Kete korero november 2017

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

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The official publication of the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton November 2017 - January 2018

With Hearts Burning calls St Vincent de Paul's Edgecumbe challenge Joy at St Lorenzo Ruiz celebration Pa Yvan's Stations of The Cross

A kind hand

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

bishop’s message With Hearts Burning

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he Church, by her very nature, is missionary. Every Sunday we profess this truth when we pray, I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Apostolic, the last of the four marks of the Church, has two meanings. This first is the Church believes what the Apostles witnessed and believed, that is, that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is risen from the dead. The second meaning is that like the first apostles, the Church throughout the ages is called to actively proclaim our faith in Christ and his Gospel.

We all know how easy it is to pray each Sunday that I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. But can we equally say, I work for unity, I am growing in holiness and am helping others to grow in holiness, I embrace the catholicity, the diversity or universality of my brother and sister believers and that I believe what the apostles believed and I share this faith with those around me.

Being missionary is the very nature of the Church and it should be in the very nature of every Christian; for you and I, by our baptism, share not only Jesus’ life but also his mission.

To this end, it has been very heartening to hear accounts of our Diocesan With Hearts Burning spiritual and pastoral reflection process. I am excited that many people throughout the Diocese are engaging in this conversation as we reflect on the faith and social context of our time and how we might engage in the mission Christ has entrusted to us, his Church in all her members, as we live out that mission in our time in history and in our own part of the world. What is clear is that many are concerned about the future of the Church and many want to be involved in its mission. Can I thank those parishioners, religious, clergy, parishes, schools, communities and groups that have accepted the invitation, who have been active in, engaging in and promoting With Hearts Burning.

Someone described With Hearts Burning to me as an on-line synod. The word “synod” means “journeying together.” At times the Church, or parts of the Church, gather and meet in synod to reflect, discuss and chart a way forward on a particular matter of doctrine, administration or pastoral life. While we are not gathering for a meeting we are all invited to “journey together” in the With Hearts Burning process as we reflect on the spiritual and pastoral life of the Diocese and as we chart our way ahead.

Another person asked me, “What are you going to do with all the feedback?” Perhaps a better question would be, “What are we all going to do with all the feedback?” With Hearts Burning is for all parishes, schools, groups, communities, parishioners and clergy not only to reflect and discuss; it also asks us all to act, to give ourselves more fully in promoting the life of Christ and his Church. To this end I encourage you to read and reflect on the modules as they are published, to place your feedback on the website and keep reading the feedback and asking how can this help me become a more active Catholic and our Diocese, your parish, school, group or community to be more fully engaged in Christ’s mission. The website address is whb.cdh.nz Two thousand years ago, two disciples, with hearts burning, ran out into the night heading for Jerusalem to proclaim Christ is risen. May our hearts burn with the same fire and passion in sharing our faith.

In this issue...

Read it online!

www.proudtobecatholic.org.nz

Bishop’s Message With Hearts Burning

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Features Parishioners responding to With Hearts Burning challenge 3 Parishes urged to adopt families struggling in hard-hit Edgecumbe 8-9 From family home to motor camp - flood victims' tale 9 School News Bishop Steve lays down challenge for teachers 4 Matt Dalton excited to take up new role at Aquinas 4 Religious educations leaders refresh their faith 5 Trustees schooled at regional forums 5 St Joseph's School Matata appeal 7 Service comes alive at St Michael's School Rotorua 13 Parish News Currents of grace run strong Tokoroa First Holy Communion and Confirmation Cluny Sisters attract visitors from four countries Filipino community celebrates Feast of St Lorenzo Celebration as St Mary's Chapel work completed The Religious Life Thanksgiving and celebration at Mass for Bishop Denis Browne The Reformation: Moving forward Rev Gerard Paterson's journey Pa Yvan's Stations of the Cross Celebration of First Profession in Ngaruawahia

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

Deadline for contributions to the next issue is 15 January 2018 Kete Korero Magazine C-/ 51 Grey St, P.O. Box 4353, Hamilton East 3247 Editor: Michael R. Smith, 5 High Street, Rotorua 3010; P.O. Box 6215, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua 3010 At: 07 349 4107, 0272096861, kete@cdh.org.nz Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/KeteFb Videos: http://tinyurl.com/ketekorero Sponsorship and advertising: David Barrowclough, C-/ Chanel Centre 0800 843 233 Fax 07 8567035 or email: cdf@cdh.org.nz Layout: Business Media Services Ltd, 5 High Street, Rotorua 3010 Design: Sandy Thompson, Advocate Print Ltd, 248 Fenton Street, Rotorua 3010.

Printing: Beacon Print Ltd, 207 Wilson Road, Hastings 4153 ISSN: (print) 2357-2221 & (online) 2357-223X Cover Photos Front page: (Top left) Marching to celebrate the Feast of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz; (right) flood damaged community of Edgecumbe. (Below left) parishioners engaging in With Hearts Burning process at St Mary's Rotorua; (right) Bishop Nicholas Hudson.

Bottom right: Edgecumbe resident Sophia Kepa and her son Connor.

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

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feature Parishioners responding to With Hearts Burning challenge

by Michael Smith and John Fong ishop Steve Lowe’s invitation to parishioners to join him on a journey with the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus has begun to roll out throughout the Hamilton Catholic Diocese.

Under the title With Hearts Burning, the journey takes place through six spiritual and pastoral modules.

The aim of the process, as outlined by Bishop Steve, is for people to share their reflections and faith in order to develop new ideas and initiatives for the diocese to “set hearts burning”.

The first module was launched on 17 September with a Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton.

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Participants at St Mary's Church Rotorua discussing Bishop Nicholas Hudson speech and The Emmaus icon at the Hamilton launch. his challenge to them to come up with ways in which the parish could be more missionary.

Bishop Steve spoke of the two disciples who, 2000 years ago, walked with the Risen Lord tohe spoke about the importance of evangelisation Emmaus and He set their hearts burning. Hein bringing new people into the faith and helping said that we too want to journey together withothers return. our Risen Lord on the road to Emmaus so that Bishop Nicholas (pictured) underlined at the outset the necessary we might encounter Him anew and He might part “mercy” can also set our hearts burning. play in engaging To enable parishioners to focus on Jesus with people as part Christ with our thoughts, hearts, and eyes, of evangelisation. It Bishop Lowe commissioned an Emmaus icon was only with The

by Michael Pervan of the Studio of St John the Lord’s help that Baptist. we could begin to During the Mass, the icon was blessed. The communicate with icon then started its travels around the diocese others, he said. as the process began to unfold.

“I am convinced The first module provided a challenging start that the way to set for many parishioners, asking the question as to people in England why people leave the Church. Under the heading and New Zealand “Walking Away, Our Reality”, it sought a better ablaze is to make our understanding as to why people left the Church or parish to help “us understand something ofparishes oases of mercy which radiate Christ.”

Pope Francis had underlined that the face of their spiritual journey and our own journey”.

This part of the campaign was largely online-God was mercy, and Christ was that face. based, with people asked to give feedback “When He calls us to be missionary disciples, on the diocese web site, with 121 commentshe explains that means to be missionaries of given to the ten separate questions in the firstmercy.” module. Feedback also came in written and However, Bishop Nicholas said that for email formats. See feedback at: https://www.parishes to be truly missionary, they needed to rethink their approach, including the goals, proudtobecatholic.org.nz/whakatauki structures, style and methods they employed to be more missionary.

Parishes as oases of mercy The second module was launched on 11 Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium, gave a and 12 November in Rotorua and Hamiltonnew direction towards evangelisation. While consecutively under the heading “Jesus’most parishes were doing things around evangelisation, many had found it helpful Response: A Ministry of Presence”.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson Auxilliary bishopto consider aspects around prayer, caritas of the Archddiocese of Westminster, England,(charity), faith formation, marriage and family addressed the launch at St Mary’s Churchlife. Bishop Nicholas suggested adding a fifth: in Rotorua and the Gerry Sullivan Centre inNew evangelistic outreach.

