As many parishes are still closed this weekend, Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish will continue with the Sunday morning Mass on YouTube available from 9am from Viard House chapel. Mass from Auckland Diocese continues on Shine TV at 2pm.
For those who prefer to pray with a Liturgy of the Word, a family-friendly liturgy is available here.
There will be NO MASSES in our Parish this weekend.
Although from 12pm on Friday 29 May new increased limits on gatherings apply, full information from the Ministry of Health about measures needed will not be available until later this week. In the meantime, a Parish plan is being formulated in consultation with the Parish Pastoral Council and Liturgy teams for a suitable Mass schedule across our four churches.
We expect that Masses in our Parish will resume in the first week of June.
For our churches to re-open, we need to have systems in place to ensure that everyone has equitable access to the celebration of the Eucharist. We also have a responsibility to make sure that our church buildings are safe and clean places where we can gather to worship without fears for our health and well-being. We are also required to meet the legal requirements for contact tracing.
As we work towards this new way of operating, we appreciate your patience and your prayers.
We will continue to update you with any new information as it becomes available.
As we head into another weekend, Sr Elizabeth has prepared another set of prayers for our parish for the 6th Sunday of Easter. Please find them here. I’m also attaching a Liturgy of the Word here, for those who wish to use this for their Sunday worship. Mass from Cardinal John’s chapel will be on at 9am as usual, and Shine TV continues with its 2pm broadcast on Sunday afternoons.
Children’s resources for liturgy
There are some great children’s resources for liturgy, such as a live children’s liturgy on Sunday mornings at 9:30am from St Francis of Assisi parish, Mairehau. Visit their Facebook page here. A family friendly Liturgy of the Word from Auckland Diocese is available here. Animated Catholic Kids Homilies for the 6th Sunday of Easter on YouTube is available here. We need your help!
In Alert Level 2 we will print and deliver newsletters to parishioners who we know have no online access. These are typically our elderly or sick parishioners, and we would like to ensure that they feel as connected and supported as possible as this challenging season continues. If you are available to help deliver newsletters in your neighborhood, please let us know. Thank you!
Our Parish Offices remain closed for the time being, together with our churches and halls. A reminder that the Parish Leadership is available for a chat any time. Their contact details are on the front page of the newsletter.
God bless you
Lucienne Hensel
Office Support Team
Catholic Parish of Wellington South
Dear Parishioners,
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops have written a letter to parishioners and issued a media release in response to government’s move to Alert Level 2. Both these documents are available here .
Though the Bishops in their media release indicate churches may be open, people should note that the Bishops point out that this is subject to all safety, hygiene and legally required controls being in place. The parish priest, as indicated in his letter on Sunday morning, will advise when these controls are in place and when the buildings will be available. At this stage, church and church facilities in our parish are closed while the implications are considered.
Parish Leadership Team
UPDATED 2 May:
During this time when public Masses are suspended, you may want to use some of the following resources to help you in your spiritual life:
The Archdiocesan website is regularly being updated with inspirational messages, prayer resources, opportunities to help others and much more during this Covid-19 season.
National Liturgy Office website of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand
O te Hāhi Katorika ki Aotearoa has a list of New Zealand sites that provide live streaming of Sunday and weekday Masses
Karakia Katorika FB group 8pm daily – Every night at 8pm a Karakia Katorika Facebook group convenes for karakia and hymene. Thanks to Vicar for Maori, Danny Karatea-Goodard and his household. Everyone is welcome to join them.
Sunday Mass from Cardinal John’s Chapel: 4th Sunday of Easter 3 May from 9am
Daily Morning Homily with Pope Francis
Sunday Masses @ 2pm (note change of time)
– Freeview Channel 25
– Sky Channel 201
– Vodafone TV Channel 700
Children’s Online Liturgies – Catholic Kids Media is a YouTube channel that offers a children’s liturgy with readings and a short homily
every Sunday
In Reverse – prayer in a time of isolation – A package of 6 days of reflections while New Zealand Aotearoa is in “Lock Down” is available from the Wellington Archdiocese.
Food for Faith – Sign up for daily reflections.
NZpray2day – Download the app from your playstore today.
Magnificat Publication – Temporarily free online version.
MagnifiKid – Temporary free access for kids! View and download each weekly booklet of our colorful Sunday missalette for children ages 6 through 12.
Becky Eldredge – Inviting you deeper
Online Homilies –
https://www.catholicwomenpreach.org/
https://www.ncronline.org/columns/scripture-for-life
https://www.ncronline.org/columns/pencil-preaching
PrayAsYouGo App – A daily prayer session, designed to help you pray whenever you find time. Based on Ignatian Spirituality
From Lucienne Hensel, Office Support Team, Catholic Parish of Wellington South
We hope that you are all keeping safe and warm on this chilly autumn day. Our thoughts are especially with those living along the South Coast who are experiencing wild seas today.
As we continue to communicate via email, App and Facebook, a reminder that our Pastoral Leadership Team are also available to take phone calls. You can contact Joe Green on 021 121 3875, while both Fr Doug and Fr Cirilo are at the presbytery on 383 8625 or Fr Doug on 027 248 3562. Our office answerphone is checked regularly and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
The Daily Examen is a way of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience. It is a simple exercise that can easily be made a daily habit. St Ignatius suggests five steps to the Daily Examen.
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
More about the Daily Examen can be found at ignatianspirituality.com
The Pray As You Go App has introduced a very helpful Special Examen for Children. You and your children can listen to this on the App, at https://pray-as-you-go.org/ or follow the questions below.
Examen for children
We make the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We make the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Have a wonderful day and may God bless you.
Lucienne Hensel
Office Support Team
Catholic Parish of Wellington South
Danny Karatea-Goddard, Tūranga Māori and Vicar Māori for the Archdiocese of Wellington, shared the following post on FaceBook:
E te whānau whakapono ngā mihi o te Wiki Tapu ki a koutou, ki a tātou. Kei te whai wāhi ai tātou i te matenga rawa me te Aranga ake o Hēhu Karaiti. I have put this bilingual Miha on YouTube for this, te Rātapu o te Manga, te Rātapu o te Mamaetanga o Hēhu (Palm Sunday, the Sunday of the suffering and death of Jesus). Not the ideal way to be together with you but perhaps a way to reflect on the start of this Holy Week.
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcMPA0mFh80&feature=youtu.be
My suggestion would be that anyone and any whanau watching pause the watching at any times when there are the congregation’s chants (He tapu, E te Reme, etc) and do their own and perhaps add a himene or two.
Any feedback welcome, aroha mai for any pronunciation or production failings.
Mā te wā
Pā Gerard Burns