28th may 2017

​Dear brothers and sisters today we celebrate the feast of Christ ascension.
The feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ commemorates the bodily Ascension of his in to heaven. This is the crowning of his Easter victory over sin and death. We Christians believe that Jesus Christ after his resurrection has gone back to heaven where he came from. Is it proper to say therefore, that Jesus has left us and gone to live somewhere far from us? The Ascension is not really about Jesus going away. Rather it is about Jesus becoming the Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus is no longer physically present to his disciples. But the Gospel of today’s mass ends with Jesus’ promise that he would remain with his disciples right to the end of time. The Ascension then must be seen not so much in terms of Jesus ‘leaving’, as Jesus ‘becoming the Lord.’ Jesus was crowned with glory by his Father after his victory over sin, evil and especially death. Our second reading of today says, ‘The Father has made him Lord of all creation.’ This is the essential meaning of the ascension.  Jesus, then, hasn’t left
us. He has simply taken on a new role, a new position. He who made himself our brother has now become one Lord and advocate with the Father.                                                           Fr Gregory
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.

HOLY TRINITY PARISH MASS - 10AM SUNDAY 11th June AT ST PATRICK’S CHURCH
We will be celebrating Holy Trinity Sunday Mass together at St Patrick’s Church. 
For those who are unable to be at this Mass,
there will be the 5.30pm Vigil Mass at St Patrick’s Church.
Morning tea will be in the Parish Centre after Mass, so please bring a plate of food to share.
Please note: These will be the only 2 Masses in the Parish on the 11th June  

Archdiocese of Wellington 2017 Priest Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving
This will be held at St Patrick’s Church, Kilbirnie Tuesday 20th June 2017 at 11am.
All are welcome to join the priests of the Archdiocese at the Mass of Thanksgiving.
Please note: This will be the only Mass in the Parish on this day.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 28th May – 4th June
There will be a Christian Unity Prayer Service at Holy Cross Church 7pm Thursday 1st June.
Please note this is a different time from that advertised in the last newsletter.
Everyone welcome

RCIA Team  A team from Holy Trinity Parish is again preparing to run the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for the Eastern suburbs. The RCIA is the process for welcoming new adult members into the Catholic Church.  It begins in May/June with a number of Inquiry sessions for those interested in Catholicism.
The process involves the whole Church community in one way of another.  What can you do?
•           First, you can pray for the success of the RCIA.
•           Second, you can tell people you know who may be interested in becoming Catholics about        the Inquiry sessions
•           Third, for further information, watch this space or contact the parish office.

Fr Gregory will be away from the 1st – 17th June to attend the Capuchin Provincial Elective Chapter in India.  
 

Refugee Help Wanted, please
 
Our next intake of former refugee families to Wellington is coming in June and once again we are asking for your help to make it possible to welcome them to a fully equipped home - certainly not something they will have had for a very long time. This time our Parish will be responsible for a family of 5 (4 adults and 1 teenage girl).
There are two main ways you may be able to help:
We need the following items (enough for 5 people) left in the labelled boxes in your Church foyer please: cutlery; cooking utensils;stock pot; electric blender/beater; large serving spoon; kitchen rubbish bin; small rubbish bin for bathroom; iron; washing basket and pegs; single and double sheets; single and double duvet covers and inners; pillow cases; new pillows; blankets, single mattress protector; towels; handtowels; face coths; bathmats; tea towels; table cloth; dust pan and brush; and broom. We have already collected many other items, so the list is not so long this time!
Any over-supply of items will simply be stored until the next time, so please be assured that any contribution you make will get to the refugees. Cash donations are also always welcome to cover any shortfall in items collected and can be left in any regular collection in an envelope labelled "refugees".   All money goes directly to buying needed items now or for future in-takes.
If you are able to help setup a House on 22 June in the evening, around 6pm, please contact Annette Bridgman on 3889704 or [email protected] (please note you'd also need to be available on the 20th June evening for 1 hour of training if you haven't done this before).
 
Thank you so much for your on-going commitment to making our former refugees welcome in Aotearoa NZ

St Patrick’s Children’s Choir Practice after 10am Mass (Sunday 28th May)
There will be a half hour practice after 10am Mass today for those involved in the children’s choir for next Sunday.

The St Catherine's College PTA warmly invites you and family and friends to join us for our inaugural fundraising auction at the Pines to raise funds for new technology at the College. 
There is a great catalogue of items to be auctioned from weekends at a bach in Wairarapa, Interislander travel vouchers, Householders dream- a team of tradesman for 4 hours, wonderful artworks from Seatoun's finest artists, and much more. Come for a fun-filled night to support St Catherine's.
Tickets from St Catherine's College office or email [email protected]. See you there.


St Catherine’s College Open Days and Evening Wednesday 31 May 2017 1.15 – 3.15pm Sunday 11 June 2017 1.00 – 3.00pm
Tuesday 8 August 2017 Evening 5.45 - 7.00pm 

The Order of Malta is a Catholic charity raising funds to supply ‘Coats for the Homeless’ in Wellington. We ran a successful appeal in 2012. The coats will be distributed by the Compassion Centre in Tory Street, Wellington.
The coats can also double as a small blanket and cost $60 each.  All donations are tax deductible.
Flyers with details on how to donate a coat are in the church foyer.  Further information can be obtained from [email protected] or phone 021 325 884.

