Kete Korero May 2015

ketekorero May - July 2015 1

Hope lives in Matata Br Vincent profileRangiaowhia rememberedKatie Pigou in Vietnam

ChaldeanCatholicBishopvisits

The official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton

May - July 2015

2 ketekorero May - July 2015 In this issue...Read it online!

www.proudtobecatholic.org.nz

Kete Korero Magazine c-/ 51 Grey St, P.O. Box 4353, Hamilton East 3247

Editor: Michael R. Smith, P.O. Box 6215, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua 3010 Tel: 07 349 4107, [email protected]: http:/tinyurl.com/ketekorero

Sponsorship and advertising:David Barrowclough, c-/ Chanel Centre 0800 843 233 Fax 07 8567035 or email: [email protected]

Design and layout:Sandy Thompson, Advocate Print248 Fenton Street, Rotorua 3010

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ISSN: (print) 2357-2221 & (online) 2357-223X

The Kete Korero is an official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton.

Deadline for contributions to the next issue is 14 July 2015

FeaturesRetaining language key to Chaldean Catholics’ future 3Hope lives in Matata 8Putaruru celebration for work of Mill Hill Fathers 14

ProfileBrother Vincent’s heart in the community 5

Parish NewsRediscovering joy at Gisborne retreat 2Murupara first in line for visit from new Hamilton Bishop 10Rangiaowhia remembered 11Msgr David Bennett retires 15St Henrietta’s first profession 15

YouthSetFree National Catholic Youth Festival 2015 12

School NewsPaddling for greater Maori student achievement 7Students remember Anzacs 7Trip of a lifetime: World Challenge Expedition 13Race Unity Speech, Kayla Goodwin NZ’s best 13

Sponsors 16

bishop’s messageWhat amazing things are you doing for Jesus?I tell you most solemnly, Jesus told his disciples, whoever believes in me will perform the

same works as I do myself, they will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12). By Baptism, you and I, have become those disciples. Baptism gives us a share in the life of Christ and asks that we share in Jesus’ mission. In this way Baptism unfolds throughout our life as our faith, our belief in Jesus, deepens and as we live out this faith in what we say and do.

We see the great example of this in the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the woman of faith who believed the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled and said “Let it be done unto me according to your word.” Mary is for us the example of what it means to be open to the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Gospels we see her growing in her understanding of her vocation to be “Mother”. Finally, in the Acts of the Apostles, we see Mary praying for the Holy Spirit to come down upon the disciples to bring the Church to birth. As Queen of Heaven and Mother of us all, Mary prays for the Spirit to come upon us and to bring us to be more fully the people that Jesus calls us to be.

In the brief time I have been in the Diocese I have been amazed at how so many people live out their faith in Jesus and participate in His mission. One group I have enjoyed meeting is those who have consecrated their lives to Jesus as religious sisters, brothers and priests. They have such amazing stories. Pope Francis has decreed this year a Year for Consecrated Life. In announcing the year he wrote, All our (religious) Institutes are heir to a history rich in charisms. At their origins we see the hand of God who, in his Spirit, calls certain individuals to follow Christ more closely, to translate the Gospel into a particular way of life, to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith and to respond creatively to the needs of the Church. In the religious sisters, brothers and priests of our Diocese we have seen and we continue to see these charisms, these particular gifts of the Holy Spirit, being lived out among us and for us.

During this year of Consecrated Life some of the stories of these amazing women and men will be shared in each issue of the Kete Korero. Their witness of mercy and joy reminds us all that we are all called to do amazing things for Jesus. I invite you to join with me and the religious sisters, brothers and priests in celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Consecrated Life at the Cathedral at 10.30 on Sunday 20 September 2015.

To paraphrase Pope Francis, Together let us thank the Father, who called our religious sisters, brothers and priests to follow Jesus by fully embracing the Gospel and serving the Church, and poured into their hearts the Holy Spirit, the source of their joy and their witness to God’s love and mercy before us and the whole world.

Twenty years of Episcopal Ministry of Bishop Emeritus Denis Browne in the Hamilton Diocese was celebrated in a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton on 16 April 2015.

Joining in the celebration were Cardinal John Dew and the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Martin Krebs, Bishops Stephen Lowe, Patrick Dunn, Owen Dolan, Barry Jones and Stuart O’Connell, together with the priests, deacons and people of the Hamilton Diocese.

Bishop Denis Browne was Bishop of Hamilton Diocese from 1994 to 22 November 2014 when Bishop Stephen Lowe succeeded him.

In his homily, Bishop Denis Browne recounted how the apostles, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, focused their attention on the risen Lord.

Those powers that were given to the apostles are given to the bishops today.

The Congregation for Bishops updated the

1973 Directory Ecclesiae Imago in 2004 with Apostolorum Successores, which sets out the expectations of a bishop. Although bishops have shortcomings, the Lord does amazing things with words of inspiration.

The primary purpose of a bishop is to proclaim the Word of God and to apply it to the congregation he serves.

It’s a frightening responsibility but it is the Lord who does this. For example, we celebrate the Mass in Jesus Christ’s presence as He gives of Himself.

Priests share in the role of the bishop and this task is collaborative with the bishop as the parish belongs to the bishop.

It was good to see the priests warmly welcome Bishop Stephen Lowe into their midst.

Bishop Denis Browne concluded with the blessing that the bishop and the priests walk with the people as together “we walk the journey of our risen Lord”.

Bishop Stephen Lowe thanked Bishop Denis Browne for being a good and faithful servant.

“There is sadness in this occasion as a bishop has a spousal bond with the people that he loves. In a way, the relationship changes and it is the closing of another chapter in the history of the Hamilton Diocese.”

Addressing Bishop Denis Browne, Bishop Stephen Lowe expressed the sentiments of those present:

“You have touched the people individually. As priest and shepherd, you have led them to Jesus Christ. May the Lord care for and bless you.”

Mass celebrates Bishop Emeritus Denis Browne

Bishops’ Kete Korero videosView videos of Bishop Stephen Lowe Bishop Denis Browne, along with Brother Vincent Jury and others: http:/tinyurl.com/ketekorero


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Retaining their language is seen as essential to the future of the Chaldean Catholic Church as it recovers

from the Islamic State attacks in Iraq, Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona said during a visit to the Hamilton Diocese.

Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Nona as the Bishop of the Chaldean Diocese of St Thomas the Apostle of Australia and New Zealand in January this year. He told Kete Korero how his family and friends were deeply concerned when he was appointed the Archbishop of the Iraq city of Mosul in 2010. The previous Chaldean leader was kidnapped and killed by extremists a year earlier.

“However, it was my vocation to be called there to serve the people who were there in that very, very dangerous city.”

The entire Christian community had been forced to flee Mosul in 2014, first to the nearby Nineveh Plain for two or three weeks before being forced to trek to the relative safety of northern Iraq. In 2003, 35,000 Christians lived in Mosul, 3000 remained in early 2014 but none remained today.