Hamilton. Bishop Nicholas was in New Zealand An evangelisation team could be established on another task, and was able to help lead thein the parish comprised of people with prayer at launch at St Mary’s Church in Rotorua and thethe heart of their lives.

Gerry Sullivan Centre in Hamilton. At St Mary’s, “There will always be a danger of parishes

living their lives inwardly, rather than looking outwardly.”

Rather than going to people who may have had some involvement with Christianity or religion, Bishop Nicholas challenged parishioners to stand on “the highways and byways” inviting people into their church.

Developing a “welcoming group” was a good way to give an equal welcome to parishioners to those not engaged with Christianity.

“Consideration needs to be given to reaching out to those who come nowhere near the threshold.”

The parish could set a three-year programme of evangelisation initiatives, deciding which goal it would pursue in the next 18 months. This would provide people with a better idea as to where the parish wanted to go in the near future.

The attendees were then split into groups of three-four to provide feedback on two aspects of the presentation: What struck them most from the talk? What could my parish do to be more missionary? Members of the group expressed their appreciation to Bishop Nicholas for the extensive work he had put into the presentation and the detailed understanding they had received.

For more information, go to: whb.cdh.nz Or contact: Alex Bailey, Pastoral Services Manager alexb@cdh.org.nz; 0800 843 233

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

school news

Bishop Steve lays down 'hearts on fire' challenge for teachers

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ishop Steve Lowe has challenged teachers in the Hamilton Catholic Diocese to make schools places where hearts can be set on fire. Speaking to school principals and directors of religious studies from throughout the diocese at their annual conference in Rotorua on 30 August, Bishop Steve (pictured) introduced the With Hearts Burning reflection process before the official launch on 17 September.

His address to the DRSs and principals started with them joining the bishop in singing the song “Road to Nowhere” by the Talking Heads, and asking just where are we leading our students.

Are they on a “road to nowhere” or “on the road to paradise”?

He noted the question Jesus posed in the Gospel of the previous Sunday - “Who do you say I am?” This is the fundamental question Peter had to answer, that we have to answer, that our young people have to answer.

When Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” Jesus told him that he was to be the rock on which he would build his church.

“But we shouldn’t see this as a commission given only to Peter, for each one of you principals and DRSs in your school is commissioned to be a rock. It’s on you that Jesus is going to build his church.”

Jesus’ ability to build his kingdom is always dependent on our “yes” to the mission given to us. In this role, principals and DRSs work with the Builder as builders of the Church.

“So where is Christ the Builder leading us as Church? Again, this is a fundamental question.

Schools are not just out to equip students for jobs or careers, to be good athletes or artists. Our Catholic schools must prepare their students for this life and the life of Heaven. It is where we hope to go that shapes our schools and what we teach.”

“We just cannot presume that the students coming into our schools know and love Christ.

Delivering the Religious Education curriculum might impart some knowledge of Christ but that’s not enough. Our schools have to be environments where our students come to love Christ and live Christ. For at the end of the road is a meeting of two hearts – the heart of Christ and our own heart. Our life journey is the road to this great meeting.

“This is why being teachers of the art of prayer is so important. Prayer takes time, commitment, and space. It is not so much about words as intimacy. Prayer should lead to humility and surrender to thanksgiving and recognised need for Jesus in our lives. In this way our prayer is not about changing God’s mind; it’s about God changing us.”

With Hearts Burning was for school staff, boards of trustees, students and families, Bishop Steve said. It was a process for us to reflect together on our faith life and how we live that faith love. “Faith is like love – it has to be shared to set our hearts on fire.”

With Hearts Burning will continue until the end of 2018. During that time six modules would be published. He was asking every school, with their staff, students and families, to contemplate the content of reflections supplied as part of each module.

“How can we make our schools more communities where we set hearts on fire?”

As to why this needed to be done, Bishop Steve noted that in the last census, the largest group in the country was non-believers, while Catholics now made up the largest denomination with 12 per cent of the population and others were down in numbers.

“We’ve been losing our way in this country.

The more that we’ve lost Christ, the more that social problems are increasing. The more we’ve lost Christ, the more our young people are struggling.

“We are asked to share Christ’s incredibly important mission to change the world.” At times this is hard, but Bishop Steve reminded the audience that the patron saint of the diocese was St Peter Chanel, who went to the island of Futuna. He met with all kinds of hardship with

little success. When he was clubbed to death (while attempting to convert a chief’s son) he had baptised just a handful of the islanders.

However, within two years the whole population had become Catholic. “In the midst of all his hardships, Peter Chanel was recognised as a man of great faith, of great heart. That’s what we have to be – people of great heart, passionate for Christ, passionate for wanting to share the heart of Christ. I hope you will join me in this vision, so that we can together set hearts on fire.”

Opotiki parish priest Reverend Gerard Paterson shared his journey with the educators - see his story on Page 13.

Matt Dalton excited to take up role as new Aquinas College principal Tauranga's Aquinas College has appointed a new principal to replace retiring principal Ray Scott. Matthew (Matt) Dalton (pictured) will join Aquinas College ready to begin Term One, 2018, Scott Kahle has announced on behalf of the Aquinas College Board of Trustees.

Matt is excited to be joining Aquinas College’s Catholic community.

His primary school education included a stint at St Mary’s Catholic School Tauranga, and he attended John Paul College (Rotorua) for his secondary education.

He is strongly motivated to be a leader in a Catholic School, and to inspire and model his faith for students and staff.

Matt joins Aquinas from Rotorua Boys’ High School, where he has been a successful leader since 2010, with the last four years as Deputy Principal responsible for teaching and learning.

The college says Matt’s strengths include leading curriculum and review, developing teaching practices, building collaboration, implementing initiatives around digital technologies, engaging students in their learning, and determining a future-focused vision.

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

school news

Religious education leaders refresh their faith journey of prayer exploring four different prayer styles for leaders to use in their schools or in their daily lives. After lunch on the second day, Fr Gerard Patterson, parish priest from Opotiki, told his story of his journey to priesthood.

Members of the audience were captivated and you could hear a pin drop as people hung on every word (see Page 13).

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two-day conference was held on 30 and 31 August in Rotorua for the leaders of Religious Education of the Catholic schools in the Hamilton Diocese. This conference was well attended by Principals, Directors of Religious Studies (DRS) and other staff from our schools with all of the 33 schools represented.

The theme for the conference was With Hearts Burning. After making a presentation to new DRSs and principals (pictured above), Bishop Steve launched the conference with a keynote address on this topic (see Page 4).

Other speakers on the first day, included Reverend Dr Gerard Aynsley, Vicar for Education from the Dunedin Diocese and Joe Hogan, our Diocesan Marriage and Family Life Animator.

Fr Chris Skinner SM, well known for his music and songwriting, ran an interactive sing along of his songs which kept attendees well engaged after lunch. Day one concluded with Mass at St Michael’s Church followed by the conference dinner.

The second day began with a presentation from Colin McLeod, Director of the National Centre for Religious Studies on the teaching of Religious Education. As with the previous speakers, the attendees were well engaged with many commenting they could have heard more from this speaker.

Sr Anne Sklenars RNDM, took attendees on a

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The final speaker at the conference was Darren Florence, a science teacher at Rotorua Boys High School who connected science with our faith.

Catholic Schools’ Manager, John Coulam, says that his office has received extremely positive feedback from attendees who have indicated that the conference both inspired and refreshed them on their faith journey.

Trustees schooled at regional forums The Catholic Integrated Schools’ office of the Hamilton Diocese ran a series of workshops for Board of Trustee members during September.

The workshops were presented by John Coulam, the Schools Education Manager, and Graeme Roil, the Schools Property and Finance Manager.

