Between now and our inaugural Mass in 2016 there will be several opportunities for our communities to come together. Mark these dates in your diary now!

Sunday 6 December 2015: Visit to St Anne’s, Newtown by delegations from St Bernard’s, St Francis de Sales and St Joseph’s communities.
Sunday 13 December 2015: Visit to St Joseph’s, Mt Victoria by delegations from St Anne’s, St Bernard’s, and St Francis de Sales communities.
Sunday 31 January 2016: Parish Picnic on the eve of the beginning of Wellington South at Our Lady’s Home of Compassion, Island Bay.
Sunday 7 February 2016: Visit to St Bernard’s, Brooklyn by delegations from St Anne’s, St Francis de Sales and St Joseph’s communities.
Sunday 21 February 2016: Visit to St Francis de Sales, Island Bay by delegations from St Anne’s, St Bernard’s and St Joseph’s communities.
Sunday 6 March 2016: Inaugural Mass for the Catholic Parish of Wellington South at St Patrick’s College, Kilbirnie.

Wellington South Parish Leadership Team

Cardinal John has appointed Fr David Dowling Parish Priest and Fr Dennis Nacorda Assistant Priest of our new parish. A Lay Pastoral Leader is also to be appointed.
Mons Gerard Burns will continue to live in the parish but is not officially appointed as part of the Parish Leadership Team.

Presiding Priest at Mass

As part of the preparation for becoming a new parish, the priests in our Pastoral Area will move around all four churches from now on.

FAQs on the Parish Pastoral Council

How will the Council be selected?
The process is one of nomination followed by review and selection by the Transition Team.

What criteria will be used for selection?
The Transition Team will look to select a Council which can move the Parish toward our vision and one which is representative of our four Church communities and other
communities in our Wellington South parish.

How many people will be on the Council?
Around 12, although the final number may differ to ensure the Council is as representative of our communities as possible. The Parish Leadership team–our priests and lay pastoral leader–are part of the Parish Pastoral Council.

How long is the term of a Councillor?
Two years with the option to be re-selected for a further two.

If you have any questions please speak with Msgr Gerard, Fr David or Fr Dennis, or contact either of the joint transition team chairs: Kevin Lampen-Smith (kevin.stephanie@clear.net.nz) or Lesley Hooper (hooper.lesley@gmail.com).

‘We are a community of joyful disciples growing together and sharing Christ’s message’
is our vision for the Catholic Parish of Wellington South.

We are now looking to form the Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance, Administration and Property Committee for our new parish and want to hear from you if you, or someone you know, want to play a key part on these committees helping us deliver this vision.

The Hopes feedback from the discernment process emphasised that we are a community of communities.  Recognition and giving a voice to that rich diversity across our new parish will be a vital part of the role. Feedback also wanted us to be a joyful, vibrant and welcoming parish embracing those less fortunate in our community by reaching out in practical ways.
If being part of a team that is charged with setting the course for the parish to achieve and live up to the above sounds like you or someone you know then we want to hear from you. Tell us in a few short sentences what attracts you to this vision and the hopes for the new parish.

Send your nomination/information to info@wellingtonsouthcatholic.org by end of day
Sunday 22 November.

The transition team will be looking at the nominations during December and will aim to have the new committees in place and inducted during January, in time for the beginning of the new parish on
1 February 2016.

If you have any questions about this please speak with Mons Gerard, Fr David or Fr Dennis or contact either of the joint transition team chairs,
Kevin Lampen-Smith ( kevin.stephan@clear.net.nz ) or
Lesley Hooper ( hooper.lesley@gmail.com ).

Voyaging on to the new Catholic Parish of Wellington South 

The feedback and reflections from the discernment process from all the communities in the Wellington South Pastoral Area, entrusted into the care of the Transition Team.

Over the next few weeks the Transition Team is focusing on how leadership will look in our new parish. The prayers, hopes, and ideas from the discernment hold guidance for the future leadership our new Parish will need. We are also preparing planning documentation for Cardinal John for our agreed date of the Feast of Christ the King (22 November).

The Discernment Team is working to sift to the top, the key elements from the wealth and depth of written material from our Charting the Course discernment. We will bring this back to our Church communities soon, so that we can all hold onto the wisdom of our discernment as we make our way forward to our new Parish.

Please continue to pray for our new Parish of Wellington South and to reflect on the contribution you can make in our new Parish.