“It was a real tragedy because we were there for 2000 years and no Mass is celebrated in the city of Mosul for the first time in 2000 years.”

The now Bishop Nona visited Hamilton on 2 May as part of a visit to New Zealand, and

celebrated Mass at St Columba Roman Catholic Church, in Frankton. The Chaldean Mass is celebrated in the church on the first Saturday of the month. A small group of parishioners in Hamilton was joined by a contingent from Auckland and a handful of the local Roman Catholic parishioners. After the service, the bishop was welcomed into the church hall with a haka, followed by a dinner that included traditional dishes.

Retaining language key to Chaldean Catholics’ future

4 ketekorero May - July 2015

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Bishop Nona, an ethnic Chaldean, said he grew up in Alqosh, a small city north of Mosul. Life was good in Alqosh and, after graduating from high school, he went to the seminary in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. There were many reasons why he decided to become a religious.

“I was always in the church because my house was near the church. When I was 13 years old, I wanted to be a priest because there was a priest in my village who I liked very much. He was a very good man, especially for old people, and doing good things for other people.

“When I was 13 years old, I thought I want to serve other people, to be like him and to do good for other people.”

Language key to culture’s survivalBishop Nona’s visit comes at a time when there

is much discussion around the role of Maori in the Hamilton Diocese. A meeting entitled “Catholic Maori Direction” was due to be held on 22-23 May at Papa o Te Aroha Marae, Tokoroa.

Kete Korero asked the bishop, in these terms, how he saw the Chaldean Catholic Church members retaining their culture given the displacement from their home countries.

Bishop Nona described the Chaldean culture as being very open – in Iraq and Iran the people were always open to other civilisations.

“I think here it is very important to keep our Aramaic language and our rite because it is very important for people to feel they are a different culture, they have something to 0ffer in this society.”

He recognised it was very difficult for people to do that because they were living in this society and became New Zealanders and on the other side they were Eastern faithful.

“It is very difficult but it is very important to keep our language and our rite very strong here for our people.”

Regarding the ambivalence some people have about New Zealand troops going to Iraq to train, Bishop Nona said it was very important.

“It is important for countries like New Zealand, Australia and European countries to help Iraq in this very delicate situation because the future of Iraq is now in danger. If the people of ISIS take control of all the land of Iraq and Syria, it will be very dangerous not only for Iraq but also for New Zealand.

“It is very dangerous to let those fundamentalist people to do what they want and so it is very important for New Zealand to do something in this situation.”

Bishop Amel Nona celebrating the Chaldean Catholic Mass with Fr Fawzi Hanna (right).

Father Fawzi Hanna, who is the parish priest for the church in New Zealand, said it was important for the people to have their bishop here.

The government limited the number of refugees coming into the country to 750 annually. Most of those who came from Iraq were Moslems, so it was hoped to lift the number of Chaldean Catholic refugees able to be accepted into New Zealand.

The Chaldean Catholic Mass is held on the first Saturday of each month at St Columba’s, Frankton. For more information, contact Ghassan Basheer, chairman of the Babylon Chaldean Society-Hamilton; 021 356 871 or email [email protected]

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Br Vincent took time out from his busy schedule to talk to Kete Korero editor, Michael Smith.

As he outlines his life in the East-ern Bay of Plenty town, it is clear Br Vincent has three areas to his work. They are:

• Parish• Community engagement• MaoriEach role has a list of activities

he undertakes on behalf of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton and the community (see table over page).

The challenge for the diocese and the community is what to do when, if, Br Vincent goes. He is the last of the Christian Brothers who set up in Murupara in 1989. In spite of his best efforts, the authorities have been unable to find anybody “able, willing and suitable” to either come to the town on a temporary basis or to replace him.

“The reason why we came to Murupara was to walk with the Maori people in solidarity with them. It wasn’t because primarily there was no resident priest – the focus was on a mission to Maori.”

The Christian Brothers decided to establish a presence

To talk about Brother Vincent Jury as a pillar of the Murupara community is to take too lightly his role in the township. SEMINARY APPEAL

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Brother Vincent’s heart in the community

in Murupara, he says, because it was poor, unemployment was very high, government provided benefits were fairly normal, and it had all the troubles that exist with such a profile.

“Our aim was to concentrate on young people and do it mainly through outdoor education.”

At 82 years of age, Br Vincent says he is now too old to be taking groups out into the bush but he did in the past teach adventure tourism at the Murupara Community Learning Centre. This is a lifetime away from his previous roles in teaching senior physics and mathematics, chemistry and biology.

“I came to Murupara at the end of 1991 and found myself teaching adventure tourism and I absolutely loved it.”

As a young man, Br Vincent went to school at St Peter’s College in Epsom, Auckland. Halfway through his fourth form year (now Year 10) he decided he wanted to be a Christian Brother and left on his 15th birthday.

He describes setting out to become a brother as “a great adventure”, leaving Auckland for Sydney, Australia, in one of the


profile

large flying boats used at the time. The plane left Mechanics Bay in Auckland and took over seven hours to go to Rose Bay in Sydney, flying just several thousand feet above the Tasman Sea. The date: January 27, 1948.

He completed his secondary schooling and initial training in Sydney, then managed to obtain an open scholarship to the University of Sydney, where he studied four years to get an Honours Degree in Pure and Applied Mathematics.

After nine years of study and being sent to teach at a school in Gosford, New South Wales, he returned to Auckland to help his mother after his father died. He was located at St Michael’s Parish in Remuera, home to many a well-known religious. Although he fully expected to go back to Australia, he was called one day by the Union Steam Ship Company to say that the other half of his return ticket had to be given to Brother KV Watson, who was the then principal at St Peter’s.

“Then I knew I was going to be left in New Zealand.”

There followed a period of work in schools throughout New Zealand. First came 10 years at St Kevin’s in Oamaru, a boarding school with 320 boarders, with staff stretched to the limit. “Blood, sweat and tears,” is Brother Vincent’s description.

Between 1967 and 1974, he was at his old school, St Peter’s in Auckland, followed by seven years in Dunedin, and an appointment as principal of St Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch before being made the principal of St Paul’s High School in Dunedin. In 1989, he was the launch principal for Kavanagh College in Dunedin and stayed until being sent to Murupara in 1991.

Br Vincent has been in Murupara for 24 years – he admits it is a big section of his life and a departure from his previous service. He had been on the Christian Brothers’ leadership team at the time the first brothers came to Murupara but he had also done some Maori studies and had a good deal of empathy with the position of marginalised Maori.

Fighting for Murupara missionThe leadership team had wanted to close down

the Murupara outpost but he objected, saying it was the only mission they had for Maori in the country. So he was told, if he wanted to keep the mission open, he should go. In retrospect, he says, his decision to go to Murupara was very important.

