Kete Korero August 2013

ketekorero

Catholic Diocese of Hamilton Ordinary time a.d. 2013

In this issue...

Read it online! www.proudtobecatholic.org.nz Features

4 New Novice at Ngakuru 6 Pope Francis 10 Memories of Euphrasie House 12 Mission Sunday 14 Dove Catholic Fellowship 20 Miss Tonga 21 Follow the Lamb- Rebekah Gielen 23 Serving those at Sea 26 Catholic Family Support Services

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Aquinas Service trip to Fiji

Year of Faith

5 Remembering Pa Wiremu Te Awhitu 22 Pray the Rosary!

Diocesan News 7 Papal Awards

Our Parishes

7 Leadlight Windows in Rotorua 8 Kawerau 9 St Columba’s Frankton 11 Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop 12 St Vincent de Paul, Hillcrest 24 Milestone for Mothers’ Group, Te Awamutu 25 Paeroa Passionist Family Groups Jubilee

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Our Pilgrims at World Youth Day

Young and Catholic

15 Women of Truth, Beauty and Goodness 16 Youth Office News 18 World Youth Day

Our Schools

13 Aquinas College’s Service trip to Fiji 19 St Mary’s Tauranga 20 St Anthony’s Huntly

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Sr Maria Anežka (Rebekah Gielen) The Kete Korero is an official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton.

Deadline for contributions to the next issue is 20 September Kete Korero Magazine c-/ 51 Grey St, P.O. Box 4353, Hamilton East 3247 Editor: P.O. Box 6215, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua 3010 Tel: 07 349 4107, kete@cdh.org.nz.

Sponsorship and advertising: David Barrowclough, c-/ Chanel Centre 0800 843 233 Fax 07 8567035 or email: cdf@cdh.org.nz

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Cover: Gregory Cross (Aquinas College) with two boys from the village of Vanuakula.

Photo: Holly Sheddan

Bishop Denis’ Message My brothers and sisters in Christ,

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his issue of the Kete Korero will find us getting close to the end of the Year of Faith; the year called by Pope Benedict XVI to encourage the Catholic community throughout the world to strengthen and deepen their Faith.

One of the highlights of the Year of Faith has been the recent publishing of an encyclical on Faith entitled Lumen Fidei. This was a combined work of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis and it completes Pope Benedict’s series of encyclicals on the call that we are given to be people of Faith, Hope and Love.

Throughout the year we have tried to celebrate in different ways the Faith that has been handed down by those who have gone before us. We have had the opportunity to remember the part played by the early French missionaries and the lives of people like St Peter Chanel. We prayed at Rangiaowhia as we recalled the sad events within this beautiful land that will be forever a matter for regret and reconciliation. We gathered recently around the grave of Father Bill Te Awhitu, the first Maori priest and recalled the spirit of his life of deep faith. We also gathered on the Feast of Corpus Christi to celebrate with Catholics all over the world the great gift of the Eucharist that enriches our Faith so much.

In addition to these events, we recently gathered on 15th of August, the Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption, to honour Mary, the patroness of our Cathedral Church. On that occasion we launched a beautiful booklet that has been compiled by Father Nick Hoogeveen, featuring the amazing icons of the Rosary from Our Lady’s Chapel in the Cathedral.

We processed around the grounds of the Cathedral and Marian School property as the Mysteries of Light were prayed. At the conclusion of the Rosary procession, Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral.

Another enterprise that we have promoted to strengthen our faith in this Year of Faith is the presentation 3MC, a DVD consisting of 72 handdrawn animated episodes, each three to four minutes long. The series follows and explains the Creed, covering all four parts of the Catechism. Copies of 3MC have been distributed to our parishes and schools.

Altogether we can be proud of the different pilgrimages and events that have highlighted our Year of Faith.

The Year of Faith will conclude on November 24, the Feast of Christ the King. I suggest that each parish arrange its own fitting way to conclude the Year of Faith.

This issue of Kete Korero will be the last one that is produced by Jessica Jackman as Editor. The whole Diocese thanks you, Jessica, for the wonderful way in which you have built up Kete Korero to be an expression of faith for all of us in the Diocese. As you now continue to answer the call of the Lord, we pray that the Lord bless you and reward you for your brilliant editorship of Kete Korero. The new editor will be Michael Smith whom we warmly welcome in to the life of the Diocese.

God bless you Yours sincerely in Christ

+Denis Browne BISHOP OF HAMILTON

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From Chrysalis to Butterfly

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A Young Postulant Becomes A Tyburn Novice

n the morning of the 8th June 2013 the Tyburn Community gathered together in their Cloister to begin the Ceremony of Admission to the Novitiate of one of their Sisters in formation.

Sr.Tiffany knelt in front of Rev. Mother Prioress and was asked if she wished “to embrace the monastic life and be formed to the observance of the Rule of Benedict and the Constitutions of our Congregation, so as to follow our Lord more closely?”. The young postulant answered “ Yes, I do.” Shortly afterwards the Postulant received her new habit and her new name in Religion; “From now on you will be called Sister Mary Rafaela of the Holy Eucharist. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” After this the postulant put on her new Benedictine Habit and white veil for the first time and reappeared in the cloister as a newly transformed Tyburn novice. All the Community shared in the new Novice’s joy and happiness with the Kiss of Peace. A new Butterfly.

When and how did Sr Rafaela come to know about the Tyburn Nuns? Sister is originally from Cebu in the Philippines, and she saw her first Tyburn Nun at her old Parish, St George, in Te Kuiti. The Mother General of the Tyburn Nuns was there to tell the Parishioners about the new foundation being made at Ngakuru, Rotorua. Seeing these Benedictine Nuns made a deep impression on Sister and the seed was sown.

“When I went on a retreat to the new Monastery in 2009, there were only two guest rooms (the monastery building not yet in existence) and after a few days another guest turned up. To make room for this third guest I was asked if I would like to stay inside with the Nuns, in the garage “enclosure”!

This was so providential because I had only meant to stay in the guest area for my six day retreat - I never thought that I would end up having an experience of their life!” Sister’s face radiated as she recalled this memory. After a few years of discernment Sister Rafaela made the decision to enter The Tyburn Congregation on the 8th of December 2012 and six months later she received her Benedictine habit and white veil. “The night before my clothing I felt very nervous . I felt very humbled by it all. But at the same time it was very exciting because a long long dream would soon become a reality!”

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Sr Mary Rafaela of the Holy Eucharist

Every woman who thinks she has a vocation often has a feeling of uncertainty or nervousness, which is natural, yet when the response is made, there is a most profound sense of joy and interior peace that can only have come from Above.

“I feel very privileged to have become a novice in this Year of Faith and to share my experience with people out in the world.” May Sister Mary Rafaela’s little biography inspire countless other men and women to respond to their religious vocation. A little courage and a leap of faith in this Year of Faith will bring many blessings if one chooses to follow Him: the Lord is never outdone in generosity.

It takes at least five and a half years to become a fully Professed Tyburn Benedictine Nun and Sister Rafaela still has a few more years before she makes the next step.

The Tyburn Congregation, officially known as The Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre, is currently making TWO more foundations, one in central Nigeria and the other in France where their Foundress, Marie Adele Garnier, was born in 1838.

