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
ketekorero August-October 2013
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