“It has given me the opportunity to walk with the Maori people. I can’t say that I have achieved much in the sense of achieving justice for them but they know I’m on their side and I’m simply walking as a brother side-by-side in solidarity with the Maori people.”

Br Vincent does karakia at meetings, along with funerals for Maori on the marae, hākari or feasts,and blessings of headstones, and pounamu and houses.

As well as doing tangi at three marae in Murupara, at Minginui and Te Urewera, he also serves the communities at Ngaputahi, where the diocese has Hato Paora Church, and goes beyond to other outlying settlements.

All through Br Vincent’s religious life he had been accustomed to attending daily Mass, but this was not an option in Murupara. Mass is conducted by priests from Rotorua once a month generally.

“It simply meant that my whole spirituality had to change with a much greater emphasis on scripture. So, instead of feeding on the Eucharist, as in Mass, it’s feeding on the Christ of the scripture.”

This circumstance has given him a great love of scripture, he says, and a good knowledge of it.

“What’s focused that has been the work I do for the Church.”

The “work” means Br Vincent is de facto the administrator of the parish, acting as the receptionist, secretary, administrator and sacristan.

He prepares young people for Baptism and Confirmation. Marriage not being the usual way into relationships in Murupara, he has to deal with this on the odd occasion.

While the casualisation of relationships does differ from main centres, Br Vincent says it

enhances his pastoral care.“I love the people here and I think I have a

deep empathy with them. It also gives a bit more life to my homilies on Sunday, which I do except when we have Mass.”

Kete Korero suggested that what Br Vincent was doing in some way reflected what Pope Francis was trying to do, which was to reach out into communities that necessarily hadn’t been the focus of the Church and the religious. So what did he think of what Pope Francis was trying to do?

“Oh, I think it’s marvelous what he is doing. His metaphor of the sheep and the shepherd is a powerful metaphor, like urging his bishops and priests to get close enough to their people to be able to smell the sheep - that’s a very powerful metaphor.”

It’s important, he says, because Pope Francis said to the apostolic delegates that they had a lot to do with the selection of bishops and that he wanted pastors and not princes. The pastor is the one who looks after those he should be caring for, which is why it is a strong metaphor.

The third pillar – community engagement – is a very important aspect of Br Vincent’s work in Murupara. This sees him involved with the Murupara Youth Centre Trust; he is involved with alcohol and drug abuse counselling centre; and ERFM (88.3) community radio station. These three were set up by the Christian Brothers in Murupara – ER standing for Edmund Rice.

As well, he is involved in Heartlands, which has a contractual arrangement to deliver government services on a face-to-face basis in isolated rural areas.

This is run under the youth centre trust, of which Br Vincent is the secretary and, as such, takes minutes, signs cheques, signs contracts with the government for services, and chases up funding. When he does have spare time, Br Vincent enjoys playing the soprano saxophone, and takes time out to go into the forest.

Table of Brother Vincent Jury’s responsibilities at Murupara, 2015

Parish Community Engagement

Indigenous (Maori)

Admin Meetings Hui (meetings)

Presence Secretarial Presence

Pastoral Care

Governance Being Brother

Welfare Policy development

Karakia (prayer/blessings)

Parish council

Hospitality Tangi (funerals, 3-days)

3 churches Radio station Marae visits

Liturgy services

Presence Unveiling headstones

Homilies on Sundays

Being Brother

Caretake/Security/Archives

Signing cheques and government contracts for funding

Diocesan returns

Tutoring on request

Sacristan Outdoor education

Teaching in Rotorua as requested

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Field of Remembrance for Anzac Day at John Paul College.

Campion College students using the materials sent to schools for the Fields of Remembrance in Schools Project.

Aquinas College’s Field of Remembrance.

At Sacred Heart Girls’ College all social stud-ies classes ‘adopted’ a soldier who had died at Gallipoli and planted his cross under the front elm tree. They researched their soldier, about where he came from, his age, and particularly what he may have won medals for. Some stu-dents shared in class about their own relatives who had served at Gallipoli. This was a fitting way to remember the centenary of the ANZACS. We will remember them.

Students remember Anzacs in Fields of Remembrance

Lifting Maori students’ achievement in schools is being linked to a greater recognition of

their culture.Three teams from John Paul College in

Rotorua competed at the 2015 National Secondary Schools Waka Ama Championships 24-27 March.

The championships were held at Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and represent the second largest secondary school sports event behind rowing’s Maadi up.

The school and the JPC Whanau Support Group have for some years working towards supporting tamariki/ children and rangatahi/young people as part of the school community. The Whanau Support Group holds two hui each term in the school whare between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm (so after most work hours). Most of the discussion is about cultural engagement and Maori achievement. The school reports on academic achievement and the group and the school engage in ways to raise achievement levels.

The chair of the Whanau Support Group Eugene Berryman-Kamp says while much of the focus has been on lifting achievement on NCEA scales, activities like the waka ama have positive spin off for children attending the school.

A taiaha tutor was brought in last year to help engage Maori boys in education and, for the first time in a number of years, JPC had teams at the waka ama championships.

“The kids were absolutely ramped up about it and we had whanau members say their kids’

approach to school had improved.”A group also attended this year’s Polyfest

secondary schools event in Auckland on 20 March, giving them experience of Maori and Pasifika secondary school performances

Given that JPC does achieve very high academic standards, giving children a feeling their culture was recognised in the school, the overall performance will improve, he said.

A reported gap between Maori and non-Maori NCEA achievement at JPC led the group to engage with the school, which responded by putting extra resources and programmes into place. Two years ago there was no gap in Maori and non-Maori NCEA achievement but there was a gap with Pacifica students.

No gap in Pacifica, Maori or non-Maori achievement was reported last year but a gap remains with the numbers achieving more than pass rates to each the higher endorsement levels. Nationally about a third of students get endorsement, with JPC having a higher than average level but a gap remained at that level between Maori and non-Maori.

“With extra resources, we have reduced that gap so that least Maori and Pacific students are passing NCEA. The next challenge is working with the school so that we can raise the endorsement levels as well, so that Maori students not only pass but they also pass really well.”

Further resources were now being put into place so that the even higher level of academic achievement can be realised.

Paddling for greater Maori student achievement


feature

Although the seaside town is quite tiny, Matata played a fundamental role in the history of the Catholic Church not only in the Diocese of Hamilton but also New Zealand.

With a population of 645 people in the 2013 census (an increase of three on 2006), Matata is a coastal settlement on the strip of flat land running down towards Whakatane 23 kilometres away. Tauranga to the north is about 65 kilometres away.

The coastal shelf on which it is perched provides the northern edge of the Volcanic Plateau, and it was here that much of the Church’s earlier work in the region was based.

