Kete Korero

NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF HAMILTON

Children from St. Joseph's Catholic School, Morrinsville, admire the 'Kiwiana Cross' made by the junior syndicate. See story page 17. Photo: St. Joseph's School.

IN THIS ISSUE NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

Bishop Denis Browne 3

The Roman Missal 4 Sisters of Our Lady of the Mission in Kenya 5

SOCIAL JUSTICE Amazing Race for Caritas 6Caritas Oceania Forum 7

NEW ZEALAND CATHOLIC BISHOPS'Statement on Euthanasia 8

St Pius X Tokoroa 9

PARISH & SCHOOL NEWSChanel Shield 10Farewell for Mrs Cargo 11Welcome Shane Tong Rotorua: St Michael's Presbytery Closes 12 New Leadlights for St Mary's 13 Pope Benedict's Jubilee St Mary's Catholic School 14Fr. Pat Keane's 50th Jubilee 15St Joseph's Parish Waihi 16St Thomas More Parish, Mt MaunganuiSt Joseph's School, Morrinsville 17

Heartfelt Thanks from Nigeria 17

YOUNG & CATHOLIC 18

Taking Control Of Your Fertility 20Te Runanga O Te Haahi Katorika Ki Aotearoa 21

Catholic Family Support Services: A Brief History 22

Atawhai Mercy Assisi Home & Hospital 24Mercy Awards 25WAICATH at Waikato University 25

SMSM Service to Leprosy 26Religious Studies 28Understanding Your Faith 29Leadership Changes at Missionz 30 Christmas Mass Times 31

2. kete korero, NoVeMBer 2011 - JANUArY 2012

The name of our diocesan magazine, Kete Korero, means ‘baskets of talk’. The name was gifted to us by the Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton, Most Rev. Max Takuira Mariu sm. The baskets are filled with the contributions from all parts of the diocese. The hope is that all will unpack the baskets, taking out much that is useful and interesting.

Contribution deadlines and publication dates for 2012: Please note: deadlines will be strictly adhered to.

Deadline for first issue 2012Issue 1: 31 January 2012

We are happy to accept feedback to Kete Korero

Contributors should contact the editor at least three weeks before the deadline. It is preferred that articles be submitted electronically in Word or TXT format and be no longer than 500 words.

Photographs must be in JPG or TIFF format and be scanned at 300 resolutions.

The diverse opinions expressed in this issue does not necessarily imply editorial commitment to the viewpoint expressed.

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

Editorial: Cynthia Piper 51 Grey St, PO Box 4353, Hamilton East 3247Tel: 078566989. Fax: 078567035 Email: [email protected]

Sponsorship and Advertising: David Barrowclough Chanel Centre Tel: 078566989. Fax: 078567035 Email: [email protected]

Design and Printing APN Print, Wanganui Tel: 063490849, 0800111500 Email: [email protected]

MESSAGE FOR KETE KOREROnOvEMbER 2011 - jAnuARy 2012

3. KETE KORERO, NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

The First Sunday of Advent introduces us to the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical Year. We begin the Liturgical Year by preparing ourselves for the beautiful feast of Christmas. As the year unfolds we celebrate major events in the life of Jesus Christ and concentrate our attention especially in the season of Lent and Easter on the wonder that is Jesus living among us.

The celebration of the Liturgical Year this year also introduces us to changes in the Eucharistic Prayers that are proclaimed by the priest celebrant whenever the community gathers for Eucharist. I am grateful for the way in which, generally, there has been an enthusiastic response to the peoples’ parts of the Mass that were introduced on the last First Sunday of Advent. I am also grateful for people involved in liturgical music who have clasped the opportunity to provide new musical settings for the various parts of the Mass.

The introduction of new translations of the Eucharistic Prayers are intended to uplift us as we gather in the company of Jesus to celebrate the Paschal Mystery. I encourage you to be participants in the Eucharistic Prayers as they are proclaimed by our priest celebrants. Please also remember them in your prayers as they adjust to a new way of proclaiming the Eucharistic Prayer that is different to what they have become used to along with us.

I am convinced that God will surely make present amongst us a new birth in our liturgical life and that God will grace us with this new opportunity to receive the new Liturgy- New Words – Deeper Meaning - Same Mass.

God bless you

Yours sincerely in Christ

Denis BrowneBISHOP OF HAMILTON


THE ROMAN MISSAL (3rd Edition)A PRECIOUS GIFT – HE TAONGA KAHURANGI

Take It! Treasure It! Pray It!

These are the words of the bishops to New Zealand Catholics. Take it! Treasure it! Pray it!

The ‘it’ that we are being urged to ‘take, ‘treasure’ and ‘pray’ is the latest edition of The Roman Missal, the Church’s official liturgical book for use at Mass. This new book contains all the prayers that are to be used by both the Priests and the Assembly, as well as the regulations

(rubrics) that ensure that the Mass is celebrated with dignity, reverence and respect. The Roman Missal will be introduced in New Zealand on the 1st Sunday of Advent, 27 November 2011.

If you listen to the media or surf the blogosphere it is plain to see that there are mixed reactions to the imminent introduction of The Roman Missal. Those at one extreme allege that this new book will bring crisis and possible schism to the Church; they advise ‘stay with what we have’. Those at the other extreme rejoice in what they see as the panacea to all the Church’s present ‘ills’; they urge ‘full speed ahead’.

I don’t want to get caught up in this debate … rather, I wish simply to say:

1. When the present Missal was translated into English in the late 1960s and early 1970s people wanted the new prayer texts of the Mass immediately. Translators were pressured to get the work done in a hurry. In the enthusiasm of those exciting years after Vatican II, mistakes were made: the English prayers of the Mass, were not the most beautiful they could have been; they were not as theologi-cally precise has they ought to have been; scriptural images became ‘lost in translation’.

But, despite those mistakes, holy things still happened. Despite mistakes being made, those first English texts of the Mass formed a generation of Catholics in its faith and spirituality. With time, those same Catholics came to treasure the beauty and poetry of the Mass texts, imperfect though they were.

With the old Missal something holy happened: people grew in their faith.

2. The Roman Missal translators of today have worked hard to achieve theological precision in the new prayers we will use at Mass. They have strived to recover the scriptural images that were lost. They have penned a new poetry, with its own beauty. However, notwithstanding these great steps forward, no one today would claim that this new translation of The Roman Missal is perfect. It is better in many respects, but perfect it is not. Mistakes have been made with this new Missal as well. The process was flawed. New principles of translation were employed with little or no consultation. Important issues seemed to have been dismissed without discussion.

But, do you know what? Despite these mistakes, this new Roman Missal will bring about holy things, sacred things in the hearts of Catholics, just as the old Missal did. Catholics will discover a new beauty and a new poetry in the texts we are now being asked to pray. Catholics will find new words with which to describe our faith. With time, Catholics will come to treasure these new prayers.

With the new Missal something holy will happen: people will grow in their faith.

Take it! Treasure it! Pray it!

3. The prayers of the new Roman Missal will sound very different from those we have been used to until now. You will notice a ‘shift’ in the style and vocabulary of the prayers. In general, they are longer and the sentence structure is more complex. There are words that will be new. Others that will sound ‘old-fashioned’. The rhythm of the prayers gives the prayers an air of formality.

This is not the language of everyday. We will need to listen carefully. We will need to be attentive.


4. Opportunities lie ahead of us. Challenges are on the horizon. How will we respond? Without doubt, some will ‘spit the dummy’ and go elsewhere to worship. Others will begin a campaign of passive resistance, falling ‘out of step’ with what the rest of the Catholic community says and does at Mass. There will be another group who will want to monitor the priest to ensure that he is being ‘more Roman than the Romans’. Most of us will just ‘get on with it’.

The words of the New Zealand bishops, “Take it! Treasure it! Pray it!“ are, I believe, the key to the success of the introduction of The Roman Missal in our parishes and communities. Take this precious gift (taonga kahurangi)! Allow its new words to sound in your ear and fall to your heart – treasure it! Having found a home in you, let this precious gift well up in you so that you can lift up your heart, your hands, your spirit, in praise and worship of God – pray it!


Fr Trevor P. Murray National Liturgy Office


A Sante Sana! Thank you very much for your generosity in contributing to the Give a Gift that Makes a Difference project. Here in Kenya all the RNDM Sisters are most grateful for your support of our Star of Hope Kindergarten in Kibera. The school is just in its second year of operation. The school caters for children aged three to six years. All of them come from poor families living in the slum areas of Kibera. A significant number of them are HIV Positive. Some are orphans while others have HIV Positive parents or care-givers. Most parents or guardians are casual workers.

Star of Hope provides two meals for the children every day. At morning break they have nourishing porridge to drink. At lunchtime they eat a good balanced diet of rice/ugali, beans, cabbage, sukuma wiki (kale) or spinach cooked in the traditional way with some onions, tomatoes and carrots. Good nutrition is essential especially for these children who are taking the antiviral medication. Fruit is supplied whenever possible. With your assistance fruit will be part of each day’s diet.Currently food prices are increasing daily so your gift is very timely. It will help us to continue supplying enough nourishing food for our little ones. In times of hardship this may be their only meal for the day as care-givers struggle to put food on the family table. Fuel costs for cooking have almost doubled since last year and staple foods such as maize flour are in short supply because of famine conditions in many parts of the country. The long dry season has not brought enough rain for a good harvest so we truly appreciate the help your generosity brings to the children and their families. Tunawashukuru sana kwa ukarimu wenu. Mungu awabariki tunawakubuka katika Maombi yetu ya kila siku. We thank you for your generosity. May God bless each and everyone. The children and I remember you in our daily prayer. Sister Miriam W. Kariuki rndmCoordinator Star of Hope Nursery School.

Sisters of our lady of the missions’ kindergarten in kenya


‘ amazing race for caritasBy Tracy Robinson and Campion College Students

This year the Campion Caritas Leadership Group opted to raise awareness of Caritas rather than money so took their annual Social Justice project into the school rather than out into the wider community: Years 7 -9 were challenged to enter into the Amazing Race for Caritas.

Initially each homeroom class (9 in total) was given the challenge of raising as much money as they could in order to get a 5 minute headstart with the first clue. The students embraced this challenge with real determination and fundraised by holding events like sausage sizzles, cakes stalls, car washes and supplying, at a cost, morning tea to the staff. All up these events raised a grand total of $950.00 for Caritas. But that was just the beginning!