Visit www.wellingtonsouthcatholic.org for more information on our Charting the Course Discernment.
Visit our Facebook page at “Charting the Course – The Catholic Parish of Wellington South”

Voyaging on to the new Catholic Parish of Wellington South
Our new Parish will be named the Catholic Parish of Wellington South, however, we are praying for the Cause of Suzanne Aubert and that we will become the Parish of the Blessed Suzanne Aubert.
Here is an update on Suzanne Aubert’s path to sainthood:

Suzanne Aubert takes another step towards sainthood
The Theologians examining Suzanne Aubert’s cause have accepted the writings, spirituality and goodness of Suzanne Aubert.  In 1997 the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference agreed to support the first part of the formal process, called the “Introduction of the Cause of Suzanne Aubert”.  Then a historical consultation (Posito) was completed and presented for theological consultation by a panel of theologians. The panel of theologians in the Congregation of Saints have examined the Posito and judged that the case has merit.  They will now send their recommendation to the Bishops and Cardinals who work in the Congregation of Saints. If they approve the recommendation a Decree of Heroic Virtues is sent to Pope Francis for his final judgment. A decree on the heroic nature of Suzanne Aubert’s virtues will be issued and she will be given the title of Venerable.  These steps could be completed by early next year.

The next step in the process is the approval of a posthumous miracle, which would lead to Suzanne Aubert’s Beatification.  A person who is beatified is given the title “Blessed”.  After beatification the Church looks for a second posthumous miracle before proceeding to canonisation.
The consent of the Holy Father to the decision of the Congregation results in a Decree of a Miracle.
Canonisation would then be possible.

[With grateful thanks to CathNews NZ & Pacific – www.cathnews.co.nz]
Find out more at www.suzanneaubert.co.nz or from our Wellington South Suzanne Aubert Coordinators: Nina Cuccurullo, Francis & Jenny Fanning and Steve Ready.

Visit www.wellingtonsouthcatholic.org for more information on our Charting the Course Discernment.
Visit our Facebook page at “Charting the Course – The Catholic Parish of Wellington South”

Two weeks on from farewelling our discernment teams, the wisdom held in your prayers, reflections and ideas is being carried with us to our new Parish of Wellington South.

A small team involved in guiding our Charting the Course discernment met last Sunday and considered:
• What important advice does our discernment give for future leaders of our new Parish?
• What might that future leadership look like?
• And what are the next steps to take us forward? What’s next?
• Material from the discernment will be organised so it is available into the future.
• The discernment teams will gather and share experiences from the nine weeks with the Transition Team.
• The Transition Team, reflecting on our discernment, will prepare an implementation plan for Cardinal John by the Feast of Christ the King, and will work toward the establishment of new Parish leadership teams by the end of the year.
• There will be more opportunities for our Church communities to come together and get to know each other, and planning will begin for our inaugural Parish Mass on Sunday 6 March 2016.

Please continue to pray for our new Parish of Wellington South. And now is the time to begin to reflect on the contribution you can make in our new Parish.

At each Mass in the Wellington South Pastoral Area on Sunday 27 September , the feedback and reflections from the discernment process of the past nine weeks were presented.

At St Francis de Sales the documents were taken as part of the offertory procession to be at the altar during Mass.

At the end of Mass, members of the discernment team presented the communities discernment to Fr. David as a representative of the Transition Team.

Fr. David thanked the Team for their work over the previous nine weeks and assured them and the community, that he would pass on the careful considerations presented.

Fr. David gave Discernment Team members a special Blessing.

Parishioners are encouraged to continue to pray for those charged with the task of making the decisions and putting forward the plans for our New Parish

Charting the Course Discernment – Farewell and Handing Over

This weekend we farewell our discernment teams and hand the discernment of the Church communities of St Anne’s, St Bernard’s, St Francis de Sales, and St Joseph’s to the Transition Team.
Your prayers, reflections, and ideas will shape the decisions and plans the Transition Team makes for our new Parish of Wellington South.
As with our discernment process, these decisions and plans will stem from and support Our Vision:

We are a community of joyful disciples, growing together and sharing Christ’s message.

This discernment process ends today but we are only beginning the journey to our new Parish. Although we may not all agree with all the decisions that must be made, we know and trust that the Transition Team will consider the discernment of our communities with open hearts. The Team will keep you updated. Please keep the Transition Team and the changes that must come in your prayers.

The Transition Team is made up of the Pastoral Leadership Team, School Principals, plus representatives from each parish: Fr David Dowling, Mons Gerard Burns, Fr Dennis Nacorda, Lesley Hooper, Shane Connolly, Tauloa Fa’atau, Malia Vito-Tupai, Derek Smith, Deirdre Hanlon, Paul Elenio, John Whiting, Kevin Lampen-Smith, Maria Noonan, Steve Douglas, Doreen O’Sullivan, Joan Woods.