Matata was the main trading port during the era of coastal trading. As a result, it was in Matata that the Marist Fathers established a mission in 1886 and that the Mill Hill Fathers came to in 1888, led by Father John Becker.

Matata also has the distinction of being the first foreign mission where the Josephite nuns established outside Australia. As the port for the area, it was visited several times by Saint Mary MacKillop. The Sisters of St Joseph and the Mill Hill Fathers, who arrived in 1888, established the St Joseph’s Catholic School in Matata in 1891.

St Joseph’s principal Bridget Rika (pictured) says the school is today an integral part of the Matata c o m m u n i t y . However, the past few years have been a struggle for her personally and for the school and c o m m u n i t y generally.

Having a background as principal of three previous schools, starting as a sole charge teacher, Bridget

foyer of the school office, to greet visitors, as pictured on the cover.

“It’s not only about teaching but Saint Mary MacKillop is significant to our school, and on the other side of the foyer is the Koru, representing the iwi Ngati Rangitihi.”

Saint Mary visited the school twice, says Bridget, and this connection is reflected in the parish church where a shrine has been set aside in the saint’s honour.

“So it is bringing together the school, the parish, the community and the iwi through te Hahi Katorika me te reo me ōna tikanga Māori (the Catholic Church and the

uniqueness of being Maori).”The four components of the

special Catholic character, te reo me ōna tikanga Māori me, community, and learning and teaching came out of the survey work done during the time when the school went through a period when a Ministry of Education commissioner ran the school. Following the election of a new board of trustees, the role of the commissioner changed to that of a limited statutory manager (LSM). The 2014 Education Review Office report noted how good progress had been made at a number of levels. The report also says:

“ERO observed a positive

Hope lives in Matata

The Parish of St Joseph in Matata carries a weight of history that is very much alive for the parishioners of the district in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

came to Matata in the belief her experience would be sufficient to turn around the school.

“I thought it would be a breeze because the experience I had gained up until then held me in good stead here but the thing is, this school made me.”

The school was in crisis when she arrived with the attitude that she could fix what was wrong. However, at the end of 2013, the school went through the threat of possible closure. It was a threat that not only brought more self-realisation for Bridget as a teacher but also solidified community support

behind the school’s existence.Part of the problem faced by the

township – and the school – is that the short, flat road to Whakatane now makes working and living in the bigger town today an attractive option.

“When I first came here I felt the heartbeat of the school, I felt the wairua, but it was very, very faint. Like it was mamae (hurting). Now that heartbeat is very strong. We have re-built from having a roll of eight children and a predicted closure, to having a roll of 34 pupils.”

Saint Mary McKillop has been put back where she belongs, in the

respectful and inclusive school culture in which students and their parents/whānau are warmly welcomed into the school and well supported to achieve positive outcomes. The special Catholic character is highly evident throughout the school environment and within learning programmes.

The recently developed school vision and cornerstone values of mutual respect and caring, aroha, and gospel values are helping to promote common understandings amongst students and teachers.”

Bridget says that, as a school manager, she had to take a good look at herself and the school and to recognise that something had to change.

“Our thinking at that time needed to change from one of Matata being here for St Joseph’s, to St Joseph’s as a part of Matata. There’s a big difference.”

The core values now driving the school came from a lot of soul searching and reviewing the information gathered from surveys and parents’ evenings.

Bridget also had some time off and came back to the school determined to see the journey through. Having been raised surrounded by the Catholic, Ringatu and Anglican religions, she says her journey

Bridget Rika

Teaching and learning


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involved much karakia (prayer). Bridget gives a lot of credit for

helping to transform the school to Terry Murphy, the chairperson of the St Joseph’s board of trustees and local kaumatua and kuia, Koro Tame and Kowo Lewis, and the local parish. Koro Tame begins each school week with karakia.

Terry owns the nearby Murphy’s Holiday Camp on State Highway 2. Perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the camp is in an idyllic location. Terry, a past pupil of Sacred Heart College in Auckland, came to Matata with his wife 29 years ago and bought the camping ground off his parents-in-law.

Terry believes that Matata is to some extent under-developed, in terms of the historic nature of the

school during her visits to the area, he says.

“The strength of the Church is in the historical strongholds like Matata. If we abandon them, we will be amazed how quickly the Church in the main centres will start to wither as well. If we are not attending to the margins, as the Holy Father says, there is something going radically wrong in the core.”

Tea and coffee and a bite to eat are standard after Mass. Here we meet members from the old families of Matata and the newest arrival.

You don’t have to go far to find the name of Marr in Matata. Rita Costar (nee Marr) says her great-grandfather had the Catholic church built on the family’s land. Her father did all the paintings above the altar at the current St Joseph’s church.

Rita says St Joseph’s had a famous choir of most beautiful singers, attracting people from around the district to hear them sing.

“I had six brothers and people used to come from miles around

town and its links to the Church, Matata is regarded as the older brother of Whakatane.

With the school located adjacent to the church, a good level of cooperation exists. Mass at St Joseph’s averages at between 40 and 80 people each Sunday at 11 am. Much like the school, many parishioners come from other towns, such as Kawerau, the pulp mill town further inland.

Father Robert Sharplin travels up from Whakatane to conduct Mass and he says Matata is a unique blend of Maori and Pakeha.

“It’s got a wide social mix, and the school is historically important, so it is imperative that it continues.”

St Mary would have had a hand in planning and organising the

just to hear them sing.”Catherine Schuler, a new arrival

in the parish, has moved to Kawerau from Tauranga where she worked as a counsellor at Aquinas College.

“I had a feeling my skills would be more useful somewhere else and saw the job at Tarawera High School and, I guess, God made me do it really.”

She had never been to Kawerau, but something said she should go for the job and, if she didn’t get it, it would mean her work at Aquinas was not completed.

Having been offered the job as counsellor, she made the move, and she is glad she has, “because it is a beautiful community.”

Having gone to St Joseph’s in Te Puna, she was looking for a little parish with the same wairua, so was glad to have found Matata.

Joseph Marr, 16, goes to Whakatane High School. Joseph says he will probably do something involving computers in the future. That will mean he will have to move away from the small town, but he says it is important to keep the parish going in Matata.

“Mass in town (Whakatane) is different from Mass here and the way it is done. People are used to Mass here, like it’s pretty casual.”

Julia Gurran (nee Brady) was brought up in Matata and always had the “Brown Jo’s” as her teachers. Her favourite memory is of the Sister Josephine, who was younger than the other nuns and had much more fun with the children. Although she only stayed a short time, Julia says the young nun was inspiring.

Graeme Roil, Schools Manager for the Diocese of Hamilton has also advised that St Joseph’s school has the strong support of the Proprietor Bishop Stephen Lowe.

From within the diocese we have needed to provide intensive support and make challenging decisions through some difficult times. It is very heartening to see the way in which the community has rallied to support their school.