The big race started at 1.00 pm on Friday, 16 September, with a sure winner in the first challenge with 9ND who raised $230.00; so they were off straight away. Their closest opponent was 9GD who raised $200.00. Each class had contributed the same amount so all were

on the level playing field and able to pick up individually named and colour coded clues from all around the school.

According to the students:“ The Amazing Race is just that, amazing. The need to be a team and work together was the key to the success. The organisation was good, but some checkpoints were overcrowded. Caritas really sent a message to the students and even to the teachers.” Sam

“The best part of the Amazing Race was when we did either the “Wet and Wild” or the “Crazy Hat Obstacle Race”. However, the jelly game was fun as well. We learned the name of the Aussie netball team (this was part of the quiz). It was a good idea to raise awareness for Caritas.” David and Charlie. “I learned that you had to work as a team by being quiet and listening.”

“The Amazing Race was cool not only because we won or got time out of class but because our class was working as a team. The best part was when we got to eat the jelly. It could have been improved by having more jelly!” Andy and Leroy

The afternoon was over in a shot and the Caritas group were left to mop up, clean up, and go home for a well deserved rest after several weeks in preparation for the day. The rest of the school are involved in social justice activities by being asked to bring an small item such as food for the St Vincent de Paul foodbank, toiletries for the women’s refuge, pet food for the SPCA, or cantabs for the Kidney Kids, stamps for the Leprosy Mission. Everyone in Campion could contribute!

Campion Caritas co-ordinator, Tracy Robinson (pictured below), says it has always been very challenging and exciting working with the Caritas group of students. “I get a new group each year and always leave the decision about the main fundraiser up to them. While they may need a bit of guidance or nudging it is always the group’s ideas and enthusiasm that makes it work. “

The Jelly Challenge was to eat a cup of jelly with hands tied behind your back and be fed by a blindfolded person.

7 . KETE KORERO, NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

From th

e Solomon Islands

to th

e Horn

of Afri

ca, and th

e

shore

s of A

otearo

a New Zealand

We are working together

for the common good

But only with your help can we help them.Please donate today by:

Visiting our website www.caritas.org.nzPhoning 0800 221 022 (during o�ce hours)Or by posting a cheque to:

Caritas, PO Box 12193, Thorndon, Wellington 6144

•••

Because TOGETHER we CAN make a DIFFERENCE!

CARITAS SPRING APPEAL 2011

Against a backdrop of severe drought across the central Pacific, Caritas Oceania representatives from eight different nations gathered in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand earlier this month for their annual forum.

About 25 people attended the week-long event, including representatives from Caritas Internationalis, and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) – Asia. Many of the states represented, such as Tonga and Kiribati, are among the most vulnerable to climate change due to their low-lying nature or vulnerable shorelines.

A closing statement from the forum said its members stand ‘in solidarity with the poor and marginalized of the region. We are particularly concerned by the impact of climate change in our area.’

The group heard from New Zealand climate scientist Professor Martin Manning. ‘We keep seeing surprises,’ he said and some changes in climate and impact were happening faster than scientists’ predictions.

Those present spoke of changes they have seen in recent years. Amelia Ma’afu, Programmes Officer for Caritas Tonga, said they were experiencing more coastal erosion and contamination of drinking water as sea levels rose. Young people were planting mangroves and trees for coastal protection and taking action against climate change, but ‘there’s a sense of hopelessness’, because they are isolated, contribute so little to climate change, but are feeling effects more acutely than many other places.

Mavis Tito from Caritas Papua New Guinea said a severe drought was expected in Papua New Guinea next year. ‘Most vulnerable are the highlands and coastal lowlands.’ Food security and water will be a problem.

Clare Baiteke, Chair of the Diocesan Peace and Justice Committee for Kiribati, said they have been running programmes making people aware of the impacts of climate change, and preparing for change. Kiribati President Anote Tong takes every opportunity at international fora to highlight the dangers his nation faces as sea levels rise. People are building sea walls, planting mangroves and installing water tanks to capture rainwater, as groundwater supplies become contaminated.

‘Maybe we see a day when Kiribati is no more,’ she said. ‘But be sure, God loves Kiribati very much – out of the whole universe.’

The forum also considered the impact of mining and large-scale resource extraction in Melanesia, disaster communications planning, political and social change in the Pacific, and how Caritas agencies in the region can genuinely empower the poor and promote integral human development.

oceania feeling the brunt of climate change – caritas oceania forum

by Martin de Jong, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

Clare Baiteke, Chair of the Diocesan Peace and Justice Committee for Kiribati.


The Dangers of EuthanasiaA Statement from the New Zealand Catholic Bishops

19 Oct 2011

Life is full of blessings, challenges and opportunities. Even dying brings its own unique blessings, challenges and opportunities. ‘Dying well’ is as important as reaching our potential at school and at work, or fi nding happiness and fulfi llment within our families and with our friends. The work of dying well often involves the healing and/or deepening of relationships.

In 1995 we wrote: “Euthanasia occurs when a doctor, not an illness, kills a patient.”

At that time we drew attention to a very important distinction: it is one thing to withhold or withdraw extraordinary methods of keeping a person alive when it is no longer sensible to do so; it is another thing to do something, or omit to do something for the purpose of terminating a person’s life. In the former case, we are simply allowing a person to die. In the latter case, we are killing.Even if it is done for what seems a good reason, (e.g. to prevent suffering), and even if it is done with the patient’s consent, it is still killing.

In a society in which many regard suffering as meaningless and intolerable, euthanasia is presented as a way of avoiding suffering. This can be made to look like an attractive option, or even a right. But to legalise the killing of those who are suffering would be to introduce a whole new, and dangerous, dimension to society.

What kind of society would we have if euthanasia were legalised? People with advanced progressive illnesses, or simply in old age, may well fi nd it diffi cult to trust their doctors and nurses. We need to ask: What would that do for the regard we have traditionally had for the medical and nursing professions? How would this impact on the ability of doctors and nurses to help those who are not quite sure they can trust them?

The experience of those countries that have already legalised euthanasia shows that the demand for euthanasia cannot be limited to a carefully defi ned group. In the Netherlands euthanasia was initially only available to dying adults with terminal illness who were able to give informed consent and who repeatedly requested euthanasia. Since 1973 all of these restrictions have fallen away and lethal injections can now be given to newborns and teenagers with disabilities, as well as to persons with dementia and depression. In some of these cases there is no explicit request from the person concerned for euthanasia.

Once we allow access to euthanasia for some, the reasons for confi ning it to just that group begin to look arbitrary. It is quickly argued that to deprive those incapable of giving consent to euthanasia is an injustice. It is also argued that allowing it for some conditions and not others is discriminatory.

We would have to expect the same erosion of boundaries and safeguards to happen here too, especially because there is already ambivalence about people who are perceived as having little or nothing to contribute to society while ‘swallowing up’ large amounts of health resources. In other words, legalising euthanasia will place at greater risk the lives of those whom others might be tempted to think would be better off dead.

Abuse of the disabled and elderly is already a serious issue in our country and overseas. Legalising euthanasia has the potential to worsen the problem in a society where the numbers of elderly are growing and where pressure on the health budget is increasing.

Further, in a society in which euthanasia becomes legal, the disabled, sick and elderly may more easily come to see themselves as an excessive fi nancial and emotional burden. The ‘right to die’ could very quickly become a ‘duty to die’. This is not free choice. This is not real consent. The most vulnerable members of our society depend upon the protections which the legal and medical institutions currently provide.

The good news is that advances in palliative care mean there is now no need for anyone to die in pain. When treatment is no longer effective for a person in the end stages of an illness, the priority is to provide suffi cient pain relief to make the person comfortable, while supporting their physical, emotional, mental, relational and spiritual needs. This can be a very important time in a person’s life, involving growth and the healing of relationships.

Research also shows that persistent requests for euthanasia are not related to physical pain but to depression and feelings of hopelessness and/or a sense of social isolation. There is a deeper malaise: our society has failed to respond in a satisfactory way to the emotional, psychological and spiritual suffering that people often feel at the end of life. As we stated in 1995, “we cannot be free from blame if there are people in our communities unable to fi nd human comfort and assistance as they approach the end of their lives.”

We would have to expect the same erosion of boundaries and safeguards to happen here too, especially because there is already ambivalence about people who are perceived as having little or nothing to contribute to society while ‘swallowing up’ large amounts of health resources. In other words, legalising euthanasia will place at greater risk the lives of those whom others might be tempted to think

Abuse of the disabled and elderly is already a serious issue in our country and overseas. Legalising euthanasia has the potential to worsen the problem in a society where the numbers of elderly are growing and where pressure on the health budget is increasing.

Further, in a society in which euthanasia becomes legal, the disabled, sick and elderly may more easily come to see themselves as an excessive fi nancial and emotional burden. The ‘right to die’ could very quickly become a ‘duty to die’. This is not free choice. This is not real consent. The most vulnerable members of our society depend upon the protections which the legal and medical institutions

The good news is that advances in palliative care mean there is now no need for anyone to die in pain. When treatment is no longer effective for a person in the end stages of an illness, the priority is to provide suffi cient pain relief to make the person comfortable, while supporting their physical, emotional, mental, relational and spiritual needs. This can be a very important time in a person’s life, involving

Research also shows that persistent requests for euthanasia are not related to physical pain but to depression and feelings of hopelessness and/or a sense of social isolation. There is a deeper malaise: our society has failed to respond in a satisfactory way to the emotional, psychological and spiritual suffering that people often feel at the end of life. As we stated in 1995, “we cannot be free from blame if there are people in our communities unable to fi nd human comfort and assistance as they approach the end of their lives.”

The real moral imperative is on us all to be bearers of hope and to offer selfless care to all those who are sick, disabled and dying while ensuring that there are adequate resources for palliative care.

We have the expertise and the means to care for those who have advanced progressive illness in ways which are in harmony with their human dignity and their status as our fellow New Zealanders. The legalisation of euthanasia will undermine trust in the medical profession and put vulnerable groups in our society at risk. It will send a message that the lives of some people are not worth living. Its introduction would seriously undermine good caring and be detrimental to the growth of a caring community.

We need to ensure that our laws promote a society in which there is room for the most vulnerable – room in our hearts and room in our homes and other places of care – rather than ‘showing people the door’.