While the forums were for all trustees, it was pleasing to see so many of the new Proprietor’s Appointees in attendance, many of whom had just joined the boards that month.

The purpose of the forums was to assist boards in their understanding of how integrated schools work, including key legislative requirements and expectations of the proprietor.

The presentations covered Catholic character, understanding the role of the proprietor and information to assist in both roll and property planning.

The forums were an opportunity for trustees to network with those from other Catholic schools in their area, and were an opportunity for them to ask questions of the two diocesan managers.

John spoke both of his experiences as a Catholic principal before joining the diocese this year and from his observations this year as he visits the schools.

An analogy used at the forums was that if our schools were mathematics schools, we would expect an environment that had mathematical signs and symbols on display, that there would

be mathematical experts and knowledgeable staff members.

Mathematics would be the main reason children came to the school, there would be ongoing professional development in mathematics and the school would be well resourced in mathematics. The language and conversation of the staff and the school would be that of mathematics.

John asked trustees to think of the school that they represented and to replace mathematics with catholic, he asked them to consider how their school measured up as an authentic Catholic school. The forums were generally well attended and much appreciated by participating board members.

John talked about his role and what it meant to be an “authentic Catholic school”.

As well as administrative matters, he discussed staff development in religious education and how boards could support the relationship between parishes and schools.

Graeme gave an outline of building and upgrading classrooms for the future, as well as property planning and an update on the diocese’s capital works projects.

He provided background on strategic planning for growth in Catholic education requirements in the diocese’s regions, along with administrative requirements and financial responsibilities.

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

parish news Tokoroa First Holy Communion and Confirmation

Currents of grace run strong at conference

Fr John Ray healing ministry.

By Gary Parker he Current of Grace Conference 2017, celebrating 50 years of the diverse fruits and family of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Zealand, was held recently in Palmerston North. Thirty-five people from throughout the country, including a strong youth presence, attended for the three days.

Friday evening began with the theme song for the conference “Your Grace Is Enough” led by the blessed voices and musicianship of Wilma and Mike Conroy, backed with the talent of seasoned musicians David Jones and Bill Meehan and some talented youth.

Bishop Denis Browne gave the welcoming address, incorporating the words of Pope Francis in his dialogue to the 45,000 people who had gathered in the Circus Maximus in Rome, to commemorate the Jubilee of the Charismatic movement held earlier this year. In this he emphasised the need to “share with all the church, the grace of the baptism of the Holy Spirit”.

T The First Holy Communion and Confirmation children with Bishop Steve Lowe at Tokoroa Church on 27th August 2017 For any conference to run successfully much preparation and background work is required.

Special congratulations therefore must go to Val Morrison and her team who worked so diligently to make this conference the success and blessing it was.

Many people were reconnected, new bonds were formed or strengthened, and many hearts rejoiced in what was given and received through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Saturday morning Mass was a joyful occasion lead again by Bishop Denis and the music team. Representatives from the various Catholic Church organisations spoke briefly on the ways in which the Holy Spirit flows through their callings.

Ann Bereton, representing the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal, presented the Holy Father’s message from Rome. She displayed images of Christians held captive by ISIS members, who before their execution were asked whether they were Christian or not. This supported the previous night’s address in which Bishop Denis spoke briefly on Christian saints and martyrs of the early church.

Ann reminded us that the new martyrs of the faith were not asked whether they were Orthodox, Coptic, Catholic, Apostolic or any other denomination, but Christian. She emphasised Pope Francis’ message for church unity and the great need for all Catholics to walk more closely with their brother and sister Christian denominations, making brief reference to John 17 v 21 that “all believers be as one”.

CCRNZ chair Dianna Ingles gave a personal testimony on how the gifts of the Holy Spirit had moved in her life and particularly those of her family and their friends. The outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit have now become accepted as normal among those she engages with, particularly, the youth in Christchurch, where she lives, and include the talented and charismatic youth leader Ann-Marie Barrett, currently living in Hamilton.

A healing service lead by Fr John Ray and the healing ministry team, was held that evening in the cathedral dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Conference attendees joined with local congregation members to celebrate the morning Mass lead by Bishop Dennis and the music team on Sunday morning.

fredr@cdh.org.nz

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

parish news

school news

Cluny Sisters conference attracts visitors PICTURED AT LEFT - Back row L-R: Sr Luisita Tongson, Sr Allison Macalister (Provincial Leader), Sr Senoveva Soqe and Sr Genevieve Loo. Middle Row L-R: Fr Mark Field (Facilitator), Sr Rosalie Johnson Vaviola Babakula (Postulant) Sr Emeli Marafono, Sr Elizabeth Browne-Russell, Sr Francis Kelly (Vice Provincial). Front Row L-R: Anamaria Irava, (Postulant) Sr Teresia Vasenai, Sr Cecilia Shen, Sr Gabrielle O’Neill, Lusiana Matai and Sr Lusini Falemaka. Absent: Sr Joseline Thomas and Sr Luisa Nava

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he Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny held their Provincial Chapter at their Cluny Retreat Centre, Tauranga, in August. The elected members came from the four countries belonging to the Province. They were from the Philippines, Cook Islands, Fiji Islands and New Zealand. It was the first time that a Provincial Chapter was held in Tauranga.

The Provincial Chapter takes an honest look at the state of the Province. This examination should then lead the Chapter members to face questions, such as: are we faithful to our mission or have we slid into mediocrity? What is the Lord asking of us today? How are we being asked to change? The Provincial Chapter will offer specific directives for the whole Province as it proposes a path forward to help members live more authentically their vocation.

We had the privilege of Rev Father Mark Field (Parish Priest) as our facilitator who helped us to fulfil this demanding task.

All members present at the Chapter were greatly appreciative of his wisdom and gentle guidance during the week. We thank him very much for giving us his time.

Having fulfilled this directive of the

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Congregation, we feel a confidence of moving forward in hope and trust to do our best with the help of the Lord in the footsteps of our Mother Foundress Blessed Anne Marie Javouhey.

We are grateful to all our Cluny Affiliates and Associates, members of St Thomas Aquinas Parish Tauranga, our friends and benefactors for your prayers, support and care over this time.

May God bless you all abundantly.

Final resting place of Suzanne Aubert opened

The final resting place of Venerable Suzanne has been officially opened following a beautiful blessing ceremony on 14 October. The blessing and rededictaion of the chapel coincided with the125th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Compassion.

Hundreds of friends attended the ceromonies which started with a Karakia (dawn blessing) followed by the Mihi whakatau (formal welcome and speeches). Cardinal John Dew led the Miha (Māori Mass) to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding, the rededication of the chapel, and the blessing of the new crypt and final resting place.

When Suzanne Aubert died in 1926 she was buried at Karori cemetery in Wellington. She was moved to Our Lady’s Home of Compassion in 1950 and placed in a grave at the foot of the Pietà (a statue which depicts the body of Jesus in the arms of his mother). In 1984 both the grave and the statue were transferred to different sites on the grounds after the buildings at Island Bay were replaced. Following the completion of the crypt earlier this year Suzanne was moved to her final resting place, with the newly-restored Pietà just outside the main window.

The Chapel and Resting Place are open to from 10:00am to 3:00pm on Monday to Saturday and from 12:00pm to 3:00pm on Sunday.

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St Joseph’s School Matata appeal

Are you an ex-pupil, former staff member, and long-time supporter of St Joseph’s Catholic School Matata?

A school steeped in history, inextricably interwoven with St Mary MacKillop, proudly teaching children for over 125 years, St Joseph’s Matata was threatened with closure in 2013 when the role dwindled to just 8 pupils. With the help of a revival committee and dedicated supporters raising much-needs funds, St Joseph’s Matata is again flourishing and continuing to provide the well-rounded education that it has since 1891.

