Opening our arms to refugeesby Annette Bridgman and Brendan Quirk

In February, our own Holy Trinity Parish responded wonderfully to the call to action from our parish St Vincent de Paul Society groups.   From our parish came nearly 30 volunteers who put their names down to help as and when required, $2,000 cash donated at Masses which equipped a household in our parish area, initial food and toys donated, and tireless efforts of some volunteers to sort and select the household lots at the Wellington centre and to prepare a house the day before the arrival of the family.     What a joy it was for the refugee families to be greeted by fresh fruit on the table, food in the cupboards, beds made, and the basic necessities in place to start their new lives in the Eastern Suburbs. 

The Catholic and Anglican dioceses in New Zealand have warmly committed to supporting all refugees who are welcomed into New Zealand, including the additional quota of 700 refugees over three years from the awful Syrian conflict which will challenge the stocks of love and compassion we have in our hearts.  The pressure is really on our parishes to actively support the Red Cross and Catholic Social Services in the first 12 months of settling refugees in our communities. 
At the end of April 2016 parishes will welcome another 13 refugee families into the Wellington  
region.  The focus this second time is on providing pantry food supplies and setting up the house.   So we are coordinating closely with Catholic Social Services to have our team put to good use in establishing a house and collecting pantry food items.  We are also gathering extra volunteer names for future intakes.  It's fantastic that there is less to do this time round because of the overwhelming generosity from donations in February; we have had a surplus of household goods, cash and commitments for help available in April.

Each intake will require a different effort and we are up for the challenge!
A small group has been formed from amongst our splendid volunteers in Holy Trinity Parish to coordinate and sustain our urgent parish response every once and a while.   The coordinator and contact for our Holy Trinity Parish refugee help group is Annette Bridgman, phone 3889704 or 021 204 5993, email: [email protected]   

Please keep these refugees in your hearts and prayers, that they will feel safe and loved and will see the face of the Lord in the warm and welcoming support of the people of our Holy Trinity Parish.

Holy Trinity’s future property needs 
by Property Sub-Committee

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to discerning the future property needs of our parish.  Here is a summary of what the parish has been saying.

We are fortunate to have such spiritual priests.  These three men have devoted themselves to our welfare.  Our first priority is to meet their needs.  The Capuchins live in community with certain requirements for communal living including sacred space for prayer.  Here in Wellington the community is expected to grow, and so there is a requirement for additional living space.  It is usual for Diocesan priests to live in their own presbytery.  However, there is a need for greater ease of sharing with the Capuchin community.

Right since the early days of our parish, the Mercy and Marist communities have been instrumental in serving the Wellington East area.  Today we host their colleges which are large congregations in their own right within our wider congregation.  We need to be open to allow our facilities to be used for retreats and other activities for these congregations.  If our buildings were better suited to retreats, they would be used regularly for this purpose as well as sacraments such as reconciliation.  For St Catherine's, who are space constrained, there is a wish to continue to make regular use of the Kilbirnie church as well as something larger for gatherings involving all Catholic schools in the parish.

Our three primary schools are growth-orientated and are an important element of our mission as set out in our vision statement.  St Patrick's Primary is keen to make increased use of the adjoining hall for extra-curricular activities.  They have limited play space and are interested in using the current presbytery area.  At Holy Cross there is interest in a feasibility study on bringing the school and church closer together.  It is noted that this school is currently under instruction not to use their local church (Holy Cross, Miramar) due to its low seismic rating.  St Anthony's are looking to expand their learning space.  They would like to move their library, staff room and administration into the presbytery making a whole classroom and many smaller rooms available for more flexible learning.

At the heart of our communities are regular gatherings around their many altars.  The liturgy committees have indicated that they favour quiet sacred spaces with consideration being given to soundproofing and adequate space for children's liturgy.   There is a need for better technology in our buildings for children's liturgy.  Above all else, in the buildings in which we gather, there is the need to be welcoming to our younger generations.  At the other end of the age spectrum, our buildings need to provide for the physical needs of our older parishioners.

We need to reassess the Holy Cross church based on latest seismic knowledge.  There are a great many options.  The right time to consider these options is when the full set of facts on the current building are in front of us.  A key consideration will be those things that will help our younger parishioners to have strong experiences of church.