Diocese staff involved in working with and supporting schools within the diocese will continue to work alongside the community, the Board of Trustees and the school to help ensure a successful future.

Terry Murphy with the shrine honouring St Mary.

Father Robert Sharplin


parish news

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Brother Vincent Jury, Doug, Hariata and Tania Rewi

E ngā mana, i ngā reo, e ngā kārangarangatangā maha, tēnā koutou katoa.

On Sunday 22 February 2015, being ordained as Bishop of Hamilton Diocese, Bishop Stephen celebrated his first Mass in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Murupara.

Normally a welcome would occur at the church. However Bishop Stephen received a pōwhiri from one of three hapū of Ngāti Manawa, at Rangitahi Marae, starting at 9:00 am and ended at 9:45 am.

After the pōwhiri, the Bishop travelled to Sacred Heart Church, which was less than a kilometre from the marae, and celebrated his first Mass amongst the Māori and Catholic community of the Murupara area. Mass began with the bell ringing, followed by a karanga to Bishop Stephen, from Martha Anderson. The church was filled with visitors from Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Whakatāne, Maketu, Turangi, Ngaputahi and Wellington. Three Māori

women, all Anglican ministers, participated in the celebration with Bishop Stephen.

The music ministry (team) was prepared and performed in collaboration with Brother Vincent Jury and Doug Rewi. The wairua (Holy Spirit) flowed and the singing was uplifting to a community that is currently struggling with high unemployment, low self-esteem, financial and health disparities and much hardship.

Aroha flowed from over 150 people present in the service, and the music team lead the congregation with instruments like guitars and a soprano saxophone. It was fitting to say the roof almost flew off, when the waiata were sung during the service.

Bishop Stephen spoke about his tenure of seven years working for the NZ Forest Service and how he was one who had to give the devastating news to employees that they were to be made redundant. Staff lost their jobs, and he saw the struggle in the communities and devastation that followed afterwards. That struggle of unemployment, devastation and loss has never left him. For that reason, he chose to say his first Mass in Murupara, a township that

has continued to struggle more than two decades later.

With the news of Bishop Stephen visiting Murupara and wanting to celebrate his first Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the community of Murupara came alive. They will continue to buzz a while longer.

The wairua has blessed Murupara with the visit of Bishop Stephen, and we pray that good things will continue to flourish, after his visit to our little community.

It was a privilege and inspiration to be chosen by Bishop Stephen to celebrate his first Mass with us in Murupara (only one week after being ordained); to share the Eucharist with Catholics and non-Catholics; residents from the community of Murupara and other Catholic rohe (areas). We pray that God will help Bishop Stephen to listen to the karanga of Māori from no ngā hau e whā, but especially from us here in Murupara.Mā te Atua koe e Pīhopa Tīpene, e manaaki e tiaki hoki.

Ngā mihi nui.

Murupara first in line for visit from new Hamilton Bishop

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parish news

– are depicted in the waka koiwi - bone chest. This is shown to be on fire, just as the church was set fire to in the attack. Another depiction of the same event is shown in the gunpowder belching out of the soldiers’ gun barrels.

4. The repo – swamp that enabled some people to survive – the tuna that are slithering out of the waka koiwi at the bottom of the pou are the survivors who fled the burning church and hid in the repo.

5. These escaping tuna are the iwi of Rangiaowhia who were attacked and displaced off their lands. They form an abstract face with two large paua eyes. The concept of this abstract face is that the iwi were spilt up, but still identify to each other and to Rangiaowhia.

Thanks to the following Kaiwhakairo (Carvers):Garry Paki-Titi, (Ngati Apakura, Ngati Kinohaku, Ngāti Mahāki)Aaron Karewa Forbes (Ngati Hikairo, Ngati Apakura)Also to the roopu at Waikeria; Te Ao Marama and Karaka units.

Cynthia Piper and Gary Paki-Titi

Rangiaowhia, nestled in lush pastureland between Cambridge and Te Awamutu, has a special place in the history of both

the Anglican and Catholic communities of the Waikato. On Sunday, 21 February 1864, colonial forces led by General Cameron attacked the undefended settlement. Māori believed that Rangiaowhia was a safe haven for their old people, women and children. The few men there were either too old or too young to adequately defend the settlement. Any able bodied men were with the main force at Paterangi.

A number of Māori were killed during the attack including women and children who were sheltering in a whare which was set alight; the defenders killed included some who were unarmed. Many others, including women and children, were captured. General Cameron had selected Rangiaowhia to attack as he wanted to destroy Māori supply lines, and at the same time avoid the heavily defended pa at Paterangi.

Wiremu Tamihana later wrote: “I discovered that this would be a very great war, because it was conducted in such a pitiless manner.” The attack is regarded as one of the ‘most notorious events in the wars and a source of tremendous pain and anger.” (Anderson, Binney Harris, 2014)

In 2015, the attack on Rangiaowhia was commemorated with the unveiling and blessing of a pou waka maumahara (memorial pole). After Monsignor David Bennett blessed the pou, descendants of the survivors of the attack and representatives of the Hamilton Diocese listened to a very moving account of the attack written

through the eyes of a 10-year-old survivor. The carvers then gave an explanation of this magnificently carved memorial.

Pou waka maumaharaThe pou symbolises a vessel that contains and displays historical knowledge in rememberance of Rangiaowhia iwi and the events that happened there in 1864. In ancient times, when a chief or leader died, his/her war canoe was retired and the tau ihu – front, was carved and erected as his memorial/ headstone. This pou is a similar monument.

Spiritually -Mana Atua - the pou depicts the union of heaven and earth, people with God. It is designed to depict a vessel carrying prayer, suf-fering and sorrow. It is therefore, imbued with blessings through which healing and unity is achieved.

Physically - Mana Tangata and Mana Whenua - the pou emphasises the industrious accom-plishments and unity of iwi and tauiwi in this region. It also broadcasts the Crown’s purpose-ful destruction of those same iwi and the theft of their land even though they were innocent of any wrong doing. Importantly, the untarnished adoption by iwi of Christianity is depicted. And finally the pou represents Mana whenua of those who survived and held fast to their history.

The five kaupapa laid down by kaumatua are: 1. Histories. The top of the pou is a black and white head representing God. One of the histo-ries is that Rangiaowhia people were very spiri-tual.

2. The industriousness of the iwi of Rangiaow-hia – represented by the middle figure holding a kete full of peaches and wheat. Rangiaowhia had acres of peach groves and one of the first flour mills in New Zealand. There was a variety of ag-ricultural produce grown there.