They have ten other Monasteries around the world.

Pa Wiremu Te Awhitu

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any people in the diocese will remember Pā Wiremu Te Awhitu, the first Māori to be ordained a Priest in New Zealand.

“Wiremu Hakopa Toa Te Awhitu was born on the 28th of July 1914, at Okahukura, near Taumarunui. He was the third of 10 children of Tamakaitoa (Toa) Te Awhitu and his wife, Katarina Toia Bell. The family’s main tribal affiliations were Ngati Hauaroa and Ngati Maniapoto. From his large immediate and extended families Wiremu learnt the importance of sharing everything and working closely with others.

Wiremu Te Awhitu’s early education was at Ongarue and Okahukura schools. The man who most influenced him was R. A. Watson, known to Maori as Te Miro Watihana. Watson was an English convert to Catholicism and headmaster at the Okahukura School. He also gave the local children their religious lessons, working with the Mill Hill priests.

Te Awhitu’s desire to become a priest was supported

by Watson and the Mill Hill fathers. In 1936 Te Awhitu entered the Marist Seminary at Mount St Mary’s, Greenmeadows, to commence studies for the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in St Patrick’s Church, Napier, on 17 December 1944 and celebrated his first Mass the following day in the church of the Immaculate Conception at Pakipaki.

After spending several years serving in Hawke’s Bay, in 1958 he suffered a severe stroke which left him unable to speak. He spent his convalescence at Hato Paora College, Feilding, and by 1966 was able to resume his ministry. He spent time at Waitara and Normanby in Taranaki, then in 1968 he moved to Jerusalem on the Whanganui River, and was there when James K. Baxter established his commune.

Pā Wiremu retired to Okahukura in 1989. He was devoted to the priesthood and all it entails: prayer, hard work, a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a commitment to his people. He had a gentle, quiet presence, a big heart, a welcoming smile and a spirituality that sprang from the soul of a man at peace with his God and the world. In retirement he provided the impetus to establish Whanau Maria marae at Okahukura.

Pā Wiremu died at Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, on 29 July 1994. His tangihanga was held at Ngapuwaiwaha marae, Taumarunui, and his requiem Mass was celebrated in the church of the Immaculate Conception, Taumarunui. He was buried in the family urupa at Okahukura, on the banks of the Ongarue River.”

Over a hundred people gathered around Bishop Denis Browne at Whanau Maria Marae on Sunday the 28th of July to remember Pā Wiremu. After being welcomed on to the family Marae, Bishop Denis led the pilgrimage down to the urupa where Pā Wiremu is buried. The group prayed together at his grave site, before returning to the Marae for Mass and a generous Lunch. It was a great blessing to have some members of Pā Wiremu’s family present, as well as Fr Phil Cody as an official representative of the Marist Society.

As we approach the seventieth anniversary of Pā Wiremu Te Awhitu’s ordination to the Priesthood, is important for us to continue to remember him, not only as the first Māori Priest in New Zealand, but also as a man of great courage, deep faith, and generous love.

(Historical information edited from “Te Awhitu, Wiremu Hakopa Toa”, written by Max T. Mariu, in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: www.teara.govt.nz)

Praying at the urupa where Pa Wiremu is buried

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Quoting Pope Francis More than 100 days have passed since Pope Francis’ election, and like Pope Benedict, he has a gift for explaining the Faith in a beautiful yet simple way. Here are some examples; a link to his almost daily homilies (which are well worth reading) can also be found on our diocesan website.

On Faith: “The security of faith does not make us motionless or close us off, but sends us forth to bear witness and to dialogue with all people.” (Twitter, 2 August 2013) On the need to be witnesses: “In God’s great plan, every detail is important, even yours, even my humble little witness, even the hidden witness of those who live their faith with simplicity in everyday family relationships, work relationships, friendships. There are the saints of every day, the “hidden” saints,[...] to which we can all belong. [...] Let us all remember this: one cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus without the tangible witness of one’s life.” (Homily, April 14, 2013)

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On God’s Mercy: “God’s face is that of a merciful father who is always patient. He never tires of forgiving us if we know how to return to him with a contrite heart. Great is the Lord’s Mercy!” (Angelus, 17 March 2013) On Grandparents: “How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society!”

(Angelus, Rio de Janeiro, Friday, 26 July 2013) To Young people: “Dear young people, let us entrust ourselves to Jesus, let us give ourselves over entirely to him!

Only in Christ crucified and risen can we find salvation and redemption. With him, evil, suffering and death do not have the last word, because he gives us hope and life: He has transformed the cross from an instrument of hate, defeat and death into a sign of love, victory and life.” (Way of the Cross Address, Rio de Janeiro, Friday, 26 July 2013)

Papal Awards

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ope Francis recently awarded Medals Benemerenti to Bernard Hill and Theodora Fransen of St Columba’s Parish, Hamilton, and to Edmund Dibley and Joe Kilkelly from Rotorua. Instituted by Pope Gregory in 1832, the Benemerenti Medal recognises those who have given outstanding service to the Church.

Sr Carmel Horan RNDM was also awarded the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for her many years of service as a Chaplain at Waikato Hospital.

Congratulations to you all, and may God bless you for you for your dedicated service to your Parish communities.

In Your Light We See Light A

n adventurous, artistic idea presented to Parish Priest Father Mark Field by Henk Buissink over three and a half years ago lead to a Celebration of the completion of the leadlight windows in St Mary’s Catholic Church, Seddon Street, Rotorua held on Sunday 2nd June.

When the congregation of St Mary’s were presented with the idea of donating for the materials of the windows the response was overwhelming.

The people’s delight in being able to dedicate something tangible and special to our church, to enhance its beauty as well as creating a piece of individual history, overflowed. Each window’s installation has been greeted by excitement and awe by the St Mary’s congregation.

The “Mary” windows on one side, with the “Jesus” windows opposite, depict celebrated events in the lives of both. The four Apostles’ windows are the third series, representing Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As each window was completed, Richard Bos framed them for installation. Although the leadlight windows inside the church have been completed, two other series, Sacraments and Creation, are in the planning and creating stages for the foyer.

Over three and a half years, artist and designer of the windows, John Skudder, took ideas, with Father Mark’s suggestions, and presented Leadlighter, Henk Buissink, with detailed leadlight drawings which he brought to life in three series of windows.

“The Spirit lives in you and me, walk, walk in the light. His light will shine for all to see, walk, walk in the light”; a fitting hymn to celebrate the enhancing of God’s light in natures spectrum through glass, given talent, and community.

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Restoring Our Lady

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obie Hoohenkerk, with some assistance from her husband Harry, our sacristan, took it upon herself to restore our parish statue of Our Lady of Lourdes which was in a very poor state, with broken features, paint cracked and parts missing such as fingers and a large part of the gown.

Over an eight week period she removed all the paint, mended the cracks, rebuilt the gown, fingers and other parts which were missing and then painted the entire statue.

The project was done with much prayer and love and the end result has a lovely luminosity about it. Cobie has previously, in her homeland, the Netherlands, restored a whole set of statues with an equally beautiful result. She has no formal training in the art of restoration and is self taught through studying books.