As a form of fundraising, and a symbol of building and growth, we are selling timber ‘bricks’, forming a wall of support for the school.

If you, like so many, have a connection to St Joseph’s Matata, and feel you’d like to leave your mark, we would love you to purchase a brick to bring your past into our future!

At $65 for a “single name” brick and $100 for “multiple name/family/whanau” brick. Each brick will be beautifully engraved with your name, oiled and mounted on permanent display in our School office to show your pride and aroha for St Joseph’s Matata.

Your support will be acknowledged and appreciated for years to come!

For orders or more details, please contact Beck Salter via email: rlmmurphy@gmail.com Trish Murphy (née Marr) Ph : (07) 3222 926 or Liz Marr - St Joseph’s School office - Ph: (07) 3222 095

Kath Joblin lead principal for Community of Learning Kath Joblin, the principal of St Thomas More Catholic School in Mt Maunganui, has been appointed the lead principal of the Community of Learning for the next two years.

The community includes the three St Mary’s Schools in Tauranga, Rotorua and Putaruru, along with St Joseph’s, Opotiki; Bishop Edwards Gains, Tokoroa; St Michael’s, Rotorua; and the two colleges – Aquinas and John Paul College.

The structure provides benefits such as sharing the best ideas and practices between the schools, and allows teachers to work alongside the advisers and mentors to improve teaching.

The Ministry of Education provides resources to engage professional learning specialists and to enable schools to work together.

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

feature Parishes urged to adopt families struggling in flood-hit Edgecumbe

By Michael Smith

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arishes and parishioners from throughout the Hamilton Catholic Diocese are being urged to “adopt-a-family” this Christmas to help people in the Eastern Bay of Plenty recover from the ongoing impacts of the Edgecumbe floods.

Although the flooding event occurred on 6 April, it is clear from reports and first-hand evidence that the people in the area continue to struggle physically, mentally and financially with the impacts.

Wrecked properties - floodwater ran into the gully swamping houses and the college.

Brenda and Bernard Whelan Confronted daily with the toll the flooding has taken on the community, Brenda Whelan, the Whakatane area President of St Vincent de Paul, is calling on parishioners to help bring some Christmas cheer to affected families.

Brenda and her husband, Bernard, who is a past president of the Whakatane SVDP, highlighted the challenges facing the community.

They have been shocked at how little progress has been made during a very wet winter to repair houses in Edgecumbe and, at the very least, place people in warm, dry accommodation.

The lack of progress has had health implications for the community, with several people taken to hospital and at least two people known to have died due to the stress of their situations. Relationship break-ups have also been reported, due to stress on families resulting from the disaster.

“So much could have been done and hasn’t, I believe,” says Bernard. During a tour of the town, we visited a site that has been dubbed “The Monument”. This fenced off pile of large slabs of concrete was previously the floodwall between College Road and the river. An official report into the flood found that foundation fill below the wall had not been repaired following an earthquake in the area in 1987.

“The wall that was put up to stop the water flowing into people’s houses is now fenced off and is like Stonehenge and is a monument,” says Bernard. “The people here can see this, so it is like a monument to a lack of sensitivity and a reminder to everybody of the disaster.”

A 1.5-metre tablet engraved with the 10 commandments stands beside “the monument”.

It is said the tablet was placed there after a local woman had a dream that she should place it there to guide the town’s youth.

Flood impacting life and lives Bernard had earlier visited three residents he had had contact with previously. One, Brian and his partner, were upbeat as they had received assistance from the council in the form

Brian and Paati in their partly-refurbished house.

Clearing out the mess from a damaged house.

of a cabin with a shower and toilet and sleeping accommodation. However, Brian had had to go all the way to the office of the then Prime Minister Bill English to get action.

We visited Brian and found his partner Paati happy enough with progress now being made on their house. Their belongings remained in the garage and remedial work was required to make the property safe from contamination.

Across the road, were houses that were said to be ready for occupation. One had floors that collapsed when residents tried to put their furniture back in, so they had to move out again. Another had to have the side wall of the house replaced and remained wrapped in a protective cover. Bernard found 20 houses with tradespeople doing repairs but a further 21 remained unrepaired.

However, as Brenda noted from reports she had received, that as well as the housing stock being reduced, rents had increased.

“There is just not a lot to rent,” she said.

Bernard also reported on a house owner, Michelle, who had been commuting from Kawerau to work each day after losing her house.

She had now moved back into the garage on her property, with a bed and a chest of drawers.

SVDP provided a fridge-freezer to Michelle and her partner and was supporting them where possible. Work was being done on the insured house, but she had no contents insurance.

Security remains a concern for residents, even after the issue was highlighted in the immediate

aftermath of the flood, when residents were cleared out and later learned that thieves had gone through stripping houses of valuables.

Brenda, who is working at Edgecumbe College, highlighted the impact the flood has had not only on the school but also on the teachers, pupils and their families. The flood flowed down a low-lying gully area behind the school and up into the back area of fields, class rooms and facilities, including the school library, music rooms and physical education facilities as well as the horticulture block.

We met the college librarian, Daniel Anderson, who had to move out of his house with his wife and two children after the flood. Although they were paying insurance on the basis that the house was worth $220,000, their insurance company had decided to pay based on the value being at $145,000. The house did have some repair work done before the decision to abandon it and this brought down the payable value to $135,000.

Daniel and his family had been living in a rented Coastlands holiday home but moved during the school holidays to a vacant principal’s school house near the college. They will only be able to remain there until mid-January, when it will be occupied.

“We don’t need to do everything on the list but it’s whether the builder can do a sufficient amount of the work [to make our house liveable].”

Like others facing this challenge, Daniel and his family have engaged with Community Law Canterbury, which has helped people facing

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

9

feature similar challenges following the devastating Christchurch earthquakes.

Brenda says that SVDP’s approach has been to find out what people need and then source goods and services to assist them. The next stage will be to do a letter-drop in post boxes throughout the area to alert people to what help is available.

Many of the properties currently had 10-15 people living in them and, because no additional houses existed, it was hard to provide help other than goods.

“Can you imagine 10 to a house? It is no wonder relationships have been suffering.”

The America’s Cup was brought into the township for a visit, raising spirits for a day. The

authorities cut the grass in the common areas to try and spruce the town up.

Adopt-a-Family Appeal Brenda and Bernard said that if parishes or SVDP conferences throughout the diocese could adopt-a-family.

“The biggest thing is that they are not feeling loved. They are feeling ignored and marginalised, and nobody’s loving my house” said Brenda.

Even if it was as simple as sending the families a letter or a Christmas card or parcel, it would make such a difference.

“There are two hundred families out there that are struggling and if they just knew that

somebody did care about them, and could walk with them on the journey, that would be so good.”

Brenda and Bernard would be able to assemble names and addresses of people who were in most need of help.

Brenda believes that it will be when the families move back into their houses that the big needs will be revealed – over-and-above the need to meet demands from the daily struggle to survive.

For more information, contact: Brenda Whelan, Whakatane St Vincent de Paul Area President, Tel: 0210382452 Email: bjwhelan@hotmail.co.uk

From family home to motor camp - flood victims' tale

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he impact the Edgecumbe flooding disaster continued to have was highlighted when Bridget Rika, the principal of St Joseph’s Catholic School Matata, took Kete Korero to visit a family who were living in a portable home at the Whakatane Motor Camp.

Bridget first outlined the circumstances of the flood and the families with children at the school.

Technically, the flood occurred when the Rangitāiki River breached a stopbank, sweeping into a gully and throughout much of the town.

By the time an official report into the event was released in mid-September, it was found that 15 houses were rendered uninhabitable and 250 others needed to be evacuated while repairs taking “a considerable period” need to be carried out. The beached stopbank runs alongside College Road, which will become a significant factor, given the impact on Edgecumbe College.