For all our ethnic communities we need to provide spaces that help them to celebrate and grow, supporting them to feel part of the wider community while retaining what is special to them.  
From a financial point of view the parish is operating in deficit.  Some buildings are currently an important source of income, however the cost of maintenance is beyond our current means.
Planning should start with the optimum for achieving the parish vision of a prayerful, diverse community drawing strength from one another growing and becoming fully alive as missionary disciples.   Priority actions can then be selected.

These identified needs form the starting point for options for our buildings and property.  The sub-committee will now develop some options to be shared with you for your further feed-back.

Life in a boxby Rain Forest, Life Teen Coordinator

On Friday the 1st of April at 6pm around 16 teenagers and young adults from Life Teen Holy Trinity, Sister Catherine Jones SMSM and Tania Torea, the leader of the LDS youth, gathered to participate in the Caritas Challenge 2016.

Saint Patrick's Primary School veranda was transformed into an informal settlement of cardboard box houses while the Parish Centre became a sweat shop bakery!! The participants slept the night in their box houses and rotated shifts in the sweat shop to maintain constant baking for 24 hours. The baked goods were shared at parish Masses over the weekend and Parishioners donated money to support Caritas' efforts in Cambodia. Along with other sponsorship over $1,700 has been raised so far and we are hoping to top $2000. Online donations can be made on the Caritas website: http://www.caritas.org.nz/ or you can drop in to Life Teen on a Sunday night at Saint Patrick's Church between 5.30 -8.30pm to make a cash donation. Donations close 15th May 2016.

We were visited by Saint Michael's youth group in Taita, Cardinal John Dew, and a number of Caritas staff and their families, some parishioners, and families of our teenagers. The support and enthusiasm for this event was amazing!! Thank you all for your support and donations we really appreciate it.

Here's some comments from a couple of teen participants:
"I had an awesome time, it was heaps of fun working for something more than ourselves, so often we do things for the benefit of ourselves only, so it was a really good feeling to be working for something other then myself and helping people that really need it." - Hannah

"It was really fun putting ourselves in other people's shoes and working the long hours that people in poverty do. The cardboard slide was really fun and as a friend of mine said; you can use whatever you have to have fun, it doesn't have to be much!" - Rachel

The month of May
By Lucy Gijsbers

I'm sure that you have heard the common statement that Catholics worship Mary and the Saints. So, do we?  Of course not!  It is idolatry to worship anyone or anything other than God. The basis of our beliefs occur in the Bible, and here are some of them.

Firstly, in the Old Testament, it was the custom in the Kingdom of Israel for the king's mother to have a throne next to her son. (eg. Jeremiah 13:18). 1 Kings 2 12-21 illustrates extremely clearly the relationship between the king and his mother (in this case, Solomon and Bathsheba). The king even bowed down to her. So, she could petition the king on behalf of his subjects, being an 'intercessor'.  Mary is the Queen Mother on the spiritual level.

Christ fulfilled all that was in the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron's rod symbolised the true priesthood, and Christ became the new high priest. The tablets were referred to as God's Word, and we know the quote 'the word became flesh, and dwelt among us'. This refers to Jesus. Lastly, the jar of manna, a bread of life for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert before finally reaching the promised land.  Mary carried, quite literally, the Bread of Life, the Word, and the High Priest inside of her. She is therefore the fulfillment of the Ark itself.

Revelation 12 discusses Mary and her 'offspring'. Jesus, the Male Child, was her only son, so the rest of her offspring refers to her spiritual offspring.  Jesus entrusted his mother to the Church, represented by John, the only Apostle present at the crucifixion. This was in a practical as well as a spiritual sense. Jesus didn't call Mary 'mother', but 'woman', just like at the wedding at Cana. Where His first miracle was worked through Mary's direct intervention.

In Genesis 3:15 God says that the Woman's seed will crush Satan's head. This is the only place in the Bible which mentions a woman's seed. The man is the one with the seed; all genealogies are from father to son. The woman who has a seed must be someone who is able to conceive without the seed of a man. This seed is Christ, who will ultimately crush the devil. The woman, who conceived with the seed of man by the power of the Holy Spirit, is Mary.

Do you pray for anyone who asks you to?  You are mediating on their behalf between heaven and earth. We are instructed to intercede for one another; thus we ask the Saints and Mary, who intercede for us.  Catholics only worship God! We honor Mary and the Saints and ask them to 'pray for us', but to God we say 'have mercy on us'. 