True compassion calls for us all to stand alongside, and in solidarity with, all those who are suffering. We commend all those who already do so much to care for those people who are sick, elderly or disabled as well as those who are dying. The mark of a great society is evidenced in its ability to care for those who are most vulnerable.

We do not need euthanasia.

We need to promote equitable access to good palliative care for all New Zealanders.

We need to learn how to live well and die well. +John Dew

Archbishop of Wellington President, NZCBC+Patrick Dunn Bishop of AucklandSecretary, NZCBC+Colin CampbellBishop of Dunedin

+Barry JonesBishop of Christchurch

+Peter CullinaneBishop of Palmerston North

+Denis BrowneBishop of Hamilton+Denis

+Charles DrennanCoadjutor Bishop of Palmerston North


St. Pius x Catholic Church Tokoroa

Golden JubileeOn 2 March 1962 after much hard work, fundraising, and building by all the parishioners, St Pius X church was opened and blessed by Archbishop Liston. Mass was celebrated with great jubilation. Now 50 years later the parishioners and friends, past and present, are going to celebrate the many blessings that have been received, and remember the joyous and sad occasions. Renew friendships, make new ones and give thanks for 50 years of God’s guidance and great blessing.

The day will begin on Saturday, 3 March with afternoon tea in the Hall at 3pm. Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Denis Browne at 5.30pm. This will be followed by the Jubilee Dinner at 7p.m. Where everyone, will have time for catching up and seeing the records of past events, stories will be told, and memories shared.

Contact: Jill SeerdenPO Box 69

[email protected]

07 886 9075


chanel shield:catholic schools secondary cultural competition

The 2011 Chanel Shield Catholic Secondary Schools’ Cultural Competition was held at Campion College, Gisborne. Teams from Campion, Sacred Heart- Hamilton, St John’s –Hamilton, John Paul -Rotorua, and Aquinas College –Tauranga, competed in a variety of speech and drama activities.

Aquinas students won Junior Speech and Impromptu Speech; Campion won the Senior Poetry section; John Paul College took first place in the Maori Perspective Speech, Junior Poetry, Senior Bible Reading and the Bible quiz; Sacred Heart won Senior Oratory, and St John’s College won the Junior Bible Reading, Drama, and Debating competitions.

The Bible quiz was the last event on the programme. Pa Yvan prepared this and kept its contents a secret until the quiz began. Traditionally this has been the noisiest part of the competition, but Pa Yvan had devised a slightly different approach whereby he read the question and the multiple choice answers were in front of the teams. There was much whispering and muttering but at the end of the day John Paul took out this event.

John Paul College were the overall winners and received the Chanel Shield for 2011. Sacred Heart College was second with Campion College and St John’s third equal, and Aquinas fourth. Campion was presented with a second cup, “The Spirit Cup” for hosting the event, and it seemed that all felt welcomed and comfortable during their time in Gisborne. Next year Chanel Shield will be held at Aquinas College in Tauranga.

11. KETE KORERO,NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

Photos: Left -Head Girl Alice Kennedy and Deputy Head Girl Tiana Hotham give their address on behalf of student body at a special Mass for Mrs Cargo. Middle: Mrs Cargo being farewelled by Board of Trustees representative Tim Gisler. Right: Mrs Cargo joining in the dancing at her farewell concert

congratulations to Mrs teresa cargo

It is with great joy, and sadness, that we say congratulations and goodbye to our DP – Student Management, Mrs Teresa Cargo, as she takes up her new position as Principal of Bishop Viard College in Porirua, Wellington. Teresa is an old girl of SHGC (1972-1975). She then returned in 1981 as a PE teacher. In the following years, Teresa became Head of PE (1994-2007) and Deputy Principal (2008-2011). She is highly respected by all the staff, students and parents, as each has also found her fair but firm.

We will miss your lithe, striding figure roaming the corridors, your infectious smile but mostly, your genuine care and love for all our students. Teresa has been a true professional in her many roles here at SHGC but, more importantly, has truly lived the charism of our school – a woman with a (big) heart for the world. We wish you all our dearest best wishes in your new role and remember … What lies behind you and what lies before you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you.

May God grant you always...“A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.” By Christine Allen, Principal, SHGC, Hamilton

congratulations shane tongThe Hamilton Diocese welcomes Shane Tong who has been appointed as the principal of St. John’s College, Hamilton, effective from the beginning of term one 2012.

Shane, a keen fisherman and musician, is a past pupil of Marist and St. John’s College and is currently Deputy Principal of Cambridge High School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two sons, Mitchell and Christian.

After leaving St John’s, Shane completed his BA in English, a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary), and a MA in English and History. He then taught at Cambridge High for seven years before becoming Assistant Principal at Raglan Area School. He returned to Cambridge High seven years ago as Deputy Principal, and is currently working on post-graduate papers in leadership through Waikato University.

As Deputy Principal at Cambridge High Shane introduced a Cornerstone Values programme, something that was more common in primary schools than in secondary schools at the time. The programme gives students an opportunity to discuss what the values mean to the extent that they are now part of the college’s culture. The values are linked to what is being taught in the classroom and are equally applicable

to the staff. Shane has also promoted increased availability for students to technology. This allows students to access the school network to use wireless devices.

Mr. Shane Tong - past pupil, soon to be principal of St John’s College,

Hamilton.

PARISH AND SCHOOL NEWS FROM ROTORUA

12 . KETE KORERO, NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

closure of st Michael’s presbytery. Sister Carina Cobb RSJ

On Tuesday 18th October, the Catholic community gathered to farewell St Michael’s Presbytery in Rotorua. The house was built over 100 years ago as a presbytery for the Mill Hill Missionary priests who were serving in Rotorua and the surrounding districts: to the south, in Murupara, Te Whaiti, Minginui, Galatea, Ruatahuna, Kaingaroa, Waiotapu, Rerewhakaitu, Horohoro; northwards to Okere, Paritangi, Mourea, Rotoiti, Hauparu, Tapuwaekura, Tapuaeharuru, Rotoehu, Rotomä; and west to Ngongotahä, Tarukenga, Mamaku, Waiteti, and Awahou.

In 1902, after discussions between Father Kreijmborg MHM, the parish priest of the time, and Mother Mary McKillop (Saint Mary of the Cross), who had been resident in the town for three months, the roof was removed and a second storey added to house three Sisters of St Joseph and a number of student boarders the following year.

Eventually, due to a lack of space in the two classroom school, situated between the house and the lake, land was procured and a new school built in 1924 (where St Mary’s School is currently situated). The house then reverted to its original purpose and became home to the Mill Hill Fathers once again.

The ceremony of farewell began with a powhiri by Mitai Rolleston, representing Ngati Whakaue, the local iwi. This was followed by the reading of the Statement of Purpose:

“We are gathered today to leave this house which has been a home for Mill Hill and Diocesan priests, for Sisters of St Joseph, for their students, and, in recent times, for the youth team of our Diocese. We are gathered to move on in faith, confident of God’s care for us.”

Prayers of worship were then prayed together, followed by a reading from Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews: “We do not have here a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

Sister Carina Cobb presented an historical overview, particularly of the time when the Sisters and their student boarders lived in the house. Members of the faith community were then able to share their own personal and treasured memories. Father Timmerman, the last residing Mill Hill Missionary priest in Rotorua, then proclaimed the words: “

Today we have celebrated with thanksgiving the presence of this presbytery of St Michael’s Parish. It has served so many, for over 100 years. It has provided refuge, comfort, and challenges for God’s people. It has served for generations the faithful people of this parish community. This building we now decommission and farewell.” And naturally we all replied, “Thanks be to God.”

A prayer of “Moving On in Faith” was prayed by Sister Monica Costello of the Sisters of Mercy, who live and work in the Parish of St Michael.An invitation into St Michael’s Crypt for a further time of sharing and celebration was preceded by a time of private farewell, where people had the opportunity to walk through the rooms of the old building, filled with the spirit of over one hundred years of history.And so ended a simple, yet fitting, ceremony of closure for a house of many warm and varied memories.

Des Bergman (St Michael’s Parishioner) and Sister Carina Cobb RSJ, in front of the presbytery

Fr. Timmerman MHM was ordained in December 1945 in Holland and he arrived in New Zealand in

June 1948. He spent one year as a curate in Waitaruke in the Far North and in May 1949 he was appointed

to Rotorua where he has served ever since.


NEW LEADLIGHT WINDOWS AT st MARY’S CHURCH Fr Mark Field Elisabeth Kubler-Ross once wrote that “people are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” Since December last year, St Mary’s Church, Rotorua has begun to “sparkle and shine”, with the installation of a series of colourful and dramatic leadlight windows.

In what is truly a labour of love, Henk Buissink (pictured below) has been installing leadlight windows in the church at an average of one window every three weeks. Formerly a parishioner of St Joseph’s Church, Owhata (which closed in 2008), Henk has crafted a series of windows showing, appropriately for a church dedicated to the Mother of God, key events in the life of Mary: Annunciation, Birth of Jesus, Visit of the Magi, Holy Family, Wedding at Cana, Crucifixion, Pentecost, and the Assumption. As well, there are windows commemorating the apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima, and a window honouring “Our Lady of Rotorua”, complete with tui, kowhai, Pohutu Geyser, Mt Tarawera, Mokoia Island, and so on. There are also windows for the four evangelists.

With the eastern side of the church completed, Henk is now turning his eyes to the western side, where there will be a series of windows of the life of Jesus, with the Last Supper and Resurrection the first planned, due by Christmas. Henk, with artist and craftsman John Skudder, does the work without charge – various parishioners and groups have willingly paid for the materials, dedicating the windows, in

The parish is very grateful to Henk and John for their time and considerable talents, and looks forward to the completion of the project as St Mary’s celebrates its 25th year next year -

a truly beautiful church.

Commemoration of Pope Benedict’s 60th Jubilee of Ordination

In June this year, parishioners from the Catholic Parishes of Rotorua prayed before the Eucharist for sixty hours, in honour of the sixty years of priesthood of Pope Benedict, both in thanksgiving and for his intentions. As well, a book was made available to parishioners after Sunday Masses to record a goodwill message to the Holy Father. Students in the three Catholic schools were also given the opportunity to write a congratulatory message. These were all bound together and sent, by diplomatic pouch (courtesy of the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Balvo), to the Vatican.