(See below for report details) Bridget says St Joseph’s Matata had two whānau living in Edgecumbe affected and a third living in Kawerau indirectly impacted.

Two days before the flood, it was decided to close the school, before a Ministry of Education directive to do so, because seven children were coming from Whakatane and a further 18 from Kawerau.

“I am so thankful that we made that call to close the school on [5 April] when we did, because the next day [6 April] the Edgecumbe River burst its banks. The children were already with their whānau.”

The ministry officially closed the schools in the area the following week, when heavy rain swept through the area after the flooding.

Because it was a small school, students were aware that at least two of the children would have been caught up in the flooding, the anxiety was felt by all.

“There was a lot of anxiety – regarding the whereabouts and their safety.”

Everybody was acutely aware that the location where the stopbank burst was in the area where one of the pupils lived.

“So, for the first three days it was frantic – frantically trying to find out the status of those children and their families. Once we knew they were alright, it lifted.”

As it turned out, television news showed the pupil who lived nearest the flooding on the back of an evacuation truck, and this image was shown

to help alleviate children’s fears for his safety.

Fortunately, the Whakatane-based Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi was able to provide accommodation for the families immediately after the flooding and for a number of weeks.

One whanau was renting in Edgecumbe but had lost everything. Not insured, they lost their car and were unable to replace it.

“They walked out with the clothes on their back – that’s what they managed to get out with,” Bridget says.

Once it was known that the children were safe, the parents went to assist their neighbours, including the elderly, on to a rescue truck and to safety.

“It is very humbling [to see how people in distressed situations are willing to help others].”

Goods to help meet families’ immediate needs were supplied, with no stipulations, to help in the recovery. A list was made up of what had been supplied and whatever was left over, went back to St Vincent de Paul. Cards sent by pupils also provided a much-needed boost to the affected parents and children.

“The generosity of spirit was just amazing.

Following these tragic events, the Holy Spirit was definitely there,” Bridget says.

Living in a temporary home At the Whakatane Domain Holiday Park, Sophia Kepa, her son Connor (pictured) and partner Danny were living in a relocatable cabin.

Connor, 8, and his whanau were living opposite the Edgecumbe stopbank before it broke, and water flooded the town. They had lived in the town for four years and were doing the normal things on the morning of the flood.

Connor had been standing at the bottom of the front steps and saw water coming towards the house from the broken stopbank.

“He called out to us that the water was coming and by the time we got to him, the water was up so high we had to grab him and put him up on the top step,” Sophia says. Throughout the rest of the day, Connor acted as a “big buddy” for some of the younger children as they were evacuated from the town. The family were only able to take their phones and one of Connor’s toys.

Bridget makes the point that, once they had Connor to safety, Sophia and Danny helped out other, elderly neighbours.

“They did that, instead of worrying about themselves.”

Sophia and Connor with their cat in the relocatable cabin at the Whakatane Holiday Park.

Sophia says: “We didn’t realise how drastic it was. We weren’t looking after ourselves, we were looking after Connor and our neighbours.”

Although they helped neighbours find their pets, they had to leave their own cat behind.

Three weeks later, he was found staying somewhere else in the town.

They had been renting the house for $300 a week but were unable to go back into it. The rent went up to $350 after the landlord had used insurance pay out to fix it up. Because they had lost their uninsured car, Danny was also unable to get to his job in Edgecumbe.

When we visited them in September, they were paying $230 a week for the relocatable cabin provided in the holiday park, plus service charges for washing and power.

“We didn’t realise at the time how drastic our situation was; we were just looking after him,” says Sophia, pointing to Connor. “So, we escaped pretty much with what we wore that day.”

They were able to lift small electrical items, including their TV, on to the kitchen table.

What they really needed was for Danny to be able to get back to work, a task made more difficult with the loss of their car.

NOTE: The Whakatane Beacon reported on 17 October 10 relocatable cabins were now at the park, with seven families now moved in, and more expected.

Rangitāiki River Scheme, Review – April 2017 Flood Event. Final report as supplied to Bay of Plenty Regional Council 18 September 2017; Prepared by the Rangitāiki River Scheme Review Panel.

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

parish news

Joy as community celebrates Feast of St Lorenzo Ruiz

By Michael Smith he commemoration held by the Filipino community for Saint Lorenzo Ruiz could hold lessons for the wider Catholic community in the Diocese of Hamilton.

St Loreonzo is revered in the community as the first saint in the Philippines. Canonized by Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Philippines in 1981, St Lorenzo is remembered for his martyrdom in Japan when he refused to abandon his faith.

The feast day celebration held in Rotorua on 30 September was a joyous occasion, bringing friends and families from throughout the diocese. They not only remembered their saint but also celebrated their home and their new country.

Celebrating the Mass were Fr Alfonso Dujali, Parish Priest at Frankton, Fr Jelo Maghirang parish priest of Morrinsville, and Fr Fernando Alombro, the chaplain

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of the Filipino Community in the Hamilton Catholic Diocese, and the Assistant Priest of the Kaimai Collegial Area.

After the Mass at St Mary’s Church in Rotorua, the congregation marched along the footpath to the hall at the adjacent St Mary’s School. Here, they had a feast and enjoyed a range of entertainment, including traditional and modern singing and dancing.

Fr Alfonso Dujali is a member of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP). He said it was inspiring to celebrate the faith with the Filipino community outside of

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Left, parishioners marching from the church through the streets to St Mary's School hall.

Above from left, Fathers JeLo Maghirang, Fr Alfonso Dujali and Fernando Alombro.

Below left, young people participating in the Mass.

Right, celebrations included a mix of traditional and contemporary. their own country and remembering the heroic faith of St Lorenzo.

“He inspires us to live our faith wherever we are and whatever we do in a given country.”

St Lorenzo inspired people because he was just an ordinary person, who didn’t have a university degree.

“When he was called to share his life for the spread of the Catholic faith, he didn’t hesitate to offer his life to give a living witness to what following Christ would mean.”

Fr Alfonso said Filipino Catholics were in some ways unique, because they bring the family to Mass and pass the faith to the next generations.

“We witness the whole family coming together for the celebration of the Mass. The young willingly oblige or are even happy to be with their parents and share the singing of the hymns, serving at the altar and being in the choir. It includes the whole family, not just the parents.”

Filipinos were also inclined to celebrate with music, so that singing was present at any gathering.

Fr Alfonso has been a priest for more than 20 years and in New Zealand since 2010, initially staying at Holy Cross Papatoetoe before going to Kaitaia in mid2011 until 2014 before going to Helensville. He came to Frankton following Bishop Steve Lowe’s request for priests to start a mission for the Filipino community in the Hamilton Diocese.

Fr Fernando Alombro, who has been in New Zealand for four months, said it was important to have a chaplain to help meet the needs of the many Filipino people living in the community throughout the diocese.

The day was a way of celebrating the faith that was sown in the Philippines by the Spaniards as well as being a celebration of culture.

“For me, it’s a celebration of a celebration of Faith and a celebration of culture.”

Fr Fernando said that as a priest serving in Morrinsville he had to adapt the Filipino way of celebration to the Kiwi culture.

Regarding the “With Hearts Burning”, Fr Fernando said it was important to see the Catholics who had drifted away from the faith as part of the family.

“We have to keep the doors open to them.”

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

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parish news Celebration as St Mary's Chapel work upgrade completed

By John Fong he instruction from Bishop Denis Browne (when he was Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton) was clear: Restore St Mary’s Chapel. This involved earthquake-strengthening, upgrading building services, re-wiring, and undertaking architectural upgrades, heritage conservation, and internal repairs and maintenance.

And so, the St Mary’s Convent Chapel Charitable Trust was set up to raise the necessary funds and to oversee the work. The trust commissioned a Conservation Plan which was to definitively describe the existing historic fabric of the building, evaluate the heritage value of the fabric, and include a statement of heritage significance for aesthetic, archaeological, architectural, cultural, and historical factors, including comments on the importance of the site to tangata whenua.