​Perhaps this month your prayer challenge could be to say at least one decade of the rosary a day, if you do not already? Gradually build this up to the full five decades.

No such thing as a silly questionby Ruth O’Brien

​People talk about faith as being a list of rules or statements that you have to agree with.  I think we can all think of plenty of examples of when religion can be used as a convenience rather than inspiration for living a bold life.

The turning point for many people is when they realise through their own experiences that God is a reality, Jesus is not an invention.  For some people this can be a shock.  For others it is a reassurance.

It’s what happens next that is hard.  Finding people to talk to.  Continuing to explore the implication of knowing God.

Alpha has been running for over 30 years.  It began at Holy Trinity, in London - how’s that for a co-incidence?

Initially it was to give basic principles of the Christian faith to new Christians in a relaxed and informal setting.  In 1990, one of it’s creators, Nicky Gumbel, realized this simple course could also appeal to non-churchgoers and he adapted the course to give it the kind of feel that would suit those who didn’t attend church.

Alpha spread during the 1990s, initially in the United Kingdom and then internationally, as more churches and groups found it a helpful way to answer questions about Christian faith, as well as Catholicism.  There are now over 69,000 courses worldwide in 169 countries and it is supported by all the major denominations.

At 7.30pm on Tuesday 10 May we start the programme for Holy Trinity, in Wellington.  We will be running two courses starting at the same time, helping people find answers to the questions on their mind.

For parents we will be starting a five session parenting course on how to build a strong family centred on love, meeting kids’ needs.

For everyone we will be starting a seven session faith course covering who Jesus is, why he died, why we have faith and pray and how God can guide us. 

Both courses start at the same time.  Which one is going to best help you find answers to the questions on your mind?  Looking forward to seeing you there.  Enrol by contacting me on 027 670 0365.

House to houseby David Hyland

In the Parish of Holy Trinity we have a Rosary statue that is passed house to house during the course of the year.  All that is asked is that you use the Rosary Statue as part of your family prayer and pass it on to the next family each week.  As part of our commitment to a prayerful Catholic community in the Eastern suburbs of Wellington; drawing strength from one another to grow and become fully alive as missionary disciples.  What better foundation could we build on?  If you would like to be on the roster please contact the Parish Office. 
As encouragement the following is an extract from Saint Lois de Montfort:
I should like to give you even more reason for embracing this devotion which so many great souls have practised; the Rosary recited with meditation on the mysteries brings about the following marvellous results:

1. it gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;
2. it purifies our souls, washing away sin;
3. it gives us victory over all our enemies;
4. it makes it easy for us to practise virtue;
5. it sets us on fire with love of Our Blessed Lord;
6. it enriches us with graces and merits;
7. it supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellow men, and finally,
8. it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God.
   
   

The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the science of Christians and the science of salvation; Saint Paul says that it surpasses all human sciences in value and perfection.

Blessed is the Rosary which gives us this science and knowledge of our Blessed Lord through our meditations on His life, death, passion and glory.

If by chance your conscience is burdened with sin, take your Rosary and say at least part of it, honouring some of the Mysteries of the life, passion or glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and be sure that, while you are meditating upon these Mysteries and honouring them He will show His sacred wounds to His Father in Heaven.  He will plead for you and will obtain for you contrition and the forgiveness of your sins.

One day Our Lord said to Blessed Alanus de Rupe: "If only these poor wretched sinners would say My Rosary, they would share in the merits of My passion and I would be their Advocate and would appease My Father's Justice."

Being part of our parishby Helen Barber and Fiona D’Souza
St Patrick’s Primary School

As teachers we are blessed with the company of new minds, exploring the old world that is all too familiar to the rest of us.

Recently, we were exploring with students at St Patrick’s what it means to be part of the parish. 
There was a real sense amongst the children of it helping them to be closer to God.  One child went so far as to say it helped them to be part of God, which was an interesting expression of what many of their fellow students were trying to express.  

There was very much a sense of the social elements, of being with friends, having the support of our priests and how we can “learn more things about God and teach other people about God”.
If we didn’t have a Parish we couldn’t get together and share our prayers.  We wouldn’t be able to support each other.