Cobie and Harry will soon return to the Netherlands leaving the Parish many memories of their time here in Kawerau. At a recent Parish pot-luck tea they were presented with a gift of two framed photographs of Kawerau landmarks as a memento and thanksgiving for sharing their gifts and talents with us. Harry has served four priests as Sacristan in his time here, he has been kind and caring to our Priests and we all appreciate his lovely cheerful disposition. We will miss them and pray that they have many wonderful reunions after a safe journey home.

Judy Gebert

Cobie restoring the statue

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The finished and restored statue

A New St Columba

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he idea for a new statue at St Columba’s, Frankton, came about a few years ago when Father asked us at a meeting why the parish didn’t have one of our Patron Saint. We were unable to answer him so we embarked on a journey filled with many moments of divine intervention. One of those was finding the creator of the Statue, Glen Morris of Tuscany Statues from Ohaupo; he has been quite amazing in terms of his commitment and time spent working on our statue. It is fair to say that our parish has really only paid for the materials and the rest has been a labour of love from Glen.

We also were blessed to have had Kingi Tawhio who carved the staff that St Columba holds. Kingi lives in our Frankton community and was the creator of the carving over the doorway of Te Manawa.

Statues within our Catholic church have a long held significance. They are really like a photo in that they remind us of the person, what they did and how they lived. In the case of St Columba it tells us about a man of tremendous energy, kindness, charity, strong faith and deep love of God shown through his missionary work.

The parish fundraised $7600 over the past year, with monthly coin tosses, St Patrick’s night social, the Spring Cultural Festival and a Garage sale, and time was spent in researching, discussing and deciding what was important to depict in the statue.

The statue of St Columba tells a simple story which we believe accurately represents the humble and simple life he lived. St Columba’s baptismal name was Colum, Latin for dove, shown in the carved staff which also has a mahunga or head on it.

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Fr Aherne blessing the new statue of St Columba

He is wearing a monk’s habit and is holding a scroll as he was a prolific writer. The wooden staff from our old statue, made by former parishioner Iris Reed, has been carved by Kingi as part of the new staff that St Columba is holding. He is standing at the front of a boat to represent his departure from his beloved Ireland and his arrival on the island of Iona, in Scotland.

On the feast day of St Columba, Sunday, June 9, we celebrated the unveiling of the statue with a combined school and parish Mass. After the unveiling about 250 people gathered for a celebration in our school hall, Te Manawa. Parishioners cooked an international feast, followed by songs and dances.

All our parish groups were involved including the Congolese; Iraquis; Pacifika; Maori; Filipino; Columbian; Thai; Teachers, Staff and Students from St Columba’s School plus many more On behalf of Father and the Parish Council we would like to sincerely thank those who made any contribution towards our statue. It is a testament to the special spirit and personality that is the parish of St Columba; a parish that is one of tremendous energy, kindness, charity, strong faith and with a deep love of God, just like St Columba.

Kerry Ranapiri

158 Matangi Rd, R D 4 Hamilton Phone: 07 856 3019 www.assisi.co.nz ketekorero August-October 2013

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Convent Memories

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ormer boarders at Sacred Heart Convent in Hamilton will be sad to see their old home demolished. Its large, strong rooms were a welcome haven after a day in the classroom. However, as it is impossible to strengthen to resist earthquakes, the inevitable has to be accepted and there is joy that at least the chapel can be saved.

The small Gothic style chapel with the beautiful wood interior was a holy place of reverence and peace. With fond nostalgia I recall sixty years later the white marble altar, adorned with gleaming brass candlesticks and vases of roses. I can almost smell the incense as I remember the times of reverential prayer that featured strongly in the Boarders daily routine such as morning Mass, afternoon Rosary and benediction on Sunday.

The Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions ran the boarding school with warmth and military precision. We were organized for every moment of the day from when the first bell went for Morning Mass until lights out after study. Coming from large boisterous country family I was amazed that the whole building could be cleaned to perfection in the ten minutes allowed each morning for our allotted chores. I tried in vain to institute the same practice at home much to my brothers’ and sisters’ disconcertion.

The three-storied building had a stairwell with a magnificent broad banister that swept from the top floor to the ground. Even though looking down from the third floor gave you vertigo it was a staircase that invited you to slide down. My sister Mary Molloy in a moment of mad exuberance leapt on to the banister on the third floor only to find she had thrown herself right over and was dangling by her fingers. Her friend Joy Sligo trying help, endeavoured to grab Mary’s hands so she could pull her back to safety when Mary managed by superhuman effort to kick her legs back over the banister.

The Sisters not only taught school all day with large classes but also supervised our meals, study, sport, recreation and sleeping. We had courtesy lessons on Saturday afternoons, films Saturday nights and a crocodile walk through the park down by the River each fine Sunday afternoon.

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Euphrasie House in Hamilton

With the proposed demolition of the convent there must be many thousands of boarders who like me who remember with gratitude the hard work of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions and their faith that they gifted on.

Patricia Brooks

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In Mary MacKillop’s Footsteps

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n Tuesday 14 May our group of 14 pilgrims began a pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop in Sydney.

This first day was spent at Mary MacKillop Place. What an amazing experience to be able to share in the life of Mary MacKillop through the museum which houses three galleries: the life of Mary MacKillop and her seven siblings and their parents; the beginnings of the Congregation; Mary’s ex-communication and the re-instatement to her status; the influence of Father Julian Woods, Emmanuel Solomon and Isabella Baker in her life, and how the sisters taught the children who were the main focus of the order; the bed in which Mary MacKillop died, and her tomb which is housed next to the chapel in the grounds of Mary MacKillop Place North Sydney convent where she last lived.

The inscription on her tomb reads: “Remember we are but travellers here” and “Trust in God”.

Sister Munn gave us a very informative talk on the toils and hardships of St Mary of the Cross and the sisters of St Joseph. She told us how the sisters provided clothing for under privileged children, but often these children arrived back to school the next day in their own clothes as the new uniform had been sold for money!

The next day we went to visit Gore Hill Cemetery.

Saint Mary of the Cross was buried in Sydney’s historic Gore Hill cemetery in 1909; today a memorial marks the spot where she once laid. In 1914 she was exhumed and laid to rest in her tomb at Mary MacKillop Place.

Pilgrims at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney.

In the early afternoon we had Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, before visiting the Rocks where we discovered more history, such as Campbell’s Bond Store, where St Mary of the Cross’ father worked; Windmill Street, where the bubonic plague that swept through the Rocks started, forcing the sisters to abandon the area and St Brigid’s Church, where the sisters had a school for boys from 1884-1898.

Our last stop was St Patrick’s Church. This has a history that is integral to both the story of Catholicism in The Rocks area and the service to the poor that was foundational to the ministry of the sisters of St Joseph.

Returning to Mary MacKillop Place, we reflected on a very spiritual and inspiring day and the end of our pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Mary of the Cross.

Bev Simpkins

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Mission Sunday

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here does mission originate? The answer is simple: it originates from a call, the Lord’s call, and when he calls people, he does so with a view to send them out.” This was how Pope Francis began his address to a group of seminarians and religious novices. Similarly, we can say, “Where does Mission Sunday originate?

The answer is simple: Baptism is our call from God; and all baptised have a mission. Mission Sunday is the day we celebrate our call to mission.