The site on which the chapel sits had been purchased by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in March 1884 – and the chapel was subsequently built in 1926.

There is great architectural significance in the chapel.

Its exterior is constructed with decorative brickwork patterning incorporated into the roughcast plastered walls with a beautiful stained-glass window on its front south–end gable wall (depicting the Holy Mother holding the infant Jesus), smaller leaded windows grouped into threes, and a steeplypitched tile roof.

A large marble altar was installed in 1929 as a memorial. A large wooden crucifix hangs on the wall behind it and a large number of statues and lights were added. A curved barrel-vault ceiling over the altar area gives it a Romanesque feel to the Arts and Crafts interior.

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The St Mary’s statue was restored

by Michael Pervan of the Studio of St John the Baptist of Takapuna and is installed high up on the external south-end gable wall above the stained-glass picture of Mary and Child.

In 2003 the sisters moved out of its Euphrasie House into new housing units and from that time boarders from Hamilton Sacred Heart Girls’ College occupied it until 2011 when the building was deemed unsafe as an earthquake risk. The site was then sold to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hamilton in 2012. Euphrasie House was demolished before restoration of the chapel could begin.

With work now mostly completed, a Liturgy Blessing of the chapel (now called St Mary’s Chapel) was held on 15 September.

It was a glorious occasion with Bishop Steve Lowe, Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton, the leader. In attendance were the Auckland and Waikato sisters of the congregation, the trustees (comprising Tony Egan as chair, Julie South as secretary, Greg Schmidt as treasurer, Michael Hanaray on finance, Bob Peacocke as Project Director, and Paul Honiss as honorary trustee - fundraising), and other interested parties. A total of 110 persons filled the chapel.

At the liturgy blessing, Bishop Steve Lowe spoke of a river that starts small but grows and soon becomes impossible to cross. It’s an

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image of God giving us life, flowing as river of water of life. The chapel would make lives richer as the grace of God flows within us.

“In the silence, we connect with God. When we have troubles, we go to the silence of our God. In this place, we stop and reflect in silence.

And we go out into the world renewed and refreshed. We give thanks for this place – a blessing,” said Bishop Steve.

Sr Carmel Cole, Province Leader of the New Zealand and Samoa Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, gave a brief historical account of the Mission Sisters’ work and presence in Hamilton. Sr Euphrasie Barbier herself had come in 1884.

Soon classes were started; the numbers increased and the school became St Mary’s Cathedral School.

After amalgamation with the Marist Brothers’ Boys’ School, it became Marian Catholic Primary School.

There were sisters still teaching until 1993.

Sr Carmel said: “So we now have this chapel as a reminder of all the history that has gone before. It was a place of worship.” Sr Carmel herself had spent three years at the convent on the site. She gave thanks for all that had been done and the dedication the trustees have shown in bringing the building to what it is today.

Sr Carmel presented to Bishop Steve a chasuble (an outermost liturgical garment) made by Sr Philippa Reed) to mark the special occasion.

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The sisters then sang their hymn, Gloria Patri, which brought back for them many fond memories of the chapel.

Chair of the Trust, Tony Egan summarised the events leading to the formation of the Trust, the costs involved, and concluded, “Whether you want to be married, sent to God or have a baptism, this place is now open for business.”

The occasion was followed by fellowship and reminiscing of old times over refreshments served in the adjacent Gerry Sullivan Centre on the grounds of Marian Catholic Primary School.

The cost to complete all works is $1.04 million and of that amount the sum of $960,000 has been raised. Another $80,000 is required to complete the external aspects of the project, namely to reconstruct heritage brick (using the bricks from the former convent wall) entrance gateway, access way and floodlighting as a permanent memorial to the Sisters for providing educational services, boarding facilities for college students, and general support services to the community. Finally, the grounds will be landscaped.

The Trust welcomes contributions. Payments may be made to the Chapel Account with BNZ, Victoria Street, Hamilton.

Details are: St. Mary’s Convent Chapel Charitable Trust. Bank Account No: 020316 - 0498335 - 00 (Please include postal address for delivery of tax receipts) For further information, please contact: Julie South, Trustee, St. Mary’s Convent Chapel Charitable Trust Email:- julie.south@xtra.co.nz Phone:- (07) 854 7179 Mobile:- 027 282 4155 Facebook page https://www. facebook.com/miltonNZ/

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

the religious life Thanksgiving and celebration at Mass for Bishop Denis Browne

By John Fong Mass of Thanksgiving held in a packed Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton on 8 September acknowledged and gave thanks for the service of Emeritus Bishop Denis Browne for his 55 years as a priest and 40 years as a bishop.

The occasion also celebrated his eightieth birthday on the day of the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.

Bishop Denis (pictured right) was the celebrant and with him were Bishop Steve Lowe, Cardinal Tom Williams, Bishops Peter Cullinane, Owen Dolan, and Colin Campbell and many priests and deacons of the diocese.

To the delight of Bishop Denis, his long-time friend, Archbishop Sir David Moxon arrived unexpectedly.

Bishop Denis was ordained a priest on 30 June 1962 in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Auckland

by Archbishop James Liston and served in Gisborne, Papatoetoe, Remuera, and Tonga. He was consecrated a Bishop in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Auckland in 1977 and served in the Cook Islands and Niue. He was the tenth bishop of Auckland from 1983 until 1994, when he became Hamilton diocese’s second bishop following the death of Bishop Edward Gaines.

Kete Korero asked long-time parishioners for their views on Bishop Denis and his influence on the diocese.

Alan McAllen, wrote: “Bishop Denis is a man of great faith and the diocese experienced a spiritual renaissance under his leadership during the time he was our bishop.

He led by example with his great love for prayer, the Mass, the Sacraments and the Scriptures.

He inspired and encouraged us

The Reformation: Moving forward

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Celebrating Mass: Bishop Denis Browne

Friends and parishioners gathered for the celebration. to treasure these as the great gifts of faith. He also introduced us to Proud to be Catholic.”

Professor Dr Peter Kamp, wrote: “Bishop Denis has shown enormous leadership around promotion of Catholic school education in the Hamilton Diocese.

“He has also been very supportive of Roman Catholic Chaplaincy on the campuses of the University of Waikato and the Waikato Institute of Technology.”

Another parishioner wrote: “In his role as Bishop of Hamilton Diocese he encountered very many challenges; this could cause an ordinary person to back away, become totally indecisive, become limited by their fear. Not so Bishop Denis Browne.”

Bishop Denis thanked the people of the diocese for their love and support. He has made many friends in his time as their bishop.

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By John Fong To enable the Lutherans and Catholics to better understand the background to the Reformation, Hamilton Bishop Stephen Lowe, in collaboration with Pastor John Davison of the Hamilton St Matthew’s Lutheran Church, organised a presentation called “A Sharing of Stories” held on 26 October, at St Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

Pastor Jim Pietsch, Assistant Bishop of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand, explained the Lutheran perspective and to explain the Catholic perspective was Sr Carmel Walsh OP, who is Assistant Dean of Studies and lecturer in Church history in Good Shepherd College in Auckland.

On 27 October, an ecumenical service titled “From Conflict to Communion” was held in the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton.

The themes were of thanksgiving, repentance, and commitment to common witness. The aim was to express the gifts of the Reformation and to ask for forgiveness for the division perpetuated by Christians from the two Traditions.

Text for the service was based on the Liturgical Task Force of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity.

In his homily, Pastor John Davison recounted his experiences of the conflict between Lutherans and the Catholics.

He said, “As I look back on my life growing up in Marton in Rangitikei in the 1960s, I can see that there were moments when God was not pleased with the way His Baptised children behaved.