Charting the Course Discernment: What happens next?

Decisions and Planning for the new Catholic Parish of Wellington South
We are almost at the end of our Discernment Process. We pause for Confirmation in our Pastoral Area this Sunday. Next weekend we farewell our discernment teams and entrust all our fears, hopes, ideas, and prayers to the Transition Team to begin shaping the Plan for the new Parish. Some decisions and parts of the Plan will be presented to Cardinal John by the Feast of Christ the King. Other parts will take longer to develop.
Our Discernment has been a time of reflecting, praying, naming and listening to God, as we consider how we will live our vision in our new Parish. It has not been a time of consultation or debate.
If you have missed parts of the process, you can read more on our website: wellingtonsouthcatholic.org
Please continue to pray and reflect on the actions we can take to grow together and share Christ’s message as joyful disciples. You can use the contact form on our website, or post your reflections in the boxes in our Churches until Sunday 27 September.

Timeline for the New Parish of Wellington South

2015
  ♦  28th Feb: VISION –  “We are a community of joyful disciples growing together and sharing Christ’s message”
♦  24th May: NAME  – Catholic Parish of Wellington South to be renamed the Parish Pentecost of the Blessed Suzanne Aubert at the time of her beatification
♦   Aug/Sep:  CHARTING THE COURSE:  Four church communities discern how we will live our Vision

—-> 22nd Nov:  Christ the King –  INITIAL DECISIONS –  We complete some decisions about pastoral, sacramental and administrative care
—-> TRANSITION TEAM CONTINUES TO WORK ON A PLAN FOR THE NEW PARISH

2016
1st Feb NEW PARISH –  We set sail as one Parish. This is not the end of our voyage, but we will be well on our way

Reflecting on this week’s Scriptures

Over the past few months we have been confronted by images and stories of men, women and children fleeing war torn lands across Europe, by land and sea. Desperation, destruction and fear mean like Isaiah, they set their face like flint and embark on a journey of high risk to secure the hope of finding a place of freedom and safety for their families. Despite all, they trust that their God will be with them and that their plight will be recognised by others and not condemned.
In turn we have watched this drama unfold on our screens. Throughout the world, borders are closed, there is a huge loss of life and many refugees live in camps with inhuman conditions. James could be writing to us, challenging both our personal and societal complacency in front of our brothers and sisters who are in need of food, shelter and a place of safety. He reminds us, as does Pope Francis and Cardinal John, that we are called to live our faith through our actions, to open our hearts. What is heart-warming is to see individuals, families, towns and countries stand up to their governments and say this is not about politics, it is about our brothers and sisters who are suffering, we must act, open our hearts and homes to welcome them.
In the Discernment Process many of us have revealed what is important to us about our church communities and how these are places and people who help us belong to God and one another. The changes that are happening in our church communities and in our world invite us to respond to Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” in a new way. As Peter discovered, Jesus is not interested in us being safe and comfortable. He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him. This means learning ways “to enter into solidarity with those who suffer” (Henri Nouwen). It means going to the places within ourselves and in our world so we learn the compassion we need to be alongside the weak, vulnerable and broken. These encounters will begin to transform our hearts. It is not because life is no longer a struggle but, with our eyes and hearts opened up, we discover how good God is to us and how he loves us in the messiness of our lives. Then we begin to rejoice in our world with our brothers and sisters and want to share Christ’s message with all we meet.
– Maria Noonan

Charting the Course Discernment – Week 8:
“We are Joyful Disciples SHARING CHRIST’S MESSAGE”

As we near the end of our Discernment Process for our new Parish of Wellington South, we focus on the ACTION words of our vision – last week we reflected on Growing Together, this week we discern how as joyful disciples we will Share Christ’s Message.
A few weeks ago we focused on the Communities that exist from the South Coast to the Inner Harbour. As we look out beyond our own Church communities to the wider community:
 What is one thing that our new Parish could do to SHARE CHRIST’S MESSAGE?
 What is one thing that could stop this happening?
As well as contributing today at Mass, you can send us feedback by posting it in boxes in the churches, or using the contact form at wellingtonsouthcatholic.org.

This is the start—What’s next?

We have a vision and a name for our new Parish. No other decisions have been made.
Our Discernment has been a time of reflecting, praying, naming, and listening to God as we consider how we will live our vision in our new Parish.
In the last weekend of September, we will farewell our discernment teams and entrust all our fears, hopes, ideas, prayers, and feedback to the Transition Team to begin shaping the Plan for the new Parish. Some decisions and parts of the Plan will be presented to Cardinal John by the Feast of Christ the King. Other parts will take longer to develop. We will keep you updated.