MISSION SUNDAY celebrates our call to be partners of God in his mission of Salvation. The apostles were sent to heal, build up friendship, and bring peace that yields joy (Lk 10:5-9). This remains our mission today as God’s partners. Pope Francis in his 2013 Mission Sunday Message declares, “Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the Joy of Salvation.” This is why we share our faith.

Prayer is our way of growing in our friendship with the Lord; evangelization starts on one’s knees. Our gift to the missionary work of the church promotes its growth in the impoverished places in many parts of the world. The people who learn their faith through catechism, the clinics built to heal people, the schools erected to eradicate illiteracy, the churches constructed to gather the faithful outlive our chronological years. Mission Sunday is becoming responsible as mission partners of God beyond our own self, family or parish.

When we share our faith, we become bearers of the Good News of Christ.

Fr Bernard Espiritu SVD

Faith is God’s precious gift to humanity that enables us to enter a friendship with the Lord. Our personal response is to have the courage to entrust ourselves to God and live his love grateful for his mercy. This faith matures when celebrated in Liturgy, lived in charity, and shared with the seekers of goodness.

Catholics celebrate Mission Sunday through prayer, and offering one’s time, talent or treasure to support the missionary work of the Church.

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aint Vincent de Paul Hillcrest organised a fundraising event to help raise funds for their annual afternoon tea outing for the elderly. A group of St Vincent de Paul members made soup for the parishioners at St Matthew’s Hillcrest in exchange for a gold coin donation after Sunday mass. Pictured serving up the soup are St Vincent de Paul members James Cuming and Barry Thompson.

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Fiji Service Trip

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s a group of 24 Aquinas College students, four teachers and nine adults departed Auckland airport on the frosty morning of July 15th, little did we all know that the next 12 days spent in the small Fijian village of Vanuakula would truly be an experience we would never forget.

The hard work really started six months earlier when we launched the first of many fundraisers in an attempt to raise enough money for all of the building materials required. Thankfully, with everyone involved showing great dedication for the cause, we were able to raise beyond what we needed.

As we drove up the bumpy track to the village, located one hour out of Suva, we were welcomed by a swarm of happy children eager to meet us. Each day those grinning faces were always by our side as we set about in groups to accomplish different jobs around the village.

The main project was to build a house for the family who was deemed the most deserving. Led by three fantastic builders, us students were able to fully assist in the build and as a result our skills and knowledge definitely developed alongside the construction of the house. With the house being completed in record time we also were able to succeed in laying a footpath through the village, completing foundation work for a new classroom, restoring all of the classroom blackboards and improving the sewage and water systems of the village. A group of three talented art students also created an amazing mural with the saying, “dare to dream” incorporated within it. This mural was hoped to inspire and motivate the children of the village to reach their full potential in life.

Some talented art students created a mural in the village

Throughout the week our relationships with the Vanuakula people grew stronger, especially with the children. As we joined in a game of soccer or played with balloons after a long day of work, they quickly became our new best friends. Likewise their warm love and hospitality made us truly feel as if they were inviting us to be part of their loving community. During the beautiful Sunday mass Father Dan commented during his homily that the village “does not have any gold or silver to give us”. But through our time spent with such humble people we all felt that we have received much more than gold or silver could ever buy. The enrichment, memories, and love gained through being a part of the Aquinas College 2013 Service Trip will last within our hearts for a lifetime to come.

Kate Burn Aquinas College

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Dove Catholic Fellowship

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ove Catholic Fellowship for Women began in 1984 with the vision of encouraging Catholic women from all walks of life to bond together in the power of the Holy Spirit and become a force for good in the nation. The primary focus of Dove Fellowship, then, is to lead women to a personal and ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour; to become fully immersed in the life of His Church and to become effective evangelisers.

Monthly meetings are open to all women and consist of praise and worship, teaching, prayer ministry and fellowship over supper. In Hamilton meetings are on the 1st Thursday of the month at the St Joseph’s Parish Centre at the rear of the Catholic Church 86 Clarkin Road Fairfield. Bay of Plenty Dove Fellowship holds meetings at 7.00pm on the on 2nd Tuesday of each month in the Aquinas College Chapel. The emphasis is on women’s ministry to women in gentleness and love as exemplified by Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

Bay of Plenty Dove team members. From left, Linda Dunn, Maree Kowalewski, Kay Brennan.

Dove Fellowship National Team is delighted to announce that three national open retreats will be held during 2013: the theme for the retreats is “Love like Mary” and Bev McDonald, a Marist Lay woman, will be the speaker. Bev has a passion for encouraging our vocation as laity, helping people experience for themselves the tenderness, mercy and unfathomable love of God in Jesus, through discovering that in the ordinary stuff of daily life we can be fully alive to the Holy Spirit, like Mary.

Retreats serve as an opportunity to spend time with God and grow in relationship with Him and enjoy the fellowship of other women. Come and be blessed!

Check out the website www.dove.org.nz for more information about Dove, our monthly meetings, upcoming speakers and the 2013 retreats.

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Hamilton Dove team members. Raewyn Brew, Glenyss Wilson, Laura van Veen, Nancy James, Jane Duncan.

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Women of Truth

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ith signs of Spring beginning to appear at Rimbrook Study Centre in Hamilton, we realised that the Year of Faith was slipping away fast! So a group of us decided we needed a good spiritually and culturally formative weekend for ourselves and our friends, with a particular focus on the Year of Faith. The title of the weekend; ‘Being women of Truth, Beauty and Goodness’ quite nicely summed up the message we wanted to share with our friends: as women of Faith in the 21st century, we are all called to be women of truth, beauty and goodness.

The weekend was the work of many hands and the collaboration of many minds and hearts. We brainstormed a range of relevant topics for talks and workshops such as “Veritas? Quid est Veritas/ Truth? What is Truth?”, “The plague of the 21st Century: Moral Relativism, a flawed notion” and practical workshops such as “Communicating the faith” which provided practical tips on how to effectively communicate and share our faith with our neighbours. Another workshop “Mirror, mirror on the wall”, gave us some handy tips on how we can incorporate our own styles, shapes, figures and sizes, to manifest our interior beauty externally in such a way that suits us and at the same time glorifies God. Our hope was that our friends would come away with a deeper understanding of our Catholic faith and what being an authentically Christian woman in the middle of the world means; essentially that we have the responsibility to love, to live, and to defend truth, beauty and goodness, especially in today’s world which is so often sceptical that such

Learning to be women of Truth, Beauty and Goodness!

values even exist. We also wanted to emphasise that in order to be authentically Christian, countercultural women, above all we needed to be women of faith and thus women of prayer! So our program included Mass, meditations, Benediction, Rosary, opportunities for Confession as well as important breaks for physical sustenance – morning tea and lunch!

University Students came from Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton and it was such a joy to have a good turnout! It was a great weekend, we learnt a lot, ate a lot and prayed a lot! Now we continue to live out the rest of the Year of Faith with the realisation that, in the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “the Lord has allowed [us] to live in this moment so that, by [our] faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world”.

Justine Vui, University of Waikato

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Catholic Youth Office My name is Briegé and I have just begun working at the youth office. I have been volunteering with LifeTeen for the past year while studying and working part-time! I’m so excited to get to know you all a lot more and look forward to sharing my love for the church. I’m always down to hang out and have coffee so please feel welcome to pop in and say hi!

