4 Dec 2016: The announcement has just been made from Rome by Pope Francis.
Suzanne Aubert, the founder of the Sisters of Compassion New Zealand’s home grown order of Sisters, has been declared ‘venerable’, a major milestone on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church.
http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/suzanne-aubert-declared-venerable/
Our Vision Statement—Our Communities
Our Vision Statement has guided the Parish Council in forming recommendations on Mass Times. The key principle which guided our recommendations was providing the greatest opportunity for our Mass communities to stay together so that, as a Parish, we can grow together and share Christ’s message.
In making the recommendations, the Council is full of hope for the future of our Parish. However we acknowledge that new Mass times will be a change and that they will not suit everyone. We also acknowledge that further discernment and adjustment to some Mass times may be needed, once communities have had an opportunity to experience the new times.
Our Wellington South Discernment process
The recommendations follow:
a five week period of discernment in our communities,
a workshop with community representatives and
two meetings of the Parish Council, including a discernment process of prayer and reflection.
Through the discernment process in our communities the Council heard experiences from the past, and fears and hopes for the future. Discernment is not a process of discussion or debate, but one of prayer and reflection and listening to everyone’s voice.
At the workshop, community representatives noted that everyone needed to change. A Vigil, staggered morning Masses, and a Sunday evening Mass were favoured.
How the Council formed recommendations
The Parish Council met on Tuesday 22 November and worked through a series of options for changed Mass times. There was no clear or perfect solution.
We established that a Vigil Mass and Sunday evening Mass were still required. For Sunday morning Masses, we looked at options with two hours between Mass times to allow our priests time to spend with parishioners after Mass. We considered that the Archdiocesan first language chaplaincy Masses need to remain at 11am at St Anne’s and that while the hospital Mass is important, it does not necessarily have to be presided at by Wellington South priests. We made considerable progress toward recommendations, but given the importance of Mass changes, we decided to meet again to pray and reflect.
On Monday 28 November the Council met for a process of discernment. Our reflection and prayer guided us to final recommendations on Mass times for Wellington South. It became clear that Mass times of 8.30am and 11am would be too disruptive to our communities—which communities should be allocated to these times and would those communities be able to stay together? With the support of our priests, we opted for two sets of 9am and 10.30am Mass times. We will need to look at ways for our priests and lay pastoral leader to be able to spend time with all communities.
What happens next?
The Parish Council will write to Cardinal John with our recommendations and the process we followed. Cardinal John will make the final decision on our Mass times. If approved, changes to Mass times are not anticipated to occur until after an anniversary Mass in the later part of February.
The Recommendations
6pm Vigil Mass alternating between St Francis de Sales every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month and
St Bernard’s every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. (A calendar will be provided.)
9am Mass St Anne’s
9am Mass St Joseph’s
10.30am Mass St Francis de Sales
10.30am Mass St Bernard’s
5pm Mass St Anne’s
Fr David Dowling, Fr Dennis Nacorda, Joe Green, Deirdre Hanlon, Stephen Neal, Elisapeta Elama, John Price, John Whiting, Joy Andersen, Lesley Hooper, Penny Holden
Parish Pastoral Council, Catholic Parish of Wellington South Parish, December 2016
The Parish Council met on Tuesday.
Much of the meeting was devoted to forming Mass times recommendations following our recent five week Mass discernment and workshop. Good progress was made, several variations of schedule considered, and some draft recommendations formed.
Although announcement of Mass times was scheduled for this weekend, the Council has decided to meet again next week on Thursday 1 December. The Council has been considering the matter of Mass times deeply and at the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting we felt we needed to allow further time for prayer and reflection–consistent with the process of discernment–before final recommendations are made.
We know Mass times affect our communities and Parish in a significant way and we wish to make the best recommendations we can at this early stage in our formation as a Parish.
The Council also:
– appointed John Whiting to join the Finance Committee’s Planned Giving subcommittee.
– discussed matters relating to the earthquake of Monday 14th November — for more information see the update on our parish buildings.
Week FIVE: Workshop on Mass times
By the time we hold our first Vigil Mass of the weekend, parishioners will have met, along with the Parish Council, at a workshop to contribute to our conversation about our Mass times. The workshop continues our process of discernment where we have prayed and reflected and invited the response of all members of our four Church communities.
Since mid-October we have been considering the changes we need to make to our Mass times. Cardinal John and the Council of Priests have asked us to review our Mass times so that Fr David and Fr Dennis, our two priests assigned to Wellington South, can preside at all of our Masses.
