10am Sunday 17 April – Thanksgiving Mass, 50 years to the day the Church building was blessed and opened by Archbishop McKeefry.
Cardinal John joins us for a special Mass to thank God for the life of our faith community during the past 50 years. We give thanks for our place of worship.
Following Mass there will be a morning tea at the Island Bay Bowling Club on The Parade.
Sacraments of initiation (Eucharist and Confirmation, and including first reconciliation) are currently being planned in our Parish. Registration will be open after Easter (Term 1).
Forms are available here, at our churches
and through our parish schools.
Enrolments need to be in by 6th May 2016.
For enquiries please contact the Parish Office
Thank you to all those who were involved in the organisation of our beautiful Inaugural Mass for the Catholic Parish of Wellington South last Sunday. It was a memorable occasion that saw our four communities bring their histories, traditions, gifts and faith to come together as one. We were blessed with the presence of Cardinal John, of the young and old, our school communities and different ethnic groups, and some of the pastoral leaders who served in our four communities in the past. Below is an excerpt from the welcome that was given at the start of the Mass.
“Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa, Greetings and welcome to everyone. My name is Maria Noonan and together we offer a special welcome to Cardinal John who is our celebrant today, to Father David our Parish Priest, to Father Dennis and to Joe who will be commissioned as our new lay pastoral leader.
Today is a special day when our community of communities gather together for our first Mass as the Catholic Parish of Wellington South
– a Parish which is blessed with the richness of many cultures, of children and young people, of our schools, religious communities and communities of service,
– A parish which is rich in history and we warmly welcome all the priests who are with us today. A special welcome to Karen who as lay pastoral leader walked and supported us in the journey of change.
Over the last two years we have been preparing for our new Parish. Together we have named our Parish, discerned our Vision to be a community of joyful disciples growing together and sharing Christ’s message.
In a spirit of good will we came together to:
– celebrate Pentecost,
– discern in our communities our hopes and fears
– identify how we want to live out our vision,
– visit each other’s community masses,
– walk the route of Suzanne Aubert
– have fun at the Parish Picnic at the Home of Compassion
– discerned the Parish Leadership
– to prepare a welcome for the refugee families who will settle in Wellington.
Today’s Inaugural Mass, when we remember our baptism which calls each of us into a new creation of light, marks our new beginning as the Catholic Parish of Wellington South. It is the day when, full of hope, we launch our new parish, chart our course and sign on to be active crew of the Catholic Parish of Wellington South.
This coming Sunday our four Church communities will come together, bringing all our gifts, history, traditions and faith, and looking to a shared future full of hope. If you have any questions, please contact Malia at Maria.Vito-Tupai@mbie.govt.nz or Lucienne at 383 8625 / 934 4099
or office@wellingtonsouthcatholic.org.
Saturday 5th March, 1:30pm at St Patrick’s College
There will be a full rehearsal for the Inaugural Mass on Saturday 5th March at 1:30pm at St Patrick’s College. All those involved in the Mass must attend this rehearsal.
Please note there will not be any other Vigil or Sunday Masses in our Parish next weekend! Kindly advise friends or neighbours who might not hear this important announcement. Thank you!
Some of our parishioners will need transport to St Patrick’s College. If you are able to offer transport please do look out for those in your community who may need a ride.
The Inaugural Mass at St Patrick’s will be followed by morning tea to celebrate our new Parish and mix and mingle with fellow parishioners from the four communties. Kindly bring a plate of finger food that does not require heating.
There will also be a collection of non-perishable food items to be donated to the needy in our parish.
to all those who have offered their gifts of time and talent to help us put together this very special occasion. It will be an occasion not to be missed!
The ongoing commitment is to bring all communities from our four churches together to strengthen our one Catholic Parish of Wellington South. To support this, delegations from the different churches have been visiting each other to celebrate a Sunday Mass together and share a time for Fellowship.
On Sunday 21 February members from St Anne’s, St Bernard’s and St Joseph’s were welcomed to St Francis de Sales church by John Whiting. After Mass there was time for morning tea, introductions and catch-ups.
The first group of Refugees to come in 2016 will arrive in Wellington at the end of February. The Catholic and Anglican Communities are working with the Red Cross to welcome Refugees and help them feel at home here.
The government will supply the big furniture items for the 24 households but we are asked to donate from the following list of smaller items.
The Social Justice group of our new parish is committed to assist the St. Vincent de Paul Society in this.
We still need volunteers to work in teams to set up the houses. There will be a briefing on Monday, 22nd February, 6-8pm at the Loaves and Fishes beside the Anglican Cathedral. All volunteers need to attend this briefing.
The houses will be set up on Thursday, 25th February between 6—8.30pm, the evening before the Refugees arrive.
Please contact John Feeney or Sue Johnson on 386 4956 for more information, or check out the Refugee Resettlement document on your church notice board or on the parish website.
The annual Blessing of the Boats was held on Sunday 14 February as part of the Island Bay Festival.
After many months of praying, hoping, planning, and getting together in smaller ways, the Inaugural Mass will be an occasion not to be missed, as our four Church communities come together, bringing all our gifts, history, traditions and faith, and looking to a shared future full of hope. This Mass will reflect all four Church communities and will require the generosity of many people and their gifts.
If you have any questions, please approach your Parish representatives: Maureen Laws (St Anne’s), Kathy Moriarty & Anna Kozniak (St Joseph’s), Mary Powell (St Bernard’s) and Maria Elenio & Stephanie Bosch (St Francis de Sales). Alternatively please contact Malia (Maria.Vito-Tupai@mbie.govt.nz) or Lucienne (office@wellingtonsouthcatholic.org).
Please note there will not be any Masses in our Parish the weekend of the 6th March. Kindly advise friends or neighbours who might not hear this important announcement. Thank you!
Transport and manpower: We need manpower and a van to transport wooden platforms from St Catherine’s College to St Pat’s College on Thursday 3rd March (evening) or Friday 4th March (morning) and back on Sunday 6th March after Mass. If you are available to help or have a large van you can lend us, please contact Lucienne on 383 8625 or 021 164 5800. Thank you.
Car park attendants are required at St Patrick’s College for the inaugural Mass on Sunday 6 March 2016. If you would like to help, please contact Steve Ready 027 356 9555.
Transport to Inaugural Mass on 6th March: Some of our parishioners will need transport to St Patrick’s College. If you needtransport, or are able to offer transport, please put your name down on the forms in the Church Foyer. Please note that there will not be other Masses in the Parish that weekend, including Vigil Masses.
Bring a plate and a Food Basket donation: The Inaugural Mass at St Patrick’s will be followed by morning tea to celebrate our new Parish and mix and mingle with fellow parishioners from the four communties. Kindly bring a plate of finger food that does not require heating. There will also be a collection of non-perishable food items to be donated to the needy in our parish.
This notice was received too late for this weekend’s newsletter
In collaboration with the Initiatives of Change NZ and the Wellington Islamic Centre, there will be a special screening of two short films, The Imam and the Pastor and An African Answer.
The films are about religious and racial strife that took place in Nigeria and Kenya, and how two leaders from the Christian and Muslim faiths came together to bring about peace and reconciliation. Following the screening, there will be light refreshments, and a group discussion.
When: Friday evening, 12 February 2016, 6pm
Where: Wellington Islamic Centre, 7-11 Queens Drive, Kilbirnie
The evening has the full support of the Catholic Bishops Committee for Interfaith Relations
– it is a replay of a film evening we had about four years ago