Love, light and blessings!

Fidelium Young Adults Weekend

O

n the weekend of the 5-7 July, around 25 young adults gathered together at the Lazy Tramper Lodge in the Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges for an eventful weekend filled with inspiring talks, bush tramps, good food and the Eucharist!

We were honoured to have keynote speaker, Sam Clear from Australia,who joined us for the weekend to share his experiences of Walk4One, Sam’s 528 day, 15,500 km journey on foot across 20 countries for Christian Unity. With a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, many of the young adults said the weekend was highly motivating.

The weekend has been followed up by our fortnightly Fidelium Young Adults Group where the Catholic Youth Office screens the famous “THE BIBLE” series straight from the United States!

Fidelium runs every second Thursday 7:15pm at the JBC at St Columba’s Parish, Rifle Range Road, Hamilton. Check out our website or facebook page for more details.

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Sports Night 2013

T

he Catholic Youth Office held its third annual SPORTS NIGHT with a massive fourteen teams participating from as far as Taupo, Tauranga and Rotorua.

The Night began with the famous Relay as the teams pushed their way to the finish line with a range of exciting relay games! The majority of the evening included a pool draw with each team participating in different sports. Teams were also judged on their fairness and team work for the final prizes. The evening concluded with each team performing a creative dance to Family Force Five’s “Cray Button” as they danced their way to end of a successful night. A massive congratulations goes out to the winning team, from Tauranga who took away the Sports Night trophy and goody pack as a reward for their massive effort at Sports Night 2013!

The winning team!

The Catholic Youth Office team would like to extend their appreciation to all who helped us in promoting and running such an exciting event!

Bring on Sports Night 2014!

Best dressed pirates

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World Youth Day in Rio

A

fter an eleven hour flight eighteen pilgrims arrived in Chile only to find that they had ‘left’ New Zealand half an hour earlier- in local time!

We were warmly welcomed by the Santiago parish of San Columbano (St Columba’s) where we would spend the next six days. The parish honoured us with many cultural performances, vibrant celebrations and fantastic food! We visited the important Our Lady of Mount Carmel basilica (patron of Chile) and Immaculate Conception Sanctuary on top of San Cristobal Hill which looks out over all of Santiago.

However, what made the biggest impression was the welcoming and loving culture of the Catholic Chilean community.

By the time we arrived in Brazil the city of Rio de Janeiro was already bursting at the seams with pilgrims! World Youth Day week began with the Opening Mass celebrated by the local Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta. The next three days consisted of Catechesis given by different Bishops, the Papal welcome and Stations of the Cross led by Pope Francis. Saturday morning we began the pilgrimage to Copacobana beach which was filled with pilgrims but thankfully we found a small spot, not too close to the water but close enough to a big screen, and set up camp. That night, Pope Francis led us in Eucharistic Adoration, which he followed with a moving Homily.

The next morning Pope Francis celebrated Mass and once again delivered an impacting Homily we could all relate to.

Monday saw us fly to Argentina and we discovered the beautiful Churches and awesome Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan (Patron of Argentina). Finally, we debriefed our experience, sharing the challenges and highpoints of our pilgrimage. Then, homeward bound to New Zealand, a time which went exceptionally fast!

Alex Bailey

Experiencing the universality of our Faith!

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Pilgrims from Hamilton and Christchurch set off!

Brianna Morgan and Conan Brolly in traditional Chilean clothing (minus the shoes!)

Alex Bailey and Maggie Jaques with a Chilean host family

I

feel that it is almost impossible to express the deep effect that my amazing World Youth Day experience has had on me, however I will try my best to do it justice with just a few paragraphs.

I have to admit that before WYD2013, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Having never been out of NZ before, the crowds and cultures of other countries have mostly been quite distant to me and I was worried that I may not be able to adapt to them. However, I quickly learned, upon arriving in Chile for our Mission Week, that I had nothing to fear. The people in the parish of San Columbano were so hospitable and humble that I felt like I was part of their family. Their love and generosity really touched me and I found myself at home around them despite speaking an entirely different language. They were a real example to me of how I should live as a Catholic and I am grateful to them for that experience.

As for Brazil, I was taken aback by the crowds of people but not because of their sizes. The thing that touched me the most was the realisation that all of the people around me were there for the same reason as me; to strengthen our faith.

This came home to me at the vigil on Copacabana beach during adoration when over three million youth were kneeling before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, which was also one of the highlights of my pilgrimage. It made me so happy and so proud that I shared my faith with so many young people from every corner of the world.

All the WYD pilgrims whom I met were all so enthusiastic and excited about their faith and it was impossible not to be infected with that joy.

Josiah at “Christ the Redeemer” in Rio

Pope Francis’ presence also caused a great deal of joy and his encouragement to live up to the theme of WYD2013, ‘Go and make Disciples of all Nations’, was also inspiring. I was really touched by his address to the pilgrims at the vigil where he told us that we were part of a team and that we are working towards a goal far greater than any achievement we can gain on Earth. His address also expressed to me that I am called to continue living out the joy which WYD2013 filled me with and that I need to bring my experience with me throughout my life and not just leave it in Brazil so that others may be affected by that joy. I will never forget my WYD2013 experience or the pilgrims who accompanied me and made my pilgrimage so wonderful. Their support and friendship was so touching and they were a huge part of why my experience was so incredible.

I had to work hard to get to World Youth Day but the experience I had was so brilliant that I would have done so much more to get there. WYD is the best experience I have had in my life and I would thoroughly encourage everyone to try and attend future WYD events!

Waking up with 3 million other pilgrims beside you: priceless!

Josiah Francis Kilkelly.

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Authentic Beauty

R

osemarie Fili is not your average university student. As part of her post-graduate research, the 22 year old Honours student at Waikato University recently entered the Miss Heilala beauty pageant in Tonga: and she won.

Marie explains: “I wanted to look at the definition of beauty in a Tongan context, but because there were already studies of people observing it from the outside, I wanted to look at it from the inside. With the support of my lecturer I decided that it would be good for me to actually join [a pageant]. I didn’t expect to win, I was going for research! I was more focused on having fun and getting to know the other girls rather than competing: I was just myself.”

But she did win, and as Miss Tonga she will soon spend six months representing the Kingdom of Tonga at home and overseas.

Marie grew up in Tonga but moved to New Zealand in 2008 for her final year in high-school where she had the opportunity to attend World Youth Day in Australia. She was later accepted into Waikato University and earlier this year graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences. The idea of researching different definitions of beauty came from her observations of Tongan and Kiwi cultures: “When I came here everyone thought I had the perfect body, which made me think about how different it is, that’s why I wanted to challenge myself to see if I would fit the definition of beauty in the Tongan context.”

Even Marie was surprised by what she discovered at the pageant: “I went in thinking that beauty for us Tongans is someone who is a bit curvy, long hair, natural beauty- we don’t believe in putting a lot of make-up on, all that artificial stuff; but in the competition, most of the things people were picking out were personality, how you portrayed yourself, and being humble but being confident at the same time- all those inner things which I didn’t really think would matter as much.”

As a proud Tongan Catholic and an active member of the Catholic chaplaincy at Waikato University, Marie’s faith was integral to her success: “My faith really grounded me: I went into [the pageant] with a really strong faith. I thought to myself; ‘whatever happens, happens and I’ll just leave it in God’s hands’.