In discussing our parish with students in our school there is no doubt that they see it as a special place.  We all need a special place, somewhere we can connect with God. 

Challenge

Here’s a challenge to bring your faith to a new level.
For 10 days look up one of the assigned verses for the day and post it as your status. The whole thing as well as the address. You may post up to all three verses assigned for a day, but must post at least one.
 
This will help you to become more familiar with and more used to reading scripture. Many blessings can be expected.
 
Day 1: John 14:6, John 3:16, John 3:17
 
Day 2: 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 1st Corinthians 10:13, 2nd Corinthians 5:7
 
Day 3: Romans 12:2, Romans 5:8, Romans 1:16
 
Day 4: Philipians 4:8, Philippians 1:21, Philippians 3:14
 
Day 5: Psalms 139:14, Psalms 119:109, Psalms 113:3
 
Day 6: Jeremiah 1:7-8, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 40:31
 
Day 7: Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 14:12, Ephesians 6:11
 
Day 8: Mark 16:15, James 1:22, John 10:10
 
Day 9: Matthew 22:37, Matthew 6:19-20, Matthew 5:14
 
Day 10: Philippians 4:4, Galatians 2:16, 1st Thessalonians 5:17

Too Cool for Schoolby Alaister Straka

It's often quoted that 'humans are social beings'; indeed we tend to seek the approval of others and refrain from things that might earn disapproval. There's a logical fallacy devoted to 'appeal to popularity' (that is, that truth can be proved by popular concensus).  We've all experienced peer pressure; the invisible weight that demands conformity.

Our social image means a lot to each of us but as Christians we have to be careful that that pressure doesn't pull us away from what is truly important, as what happened to some of the Pharisees - Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue [John 12:42].

Donald Knuth gives what is probably my favourite snippet on the subject, "if somebody asked what advice I give to a young person, I think one of the things that would come first to me is don't just believe that because something is trendy, that it's good. I'd probably go the other extreme where if I find too many people adopting a certain idea I'd probably think it's wrong or if, you know, if my work had become too popular I'd probably think I'd have to change. That's of course ridiculous but I see the other side of it too often where people will do something against their own gut instincts because they think the community wants them to do it that way." Although wisdom dictates that there is wisdom in numbers and in learning from our mistakes, there is also wisdom in realising that we don't have to be following others to be learning from their mistakes.

There are no shortage of warnings about popular teachings in the last days, Timothy includes quite a few. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. [2 Timothy 4:3-4].

This month challenge yourself and think about who and what influences you the most, and whether these influences draw you closer to God or push you away from Him.

Helpingby Lucy Gijsbers

St Vincent de Paul's simple but profound motto is People Helping People.
You may have heard someone speak about donating time, goods or money to St Vincent de Paul at Mass recently, or been to one of the numerous Vinnies op shops around Wellington. But have you REALLY thought much about what you could do to make a difference?

The Society of St Vincent de Paul was founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam. He was heavily involved in works of charity in Paris, and believed the Church should be a
source of good instead of an institution that simply preaches about goodness.

In Wellington, the Society is made up of local groups helping those in the area. It does everything from visiting the lonely and ill every week to fund-raising and donating goods to those in dire need, including food parcels, clothing, furniture and other home items. St Vincent de Paul also offers pregnancy support, referrals to counseling and emergency shelter. Its social workers are available for advocacy assistance, and on its website is stated:

"Our key focus, after initial help has been given, is on budgeting assistance by helping everyone achieve self-sufficiency. This varies with each individual. Sometimes all you need is one week’s worth of groceries: short term support. Other times you need to keep coming back, managing your debt, and other support."

Young Vinnies is also run in schools around Wellington - if you go to St Pat's, St Mary's or St
Catherine's it would be well worth checking out!

“To be a part of the wider Catholic community helping the less fortunate is a privilege,” says Jack, the new co-president of the SPC Senior Vinnies. Another member, Toby, says “we have our usual events that are in the College calendar like street appeals, Easter egg and food bank collections and volunteering for Soup Kitchen. However, we hope to initiate some new ventures into the group later this year too.”

​So, how can you help? Well, you could donate food or goods, money, or time. Some volunteer positions currently available are - shop assistant, van driver assistant, warehouse assistant sorter, administrative assistant and support worker assistant.