Tuesday 4 August 2020
Page 5
A helping hand
EDUCATION CArEErs AND
Page 10 - 11
Swimming stars
Page 16
Churches close as costs spiral Paula Hulburt Editor
paula@marlboroughmedia.co.nz
Boeing takes off Boeing Boeing director Rose Platenkamp is ready for Marlborough Repertory Society’s newest arrival after coronavirus forced it to postpone. The comedy will take to the stage from 26 August to 5 September. Tickets available from ASB Theatre or Ticketek. Photo: Matt Brown.
1
Rising costs are forcing two Marlborough churches to close. Catholic churches at Renwick and Havelock are to shut permanently it has been revealed. The move comes after a costcutting review by the Pastoral Council into church properties. The congregation was informed over the weekend. Churches at Blenheim, Picton, Kaikoura and Seddon will remain open. Star of the Sea Marlborough Te Whetu O Te Moana Catholic Parish Pastoral Council chairman Greg Stretch says it was a difficult decision for all involved. “Parishioners have been kept informed all the way; they’re upset but that’s completely understandable. “It was not an easy decision.” Renwick’s Catholic Church dates back to 1907. The Sacred Heart Church on Lawrence Street is also to shut. Both hold mass about once a month, Greg says. “We will still make sure that the pastoral needs of their communities are looked after. Now we need to work on the next steps and what happens now.”
The Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, last year asked all parishes in the archdiocese to review their properties. Spiralling maintenance costs, high earthquake-related insurance levies and calls by Pope Francis for Catholics to look beyond their physical churches sparked the review. “I am very grateful and appreciate the hard and difficult work done by the Star of the Sea Pastoral Council in conducting this review,” Cardinal Dew says. Cardinal Dew says it has not been a simple task choosing which churches to close. “I know it has not been a simple task to balance the requirements of local parishioners across such a geographically wide parish with the need to keep church finances in order in these difficult times.” The proposals have been approved by the Pastoral Council of the region’s Star of the Sea Te Whetu O Te Moana Parish. “Most smaller churches were built in an era when people had no cars and walked to Mass. “Today, with fewer priests, rising costs and parishioners more likely to drive to Mass, parishes have been asked to reorganise how they engage with their communities,” Cardinal Dew says.
st
TOP OFFICE IN NEW ZEALAND
15 Consecutive Years
We put you first with our award-winning service
For the past 15 years, First National Marlborough has been the top performing office in New Zealand. Come see us first for all your real estate needs. locally owned and operated
ph: 03 578 8059 64 Queen Street, Blenheim
www.firstnational.co First National Marlborough Ltd – Licensed Agent REAA 2008
www.marlboroughweekly.co.nz