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ketekorero August-October 2013

Marie Fili (centre) with other Miss Tonga contestants

“I remember the moment when they were reading out the prizes, when I was waiting for them to call out who won: the only thing that was running through my head was, ‘God, I’m getting to a crossroad and whatever happens I give it to you: if I win it will be in your hands’. I surrendered myself because this could change my future (and it slowly has), or it could take me down other paths that I don’t want to go down, but I really trusted him. My Faith was one big thing that really helped – it gave me that inner strength to put myself in front of people.”

Marie is passionate about helping young women to appreciate authentic beauty: “I think one thing that I’ve noticed and I want to work at is that the majority of young girls that I’ve met are quite insecure in themselves- and I still struggle sometimes too- but it’s one thing I’d like to address in the future- why are they so insecure in themselves? Everything is about the outside, the clothes, the hair, but that doesn’t matter to be honest because in the end trends will come and go but if you are secure in yourself and who you are, that will benefit you more in the long run than having new clothes. Everyone is beautiful in their own being, they just have to own it!”

22 Dick Street, Cambridge 3450 PO Box 369 DX GA27518 Phone 07 823 1555 Fax 07 823 2442 admin@cooneylaw.co.nz

Follow the Lamb

T

he Assumption of Our Lady in to Heaven will mark the 4th Anniversary of my taking to the skies, the last look over Aotearoa’s beautiful coast and my heartfelt goodbye to the shores of my birth. Four years and now I come closer and closer to the 1st anniversary of my profession as a Poor Clare Colettine nun. As I look back over this time, tracing the finger print of God in my life, I realise this is a time to praise and thank God for the beauty of His creation, for the beauty of His work in me.

As our Holy Mother St Clare lay dying some 750 years ago she spoke words of comfort to her soul, telling her soul to ‘fear not, for you have a good escort for the journey’. She had come to know all the beauty and the worth of her own soul in the eyes of God and this too is our journey.

It was with much peace of mind and an awareness of this saying ‘fear not O my soul, you have a good escort for your journey’ that I made my way through our small choir to be received into holy vows. The Mass was simple and beautiful with the added specialness of having Fr Michael Gielen, my cousin, from Rome, to celebrate the Mass and my parents from Australia present to give me their blessing.

At the beginning of the ceremony Mother Abbess comes forward and with certain and clear voice calls, ‘Sr Maria Anežka of the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple’. And I respond ‘Lord you have called me by my name’. Yes, truly God is the caller, we cannot choose to be called, beg or plead to be chosen. It is He that chooses and He that calls. We can sit all we will by the phone but we cannot make the dial ring. Thus it is with God, in His time and in His way He calls you. Your part in the deal? Well, that is to answer, to pick up the receiver and say: “Yes, I come to do your will. I am your handmaid, let what you have said be done to me according to your will, not Mine.”

And He calls you by your name; He says “I know my lambs and my lambs know me”. You are not a number to Him, you are not just one of the millions, you are one in a million. Precious in His sight and truly chosen and loved. And so it is with Great Joy and Love that I follow the Lamb of God, being a lamb of God myself for that is what Anežka means; Agnes, Lamb. St Agnes of Prague (St Anežka of Bohemia) was one in a million, a princess of Bohemia called

by God to follow the Lamb and thus I try to do the same, in my own unique way.

Sr Maria Anežka (née Rebekah Gielen, on left) shares the path the Lord has taken her on since we last heard from her in the Kete Korero in 2009

We all have our own call, our own path and our own way to follow. What I say to all souls is follow, follow the Lamb wherever He goes, wherever He wills and do not fear for you have a good escort for your journey in Him. By: A Poor Clare Nun. Ty Mam Daw Wales. U.K

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Pray the Rosary!

F

ather Nick Hoogeveen, a retired Priest resident in Kawerau, and Paul Waalwijk, parishioner of St Gerard's parish Kawerau, have created a pocket-sized booklet on the Rosary to help and encourage Catholics to pray this beautiful prayer. Like most Catholics, Fr Nick grew up saying the Rosary at home, but noticed that many people seem to simply announce the name of the mystery without taking time to prayerfully contemplate the mystery that Jesus is to us. This booklet has been composed in the hope that it will be of some help to those who wish to deepen their family and personal prayer by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.

The compact booklet is beautifully illustrated by Michael Pervan’s Icons from the shrine of Our Lady in the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Scriptural citations are proclaimed for each Mystery of the Rosary. The booklet also includes prayers in common use, such as a prayer of Mother Teresa, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Magnificat, the Overture to John's Gospel and the Angelus.

Bishop Denis launched the booklet at the Diocesan Celebration of the feast of The Assumption of Our Lady, on Thursday 15th August.

Copies can be obtained via Parish offices or contact Fr Hoogeveen.

LEAVING A LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE Helps fund the Chaplains in the prisons, hospitals and universities; youth initiatives; teacher religious education training; Proud to be Catholic programmes; and Sacramental Programmes.

A gift in your Will is a simple and enduring way to benefit future generations of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton.

No gift is too small to make a significant difference.

Booklet Guide

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available from your Parish or from the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, Chanel Centre, Hamilton Phone: 0800 843 233 Email: gregb@cdh.org.nz ketekorero August-October 2013

Serving those at Sea

Q

uite a few of my friends say to me how lucky I have been to travel and work overseas so many times. I can tell you that as soon as I arrive in a far way place the first thing I want to do is come back home! I am the world’s biggest sook when it comes to being homesick.

Imagine what it is like for ship crews that are far away from their homes and families for nine months of the year. Only when they come on shore in a port like Tauranga do they have communication via Skype and email, or phone. Our local Seamen’s Club, Mission to Seafarers, Apostleship of the Sea, Stella Maris (to use just a few names) is located just inside the Hull Road port gates in Ocean House and provides an essential link to sailors and their homes by providing free internet services. Come in anytime and you will see most of the sailors glued to the PC screens as they chat away in a wide assortment of world languages.

There is a passenger van available that I drive down to Bayfair where the guys can stock up on fresh vegies and other foods. They may want to find a Western Union agency so they can send money home. As we drive back through the Mount they can’t get over how New Zealand closes down after 6pm each night. Why aren’t our shops open all night?

How come New Zealand has no corruption? They are all incredulous that the Police Station closes at 5.30pm! They have no shortage of questions.

So far away from home, but so excited and so proud.

They were just lowly crew members but were given the greatest respect.

In contrast to Asia we often have sailors arriving from Eastern Europe such as from Gdansk in Poland, or Odessa in the Southern Ukraine (Greek Catholic territory). Where ever they come from they are always so well behaved and appreciative of our mission.

With a thousand or more crew members on these ships often about half of the crew are Catholics. We always need more willing hands to help us so if you enjoy the buzz of meeting people from all over the world, then this is the job for you. All you need is a big smile and a couple of hours a week to spare.

I’ll teach you my three words of Hindi and anything else you need to know!

Have a chat to either Deacon Sid or myself.

Sandy Stewart, Tauranga

Many of the visiting crew are from China and there is nothing they seem to like more than just to have a chat with someone to talk about our country and practice their conversational English. We have lots of guys in from the Philippines and the Filipino sailors often proudly wear their rosary beads, not discretely tucked inside their shirts, but over their clothing: Proud to be Catholic!

