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Holy Trinity Parish Vision
We are a prayerful and diverse Catholic community in the Eastern suburbs of Wellington, drawing strength from one another to grow and become fully alive as missionary disciples. Blessing to Mothers on Mother’s Day All-loving God, we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old. We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need; May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy. We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us; May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways. We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict; May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away. We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion. We remember mothers. Grandmothers and great- grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. May Almighty God bless you all through Jesus Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit one God for ever and ever. Amen. Acts 6, 1-7; 1 Pet 2, 4-9; Jn 14, 1-12 Dear sisters and brothers, on this 5th Sunday of Easter, in a special way, the Church reminds us of who we are: “The chosen race and the royal priesthood, who would be and reign with Christ. Today we have gathered to exercise our royal priesthood by offering a spiritual sacrifice as Christ did. In today’s first reading, the drama that unfolded led to the election of seven deacons in order to take care of the social needs of the believers. We can learn the following lessons from this reading. First, we must not neglect or take the social or material needs of our communities for granted. If left unattended, they could undermine the work of God. Second, we must balance both our spiritual and material needs because both are important. Third, we must not forget who we are or neglect our primary calling. The mundane should not distract us from our mission and vocation as Peter rightly noted: “It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food…we will hand over this duty and devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word of God.”If we pay too much attention to material needs, the spiritual will certainly suffer. We cannot do everything by ourselves. We must let others to play their role by helping us. Finally, we must be wise and prayerful in selecting ministers for God’s mission. They must be “men of good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit and with wisdom.” In the second reading, Peter reminds us of who we truly are: “A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises if God…” Here, Peter highlights our participation in the priesthood of Christ through the “common or general priest priesthood.” This is certainly by virtue of our baptism (CCC1268). Baptism configures us to become “priests.” Thus, in this pastoral letter, Peter highlights the efficacy of the “Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) on us as believers. Through this, he reminds us of our priestly and royal heritage. He equally calls us to live it out in a manner that is proper. In order words, if we set ourselves close to Christ our chief priest, we shall live up to expectation. That is, by offering acceptable sacrifices to God. Through this, we become acceptable to God, and we equally become a spiritual house for God. In today’s gospel, Jesus assures us of a place in his kingdom: “Let not your hearts be troubled…there are many rooms in my father’s house…so that where I am you may be too.” This is a clear indication that by virtue of baptism we are truly children of God. This is why he considers us worthy of being where he is going to be. Unfortunately, many of us do not know who we are, or believe that there is a beautiful place being prepared for us by Christ. This is also the reason many of us cannot maximize our priestly and royal potentials. As priests and people of royal decent, we must assert ourselves positively. It takes faith to do this. Therefore, let us ask God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to help us live as members of the royal priesthood. Also, during this this glorious and gracious season of Easter, let us: “Rejoice in the Lord” for what God has done for us. Alleluia, alleluia! Peace be with you all!! Fr Ephrem Pray Rosary: Month of May: within the cycle of a year, the Church unfolds the whole of the mystery of Christ, from his incarnation and birth until his ascension, the day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and of the Lord’s return … In celebrating this annual cycle of Christ’s mysteries, the Church honours with special love Mary, the Blessed Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. In her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent effect of the redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a flawless image, that which the Church itself desires and hopes wholly to be (SC 102 & 103). May I call you to reflect our redemption through Rosary with Mother Mary in this holy month of May. Fr Ephrem is offering Mass every day from the prayer room in the presbytery at the following times Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri, Sat 9.30am Thurs 7pm Sunday 10.30am To join him live go to his Facebook page (Ephrem Tigga) If you would like Fr to offer Mass for yourself or a loved one, please contact the office by either phone or email Masses available on Television: Free to air telecast Shine TV Freeview channel 25 (please note change of time) Sundays – 2pm https://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/adw_community/resources-for-an-unusual-time/ Let us pray for all those who are unwell especially Fr Michael O’Dea, Nesi Tan, Warren Stevenson, Eddie Wilkins, John Cairns-Cowan and Graeme Adams and for the wonderful people who are caring for the everyday needs of the sick in our Community. We also pray for the members of our Parish families who have died recently especially Rae Dawson and Diana Te’o and those whose anniversaries occur around this time; Mary McKechnie, Betty-Leah Bolton and Yvette (Fifi) Sood. We also remember our leaders and all those involved in providing essential services. Zoom meet and greet - Patricia Lynch from the Parish Pastoral Council will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Thursday 14 May 6pm. The purpose is to have a catch up and see how people are getting on and how they are feeling during these times of online community. Look forward to seeing you on