“Some 50 years on, and having studied some history and theology, and reflected on the sins of pride, violence, impatience, active hatred, dis-unity, and at times aggression, I hear God saying through St Paul, ‘lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called’.”

“However, since 1517, we have listened to God’s Word as we begin dialogue between the two Churches.

We’ve sought forgiveness for our brokenness, the hurt and pain

Above left: Pastor John Davison of the Hamilton St Matthew's Lutheran Church (left) and Hamilton Catholic Bishop Steve Lowe.

Above: Religious from the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches attended the event. we’ve caused each other,” said Pastor John.

“We’ve received God’s grace to move forward in the process of reconciliation from Conflict to Communion. This was and is possible because God is reconciling us to each other – through our Lord Jesus Christ”, explained Pastor John.

Bishop Steve contrasted a diamond wedding anniversary Mass which he had celebrated earlier in the day with the commemoration of the Reformation which was a break up.

As he traced the historical context that lead to the division of the Church between Catholics and Lutherans, he made a comparison to the break-up of a relationship that might have started with a simple dispute, but unresolved, the couple started to get nasty and didn’t hear each other.

Anger festered until they lost sight of each other and division reigns.

Today, said Bishop Steve, as we looked back, we must remember not only the negatives but also the positive fruits of the Reformation.

Bishop Steve explained that in this age of ecumenism we are invited to discover the richness of each other and to rediscover a fuller Christian tradition as we listen and share the richness of our faith and insight.

"This is not always easy, because we might have to admit that we are wrong and so lose something of ourselves and understanding as we move to the fullness of life in Christ.

"Bishop Steve concluded that “500 years on since the Reformation, the Church needs reformation as we pray and work with Jesus that we might be one”.

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

13

the religious life

Gerard Paterson's old shoes and his journey through life

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potiki parish priest Reverend Gerard Paterson’s journey from Matata to Auckland and back again has been less than straight forward. Rev Gerard outlined his journey to the parish priest in the Eastern Bay of Plenty coastal town with an extensive pastoral area while speaking to the annual conference of Directors of Religious Studies and Principals in Rotorua.

Born in Matata, Rev Gerard (pictured) says there was no conflict between taha Māori and being a practising Catholic when he grew up.

He attended St Patrick’s College Silverstream in Wellington, because his parents wanted him to learn how to get on with Pakeha. On leaving school, he also drifted away from the church as he went from job-to-job in Auckland, making what he now considers were not necessarily the best choices. However, he made an unconscious decision not to go further down that track, and spent some time considering how to get out of it.

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An acquaintance talked endlessly about a god but the young Gerard told him flatly that there was only one God – Jesus Christ, and that was the only one he wanted to know.

“I thought, ‘why did I just say that?’”

Eighteen months later came a car accident in which he had a brush with death, during which he was in a car driven by an uncle going from Whakatane to hospital. Five minutes out of Matata, he realised the way his uncle was driving that they would be unlikely to make the trip. He was putting his seat belt on when he looked up and saw a road works sign.

“I thought: I’m going to die today and I quickly started saying the Our Father and then heard my uncle say my name while we were thrown around in the car.”

“During that time, what was interesting for me is that it was the day mercy entered my life. I heard the word ‘live’ all through my body.”

He fully expected to go back to his old life after going to church to give thanks but, as he walked home, he felt a sense of a “beautiful peace” that he liked. Returning to Auckland, and a good job, he became more involved in the church.

The feeling he had on the day of the crash remained with him, leading to a decision to look more closely into becoming a priest. This took him to the seminary house in Takapuna, on Auckland’s North Shore, as part of the first Renew programme.

Initially, he didn’t want to return after the first visit as he felt he did not have the language or skills required. He started reading up, leaning heavily on the Catholic bookshop opposite St Patrick’s Cathedral, so much so that a pile of books awaited him in his weekly Friday visits.

As he became more comfortable in mixing with Catholics, he appreciated the less aggressive environment and he kept on with his search for truth.

“I started liking the folk I was seeing and getting to know. I thought that these are young people largely with lives that don’t seem to have tension in them. There was very little aggro, and that was a nice change of environment to be in.”

The most profound part of this was his search for truth, taking him to the seminary to become a priest.

The journey has not been struggle-free for him, however. He felt many of the young people, including fellow seminarians, were “green” compared to his background experiences.

Nevertheless, the journey has been a struggle for Rev Gerard and he still goes back to that

place where he was at after the crash.

“I suppose it is made more real for me, because it is at the heart of our faith. It is that personal relationship with God, Jesus, and the Spirit.”

Rev Gerard has since wondered whether He came that day, because he acknowledged Him. He said it was about receiving the invitation, rather than feeling forced by The Lord.

An old pair of shoes at home remind Rev Gerard of where he has been, the tracks that he has trodden on his journey.

“This is where the Lord has taken me. It keeps my appetite whetted, because it is a place that is just so rich and beautiful,” Rev Gerard said.

Service comes alive at St Michael’s Catholic School Rotorua A Service Day at St Michael’s Catholic School in Rotorua came about because the school wanted to bring the Mercy Charism of its teachers and students alive.

Principal Shelly Fitness says “I believe that we are really good at helping those less fortunate than ourselves by raising money - so far this year as a school we have raised money for Mufti Mania, the Edgecumbe flood, the food bank and the Christmas Box appeal, but I wanted the children to have a real experience of service.

“Not just donating money, but really using their time and their talents to help others.”

Service is very important to the school because of its Mercy roots and the teachers wanted the children to experience the reality of what service meant.

Each class undertook various tasks, including the following: • The Ark (Year 1 and 2) visited two local ECEs and taught the children about what school is like and read stories to them • Year 3 students came to school in their gumboots and work-clothes and helped our caretaker spread bark across all the gardens • Year 4 students visited Day Break Senior Day Care and visited with the elderly there • Year 5 students planted 100 fruit trees and 100 kowhai trees for the council at our nearest park • Year 6 students visited a local park armed with gloves and buckets and picked up rubbish It was held in August and the weather was atrocious but the kids really got into the spirit of service and were able to feel that deep sense of reward that comes from helping others.

All you need is a desire to learn and grow your faith.

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Nau mai, haere mai, hoki mai ra!

Call Cynthia Piper TCI site coordinator, Hamilton Diocese (0800 217 411 or c.piper@tci.ac.nz) www.tci.ac.nz

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ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

the religious life

Pa Yvan's Stations of the Cross

By Michael Smith ather Yvan Sergy lays back in his chair and puts his feet up. He looks relaxed and at peace. However, he is not relaxing. Pa Yvan, as he is more commonly known, is in Waihi while the motor neurone disease (MND) that has gripped his body takes its course. He must put his legs up to minimise the symptoms, and he is sitting in a wheelchair because the condition has diminished his power to walk.

For such a vital, intelligent and energetic person, the onset of MND could be catastrophic. But Pa Yvan has never been anything other than extraordinary, and such is his response to the challenge before him.

Kete Korero visited Pa Yvan at the priest’s house in Waihi with the Parish Priest Rev Aidan Mulholland, after he had been brought to New Zealand by emergency air ambulance service from French Polynesia, where he had spent the previous three-and-a-half years in the Marquesas Islands.

Pa Yvan came to the Hamilton Catholic Diocese in 2001 as a “Fidei Donum” priest still attached to the Bishop of the Swiss Diocese of Basel. Then aged 43, he was initially sent to St Mary’s Star of the Sea after spending six months with Monsignor Trevor Murray at the Hamilton cathedral.

He became a New Zealand citizen in 2006 and, after a spell away, returned to Gisborne as the parish priest in 2009.

While in Rarotonga for the consecration of Bishop Paul Donoghue SM, Pa Yvan looked after the Tahitian delegation. His translation abilities saw him invited to supply ministry to Tahiti and the Îles Marquises, so he left Gisborne after nearly six years.

The islands are one of the five archipelagos of French Polynesia.