Pictured holding the rimu-bound book of goodwill messages is Maureen Kilkelly. The book is inscribed with the words: “Pope Benedict XVI: Honouring your 60 years of Priesthood – with love and respect from the people of Rotorua, New Zealand.”


st mary’s catholic school, rotorua By Teresa Rush, DRS St Mary’s School.

Phone: 0800 843 233Email: [email protected]

Our Green-Fingered SchoolLast year the school established vegetable gardens that have been very productive with the students really enjoying growing seedlings, caring for the plants and then harvesting the vegetables. The gardens were made so that we could involve students in gardening and encourage them to have gardens at home. We compost, and have worm farms to enhance the garden output. Our English as a second language students have centred discussion and language development around the gardens and ways of gardening.

The main reason for the garden was to grow produce for our community and those who needed some extra assistance with their groceries. Sr Carina RSJ has been instrumental in ensuring our families in need receive the produce. Classes have also been able to use the produce to make salads and other interesting dishes in their classrooms.

Students are often seen in the garden on a daily basis. Even during winter we had a keen group who dedicated their time and effort for the gardens. Classes have taken part in growing competitions and received garden ornaments as prizes. Children are often heard praying

for their gardens to grow; it is a nice reflective space. With the planting of fruit trees around the school we are getting our students interested in sustainability and caring for the environment.

Our gardens are now being prepared for new season vegetables, and we look forward to sprouting potatoes, propagating seeds, picking strawberries and getting into our fantastic Rotorua soil once again.

Our Cultural SchoolWe are very privileged to have many cultures in our school. Currently we have over 23 different groups of students who have been born in other parts of the world. To celebrate our cultural diversity we have installed 20 flagpoles. On Thursday, 15 September we had a flag blessing liturgy. One student from each of our represented countries spoke about their flag, language and what it meant to be born there.

It was a very educational and moving liturgy with the kapa haka group performing for the school after the flags had been raised. Students enjoy putting the flags up daily and strive to get their flag in prime position.

It has been a good learning opportunity for students about which way different countries’ flags are flown and flag

protocol. It is very special to see them flying and makes us all feel united and equal as a community of God’s family. Not to mention the great fun when there were 20 NZ All Blacks flags fluttering in the wind.

fr keane celebrates 50 years as a priest By Teresa O’Reilly

15 . KETE KORERO, NOVEMBER 2011- JANUARY 2012

For half a century, Father Pat Keane has ministered to parishioners all over the central North Island region, from Auckland to Taupo. “Plus”, he says in his gentle Irish lilt, “I want to continue as long as possible, while health allows.”

Now one of only a handful of Irish Catholic missionary priests still working in New Zealand, Fr Keane was born in Querrin, Lisdeen, Co. Clare on 6 October 1936, and was baptised Patrick Gerard Keane. He trained as a priest in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was ordained on June 11, 1961, and arrived in New Zealand in November of that year. Since then his appointments have included Ponsonby, Morrinsville, Te Aroha, Pukekohe, Hamilton, Ruawai, Taupo, Te Rapa, and since 2002, as parish priest for Huntly and Ngaruawahia parishes. He has just completed 50 years in the priesthood, and in that time has worked among thousands of parishioners.

In his earlier years in New Zealand Fr Keane was a keen Gaelic footballer, hurler, tennis and squash player. He still plays golf regularly, and he is an accomplished chess player and musician, playing the organ, accordion, and mouth-organ. For five years he was president of the Waikato Irish Club, and was a guest lecturer for some years in Irish history, culture and language at Waikato University. He has always maintained a fluency in his native Gaelic tongue.

“When I first came here it felt so far away, and I had to learn to deal with a different culture and different background,” he says. “It was a real challenge to integrate into New Zealand society and to understand life here so that I could contribute to the lives of my parishioners. But now I have become part of the country. I have got to know the people and the problems of their society, and how I can assist them in all walks of life, from babies and small children, through teenagers and those

preparing for marriage, to older people coping with the problems of life – the sick, the elderly and the dying.”

Fr Keane says he has never regretted his chosen vocation, and he believes it has provided him with the opportunity to be involved in many of society’s ways of life. To mark his 50 years’ work, a special celebratory Mass was held at Ngaruawahia on Sunday, 9 October with Fr Graeme Alexander and Deacon Bill Wells assisting in the Mass with Fr Pat. The church was packed with several hundred present and former parishioners.

With two of his sisters, Sister Mary and Sister Veronica, long-time Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and now resident at their convent in Mission Bay, the three members of the Keane family have together given almost 170 years’ service to their Church. In July this year Fr Pat, Sister Mary and Sister Veronica visited their home in Ireland where a celebration of his ordination 50 years ago was held among family and friends.

A photo taken outside Father Patrick’s nephew’s house in Co. Clare - July 2011.From left to right. Anne (nephew’s wife), Agnes (Fr. Pat’s sister), Father Patrick, Sr. Veronica,

Sr. Mary, Aidan Keane (nephew).

Father Patrick Keane and 2 classmates taken in Ireland in 2011

MIR Pilgrimages

Please contact:

Patricia ParsonsPh: 0274 219 064 Email: [email protected]

Upcoming Pilgrimage: Diocesan Pilgrimageled by Bishop Denis Browne

International Eucharistic Congress (IEC)6 - 24 June 2012 Dublin, Ireland

See poster on Church noticeboardRegister your interest now!


St Thomas More, Mount Maunganui

Recently our parish held another fundraiser for our adopted parish of St Joseph’s Papanui, Christchurch. We held a parish dinner and over $2300 was raised. Our guest speaker, Philip Sherry, enthralled the parishioners with a very entertaining and hilarious talk.

In March the two parishes of St Thomas More, Mt Maunganui and St Patrick’s, Te Puke, raised over $7000 and this was sent to St Joseph’s Parish.

We received a very heart warming letter of appreciation from the parish priest advising of the various ways the money was distributed and used to support many struggling families. As a result we as a parish decided to continue to support St Joseph’s parish as their needs are great.

parish news from... St Joseph’s, WaihiConfirmation and First Holy Communion was held at St. Joseph’s, Waih,i on 3 September for 21 boys and girls.

One of the children receiving Confirmation and First Holy Communion was Michaela Malone who invited her great-uncle, Cardinal Tom Williams, to come.

The picture shows Michaela receiving Our Lord for the first time from her very beloved great-uncle, Cardinal Tom. With a Cardinal, a Bishop, a Monsignor and a Deacon around the Eucharistic Table, little St. Joseph’s, Waihi, was on a real fuss.

After Mass over 200 parishioners and guests sat down for a banquet at the Waihi Community Marae. ‘Masterchef ’ Deacon Terri Sorenson oversaw the cooking with wonderful panache.

LEAVING A LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE

Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, Chanel Centre, HamiltonPhone: 0800 843 233 Email: [email protected]

Booklet Guideavailable from your Parish or from

17. KETE KORERO, NOVEMBER 2011 - JANJUARY 2012

To finish off our inquiry focus for the year we came together as a syndicate to create a New Zealand flavoured Cross.

On Friday , 15 July the junior syndicate set about to make this kiwiana Cross. Our kiwiana Cross showed integrated icons in the sign of the Cross through the life of God and those of us who live in New Zealand.

It had crazy fluffy sheep, flags, hokey pokey ice cream, koru, buzy bees and lots more. It took about two days to make and it is 4 metres high by about 1.5 metres wide. We first made everything individually and then glued on our creations to complete the kiwiana Cross. We left the Cross on an outside wall at school, and after about a week we put it up in the school office. We were amazed nothing happened to it for a whole week! If you want to see our amazing Cross, come to St Joseph’s Catholic School in Morrinsville.

Scott Vercoe and Natt Hopkins

St joseph’s catholic school morrinsville

kiwiana cross

As We Pray

A work in progress

The finished product with some very proud pupils admiring their work.

MISSIONZPROVIDING FOR THE PONTIFICAL

MISSION SOCIETIESEstablishing and supporting the Church in mission lands

fully occupies the Pope’s three Mission SocietiesPropagation of the Faith funds new Bishops.• St Peter the Apostle helps train priests and religious.• Holy Childhood forms children in the Catholic Faith.•

“I thank the Pontifical Mission Societies for their indispensable service in inspiring and promoting involvement in the missionary activity of the Church. I thank them for the financial assistance to the Young Churches.” Pope Benedict XV Mission Sunday 2009

Send donations to Missionz PO Box 12322 Wellington 6144Fr Paul G Shannahan sm National Director. www.missionz.co.nz

It was by divine intervention that your letter announcing a grant of $NZ 20,000 dollars to the Diocese of Oyo, Nigeria came to me yesterday. Well, it was a real blessing. I wish to thank you and all the donors and the Pontifical Mission Society of New Zealand for the grant. In a small rural diocese like Oyo located among a huge Muslim population it is indeed a great help. I promise to give you in due course a detailed account of the expenditure of the money spent on the Christ the King Church Gedu estate and other needs in the diocese.

Christ the King has been hitherto an uncompleted outstation church. I will try with your assistance to turn it into a parish church to cater for the not so privileged people of the area. I think this will make you and our donors proud. Thank you again and I would love to hear from you again.

Bishop Emmanuel Badejo Co-Adjutor Bishop of Oyo in Nigeria.

The Diocese of Oyo, established only in 1963, is in Western Nigeria near the border of Benin. There are about 60,000 Catholics amid a largely Muslim population of over 4,000,000. Just 33 priests and 35 Sisters labour in scattered towns and villages for people who struggle to eke

out a living from the land.

heartfelt thanks from nigeria

It has been more than a month since I said goodbye to my fellow World Youth Day Pilgrims, but I think about them often, and the amazing experience we shared. I hope you had a chance to read our blog (www.catholicyouth.org.nz) which gives a more detailed account of what we did, but I’d like to share with you (as briefly as pos-sible!) a little bit about our pilgrimage and few comments from the pilgrims about our experience!

We began in Paris, visiting Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Caroline Downey comments; “It was cool because even though the priest spoke french we could understand. There is something beautiful, steadfast, and uniting about being in Mass so far from home. The churches here are like nothing I have ever seen, it is true that they are breathtakingly beautiful.”