Next week there will be a break from our discernment as we celebrate First Holy Communion in the Parish.
Upcoming Discernment Dates
22 November – Parish Council meets to form recommendations on new Mass times for Wellington South.
26/27 November – Recommendations are presented to communities at Masses.
After 27 November – Mass times recommendations are sent to Cardinal John for his final decision.
The Advent edition of The Common Good, the paper of The Catholic Worker is available.
Lead article: “Technology and the Gospel” by Jim Consedine
Editorial 1: Integral ecology – everything is connected
Editorial 2: Online Schools – a Social Disaster
Editorial 3: A modest proposal for peace
# With this edition No 79, The Common Good enters its 21st year of publication. It is still based on the 83-year-old Catholic Worker spirituality lived by its co-founders, Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. It remains free of charge and without commercial advertisements or sponsors, and continues to promote a spirituality suitable for our times.
Week Three: We Continue to Pray
Thank you for all your responses to our Mass times discernment.
A copy of all the responses is on the church noticeboard and on the Wellington South website.
This week the Parish Council met to reflect further on the responses and to continue to prepare for the workshop on 12 November. Please continue to keep our Parish, our Mass communities and the changes we must make in your prayers.
12 November – Workshop to consider options for changed Mass times
20 November – Break for First Holy Communion
22 November – Parish Council meets to form recommendations on new Mass times for Wellington South
26/27 November – Recommendations are presented to communities at Masses
after 27 November – Mass times recommendations are sent to Cardinal John for his final decision
Workshop on Mass times
2-5pm Saturday 12 November, Our Lady’s Home of Compassion
All parishioners are invited to attend a workshop to consider options for Mass times. Mass times will be considered from a Parish perspective, consistent with our Vision. The Council will also invite a selection of leaders from our communities to attend. Space is limited so if you would like to attend the workshop, please RSVP to office@wellingtonsouthcatholic.org
or phone the Parish Office on 934 4099 by Monday 7 November.
Week Three: The Response from our Communities
Thank you for all your responses to our Mass times discernment.
This weekend is the final weekend for responses.
At the meeting on 25 October the Parish Council spent time reflecting on responses received over the last two weekends, and on preparation for the Workshop on 12 November which will consider Mass Times.
The Council found the following themes coming through in relation to Mass times:
A copy of all feedback received by the end of Sunday 23 October is on church noticeboards and on our website: FEEDBACK
30 October – last day for responding to Mass times
1 November – Parish Council meets to form options for the Leaders workshop, based on all feedback received
12 November – Workshop to consider options for changed Mass times
20 November – Break for First Holy Communion
22 November – Parish Council meets to form recommendations on new Mass times for Wellington South
26/27 November – Recommendations are presented to communities at Masses
after 27 November – Mass times recommendations are sent to Cardinal John for his final decision
2-5pm Saturday 12 November, Our Lady’s Home of Compassion
All parishioners are invited to attend a workshop to consider options for Mass times. Mass times will be considered from a Parish perspective, consistent with our Vision. The Council will also invite a selection of leaders from our communities to attend.
Space is limited so if you would like to attend the workshop, please RSVP to
office@wellingtonsouthcatholic.org
by Monday 7 November.
Break for Labour Weekend:
In a spirit of discernment, we continue to pray for our Parish and changes to our Mass times
Last week we invited you to respond to some open questions about our Mass times changes. If you have not responded already, you may wish to fill out a form this Sunday. Next week we will present back feedback so far and there will be a final opportunity to respond.
Our questions are open because our process is an open one. In our information leaflet, we have presented the simplest facts about the change required–rather than a lot of data. This is because the Parish Pastoral Council is seeking guidance on the principles to use when considering Mass times, rather than specific options, although all comments will be read and reflected on. Moreover, everyone is invited to reflect on what is best for our Parish as a whole, and how our Mass times can help us live our Vision. The Council knows that the identities of our communities are tied into our Mass times and that this process of change is a difficult one, coming early in the forming of our new Parish identity.
Please speak to your Discernment Leaders after Mass if you have any questions about the process or prefer to give your comments verbally.
You can also access discernment information through the website and Facebook page.
https://wellingtonsouthcatholic.org/?page_id=2298
https://www.facebook.com/Catholic-Parish-of-Wellington-South-219498671512005/
Responses can also be emailed to: office@wellingtonsouthcatholic.org