3. The people who died in the 1864 Crown attack

Rangiaowhia remembered

Carver Gary Paki-Titi is explaining the story behind and the features of the pou

Leave your loved ones fond memories .... not your funeral costs

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youth

True joy comes from God, it doesn’t come from money, it doesn’t come from being popular or successful. True joy comes from God, and it only comes from when we have a conversion and say: “God I need you” - Jackie Angel

This was one of many inspiring messages that the keynote speaker Jackie Angel presented to the festival throughout the weekend. SetFree took place over the weekend of April 10 - 12 and over 250 young adults and youth came from throughout New Zealand, including pupils from the five Hamilton Diocese Catholic secondary schools.

The message of joy reverberated throughout Totara Springs Christian Camp in Matatmata, with lively praise and worship led by the SetFree Band and GRACE Worship. True joy dwelt among the festival-goers on Saturday night; young people adored Jesus present in Eucharistic. SetFree also featured a variety of engaging workshops. Among many, “Did Jesus Really Exist” presented by Tim Malone (Christchurch Diocese), “The Power of the Cross” presented by Maurice Davies (Palmerston North Diocese), and “Discipleship” presented by Jamie Cox (Hamilton Diocese).

Bishop Steve Lowe joined the festival on Sunday morning to share his vocation story. Jesus calls each one of us to follow Him, even humble forestry workers. The weekend culminated with Bishop Steve presiding over Holy Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday.

Jesus wants to SET you FREE and SET me FREE from doubts, fears, betrayals, and sins, and all those things that hurt us. The risen Jesus wants us to go out and

to discipleship they left everything to follow Him. Discipleship begins with the radical decision to “drop the nets” and orient one’s life completely towards Jesus. Thereafter, the disciple’s principal motivator is Christ. A disciple frequents the sacraments not out of obligation, duty, or family tradition, but because he or she loves Jesus. A disciple gives to others, not to be solely philanthropic, but out of love for Christ. A disciple loves Jesus. Alex Bailey, Catholic Youth Office

Patrick Smith, writes about his experience of SetFree 2015 and re-orienting his life towards Christ’s call.

This year I was encouraged by friends to attend the National Catholic Youth Festival at Totara Springs. At first I was not convinced and I can remember thinking, “I’m already pretty Catholic so I don’t really need all that kind of stuff”, but after some persuasion from friends I decided to give it a crack.

Weeks later at the first night of the event, I sat in a crowded chapel with teens and young adults alike, praying Night Prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

The reverence and respect for Jesus that filled the air in that wee chapel was astounding. That feeling of adoring God with like-minded young people that share my faith and not feeling weird or abnormal is one of the most amazing things I can think of.

This was just one of the many times that SetFree impacted my life in a way that will never change.

SetFree National Catholic Youth Festival 2015

Bishop Steve Lowe joined the excited SetFree crowd.

experience the wonders of His love. The theme of SetFree has been ‘blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God’. Being pure in heart means having an open heart; a heart for Jesus and a heart for others. Having such a heart recognises Jesus in others.

Bishop Steve Lowe - Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday.

Over $6000 of funds were raised to help sponsor those young people who couldn’t otherwise afford it and to cover event costs. A special thanks to Catholic Care for its significant donation. If you are interested in ensuring the work of SetFree continues into the future please consider becoming a SetFree Guardian Angel.

Why does SetFree exist? To EVANGELISE.

SetFree exists to lead young people to become intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. But what does this discipleship look like?

Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him [Lk 5:10-11].

When Jesus called the fishermen

The fellowship of other young adults and youth who share our Catholic faith is so important in our modern society these days as the growing pressures of doing what’s cool and popular often governs what we do as well as how we do it.

So when I went to SetFree this year and experienced my faith with others in a way that was cool amongst my peers.

I felt at home. Fr Michael Gielen gave a talk during the weekend about living out our faith and not hiding it away.

The idea struck me like a wrecking ball as I realised that I had indeed been hiding my faith from others for years.

Whether it was because it wasn’t cool or just too much of a hassle to explain to other people, I was too scared to share it.

He helped me and others to be excited about who Christ is to us as young people, and how we are all called to be disciples of Christ and share His love for the world, no matter what we do or who we are.

This realisation changed my life. I now strive to live out my faith to others as Christ called me and each of us to do.

All this due to a fire that sparked into life at SetFree 2015.

Patrick Smith SetFree 2015 Participant


school newsTrip of a lifetime: World Challenge Expedition to Vietnam

RACE UNITY SPEECHCatholic students were among those participating in a Race Unity Speech Competition held annually in support of Race Relations’ Day: 21st March. The theme for this year’s contest was Big Change Starts Small. Jamie Regan and Kimberly D’Mello represented Aquinas College in the Tauranga Regional Race Unity Speech Competition. For the second year in a row, Aquinas won this competition. Kimberly was placed first and was due to go into the national semi-finals in May. Myles Ashworth and Maggie Wilson represented Campion College in the contest.

KAYLA GOODWIN TAKES TRACK AND FIELD AGE TITLESacred Heart Girls’ pupil Kayla Goodwin took out the title of New Zealand’s best all-round 13-year girls’ track and field athlete at the national 12/13 interprovincial championships at Hamilton’s Porritt Stadium in April. Kayla recorded personal bests in the long jump (second overall), 80 metre hurdles (third) and 200 metres (sixth).

CHEERLEADINGA cheerleading team from Hamilton went to the USA end of last term to compete in a cheer-leading competition in LA, the home of cheerleading. There were 17 teams in their division and after day one they were 11th and at the end of the competition they had moved up to 9th place. An awesome effort for a New Zealand team, let alone a Hamilton team. Four Sacred Heart girls were in the team, Zanthe Kitney, Mikayla Smith, Summer Hill (all year 10) and Niamh Davis (year 11).

Katie Pigou

Twenty eight days… 12 girls... two adults… one country.

Nerves jangled and a few tears flowed as we waved farewell to our families in Hamilton but none of it seemed real until we walked out of the airport, seeing Vietnam for the first time.

The 18-month build up meant that we had prepared immensely for this World Challenge expedition. We had read about the country, completed team building exercises, and practised tramping.

Our school, Sacred Heart, had supported us in our fundraising efforts, and our friends and family were just as excited as we were about this once in a lifetime opportunity. Nothing could fully prepare us for the culture shock we received the very first day in Ho Chi Minh City. We were overwhelmed by the rushing motorbikes, the unbearable heat and the language barrier, not to mention the dirty environment. I can only describe our first few days in the country

goose”. We were shown around the premises and got to work on the practical support. We built an entire raised vegetable garden, which involved heavy lifting of bricks and cement, and took five days to complete. We also scrubbed and painted the stone fence at the entrance to the kindergarten. The end result was fantastic, and we all felt pleased that we had been able to help this community.

We travelled north to the capital city, Hanoi, where we visited St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral. We attended Mass there, and managed to follow it reasonably well, despite everything being in Vietnamese. Our teachers from school had fundraised for us to donate some money to a parish community, so after Mass we arranged to talk to the priest. The priest only spoke Vietnamese or French, so I ended up speaking to him in French

as surreal. All of our planning was finally coming to fruition.