After two days in Paris we went on a very fast tour through Lisieux, Chartres, and Tours (where we stayed a night), then Nevers, Paray-le-Monial, Ars and onto Lyon. It was amazing to follow in the footsteps of so many saints who we know and love. From Anita Fransen’s blog;It was amazing to be able to walk in [St. Bernadette’s] footsteps as we stepped over the gate threshold where she entered the convent, prayed in the garden as she did and reflected in the chapel where she prayed. After learning about her life and reflecting on ours, we headed up to visit her incorrupt body. However, due to our poor reading of the English sign it was closed over lunchtime! After a quick lunch at one of the few food places open we headed back to pray with St Bernadette. She looked beautiful and so peaceful, the miracle of her incorruptible body was incomprehensible.”

In Lyon we visited the Cathedral and Basilica. Isaac Fransen comments; “Mass was very touching being connected through our spiritual roots of Bishop Pompallier. Lifting up the mass as our intentions were joined with the Bishop’s of the diocese Bishop Denis Browne. This was a privilege and a memorable mass for us all. Also at the back of the crypt there was a special plaque dedicated to NZ acknowledging the part the missionaries from Lyon played in bringing the faith ‘in all its richness’ to oceania, and especially New Zealand.”

At the heart of the pilgrimage was a 10 day walk, on the Way of St James (Santiago de Compostella). The idea to include a walk was pure genius- instead of being a comfortable tour, our pilgrimage became a real pilgrimage, a time of great struggle, and great growth! Everything slowed down and we were able to take the time to walk with Jesus, to give him our burdens and to

Catholic Youth Officewww.catholicyouth.org.nz

Alex Bailey 021 228 [email protected]

Landline 07 8566989Thach Tran 021 228 4523

[email protected]

Pilgrims await the Papal arrival

Chris Bong amongst the atmosphere

Jessica Jackman and Lynley Mourits - St Peters Square


really live for Him. Chris Bong comments;”We embarked on Day 2 of the walk towards Conques inspired by the faith of our St Privat comrades – how does town of this size build a chapel such worthy of the admiration? also, how many trips down the communion aisle does it take to wear down a solid stone floor by two whole inches? [...] So far in our trip, we’ve visited the shrines of saints who are simply saints because of the little ways in which they’ve chose to serve God. The walk and seperation allowed us to practise this – as long as we’d focus on God and each small step that we take, we’d be one step further on this pilgrimage.’

At the end of the walk we spent a few days in Lourdes. It was definitely a time of spiritual healing for many of us, an opportunity to finally hand over to Jesus through the hands of Our Lady all of our burdens. Tracey Bromell comments; “Many people were lining up for ages to touch the stone of the Grotto, collect some water to take away, drink, wash their face or bathe in the waters. At first I found it overwhelming to see so many people in wheelchairs or using aides to make the journey. As I walked past the baths, I couldn’t help but offer a prayer of thanksgiving for my own health and to see the faith that so many have.”

Finally the real reason for our pilgrimage was upon us! (This particular blog was a collarborative effort so I can’t give you an author.) “Our preparation for WYD started with catechesis during the first three days in the morning. We were really blessed to have the Bishops of Edinburgh, Canberra and New York present these to us. The teaching was very valuable for our faith formation which made the heat and crowds of the small church bearable. A special highlight of the week included Caroline and Brigid getting to meet the Pope and kiss his ring and Isaac and Brian participating in the gospel procession for the opening ceremony. The rest of the group endured six hours of blazing hot sun to be at the front of the crowd to be as close as possible to the Holy Father... thank goodness for the volunteers spraying water on us otherwise we may not have survived! Other activities throughout the week included attending various talks at the English hub, the Vocations Expo, the Stations of the Cross, and meeting other New Zealand pilgrims at the NZ gathering. All these amazing experiences culminated in the climax of the World Youth Day week; the Vigil and Mass with the Holy Father.”

The Vigil, as you may have seen, was quite a challenge! We were unable to enter the main arena due to overcrowding, so had no

food, and little water in the 40 deg heat! Then a few hours later we got soaked by a massive thunderstorm! A pilgrim reflects. “You know, in spite of the nuttiness of the last 48 hours, I can’t help but see God’s hand and praise him for what we experienced! In our culture it is not often that you cannot satisfy a basic need such as thirst, hunger or shelter. Last night, we lost all three and entered into something deeper- perhaps our physical thirst mirrored our spiritual one- and we really felt like spiritual refugees- hungry and thirsty with nowhere to go!”

WYD ended with a final Mass with the Holy Father, after which we travelled to Rome. Another pilgrim comments... “Rome really brings it home to you- our faith is not about an idea or ideology- but about a real person, a real event which happened here on earth. [...] As we stood in the place where Pope St Sixtus was discovered saying Mass by Roman soldiers, before being dragged outside and martyred, and prayed before the Tomb where St Cecilia’s incorrupt body was found centuries after her martyrdom, we once again came face to face with the real-ness of our Faith- these are not fairy sto-ries, but tombs of real people who died for their faith.”

Most of us have now returned home, but I am sure, like me, all of the pilgrims will be treasuring our experience in our hearts! We left hoping for miracles, for direction and for peace and while I don’t think anyone received any thunderbolts from Heaven (well, no metaphorical ones anyway!) we definitely experienced the pres-ence of God as a gentle breeze.

I will finish, with a very grateful thank you for the support of the diocese in helping us to get to World Youth Day, in the hope that your pilgrims, planted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith, will by the grace of God bear fruit for the Church!

Jessica Jackman

THE RIV BARS & CAFE in the Clyde St shopping complex in Hamilton East has beenpurchased by seven long-standing Hamilton Catholic families.

The Riv menu caters for all tastes at very moderate prices - go to www.theriv.co.nz for details.

Great facilities available for re-unions, parties and the like.Visitors to Hamilton from throughout the diocese are very welcome

for coffee or meals any day of the week.The support of the Catholic community is greatly appreciated.

On Tuesdays,dinner meals normally costing up to $20 can be had for $10.

Evening meals after 6.00 pm Mass are a speciality.


Talking About.....

taking control of your fertility By Anna Tuff ery


Dr Tom Hilgers is the founder of the Pope Paul VI Institute for The Study of Human

Reproduction in Omaha, NE., USA.

I assumed that when my husband, Hayden, and I married it would be a matter of months before we announced our fi rst pregnancy. Eighteen months later we began the journey of investigation into why this had not happened.

This journey for us was a road paved with many questions and too few answers, big bills (thankfully covered by insurance), signifi cant emotional stress and an approach from the medical profession which we felt was disinterested in determining the cause of problems and quick to promote the use of artifi cial reproductive technologies, such as IVF.

This led to long hours researching different approaches to the investigation of fertility issues. We were looking for an approach which the Catholic Church had spoken on positively or had devised herself. It was here I came across a medical science called NaProTechnology. This is a whole area of medicine designed by an American endocrinologist Dr Hilgers, in response to Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae. This science is committed to investigating the causes of reproductive issues and treating them in a way which upholds the dignity of the human person and allows them to naturally achieve or avoid a pregnancy.

The starting point of NaProTechnology is to chart the monthly reproductive cycle using a method called the Creighton Model Fertility Care System [CrMS]. This uses objective criteria and certain occurrences in the cycle to indicate ovulation and/or other areas which need further investigation.

This approach was exactly what we were looking for, yet no one taught it in New Zealand, so we booked tickets to Sydney to further investigate. By the grace of God a few days later we discovered we were pregnant and now we have a healthy and happy son. As we settled into parenthood I realised the issues Hayden and I had faced are still present for many women and couples. Not just the pain of infertility, but also for those who are blessed abundantly with fertility, and also the numerous women who suffer from reproductive related disorders. It is in silence that these people suffer, and yet it need not be this way.

Armed with drive and determination Heidi Mills and I are setting out to be trained in the Creighton Model Fertility Care System so we can teach it to others in New Zealand. We both feel called to undertake this training and to offer this service. We fi rmly believe it is a tool which can help empower women and couples about their reproductive capabilities.

This training is not cheap and Heidi and I will gratefully accept any fi nancial support, but more than that we need couples who want to be trained how to chart using the CrMS. We anticipate beginning consultations with couples early in January 2012. Contact: Anna at [email protected] Heidi at [email protected]

Phone 855 5541For a copy of our free funeral planning kit, please clip and return this coupon toJames R Hill Funeral Directors, 1004 Heaphy Terrace, Hamilton 3214.

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• White Rose Chapel and catering lounge• Pre-arranged funeral packages available• Eco-friendly options• Wide selection of memorials and headstones

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Catholic ShopCathedral of the

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21.KETE KORERO, NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

TE RUNANGA O TE HAAHI KATORIKA KI AOTEAROAReport by Mate Tangitu from the Hui held at Hato Petera College, Auckland 9-11 September 2011

Kia ora koutou katoa

It is with great pleasure that I give this report as the Hamilton Diocese delegate on the Runanga hui held in Septemer.

CaritasWe met David Nonu (yes, he’s a cousin to Ma’a Nonu, our famous All Black) who represented Caritas. He presented Social Justice resources, which the Runanga received very well. Our Te Teko and Kawerau group participate in this, and find it very rewarding in terms of our relationship with God and encouraging us to soul search on real issues which affect our communities. Te Runanga O Te Haahi Katorika ki Aotearoa have a very awesome relationship with Caritas.

Diocesan ReportsChristchurch continues to recover from that fatal earthquake, and it was absolutely pleasing to see Bishop Jones attend this hui.

Our Wellington delegates have been very busy, and Jaana Kahu and Rangi Hau attended a Stewardship Conference in Wellington.

Sister Tui Cadigan rsm gave a report on behalf of Te Kahui O Te Ariki (Wahine) and that two whaea tapu had passed away in recent months. Sister also acknowledged that Martha Martin, a former member of the Runanga, had passed away.Sister Tui spoke to the kawe mate for Sr Zita which was held on the Sunday in Ponsonby. The Runanga attended this before departing for home.

Rangi Hau spoke to Ngakau Tapu Parish in Porirua and stated that Viard College has a new principal.[Mrs Teresa Cargo – see story in this issue of Kete Korero]

Te Runanga Whakawhanaunga I Nga HaahiThe role of Te Runanga Whakawhanaunga I Nga Haahi was discussed in terms of their relationship with the Runanga.The Runanga celebrated Mass with the Hato Petera College community in the College Chapel on Sunday morning before departing to St Marys Convent in Auckland for the Memorial Mass for Sr Irihapeti.