Thursday. Zoom meeting ID: 889 9064 8313 Password: 779295 Spirituality of Service Programme to be available for all Members of the Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Committee began the Spirituality of Service Programme in March 2020, intending to complete it over the Lentern Season. As with so many things, COVID-19 interrupted those plans, but we will recommence the Programme as soon as we are able to get together again, as it provides such a wonderful experience for us. The Parish Pastoral Council is developing a Plan for offering the Spirituality of Service Programme to all the Parish. Watch this spot for more information as the Plan comes together. You can review the Programme Outline under the Resources tab on the Archdiocesan website ( https://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/) or via this link, or contact Parish Pastoral Council member Margaret Bearsley at: [email protected] or ph 021 344 356 for more information. Covid 19 - St Vincent de Paul Holy Trinity Parish. our Holy Trinity SVDP Conference continues to reach out to many local people, within and outside our parish in the eastern suburbs, who may be isolated or vulnerable at this difficult time. 180 homes have been phoned or attempted to phone over the last six weeks, following Jesus present amongst those who suffer or may be excluded from society. Should you know of any other isolated people who would appreciate a phone call or are in need of emergency food or winter bedding support, please contact: Tina Quidilla SVDP, ph 021 159 2412, email: [email protected] Do please continue to keep the sick, lonely, poor and marginalised in your prayers. Blessings to all callers, carers and helpers. Brendan Quirk, St Vincent de Paul Conference, Holy Trinity Parish. Catholic Social Services provides support to Kahungunu Whanau Services, a Kaupapa Maori social service agency, and Housing First Provider. Over the lockdown period Kahungunu has continued to place individuals and families without homes into permanent or transitional housing . They have secured 9 properties for permanent housing over the next few weeks. Because of the large number of people they have settled recently (150 people) Kahungunu have used up their store of donated goods and other possible sources of supply have been put on hold. The following is a list of items urgently needed * Double or queen beds with mattress and base * Drawers * Pots and pans * Couches * White ware (if possible) * Microwaves * Linen and blankets Pope Francis has spoken about "the saints who live next door” . We don’t have to look far to see them . It is agencies like Kahungunu Whanau Services, Challenge 2000, Compassion Soup Kitchen and St Vincent de Paul , and that are among our “saints next door” . They deserve our help. If you are able to help at all it would be very much appreciated. To offer any help please contact Catholic Social Services Community Facilitator Paul Alsford on 021754145 [email protected] to arrange a contactless pick up. You might like to join in this Prayer of Praise: https://youtu.be/PUtll3mNj5U (It’s on You Tube and you’ll need to exit the ads) OUR THANKS IS EVERLASTING Many of you will know of Fr Chris Skinner S.M. He’s sharing a sweet gratitude song on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxNVIB_1hpI&feature=youtu.be We may soon be moving into Alert Level 2 of our Covid 19 response plan. Keep an eye out for a mid-week newsletter for relevant updates. Not Everything is Cancelled Sun is not cancelled Spring is not cancelled Relationships are not cancelled Love is not cancelled Reading is not cancelled Devotion is not cancelled Music is not cancelled Imagination is not cancelled Kindness is not cancelled Conversations are not cancelled Hope is not cancelled FINANCES: Even though our church buildings are closed, we have ongoing financial matters to deal with including: power, insurance, rates, ongoing maintenance costs, support of our Parish Priest, wages for parish staff, and funds to the Archdiocese. We are very grateful for those of you who are still gift-giving via your automatic payments, or by internet banking. This is appreciated because we know that some of you may well be facing additional financial pressure at this time. However, a reminder: · If you usually put cash in the collection if you can, please change to online payments. Our details: HOLY TRINITY PARISH BNZ BANK ACC 02-0536-0185031-000 Use your surname and/or envelope number as a reference. · Put your cash in your gift-giving envelope each week as normal, but hold on to your envelopes until the Church reopens or a secure collection place is available. Your ongoing support of Holy Trinity Parish in whatever form is what keeps us alive and viable. Planned Giving Those who use envelopes and are expecting tax receipts will have them delivered over the next week or two. Peter’s Pence Collection We have received information from Rome via Cardinal John, that this annual collection, usually taken up on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June, will be transferred throughout the world to Sun 4 October. For charitable donations: https://www.vinnies-wellington.org.nz/donate OR donations can be made directly to: Account - St Vincent de Paul Society Wellington
Email Vinnies ([email protected]), with your full name and contact details if you would like a tax receipt. Some other good causes:
If you find that your circumstances have changed don’t hesitate to ask for help from a relevant person or organisation. Don’t forget to start preparing your pets ready for a change to Alert Level 2 ! As mentioned a few weeks back we are coming up to the anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on Care for our Common Home. Beginning 16-24 May Pope Francis invites us to celebrate Laudato Si’ Week. The theme is “everything is connected.” The aim for the week is to launch us on a journey of transformation, as we grow through the current world crisis by praying, reflecting, and preparing together for a better world to come. How might we respond? See here: https://laudatosiweek.org/ Dear brothers and sisters, in this time so many thoughts and worries lead us to turn inwards into ourselves... Let us ask for the grace to recognise and follow the voice of the good Shepherd, who brings us out of the enclosures of selfishness and leads us to the pastures of true freedom. Pope Francis, 3 May 2020
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