was Director of Catholic Education and helped guide the development of the new school and the wider Marist presence.
Unlike an established school, Takuilau had no history or traditions to inherit. This gave the Brothers and the local community an opportunity to create something new.
As Brendan later recalled, the community developed what became known as “The Takuilau Way”, with the College’s name and motto placing Mary at the centre.
The school itself became a community project. Parents and parishioners worked alongside the Brothers, digging foundations, mixing concrete and helping construct the buildings. Their contribution was also important in meeting the requirements of donor agencies, which expected local communities to contribute to projects in kind.
It took almost 10 years to complete the school facilities. In 1986, Takuilau College was finally blessed by Bishop Patelisio Finau and officially opened by His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.
Moving beyond Lapaha
The success of Takuilau College encouraged Bishop Finau to ask the Brothers to consider establishing a second school in Ha’apai, in the central island group, when another religious congregation was unable to take up the work there in 1979.
A small Catholic secondary school, St Joseph’s College, had been established in 1977 in the old convent and former primary school at Pangai on Lifuka. Because Catholics were a small minority in the area, the school operated as a community college and was open to non-Catholic students as well.
Br Urban travelled to Ha’apai with Br William McIntosh to meet the local people and consider plans for the development of a new school in the mission compound.
It was a natural extension of the work the Brothers had begun at Takuilau, but it also marked the beginning of Br William’s deeper participation in the Marist mission in Tonga.
On 1 February 1982, Marist Brothers involvement with St Joseph’s began with 250 students from Class Seven to Form Five. The Form Five class was the first School Certificate class in Ha’apai.
Renovation of the school continued over the following years, with Bishop Finau blessing the new main block in November 1983.
Br Urban remained closely involved in the school until the end of 1984, when he stepped down as principal of St Joseph’s and returned to Takuilau.
His life in Tonga, however, was nearing its end.
Death and continuation of the mission
In early April 1986, Br Urban suffered a heart attack and was admitted to hospital. He appeared to be making a slow recovery, but barely a fortnight later, on the morning of 19 April, he died in the care of the nurse caring for him, coincidentally a former student of his from Ha’apai.
After almost a decade of service in Tonga, Br Urban had become deeply connected to the country and its people. He chose to be buried there and was laid to rest at Loma Cemetery in Mu’a, close to the graves of the pioneer Marist Fathers. He was widely mourned.
Br Christopher later took his place in Ha’apai as superior and principal of St Joseph’s Community College, serving there from 1986 to 1992. For much of that period, the community was made up of two Brothers, with Br Edward Clisby joining Br Christopher.
Br William McIntosh also spent varying lengths of time in Ha’apai during these years and his presence proved particularly important in 1989, when the community was badly affected by hepatitis and its members were incapacitated for several months.
He continued to contribute to the Marist mission in Tonga until his death in 1990.
An enduring legacy
In 2005, the Brothers withdrew from Tonga, but the school continues to thrive.
Today, Takuilau College is led almost entirely by local teachers. Its former students are contributing across Tonga and around the world in education, government, business, the Church and many other fields. A number have also gone on to the priesthood and religious life.
The restored graves will stand as a lasting reminder of Br Urban and Br William, and of the generations of Marist Brothers, students, families, teachers and local communities who together helped build a Marist presence that continues to bear fruit today.
-Based on an interview with Brendan Hickey, with additional information from Far Distant Shores by
Br Edward Clisby.
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