Parish VisitsI wish to apologise to those parishes in the Hamilton Diocese who have not met myself or Margaret Maynard. We need to be visiting you all and I request that you contact me on telephone No (07) 3049170 or email me at [email protected] if you wish to speak with me on any relevant matter to do with the Runanga.In the New Year one of my objectives is to get out and about in the Diocese.

This will be my last report for the year; and in saying that, I wish you all a very blessed, safe and happy Christmas; I always love Christmas because it always gives me reason to celebrate the coming of Christ. Travel safe, take care and love one another.

Ma te Atua koutou e manaaki.Mate TangituDelegateHamilton DioceseTe Runanga O Te Haahi Katorika ki Aotearoa

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Catholic Family Support Services

Providing support to families in the Waikato since 1973

Services Provided

Family SupportParents and caregivers are supported to build

thriving families by regular home visits and encouraged in building their confidence.

Social WorkProfessional Social Work service for families providing advocacy, liaison, assessment, and

referral to other agencies if appropriate

BudgetingThe agency is affiliated to the NZ Federation of Family Budgeting Services. Qualified Budget

Advisers provide confidential and professional advice and support.

EducationProvided in parenting skills, child development,

and advocacy.

Seasons for GrowthCompanions provide courses that address grief

and loss for adults and children. Training of Companions is also provided.

Supervised ContactNon-custodial parents are provided contact

time with their children in a supervised and safe environment (a fee is charged for this service).

Te Ara Hou Village100 Morrinsville Road

Hamilton

Phone /fax: 07 856 3760Email: [email protected]

www.cfss.org.nz

catholic family support services: a brief history By Imelda Corby

The obituary for Rev. Deacon Mike Ryan (Kete Korero, Aug.-Oct. 2011) reminded many people that there is a lively history of Catholic Social Service, that began before the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton was created in 1980.

Until 1980 Hamilton was part of the Auckland Diocese. In 1973, Mrs. Clasien Truijens was appointed by Bishop Delargey as Director of Catholic Social Services [CSS] for the Waikato-King Country area. Besides setting up a social service agency, Clasien was keen to start a programme of family care, which she knew and had experienced in the Netherlands. A programme of Catholic Social Family Care was established after the German occupation of Holland in the Second World War. From 1973 Clasien struggled to get recognition and funding for the programme in Hamilton. In the meantime social work and programmes, such as marriage preparation courses and marriage counselling generated from within the Auckland Diocese, were introduced to Hamilton. The first “office” was a small cottage in the grounds of St. Mary’s Convent. A volunteer committee set up two opportunity shops, canvassed for donations, and made funding applications (modest wages were paid). Some clients with difficulties were referred on to parish based care groups – the forerunner of parish pastoral workers. When he was appointed Bishop of Hamilton in 1980, Bishop Gaines found an established and virtually self-supporting Catholic Social Services organisation in the new diocese. That same year Clasien’s family support service, known as the “Homemaker Service”, gained some government funding for a two year pilot programme. The service’s first care worker was Ita Bowe, who accepted the role without hesitation, and the service began. Sadly, Clasien needed to retire for health reasons. Marie Snape, who was appointed Director by Bishop Gaines, steered the agency through those first crucial years. With the pilot programme for the “Homemaker Service” deemed a success, the service expanded to meet increasing demand. An agency car was purchased, and Bishop Gaines provided a house next to Marian School from which CSS worked. Some staff members who had contributed many hours of work had left, while others remained in their roles for many years to come.

At the end of 1983 Marie Snape moved on, and Imelda Corby was appointed by Bishop Gaines as the new Director of CSS for a 5-year term, beginning in early 1984. Jane Prenter, who had been with CSS first as a volunteer, then as asocial worker, became supervisor of the Homemaker Family Support Service. Marriage preparation courses were conducted with a team of volunteer couples, three to four times a year. The volunteer marriage counsellors who had trained with the Auckland Diocese, joined new recruits now being trained locally. Mike Ryan, who was both a marriage guidance, and a court counsellor in Rotorua (before being ordained a permanent deacon in 1990), was asked to do the trainees’ final assessment. He brought another counsellor with him and the two put the trainees through their paces; all passed. Thus began Mike’s connection with Catholic Social Services.

While prayer and reflection has always been integral to the staff and volunteer teams, the increasing complexity of client situations called for additional support, especially for the “Homemaker Family Support” workers. Training and time-out days were introduced for all staff.

When Imelda left C.S.S. Jane Prenter was appointed Director, but when Jane also moved on in 1989, she was succeeded by Mike Ryan as interim Director. Later, Bridget Harrison, who was a staff member of CSS for some years, was appointed by the Bishop. Bridget managed the agency for the next twelve or so years, through difficult times. Closure had been threatening, but the Department of Social Welfare offered a contract to the CSS, and the agency survived. In late 1999 the agency moved to Te Ara Hou Social Services Village and Bridget remained the Director until early 2003.

Bishop Denis Browne appointed Carole Fleming as Director of the agency now known as Catholic Family Support Service [CFSS] in 2003. Changes in the services provided by CFSS reflected the changes in society and the community. For example, while marriage counsellors were no longer called upon, supervised access for non-custodial parents was a necessity. A Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart initiative, “Seasons for Growth”, for children and adults experiencing significant loss, was also taken up by CFSS. Child Youth and Family refer many families to CFSS for intensive social work/family support under a contract arrangement. More recently, money management and a budget advisory service offered by CFSS staff, meet an increasing need in the community.

For 38 years Catholic Social Services has been functioning in the Hamilton area, always with the original core service of family support for parents and children, and adapting to other needs as they emerge. CFSS is well recognised for its expertise in family care.

From those early beginnings, with the vision of skilled, professional help and support for families, which Clasien Truijens brought to Catholic Social Services, the journey has often been a bumpy ride. Financial crises and the demand for other services, such as marriage preparation, counselling and more has meant CFSS has had to adapt to the changing needs of its clients and the wider community. Bishop Gaines said that Catholic Social services “wasn’t to cost the Diocese”, so to that end, every dollar had to be found to maintain the services provided. From becoming a very skilled group of family support practitioners, highly regarded in their field by the wider community, CFSS continues as a visible, dynamic part of the Catholic pastoral role of the Church.


PROUD SUPPLIERS

to the

DIOCESAN CAR FUND TRUST

Panel Shop

54 Sunshine AveTe Rapa, Hamilton

* the Car Fund Trust’s Hamilton depot

Why don’t you come and talkwith us and fi nd our more abouthow we can help you? Or visitour website:www.carfund.org.nz

The Diocesan Car Fund TrustCatholic Centre, 22-30 Hill St, WellingtonPO Box 1937, Wellington 6140Tel: 04 496 1705 Fax: 04 499 [email protected]

SUPPORTINGPastoral Services to All Churches• Clergy• Religious Congregations• Pastoral Ministries• Long-term Church Employees•

Catholic Family Support Services has been notified by Bishop Denis that Andy Ryan has become a Papal Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great. Andy is consulting with his family as to when this will be publicly presented, but Bishop thinks it will be on a weekday evening at Assisi. This is huge for Andy and Liz, and of course Catholic Family Support Services, who Andy has served so faithfully for so long.


The build begins. From left: Clem Parker, Colin Smith, Alan McDonald, Sisters Brendan & de Cruce, Jack Flynn,

Archie Hamilton.

atawhai mercy assisi home & hospital celebrates 40 years By Judy Hindrup, CEO Atawhai Mercy AssisiOn 11 December 1971, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood opened a 20 bed resthome on land in Matangi Rd, donated by the late Archie Hamilton, and his wife Margaret. So began a long history of service to

the elderly in Hamilton.

Atawhai Mercy Assisi prides itself in never having a mortgage in its 40 year history, due to extensive fundraising, grants, bequests, memorial donations and a recent grant from the Sisters of Mercy, New Zealand, to build its latest addition, 16 new beds opened in 2010.

Following an invitation from Bishop Liston, Franciscan Missionaries Sr De Cruce & Sr Stella Clarissima (later Sr Francis Hall) arrived in 1968. They were met by a group of Catholic supporters ready to plan the development of a home & hospital for the elderly, Initially the sisters worked with district nurses in Hamilton to get to know the local community, and began their fundraising, including several visits to Parliament by Sr De Cruce to secure funding!

A loyal team of supporters assisted with fundraising, which included lots of door knocking, raffles, galas, even a nationwide raffle, the prize being a donated racehorse, which eventually had a couple of successes for its new owner.

Following the opening of the resthome, a 20 bed hospital was built, followed by the chapel, hall, two flats for diocesan priests, upgrades, conversion of the original convent into additional resthome rooms, building a new convent, and culminating in the latest addition of 16 new hospital rooms in 2010. This brought the facility up to a current total of 40 resthome rooms and 46 hospital rooms.

In 1992 the decision was made by the Franciscan Missionaries to withdraw their congregation from New Zealand to work in other parts of the world. At this time they invited the Sisters of Mercy Auckland to take over the ownership and sponsorship of Assisi. This occurred in January 1994. The Sisters of Mercy have continued to provide strong support and guidance, making Atawhai Mercy Assisi one of the best known and respected aged care facilities in the Waikato.

Atawhai Mercy Assisi has also had strong commitment from the community through its charity shops. The first shop opened in Alexandra St in 1970, moved a few times before opening in Rimu St Frankton. This shop closed in the early 2000s. In 2008 Rimu Assisi Charity shop reopened in new premises in Grey St Hamilton East where it continues to raise funds to support services for the elderly at Assisi.

We take this opportunity to thank our loyal supporters who provide good quality donations. We hope that your support continues and new donors will think of us as you consider donating good quality bric-a-brac, books, china and clothing. All funds raised go towards services for the elderly at Assisi.

Atawhai Mercy Assisi has strong a commitment from its 85 staff to ensure that we continue to attain three year certification with the Ministry of Health, and ongoing accreditation to the Australian Healthcare standards, which ensure that our services are forward thinking and best practice focussed.

We invite our friends and supporters to our 40 year celebrations to be held at Assisi on 10 December from 1.30pm to 3.30 pm. Come and join us!

ATAWHAIMERCY ASSISI

Christian-based Rest Home and Hospital with 24 hour registered

nurse care.