The first two weeks flew by. We tramped through a national park where we rode elephants and slept in traditional stilt houses. We trekked for five days through the Dalat jungle, climbing three peaks on our last day, a feat we are very proud to have achieved.

Although the challenges were character building, I was most keen to get started on the project phase. We walked through the gate of the kindergarten in Hue where we would be helping for the next week.

The children’s faces shone with happiness at seeing us. They knew that we were there to help them in some way, and it did not matter that we could not speak their language. Straight away we began to play with the children, who ranged in ages from 2 to 5 years old.

They all came from poor farming families, and did not have many possessions, but that did not bother them as we began to teach them the children’s game “duck duck

(thank you NCEA) and told him that the money was a donation from our Catholic school in New Zealand to their church. He seemed very appreciative and surprised at our generous gift.

Our trip to Vietnam was an experience I will never forget. This is a small snippet of the adventures we had and the memories we made. I would like to thank everyone who supported our fundraising efforts, and who supported our expedition. Because of you, we were able to have the trip of a lifetime, experience another culture and provide service to a community. It opened

our eyes to life in a developing country. Katie Pigou is the 2015 Head Girl at Sacred Heart College, Hamilton


parish news

John Fong and Michael SmithA ceremony to honour the work of the Mill Hill

Fathers may hold important clues as to a way forward for Maori in the Diocese of Hamilton.

The ceremony was held after Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Putaruru on 15 March in the parish’s hall, the “Mill Hill Centre”. The ceremony was driven largely by the dedication of Deacon Joseph Haumaha who spent over a year researching the lives of the Mill Hill priests who served out of what was then their main headquarters, in Putaruru.

[See historic background below]Fr William Tuerlings was the last Mill Mill

to serve at St Patrick’s from 1990 to 1998 and, when he left, he told Deacon Haumaha no one would follow. Recalling the dominant role the Mill Hills played in his family’s life, Deacon Haumaha determined to ensure they were properly remembered.

At the official ceremony, Deacon Haumaha presented to Emeritus Bishop Denis Browne the history and two large photographic frames (containing the portraits) of the 16 Mill Hill priests who had served as diocesan priests at St Patrick’s Church from 1925 to 1998. Also present at the ceremony were the parish priest Fr Vincent Jones, Fr Hemi Hekiera, Phillip White (representing the parishioners), and kaumatua, Hori Deane from Ngatira Marae (hapu Ngati Ahuru and iwi Ngati Raukawa) and his supporters.

Recognising the work put into the event, Emritus Bishop Denis Browne said: “This wouldn’t have happened today if it wasn’t for Deacon Haumaha. He did all the research, and ordered all the people to come here.”

It was very important to have such a place because there were four Mill Hill priests left in New Zealand.

New Era While the ceremony to some extent marked

an end of an era, it also marked the start of a new era in the diocese for Maori.

Deacon Haumaha told Kete Korero that when the early Catholic priests came to the area, they typically used Latin in Mass. Maori did not know Latin but they understood the spirit of the Church.

“So the priests learnt our language and they played a special role with our people, with the

“We are trying to hear God’s direction as to where we are moving. The Pope gives us a good idea and the church gives us a good idea but then we must try and flesh that out in the areas where we live and where we work.”

The Mill Hill priests had to some extent had an advantage of coming from a culture where a number of languages were spoken, not just mainly English.

The language still played an important role in Maori inclusion in the church, Fr Hemi said.

“At the moment, Maori is going back into its own language, so that’s another area that needs to be acknowledged, used and become part of today’s world.”

The work and the study he had done over the past year had given him a better understanding

of the direction for the church.“The church has to get back into the culture

of the people – not deny its own culture but to acknowledge the culture of the people, and I think that is one of things we must try and work in.”

Background HistoryThe Mill Hill Fathers, formally known as St

Joseph’s Missionary Society, was founded by Cardinal Herbert Vaughan in 1866 in a villa near Mill Hill, which is about 16 kilometres north of London. (Cardinal Vaughan’s society was at that time called “St Joseph’s Missionary College”.)

Its purpose was “to train missionaries to propagate the Gospel among unevangelised races beyondEurope”: Catholic Encyclopedia: St Joseph’s Society for Foreign Missions.

In 1886, the Mill Hill Fathers established a Maori Mission in the Diocese of Auckland. It was not until 20 March 1925 that the first Mill Hill priest, Fr Martin Alink, became the priest at St Patrick’s in Putaruru. There followed 15 other Mill Hill priests serving at St Patrick’s. These priests did not become independent and were part of the local diocese.

At present, there are thought to be four Mill Hill priests living in New Zealand. They are Fr Michael Ryan (the New Zealand Superior) living in retirement in Auckland; Fr Anthony Timmerman, retired and living in Auckland, and Fr Anselm Aherne, a parish priest at St Columba Church in Frankton, Hamilton.

After his retirement, Fr Tuerlings decided to fill a void in the history of the Mill Hill Fathers in New Zealand. The result was a book, Mill Hill and Maori Mission, completed in 2003.

Putaruru celebration for work of Mill Hill Fathers

From left: Deacon Joseph Haumaha, Sam Papa, Emeritus Bishop Denis Browne, Pa Hemi Hekiera, Fr Vince Jones, and Hori Deane.

six marae in the area.”In the early days, Maori had to deal with a

culture that came from a colonial European background, and so it was a real help having the priests who understood the language and Maori culture.

“We used to have a bicultural society and now are multi-cultural but we still work under one banner of the Catholic Church – that’s the important thing. When Pope John Paul II came to New Zealand in 1986, part of the visit was the ordination of the first Maori bishop.

“He said to the Maori people at the time ‘God created you as Maori and be Maori in your faith in the Catholic Church’. God created us and he never said I want you to revert back to being Pakeha.

“The whole thing is that in our world is our church, our faith. We have about eight cultures here in Putaruru but we come together in this church here with the one body of Christ.”

One of the reasons he had worked hard on bringing the commemoration to fruition was to bring the focus back on to the Church.

“We are so bombarded in our society today with different images that it’s hard to reflect on that one direction of the church.”

Fr Hemi Hekiera, who attended the ceremony, has, with Fr David Gledhill, been charged with bringing the new Whaia te Whaea Maori collegial area forward across.

He agreed the Mill Hill priests were a vessel for bringing the message of God to the people, and now the church was going through a process of finding another way forward.

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Hori Deane from Ngatira Marae


parish news

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The first profession was held in November last year for Sister Henrietta Maria from Samoa at the Tyburn Monastery. In another three years she will receive her next profession - to Motherhood. Fr. Mark O'Keeffe officiated, supported by Fr Mark Field.