Last week a big bunch of Indian looking guys came through the door. My first impression was that these sailors would be all Hindi speaking (so I rattled my brain to resurrect all my three words of greeting). But no, all of these guys were from Goa and all solid Catholics. I noticed that a couple were much older than the others. It turned out that these two were still working hard on board ships in order to support their sons in the seminary back home.

Both sons are due to be ordained this year. These two fathers were just buzzing with the Holy Spirit.

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Milestone for Mothers’ Group

O

n 22nd June 2013 a group of ladies from the Te Awamutu St Patrick’s Mothers’ Group gathered together to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the group’s inception. Although the group is now in recess many members still have regular contact and decided to arrange a luncheon to honour this special milestone.

We began meeting together once a month in early 1989 as a need was identified within the school and parish community. Initially our meetings were like a playgroup during the day but as our children grew and started school we began having night meetings, often with an invited speaker.

As busy mothers we provided support, fellowship and pastoral care. Included in our activities were rostered help with weekly Children’s Liturgy at Mass, providing all women at Mass on Mother’s Day with floral buttonholes, making and selling crafts at the annual school fete to raise funds for the PTA, running the ever successful pre-school Christmas party, having pot luck meals with our partners, catering and providing meals/baking and moral support for people who were bereaved, injured or in times of crisis.

Over the years many lasting friendships have been forged and maintained regardless of, at times, large distances. The camaraderie and strong ties are still very evident today as we constantly support each other through the joys and sorrows of life and we all know that help is only a phone call away.

25th Anniversary cake.

On the day everyone had an extremely enjoyable catch up as was obvious by the reminiscing and hoots of laughter throughout the room. It was decided not to leave it so long before gathering together again.

Sally Wells

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ketekorero August-October 2013

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Paeroa Family Group Silver Jubilee

P

ast and present parishioners gathered in St Mary’s Church, Paeroa, on Friday 28th June for an evening of Faith, Friendship and Fun, celebrating the beginning of the Passionist Family Group Movement in Aotearoa and the passing of 25 years of Passionist Family Group activity in the parish.

Among those present were Bishop Denis Browne, the Passionist Coordinating Director of New Zealand, Fr Brian Traynor, CP, the New Zealand Directors, Rob & Lynn Hill, and the Hamilton Diocesan Directors, Clive and Frances Bleaken.

Charlie & Maggie Gribble are the Coordinators in Paeroa, and Charlie led the evening as we gathered in small groups to share memories of the last 25 years with laughter and tears.

The Passionist Presence in New Zealand began in 1900 when Fr Francis Clune conducted a Parish Mission in Hamilton. Between 1900 and 1960 a number of Passionists from Australia worked in New Zealand conducting retreats and missions and a Community was then established in Hamilton.

The Retreat House in Hamilton was a principal ministry for the Passionists in New Zealand from 1960 until 1988 and during that time Passionists from the Community conducted parish missions and retreats throughout the country. A decision was taken to close the Hamilton Community from 28 June 1988. In the same week the Passionist Family Group Movement was established in Paeroa (29 June) and East Coast Bays (3 July).

The major Passionist ministry over this past 25 years has been related to the Passionist Family Groups. This has involved the ongoing (annual) formation of hundreds of lay leaders and more specialized formation for Local Directors, Regional Coordinators and Parish Coordinators Within ten years the Passionist Family Group Movement had been established in one hundred and seven parishes. Over 30,000 people were involved with hundreds exercising leadership roles.

The Movement has been strong in advocating lay leadership, and the absence of a residential Passionist community allowed this to be strengthened, so that throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand there have been active lay leaders and strong small communities within local parishes.

Bishop Denis spoke of the work of PFGM in the Diocese and thanked those involved in this. He quoted St Irenaeus: ‘the Glory of God is man fully alive’ and related this to what he has seen and experienced in Passionist Family Groups. Bishop thanked Brian for his service to PFGM in New Zealand and also thanked Rob & Lynn. Bishop then gave a blessing and we adjourned to the Parish Lounge for supper and the cutting of the Anniversary Cake.

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Catholic Family Support

C

atholic Family Support is the Catholic Social Services agency for the Hamilton diocese.

We provide a social work and family support service to families with children, as well as a budgeting service to anyone in need. Our service is not just restricted to Catholics; in fact we serve a wide range of people and cultures.

We have noticed over the past few years a trend in the people referred to us: the issues they present with are becoming far more complex. We work closely with and complement the St Vincent de Paul Society in addressing these issues – the difference being that they address the immediate basic needs and we address some of the longer term issues that clients bring to us.

“A” is a good example of what our Family Support team does –“A” is a man in his late 20s living in a flatting situation and working fulltime. “A” had previously been in a relationship with “B” but this relationship ended as it was not healthy for either party, and had resulted in “C” (their preschool aged child) being removed by Child Youth and Family. Since that time, “A” had attended parenting courses, and Child Youth and Family returned “C” to his care, with the proviso that he work with us to support him in the single parent role, and to address the other issues he faced.

The first thing that needed to happen was for “A” to get accommodation that was suitable for him and “C” to live in. “A” found a place to live, but didn’t know how he was going to manage paying rent and furnishing the place to meet “C’s” needs, so our agency supported “A” to attend Work and Income and obtain the necessary benefits. He was supported with furnishing his new home, which we did in conjunction with St Vincent de Paul Society.

Once the accommodation and financial issues were resolved, a number of other issues that “A” needed support with became apparent. Because “C” had been in CYFs care, “A” needed to work to rebuild the parental relationship, and as a single dad, he needed support in this role. We worked with “A” in regard to attachment, household routines, discipline, medical related matters and budgeting in order to give the family the best possible start.

“A” is now more resilient and able to cope with the day to day challenges of raising a young child and is considering part time work or study.

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The team at Catholic Family Support Services

This story is typical of the type of work we at Catholic Family Support Services are involved in every day.

We have around 130 families that are referred to us each year for Family Support. The range of issues people have range from parenting concerns, families living below the poverty line, families with no friends or family around to support them, families new to New Zealand who need to support to settle in, to relationship difficulties. In fact, we will work with families whatever the issue, and if we are unable to help we will refer to someone who can.

We also provide a budgeting service. We work with people on a limited income to help put a budget together, and to help them work their way out of debt. Many of our clients struggle to make ends meet- a situation often compounded by access to what appears to be easy money – loan sharks and clothing trucks that offer our clients what seems to be a way forward, only to then find they are saddled with debt much greater than they started with. We see around 260 people each year for Budget advice and support.

We are only a small agency: currently we have a total of eight staff. About half our funding comes from Government contracts and the rest comes from Philanthropic Trusts, and donations (including Club 1000). Despite being a small agency, we are very well thought of within the Hamilton community, and have achieved above our weight for a number of years now.

Our hope is that we can extend our service to parishes and schools in Hamilton, but our long term goal is that we are a diocesan-wide service. It is my hope that we can work together with parishes and schools, and plan for developing our service further afield. However, even though we had the resolve to do this, we do need the funding to do so. We welcome any suggestions from other parts of the Diocese as to how we can work more closely with you.