Any denomination welcome.Certifi ed and Accredited

Your assurance of quality care

158 Matangi Road, R D 4, HamiltonPhone: 07 856 3019

www.assisi.co.nz

The new wing at Atawhai Mercy Assisi


mercy award ceremony 2011

Each September Atawhai Mercy Assisi holds a Mercy Award Ceremony honouring both staff and volunteers. The awards recognise long service to Assisi, health and safety, and pastoral care. Assisi values the contribution of the team of volunteers who help the residents in a variety of ways, including providing transport, reading, music and companionship. The volunteer award was presented by Mr. Andy Ryan a volunteer at Assisi for many years. Andy has become a Papal Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great.

In celebrating Mercy the Sisters of Mercy also remember that on 24 September 1827 Catherine McAuley’s first House of Mercy opened its doors to the poor and vulnerable on Baggot Street, Dublin. This shelter for abandoned and abused women and children from Dublin’s slums was the start of a ministry that continues today in Sisters of Mercy

Recipients of awards. Back row from left Suruj Wati, Debra-Jean Rapana, Wilhelmina Murphy; Patricia Beasley.Front row Geraldine Chappell, Savitri Chand, Jenny Sutton & Judy Hindrup(CEO).

The Health & Safety Award is given to the person who best demonstrates health & safety in the workplace. These 2 sets of awards are nominated by staff & residents and their families. The Award winner Margaret Cross is pictured with Sr Patricia Rowe rsm (left). The loyal volunteers from the Mercy Assisi shop with

Adirenne Cook, the shop manager (back row left).

AssisiCharity Shop

Operated for Atawhai Mercy Assisi Resthome and Hospital

158 Matangi Rd, Hamilton

Hours: 9.00 am - 4.00 pm Monday to Friday Ph: 07 856 4903

We welcome

volunteers

* good quality clothing * kitchenware * books

371 Grey Street, Hamilton East(next to StudyLink right by pedestrian crossing)

Leaping into University in 2012? Have a safe landing!

For Year 13 students now swotting for exams but planning to attend University in 2012 (leap year!) there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A whole new stage in life is about to open up, full of excitement and boundless possibilities. You will be spreading your wings because you will have reached a new stage of autonomy, maturity and responsibility.

However, it is important to land at University with a sense of purpose rather than merely aiming at getting through a course and “hanging-out”. Your university years are also an ideal time in life to seek out the formation you need for an integral living out of your values, including your Christian faith.

All universities have a Catholic Chaplaincy and student societies. A good idea is to be in touch from the very start. That way you can make good friends, have fun and discover how to integrate your faith with your new life and its demands.

The University of Waikato has an active student club called Waicath: look them up on Facebook. Fr. Andrew Paris is the chaplain for the University and for Wintec in Hamilton, you can contact him through their websites.

FIND US ON FACEBOOK WAICATHContact Fr Andrew Paris, Catholic Chaplain 021 063 0024 [email protected]

office of the catholic

chaplaincy


CELEBRATING A CENTENARY OF SERVICE TO LEPROSY

The Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary29 November 2011 marks the centenary of the arrival of the first leprosy patients on the island of Makogai, a beautiful, remote island in Fiji seventy miles north west of Suva. The early 20th century was the time when the segregation of leprosy patients was at its height. There was no cure and it would be another thirty plus years before the discovery of antibiotics eventually led to an effective treatment for leprosy. The removal of people with this dreaded disease from their families and communities was seen as the only possible way of protecting the wider community from infection.

Into this somewhat hopeless picture came two organisations responsible for alleviating the plight of these patients - even making their “prison” an appealing, comfortable and happy home. These two groups - the SMSM Sisters and the Pacific Leprosy Foundation continue the work of assisting leprosy sufferers, albeit in different ways, to this day.

The Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM)

The SMSM Sisters were asked to take on the care of leprosy patients on Makogai when the leprosarium was being planned. Few people wanted to take on such a task but the Sisters had been involved in caring for leprosy patients in other parts of the world as early as 1892 when Sister Marie de la Croix cared for leprosy sufferers who had been banished to a small island in New Caledonia.

The Sisters set about their task of creating a self-sufficient settlement. Patients helped to build the villages for different ethnic groups of patients, grew vegetables and crops for their own and hospital use, farmed sheep and pigs, and fished regularly. The Sisters operated an out-patient clinic for the

healthier patients and a hospital for serious and advanced cases. Sporting events, theatre and film shows were regularly held, and festivals such as Christmas celebrated with gusto. Patients recalled that the Sisters were a source of great amusement at the shows and sports days and when they did their medical rounds on ponies and then later on bikes and scooters. Apparently not all the Sisters were accomplished in these modes of transport, giving rise to great hilarity as they arrived two or even three on a scooter, often failing to stop without calamity. It was this level of humour and approachability of the Sisters, together with their great compassion during the fifty-eight years Makogai operated as a leprosarium, which endeared them in the hearts of the residents.

Makogai came to represent a place where leprosy sufferers could mix with people their own age and enjoy warm friendships. The camaraderie that developed is something the ex-patients nostalgically recall and attribute to the loving care received. They said life on Makogai was like living in one big family. This was particularly true for school children who as well as receiving a formal education, were taught skills for future employment. In fact all the residents were taught basic skills for later life, either by the Sisters or other qualified patients, such as carpentry and trades for men, and sewing for women.

The Pacific Leprosy Foundation

It was the charity that stemmed originally from Christchurch and later nationally, that enabled the high level of care at Makogai. In early 1920s two Christchurch men, elderly Benjamin Pratt and a young Patrick Twomey, began raising goods and funds for leprosy patients isolated on Quail Island in Lyttelton Harbour where initially New Zealand leprosy cases were sent. In 1925 the decision was made to send the leprosy patients on Quail Island to Makogai.

Twomey’s enthusiastic support was undaunted and he extended his efforts to help all patients on Makogai - over seven hundred residents by the 1950s. Twomey’s assistance augmented hospital supplies and projects, such as workshops and a film theatre, as well as providing Christmas presents for all patients. His personal appeal was such that Pat Twomey came to be known nationwide as ‘The Leper Man’ and mail donations could be, and were, delivered to him solely by that name at half price! The huge success of his annual appeals led, in 1939, to the establishment of a charitable trust that is today known as the Pacific Leprosy Foundation.


Pat Twomey’s dedication to improve conditions for leprosy sufferers led him to personally communicate directly with government heads and medical missions to ensure assistance reached those with leprosy. Direct assistance to leprosy medical departments in the Pacific continues today as does the assistance to those affected by leprosy. While there is now a cure for leprosy, lack of awareness and lack of access to medical facilities means that many cases of leprosy are late in being diagnosed and irreparable damage and disability has often occurred before diagnosis and treatment commences. These problems remain long after the disease ends so that without financial assistance patients have difficulty making a living to support their families. The rehabilitation service began in 1943, more than a decade before the cure was discovered, and has become one of the corner stones of the highly appreciated Pacific Leprosy Foundation assistance to leprosy sufferers in the South Pacific region. Children of leprosy sufferers have benefited from the assistance given to their parents for their education, and have achieved well

at school.

Apart from the personal assistance to individuals, the additional important focus of Twomey to support medical services, government health departments, and provide specialist training for doctors and nurses, has remained a fundamental service of the Pacific Leprosy Foundation. All these services are possible due to the generous support of donors, through the Foundation.

Following availability of the cure, leprosy isolation became unnecessary, and in 1969 the leprosarium closed. The staff and remaining patients took up residence at a new leprosy hospital established in Suva, the P. J. Twomey Memorial Hospital. The SMSM Sisters continued their involvement by running the hospital until it became a Fiji Government hospital in the 1990’s. The hospital continues its work with leprosy patients and now also TB and skin diseases still assisted by the Pacific Leprosy Foundation. SMSM Sisters have continued their involvement in the care of patients in their communities in Fiji, Tonga and the Solomon Islands.

Thus a full century on from the beginning of SMSM service to leprosy, it is timely to celebrate the Sisters’ remarkable efforts epitomized in the success of the leprosarium at Makogai and at Twomey Memorial Hospital. In addition, the role of New Zealand donors to the Pacific Leprosy Foundation in their outstanding support of leprosy patients, both past and at present in the South Pacific is an achievement we should recognize and be proud of. Check out our websites: www.leprosy.org.nz www.smsmsisters.org

A beach on Makogai

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© World Library Publications • www.wlpmusic.com

First Sunday of AdventThe prophet Isaiah prays,

“We are the clay and you the potter” (Isaiah 64:7).That means God works to make us into

the people we were created to be.Match each of the pottery pieces to its outline.

Then decorate them with colorful designs!

Just for the Children


Talking About...

religious studies By Peter SpillerI have recently completed the Diploma in Religious Studies offered by the Wellington Catholic Education Centre (now called the Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand). I found this course of study to be a most valuable experience, and I shall outline why this was so.

The Diploma comprises 11 papers, and is offered in three streams: pastoral ministry, religious education and theological studies. The stream that I chose was pastoral ministry, as I am completing my formation as an aspirant deacon. This stream required me to complete papers in pastoral ministry, scripture and theology.

The first (compulsory) pastoral ministry paper was “Church and Ministry” and this examined different understandings of Church, with special emphasis on the Community of Disciples (Communio) as explained in the Second Vatican Council documents. The second (compulsory) paper was “Introduction to Liturgy”, and was designed to familiarise participants with the Second Vatican Council principles of full, active, conscious participation by all in the liturgy. The third (compulsory) paper was “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults”, and covered the process and key elements of the stages of RCIA. The fourth (additional) paper was “Liturgical Leadership and Practice”, and was designed to assist people called to be lay leaders in parishes to evaluate important issues in the liturgical theology and spirituality of the Church. The pastoral ministry papers were all conducted by Father John Greally. He had the hallmarks of being an excellent teacher: extremely prompt in his responses, and always constructive and encouraging in his feedback.

My main interest in religious studies has always primarily been in scripture, and so I was especially pleased to complete the diploma scripture papers. Pope Benedict XVI has recently written of the need for all Christians “to become increasingly familiar with the sacred Scriptures” (Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini, 2010). The first (compulsory) scripture paper was “Introduction to the Old Testament”, which introduced participants to the key events, dates, places and people of the Old Testament within a theological framework.