Sr Henrietta’s first profession

The Catholic Institute of New Zealand

Ngatea 70th Anniversary InvitationSt Paschal’s Catholic Parish, Ngatea invite you to Mass on Sunday 7 June 2015 at 10.30 am to celebrate our 70th Jubilee. Followed by a Buffet Lunch - cost $25 (BYO drinks). RSVP: 24 May 2015 by Email: [email protected], or phone Frances Crooymans, Secretary 07 867 3209.

Catholic Women’s LeagueThe Matamata branch of the Catholic Women’s League hosted a very successful Annual Dioc-esan League Conference in April. See report in the next edition of Kete Korero.

St Peter’s Parish, Cambridge has hosted a farewell to Monsignor David Bennett. A full church attended the Vigil Mass which was followed by a potluck dinner in the parish hall. Msgr David has been called one of the great priests of New Zealand, a priest of the people and a priest for priests, helping many in their priestly life. David and Arnaka (his dog) will retire in Cambridge. A profile of Mons David will appear in a future edition of Kete Korero.

Msgr Davidretires

Tangi for Sister Katrina The tangi was held recently for Sister Mary Katrina Mariu RNDM, who gave 22 years of service to the Catholic Parish in Turangi. An acount of her life will be in the next edition.

This year began with celebrations as a number of TCI students graduated in Hamilton, Ro-

torua and Gisborne. Congratulations to Rayma Hammersley and Sandra Johns – Certificate in Hospital Chaplaincy; Jane Diment – Walk By Faith Year 1; Amy McChesney - Certificate in Catechetical Studies; Daisy McLaughlin, Delwyn McNamara, Sandra Gordon, Vicki Swider and Cathy Rowell – Diploma of Religious Studies in Religious Education.

A first for TCI was a Summer School course offered over the holiday period. A number of teachers took advantage of this course to further their progress towards their qualifications in Re-ligious Education.

Another first was holding our Maori Spirit-uality course at Tapuae Haruru Marae on the shores of Lake Rotoiti. Tapuae Haruru was once a centre of Maori Catholicism.

The course, held over two days, was led by ben Pomare with support from kaumatua Davy Gardiner, Mate Tangitu and Kath Gardiner with further input from the course coordinator Cyn-thia Piper. The focus was on the lived realities of all the concepts of Maori spirituality, as well as developing an understanding of the powhi-ri, tikanga, and kawa of the marae. We explored the concepts of tapu, mana, pono, aroha, mauri, tika, noa, whakanoa and hohourongo and how they play out in everyday activities, in particular how are they respected and acted upon in our schools and parishes.

On the first day we worked well into the night but took time out to appreciate our beautiful surroundings. Day two started with a look at

the Maori Pastoral Care Plan of 1996. This left some of us asking – “what has happened to the plan?” We were fortunate to have a DVD copy of Pihopa Takuira Mariu’s talk on “The Spirit-uality of the Marae”. A phrase from Pihopa that challenged all of us was, “If you are serious about being Catholic, therefore you are serious about being Maori, and if you are serious about being Maori your Catholicity will come to the fore.”

The course finished with Mate talking about her experiences of the marae based youth court in Whakatane and the importance of restora-tive justice in schools.

We plan another course on Maori spirit-uality to be held in the Tauranga area in No-vember. If you are interested contact Cynthia Piper at Chanel Centre, [email protected] or phone 0800217411. All the participants found the course extremely valuable and one that all teachers and those in parish ministry should endeavour to attend.

In the meantime there are a number of cours-es planned for the next few months. Check out our website: www.tci.org.nz or email [email protected]

Introduction to Catholicism18, 25 May, 8, 15, 22, 29 JuneSt John’s College, Hamilton

1. What is Catholicism?; 2. Catholic Understand-ing of Church; 3. Catholics and the Trinity; 4. A Catholic Understanding of Grace and Sin; 5. Sacraments and Sacramentality; 6. Catholics and Social Justice

Gospel of John3-4, 10-11 JulySt John’s College, Hamilton

1. The Gospel According to John; 2. The Gos-pel According John as Story and The Prologue (1:1-18); 3. The Revelation of Jesus to Disciples (John 1:19-4:54); 4. The Jewish Festivals (John 5:1-10:41); 5. ‘Loving His Own’ (John 11:1-17:26); 6. The Death-Resurrection of Jesus (John 18-21)

Understanding Sacraments23-24 July, 14-15 AugustRotorua

1. Sacrament and Sacramentality; 2. Baptism and Confirmation: The Sacraments of Initiation into the Church; 3. The Eucharist; 4. Penance/Rec-onciliation and Anointing of the Sick: The Sacra-ments of Healing; 5. The Sacrament of Marriage; 6. The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Nick Quinn’s service recognisedAt a recent gathering of the Hamilton Catho-lic Principals Association gathering, Nick Quinn, principal of St.Peter Chanel, Te Rapa, was presented with the New Zealand Primary Principals Association outstanding service to education award. Nick's name was put forward by his colleagues in the Hamilton Catholic Prin-cipals Association (HCPA) in recognition for his leadership as past president of the HCPA, his membership of the Hamilton Diocesan Catho-lic Schools Board, his dedication to the school community of St Peter Chanel at Te Rapa and for his faithful service to Catholic education throughout his career.

CATHOLIC FAMILY CAMP - Runs biannually in this diocese, the camp being held between 16-18 October this year. The previous camps have been wonderful events. A big focus in 2015 is on making the camp more affordable for families. For more information call: (07) 855 1611 or (027) 244 2152.


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McCaw Lewis has the best of both worlds – modern thinking and progressive in its approach - yet with the benefit of traditions fostered in a firm which commenced offering legal services in 1919. This history is a plus which can’t be bought says Gerard Rennie, a Consultant with the firm. The firm’s staff complement of 50 includes approximately 30 lawyers and legal professionals. Its proven strengths are in the areas of Commercial law, Property law, Dispute Resolution and Asset Protection. Almost uniquely it has a specialist team dedicated to Maori legal issues. The firm offers advice to a range of clients in the Diocese’s area and nationally.

While McCaw Lewis lawyers act for institutions and statutory bodies, McCaw Lewis places strong emphasis on the human touch required for private client advice. Its lawyers hold

positions in (and often advise on a pro bono basis) charities and community organisations. McCaw Lewis is privileged to have a strong association with the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton. Previous partners of the firm include a former MP for Hamilton East, the current Mayor of Hamilton and judges – including those of the District Court, Maori Land Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. Current lawyers with the firm include St John’s old boys Gerard Rennie, Daniel Shore – a director, and Nick Pouwels-Strang.

Gerard Rennie says the firm, with its history and outlook, incorporates a combination of legal talent and humanity which is essential in being able to offer sound, pragmatic advice to its clients. McCaw Lewis’ offices are in Hamilton at 1 London Street – next to the Waikato River. Contact details: 07 838 2079; www.mccawlewis.co.nz

Kete Korero May 2015

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Transcript of Kete Korero May 2015