Located halfway between Tahiti and Hawaii, the Marquises are said to be the islands that are furthest from any continent.

Pa Yvan was initially struck by the faith of people, describing them as much more faithful than he had observed in Switzerland or New Zealand. While a higher proportion of people were practicing Catholics, he discovered their faith was simple.

“I started to teach a lot and they were very

one word could have five different meanings, depending on its place in a sentence.

After being diagnosed and having made the decision to medevac to New Zealand, Pa Yvan was asked by the ordinary bishop, Mgr Pascal Chang Soi ss.cc, to remain in contact with his Diocese in French Polynesia, to help with French-Marquesas translations of the liturgy.

Every parish has added the Prayer for the sanctification of Suzanne Aubert, which showed a great affection for the sick. This prayer is prayed at the end of Masses and daily prayers throughout the diocese.

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Diagnosis and a motto Pa Yvan was diagnosed with MND in June 2016. First he found he could not lift the toes in his right foot. The doctors thought it was related to his back. When he went to Tahiti for the MRI, they discovered there was nothing wrong with his back but it looked Pa Yvan Sergy at the house of Parish Priest something like MND. Hospitalised, he Rev Aidan Mulholland, Waihi. underwent a range of tests which eventually interested in learning about things in the confirmed the diagnosis.

Catholic Catechism, liturgy and theology, At that stage, it did not seem to be the more but explained for the people to understand.” serious version. When the doctors were When he found these confusions around about to give him the news he had a version the French and Marquesan language, even of MND but one which was rare, they were though many Marquesan people knew worried he would be upset. But, in true Pa French, Pa Yvan thought this might be why Yvan form, he had already begun to research he was meant to be sent there. So, with the the disease. two people appointed to the parish to assist “When they gave me that diagnosis – the priest, he began working with them on usually death by asphyxiation – I thought translations. They have translated new that’s interesting, because in Switzerland versions of the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, when you are ordained, you have to find a the two Credo, and the Consecration words. verse for a priestly motto. The motto I found Marquesan academics were checking to before my ordination was the last words of see if the translations were correct, because Jesus – ‘Into your hands I put my soul’.”

Pa Yvan’s spiritual father asked him if he was sure this was the motto he wanted.

“I said this was the best one, because I really love the Lord and I was trying to serve the Lord the most I can.

“He said ‘oh yes, but you are going to suffer a lot'. I said, ‘I’m not concentrating on that, I’m concentrating on the trust and the love of the Lord for his Father’. For me it is for Him, my Lord Jesus.”

His first thought was that receiving the diagnosis was a “privilege” and not Flower petals thrown at the Lord. something bad. It was an opportunity to live this Christian motto, not only spiritually but also physically. “Once I learnt about the development of the disease, I thought the Stations of the Cross are going to help me to get through the different stages of the disease.”

Having thought this and related it to his Reservations: Christian motto, Pa Yvan always feels a great 0800 ALBERT (252 378) peace inside.

Ph: 07 929 4047 At the time of our interview in July, Pa E: stay@albertcourt.co.nz Yvan said he felt that he was at the ninth www.albertcourt.co.nz station – Jesus falls for the third time but Cnr Grey & Albert Streets, Hamilton East Convenient, Quiet & Comfortable said the stations were in a different order for Trip Advisor 2016 Certificate of Excellence Winners

ketekorero November 2017 - January 2018

15

the religious life

Pa Yvan - Christmas in the Marquises

him, so he had not experienced them all.

Meditating on the stations, he realised there was something in them that people did not necessarily think about.

“Jesus was sure that accepting this way, His father would protect him until the end.

That for me was the first time I discovered that, because of my situation.”

When he tried to look at the Stations of the Cross from the aspect of the disease, he found a lot of dimensions that he had never read or thought about before.

“That’s because the physical experience is a bit different to the spiritual experience.”

Because of his understanding, he surprised his doctor by not being angry about the diagnosis. Pa Yvan said to the doctor, who wasn’t a practicing Catholic, that the disease was more of a privilege than something bad.

“I don’t believe in any coincidence these days – all the things in life, happen without hazards and, when you trust the Lord, you can be happy and safe. Nowadays, I am happy that I chose this priestly motto that will help me live through this disease. If I had not chosen this motto and had the disease, it would be so difficult to tolerate and accept it.”

MND support networks focused on people who were sad and angry, he said, but it did not make sense to talk to people about the sadness and anger associated with the disease.

“I need the help of people with faith who understand shadings and talks about the Stations of the Cross.”

He had learnt to live one day after the other, so he was not planning. He knew when he got up each morning that he was a bit weaker than the previous day.

In his mind, however, a voice, the Talker’s told him to ask the Lord why he had the disease.

“But I just ignore it, because otherwise it is just going to divert me from the way of the Lord. So, I am not reflecting on my situation, I am more trying to, with the things disappearing little-by-little, to see the way that I can accept and do the best I can.”

Where he had previously worked with wood, the loss of strength in his arms meant he had taken up using brushes and water

colours. Rev Aidan had reflected on how Pa Yvan still wanted to produce.

“I said that, of course, the disease isn’t an obstacle that breaks you down. It’s a way to carry on to do the most you can for the glory of God firstly and our sake secondly. If you don’t do anything, how can you do anything for God and yourself? You have to carry on and do something.”

As a New Zealand citizen, Pa Yvan had already planned for his funeral to be here if one was needed. He had already prepared a ritual including bishops and priests along with delegations from parishes not only from the Hamilton diocese but also from

French Polynesia.

“Now we wait to see the will of God, whether it is my birth in heaven or my healing, he said, equating his progress to his experience as a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

“Here on earth, you are like a pilgrim. You walk and walk, and get tired, but it is not about you it is about the Lord,” Pa Yvan said.

Note: Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is the name of a group of diseases that cause the death of the nerve cells (neurones) that control the muscles that enable us to move, speak, swallow and breathe. https://mnda.org.nz/about-mnd/

Celebration of First Profession in Ngaruawahia

By Jacqui Miles, rsm “Will you come and follow Me if I but call your name?”

These opening words from The Summons (Writer: John L Bell, 1987) one of the hymns chosen by Sister Jeanette Mathers formed part of a joyous celebration on 17 September this year.

Jeanette proclaimed her vows at the 10.30 am Mass at St Paul’s Parish Church in the presence of a large number of Mercy sisters, and her family, friends and parishioners.

Jeanette’s journey with Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa the Sisters of Mercy NZ, began when she first made contact with one of the Mercy sisters via the Mercy website in 2012. Over the following years she continued with sisters accompanying her, to discern and respond to God’s call for her to further live out her baptismal commitment as a sister of Mercy. Jeanette has a wealth of life experience having previously lived and worked in various countries, such as Pohnpei (one of the Federal States of Micronesia) and Bhutan as well as her ministry prior to joining the sisters as horticulture instructor at the Springhill Corrections Facility near Meremere.

Jeanette’s current ministry is at Auckland City Mission working with the homeless and many vulnerable people. As a Sister of Mercy, Jeanette’s life is centred in God and the daily prayer and pondering on God’s Word is an essential part of her community life as well as her personal relationship with God. Catherine McAuley is the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. A special moment during the Mass came when the Sisters of Mercy gathered around the altar and sang the Suscipe. These words are part of a prayer of Catherine McAuley’s and are an affirmation of Jeanette as well as a sign of each Mercy Sister renewing her own

Above left, some of the Sisters of Mercy present who gathered around Jeanette as she signed her vow document. Above, Jeanette professing her vows accompanied by Sr Katrina. commitment to God: “My God I am yours for time and eternity.

Lord, I am yours forever. It is you who must teach me to trust in your Providence, loving God….” (Elaine Deasy, RSM) Let us pray for Jeanette as she continues this part of her journey as a vowed Sister of Mercy, and that for all of us these words will be a reality in our lives.

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