The second (compulsory) scripture paper was “Introduction to the New Testament”, which was designed to familiarise students with the content, literary forms and world of the New Testament. The third (additional) scripture paper was “The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles”, which considered the background, content, major characteristics, themes and people of the two-part story of Jesus and the early Church. The fourth (optional) scripture paper was “The Gospel of John”, and presented the background, significant stylistic features, theology, major characteristics and themes of this gospel. The scripture courses were conducted with expertise, care and encouragement by Sister Kathleen Rushton, Susan Wilson and Sister Elizabeth Julian.

The third element of my Diploma comprised three compulsory theology courses. The first paper was “Catholicism”, which aimed to provide background for those interested in exploring the question of Catholic identity. The second paper was “Introduction to Theology”, and examined the context, content, fields, perspectives and issues relating to theology with reference to the students’ own lives. The third paper was “Understanding Church”, and looked at the shift in the Catholic Church’s self-understanding at the time of the Second Vatican Council and the ongoing call for renewal, as expressed in the Council’s writings. The scripture courses were conducted with expertise by Cynthia Piper, Susan Wilson and Sister Elizabeth Julian.

Eight of the papers that I did were completed by distance learning. This meant that I was required to read course materials and answer questions in a series of six journal exercises which were sent to the tutor for marking. An advantage of distance learning was that I could work on the courses with considerable flexibility. Three of the courses that I did were studied in tutorials conducted locally. Here attendance and participation in the tutorials replaced the journal exercises. Advantages of the local courses were the personal interactions with fellow-participants and the course leaders. Sister Kathleen Rushton conducted the Old Testament course with great enthusiasm and meaningful spiritual guidance, and Cynthia Piper conducted the Catholicism and Introduction to Theology courses with excellent organisation and fine teaching skills.

All of the courses culminated in a set of assessment tasks. Both the journal questions and the tutorial facilitation were very effective in preparing me for the assessment tasks. This meant that my efforts in the courses were well-focussed and I could make efficient use of my time. The coherence and structure of the courses and their assessment made for meaningful and deep learning. The assessment tasks also required me to draw on my creative abilities and here electronic media were very useful. Perhaps the most valuable of all the assessments was that required in “Liturgical Leadership and Practice”. I was required to prepare a one-hour prayer service led by me, and produce a video tape of the service. This exercise proved to be an invaluable exercise in self-discovery.

The Diploma courses are offered at the extremely accessible cost of $78 (INCL gst) per paper, and this fee covers all of the course materials and input provided. Cynthia Piper made sure that participants in locally run courses were well provided with food and refreshments. I gained the distinct impression from all the tutors that they provided their services with a significant dose of Christian charity and love for their work.

The Diploma in Religious Studies has instilled in me understanding and knowledge of key elements of Catholic Christian thought and practice. Before enrolling in the Diploma, I had for many years read religious works, but I had never done so in a formal, structured way that made me accountable for my learning. The Diploma courses were offered in such a way as to deepen both the academic and spiritual components of preparing for service in the Church.

I am immensely grateful to all those involved in the Diploma. They have enriched my life as a Catholic. I have been inspired to continue my studies by enrolling for a Diploma in Scripture Studies. I heartily commend the Catholic Institute’s programmes to all who are interested in developing their insight into what it means to be a Catholic in the modern world.

Walk by Faith will help you to:• know and understand yourself better

• deepen your faith

• enrich your knowledge of Jesus Christ, the scriptures and the church

• learn with others participating in the course

For an enrolment form or further information contact your diocesan office or

NCRS, PO Box 12243, Wellington 6144 Tel: (04) 819 8385 Email: [email protected]

The programme is directed by the National Centre for Religious Studies on behalf of

the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference

www.ncrs.org.nz

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Walk By Faith is a three-year distance-learning course that aims to assist adults to deepen their faith in and understanding of God, and of God’s presence in their lives in the light of the person and Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Yearly enrolment.Enrolments are taken one year at a time. A certificate will be given at the satisfactory completion of each of Years One and Two. A diploma will be presented at the end of Year Three.

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Walk By Faith helps you to: Know and understand yourself and you story• reflect on your experience of yourself in relation-• ship to others and to GodReflect on your experience of the community we • call ‘Church’Hear the Church’s Gospel story• Celebrate it - Eucharist• Respond - Service•



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MISSIONZ Diocesan DirectorsBack. Fr Richard Pipe (Ham). Fr Bernard O’Donnell ( P Nth).Fr Paul Shannahn sm (National).Centre. Fr Robert O’Brien (Ak). Bishop Owen Dolan (P Nth). Fr Tony Kearns (Wgton).Front. Mons Vincent Walker (Dn). Mrs Jo-Anne Carley (National). Fr Chris Friel (ChCh).

The search for a new national director of the Pontifi cal Mission Societies/Missionz (PMS) has begun. This was announced by Fr Paul Shannahan sm at the Annual General Meeting of the Diocesan Directors in Wellington on 1 September. He has led the offi ce for the past fi ve years. He is not eligible for a second term as he has reached the age of retirement.

Indications are that no priest or religious is available to take over the Vatican appointment. Of the over 120 National Directors who meet in Rome each May all are priests apart from a Religious Sister from Central Africa and Mr Martin Teulan of Australia.The theme for Mission Sunday this October is “Share Your Faith- Give Life”.

The three Pontifi cal Societies exist to keep alive the command of Jesus “To go and make disciples of all nations”. The directors reviewed their demanding task of animating and motivating and raising awareness of this mission in today’s Church. They felt a growing awareness has been achieved with the production of a regular “Missionz Newsletter” and last year the launching of its website www.missionxz.co.nz Parish week-end visits remain the preferred and most effective way of arousing mission interest.

Mission Sunday promotion and the special collection on that day will be a challenge this year as it is both Labour Weekend and the fi nal of the World Rugby Cup fi nal – Sunday 23 October. Mission Sunday materials have been prepared and a special plea is being made to parishes and schools to celebrate Mission Month in spite of the festive occasion.

Jo-Anne Carley of the national offi ce has led a campaign in to see Holy Childhood regaining a place in our primary schools and noted more were using materials sent to them especially the money box man “Marty the Missionary”. It is planned to produce stories about him and along with his sister Martha.

Fr Tony Kearns of Khandallah Wellington, and Fr Robert O’Brien of Ellerslie Auckland, were welcomed as new diocesan directors and a fervent farewell give to Monsignor Vincent Walker who is retiring and who has done much to promote the Church’s mission in the schools of Dunedin diocese.

Over $600,000 was raised to assist the Church in Mission territories in 2010 and has recently been sent to about ten dioceses such as Tezpur in India and Vanuatu in the Pacifi c.

The words of Bishop Miranda in Gulbarga in India echo those of other grateful recipients-“My thanks come to you with a heart fi lled with gratitude for your generous contribution to this mission diocese. It is indeed so wonderful to think how the Lord is uniting us His mission even though we have not seen each other”.

Bethlehem: St Therese Vigil 7.00 pm (Children’s Mass)Cathedral: Blessed Virgin Mary Vigil 6.00 pm Midnight (Carols 11.15 pm) 7.30 am 10.30 amCambridge: St Peter’s Vigil 7.00 pm (Carols 6.30 pm) Midnight 8.30 amFairfield: St Joseph’s Vigil 10.00 pm 10.00 amFrankton: St Columba’s Vigil 7.00 pm (Carols 6.30 pm) Midnight (Carols 11.30 pm) 9.00 amGisborne: St Mary’s Vigil 6.30 pm Midnight (Carols 11.30 pm 9.30 amHillcrest: St Matthew’s Vigil 8.30 pm 8.30 amHuntly: St Anthony’s Vigil 8.00 pm 9.00 amKatikati: St Pius X Vigil 7.00 pm 9.00 amKawerau: St Gerard’s Vigil 5.00 pmKawhia: St Peter’s 12.00pmMatamata: Holy Angels Vigil 7.00 pm 10.30 amMatata: St Joseph’s 11.00amMatawai: St Bede’s 12.00pmMorrinsville: St Jospeh’s Vigil 8.45pm (Carols 8.15pm) 9.30am Mt Maunganui: St Thomas More Midnight(Carols 11.30pm) 9.00 amMurupara: Sacred Heart Carol Service 8.30pm 10.00amNgaruawahia: St Paul’s 10.00 pm (Carols 9.30 pm) Opotiki: St Mary’s Vigil 8.00pm 9.00 amOtorohanga:Our Lady’s Vigil 7.00 pmPiopio: St Mary’s Vigil 9.30 pmPutaruru: St Patrick’s Midnight (Carols 11.30pm)Rotorua: St Mary’s Vigil 7.00 pm Midnight 10.00 amRotorua: St Michael’s Vigil 5.00 pm 10.00pm 8.00 amTaupo:St Patrick’s Midnight (Carols 11.30pm) 9.00amTauranga: St Mary Immaculate Vigil 5.00pm 7.00 pm 9.00pm Carols 8.30pm 8.00 am & 10.00am Te Awamutu: St Patrick’s Vigil 7.00pm (Carols 6.30pm) 10.00amTe Kuiti: St George’s 9.00 amTe Puke: St Patrick’s Vigil 8.00 pmTe Kaha: St Peter’s 11.30 amTe Puna: St Joseph’s Midnight 9.00 amTe Rapa: St Peter Chanel Vigil 5.30pm 8.30am Tokoroa: St Pius X Vigil 7.00pm (carols 6.30pm)Tologa Bay: Sacred Heart 10.00amTurangi: St Jospeh’s 11.30amWaihi: St Joseph’s 7.00pm (Children’s Mass)Waihi Beach: Stella Maris Midnight (Carols 11.30pm) 9.00amWhakatane: St Peter Chanel Midnight (Carols 11.30pm) 9.00amWhangamata:St Patrick’s Midnight (Carols 11.30 pm) 9.00 amSyro Malibar - Hillcrest 11.00pmLa Misa Espanol - Fairfied Midnight

CHRISTMAS MASS TIMESPARISH VIGIL MASS MIDNIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY


For Mass times other than Christmas Day please refer to the diocesan website: www.proudtobecatholic.org.nz or the local parish for the regular Sunday Mass

times.

Unfortunately, limitations on space prevent us from printing the Boxing Day

and New Year’s Day Mass timetable.

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