We do need your support however to do this. You can help in a number of ways, from providing financial assistance through Club 1000, or through online giving. And of course, we need you to continue to keep us in your prayers. Contact us on (07) 8563760 or find out more on our website: http://cfss.org.nz.

Photos: In June we held a quiz-night to raise funds to build a fence so children can play outside when they us for supervised contact.

The night was a huge success, not only because we raised enough money to pay for the fence, but also because many now have a clearer idea of the work we do. It was a very enjoyable night and will definitely be repeated in the future!

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St George Te Kuiti

A

t St George’s Parish Te Kuiti (with St Mary’s Parish Piopio) we have two regular monthly Wednesday events on our calendar. The first one involves a visit to Hillview, our local rest home.

Long wooden pointers to alert players to missed numbers are wielded by some of us, and some ‘fortunate’ numbers picked up by the caller ensures that every player wins a chocolate fish before a shared afternoon tea.

Our elderly parishioners, now no longer well enough to continue their former regular weekday and Sunday Mass attendance, are very much an integral part of our visit. The other focus is to assist with games.

Alison Taylor

Scrabble and cards were once a feature, but the present group of participants is no longer as able, so Bingo (‘with the Catholics’, as some describe us) is now the game of choice. An enthusiastic group of residents play on magnified cards (many made by our two parishioners, Katherine with her twin sister Pat Fahey, who died recently) with matching plastic bottle tops in lieu of counters to cover numbers.

Phone: 0800 843 233 Email: cdf@cdh.org.nz

Writing Poetry in Tauranga

O

n Thursday 7th June, Mrs Anne Cato and fourteen enrichment pupils from St Mary’s Catholic School, Rotorua, came for a visit to explore my mosaic garden and gather information for a series of haiku. Haiku are simple, three lined poems, originally of Japanese derivation.

We went for a walk down to the sunken garden and asked the pupils to take note of their surroundings and to think about what they could see, touch, hear, and smell. We then went into the studio and the children were given a brief lesson about haiku as they ate their lunch. I showed them some of my haiku and photography and read them some haiku by other poets.

Everyone was busy and quiet with concentration and the students were encouraged to write more than one haiku. Some people sat together on the couch, writing and in some cases sketching small pictures of mosaics they liked. Mrs Cato helped them and took some photos of her own.

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Enrichment pupils from St Mary’s School in Janet Keen’s Japanese Garden

I went out with my camera and took shots of each pupil beside a mosaic or item in the garden or studio they liked, to remember the creative moments we had for the couple of hours we spent together Janet Keen is a Rotorua based artist, writer, photographer, and teacher.

St Anthony’s Day

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t St Anthony’s in Huntly we celebrated the feast of St Anthony in a fantastic, fun-filled day. All of the children had a great time dressing up in their house colours. We began the day with a Liturgy led by the school leaders. We then went over to set up our fantastic gardens in the pool area. As a result of the hard work and effort put in by the students, parents and staff of our school, we are fortunate enough to have one garden for each house. Our gardens are looking fabulous and we cannot wait to see our vegetables grow over the coming months.

Each House also had to design and make a symbol that represented the founder of each House’s name: Barbier’s house made several beautiful crosses as a symbol of Euphrasie Barbier’s steadfast Catholic faith. They incorporated mixed-media using paint, glitter, paper and cardboard. Pompallier House built a fantastic large scale Parish using real wood, screws and paint. The Parish is to symbolise Bishop Pompallier’s influence in helping establish several Parishes and schools across the country.

Bishop Gaines was the one to open St Anthony’s Catholic School when it was moved to its present site in 1986. The house decided to created a lifesized version of Bishop Gaines and place him in an opening ceremony setting, complete with a ribbon for opening the school. The winning house Poynton created an Irish hat and a large three-dimensional New Zealand complete with miniature schools placed all over the country. These small schools symbolise all the schools that Thomas Poynton helped establish while he was in New Zealand.

The winning house, Poynton, making a 3d New Zealamd

Pupils from Gaines House

Arohanui, from Room Three

Pupils from Barbier House

Pupils from Pompallier House

ketekorero August-October 2013

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Catholic Kids Corner

Every year on the 15th of August we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Fill in the gaps below to learn more about this special feast day, then colour in the stained glass window on the left!

On this feast of Mary we celebrate a special favour that God gave to Mary, our M_________.

The Assumption means that Mary was taken up into h________ , body and soul.

Now Mary is in heaven. She is Queen of heaven and e______. Every time Mary asks Jesus to help us, He listens to her request.

After the resurrection from the dead, we, too, can go to heaven with our bodies. Our bodies will be p________. They will be beautiful and splendid!

As we celebrate the feast day of Mary, we can ask our Blessed Mother Mary to g_______, protect and c______ for us. perfect earth care guide Mother heaven

Catholic Family Camp 4-6 October 2013

Totara Springs, Matamata catholicfamilycamp.org.nz

Bring your family, big, small, old and young!

Be enriched in the Catholic faith, spend time together as a family and be strengthened and encouraged by other Catholic families.

The Catholic Family Camp is a time for fellowship, faith and family activities; craft, prayer, Mass, Reconciliation, Adoration, catechesis, hydro slide, hot pools, burma trail, bmx bikes, toptown and more.

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ketekorero August-October 2013

Gardening with Soul Gardening with Soul; directed by Jess Feast, produced by Vicky Pope. 96 min.

Released from 12 September 2013 Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. Job 12:12 (RSV)

G

ardening with Soul is an enjoyable new film which follows Sr Loyola Galvin, a 90 year old Sister of Compassion, over a year of change and challenge in her extensive gardens at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington.

The film is not only visually beautiful, but is spiritually uplifting, as Sr Loyola shares her downto-earth wisdom and the rich experience of her faith throughout her quiet conversations with director, Jess Feast.

Sr Loyola joined the Sisters of Compassion, founded

by Mother Aubert, in 1947. Over the next ten years she cared for babies, children and the elderly with the order in New Zealand, before carrying on the same work in Australia. In 1979 she returned to New Zealand and was a chaplain at Wellington Hospital for a number of years. From a Catholic perspective, this film is especially interesting as it is a reminder of the rich contribution of Mother Aubert’s Sisters of Compassion to the Catholic Church in New Zealand.

Viewers will appreciate Sr Loyola’s insights on her faith, vocation, aging gracefully and making compost, all gently offered with a generous sprinkling of humour from this lively nonagenarian! As Sr Loyola says; “You don’t lose your humanity when you become a nun- you just get on with it!”

Sr Loyola Galvin, a Sister of Compassion. Gardening With Soul follows her over a year in her garden in Island Bay, Wellington.

Gardening with Soul will be released from 12 September 2013

Secondary Sponsors

What’s happening in your parish or school?

Email us! kete@cdh.org.nz ketekorero August-October 2013

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Please support our Sponsors - They Support Us

Phone: 0800 843 233 Email: cdf@cdh.org.nz

Phone: 0800 843 233 Email: cdf@cdh.org.nz

Funeral Directors and Advisors 138 Grey St, Hamilton Phone: 07 856 5129 Email: pellows@funerals.co.nz www.pellows.co.nz

75 Cook Street Hamilton

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Printed ketekorero August-October 2013 by APN Print.Wanganui