Vinnies is rounding up the team! Our upcoming Street Day Appeal is on Friday 16 June. If you are available for 1-2 hours to be a collector (in particular the city precinct) please contact Ana on [email protected]. Alternatively, we have parish conference presidents who will also advise you on locations within residential areas. We thank you for the continued support of our mission to help neighbours in need.

ABLAZE 2017 - Celebrate 50 years of Charismatic Renewal! Pentecost Sunday 4th June, 2 - 4pm at St Joseph's Church, Mt Victoria. Includes Praise & Worship, testimonies, teaching, fellowship and ministry.  Guest Speaker Fr John Rea. For more info call Rainer on 021 155 8258 or email [email protected]

Holy Cross School News:
Good in the Hood
Our school is being supported through Z Miramar's “Good in the Hood” initiative – so if you need petrol, please buy it from Z Miramar during May and pop your orange token into the Holy Cross slot.
Entertainment Books
The Wellington Entertainment Book offers loads of savings for cafes, restaurants and activities – lots of 25% discounts or two for one deals. At $65, it represents great value. It is available in book or digital form and the school benefits from each sale. A great gift for a family member. You can also buy for family and friends in other parts of New Zealand through our link. Order your book online here:https://www.entertainmentbook.co.nz/orderbooks/943q153 or contact the school office.

There is a time for….. A family companion for every season
We only have 15 copies to sell available from the Parish Office $25
A beautiful book of prayers and poems draws its inspiration from the people and landscapes of Aotearoa - New Zealand. It touches on themes that affect us all - joy and sorrow, hurt and celebration - and demonstrates how easily families can incorporate prayer and reflection into everyday situations.

The First Spiritual Exercises – a Retreat in daily life based on the Spiritual Exercises  of St Ignatius of Loyola. We meet at St Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 60 Knights  Rd, Lower Hutt, for 5 Thursday evenings: 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 June 2017 from 7:30- 9:30pm. The cost will be $30 plus $25 for the Guide Book (essential). Assistance is
available for those who might find the cost a barrier to attending. To book or for further information contact: Sarah Dench 04 389 1038 or 021 0814 4424 or  [email protected]

Compassion calendar of events for June – see noticeboard at the back of the Church for details.

COMMISSIONING SERVICE INVITATION You are warmly invited to a Service of Welcome
The Reverend Joy Hamilton-Jones To be commissioned as Ecumenical Chaplain, Wellington Hospital
In the Wellington Hospital Chapel uesday 6th June 2017 at 6pm Light Refreshments to follow  RSVP by 30th May 2017 to: [email protected]

Synod 2017 - Go you are sent...
Copies of the Synod Participation Booklet have been sent to parishes. It is not possible to provide everyone with a copy, so it is also available on the Archdiocese’s website www.wn.catholic.org.nz (see Synod ’17 section on the homepage).
 
Before you decide upon your response read the section “Using this Document” in the Booklet. You can provide input on all the topics, a few of them or just one of them. Responses can be made by individuals or by groups. The topics in the Booklet are:
 
Go you are sent…to find leaders
Go you are sent…to the peripheries of society
Go you are sent…to deepen our bicultural relationship
Go you are sent…as members of the one Body of Christ (ethnic diversity)
Go you are sent…to your own peripheries (those who may feel unwelcome in the Church)
Go you are sent…to refugees and migrants
Go you are sent…to care for creation
Go you are sent…to fellow Christians
Go you are sent…to accompany one another (young people)
Go you are sent…to support marriage and families.
 
Responses can be submitted by individuals and groups in various ways:
Email: download the Word document “Synod participation response” on the website of the Archdiocese of Wellington. The link to the file is on the website’s homepage under the Synod ’17 heading. Put in your response and email to [email protected].
Online: follow the link on the Archdiocese of Wellington website homepage (under Synod ’17) to the questions online.
Postal response: handwrite or type your response into the document “Synod participation response”, from the Archdiocese’s website (see Email above) or it can be posted to you if you ring Anne Dickinson 04 496 1793.  Post your response to Anne Dickinson, Archdiocese of Wellington, P O Box 1937, WELLINGTON 6140
Verbal response: if there are reasons why you find it difficult to make a written response you are welcome to ring Anne Dickinson 04 496 1793 to see if it is possible to provide a verbal response.
 
 
 
 
 
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Ko te Wā Karakia mō te Kotahitanga o Ngā Hāhi Karaitiana
28 May to 4 June 2017
Biblical Reflections and Prayers for personal and group use
 
Adapted for parishes in Aotearoa New Zealand by the Catholic Bishops Committee for Ecumenism. The full resource jointly prepared and published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches can be found at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/index.htm Select Pontifical Councils – Promoting Christian Unity – Spiritual Ecumenism at the International Level – Booklets published in preparation for the “2017” week — English. New Zealand website: www.catholic.org.nz — Ecumenism
 
DAY 1                          One has died for all (2 Cor. 5:14)
Isaiah 53:4-12               He gave his life as an atoning sacrifice.
Ps. 118: 1,14-29            God did not abandon me to death.
1 John 2:1-2                  Christ died for all.
John 15:13-17               Giving his life for his friends.
 
Jesus did not die just for his own people, nor for those who sympathized with his teachings; He died for all people, past, present and future. Faithful to the Gospel, many Christians down the centuries have laid down their lives for their friends. One such person was Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who was imprisoned in the concentration camp at Auschwitz and who in 1941 willingly gave up his life so that a fellow prisoner could live. Because Jesus died for all, all have died with him (2 Cor 5:14). What does it mean to say that Jesus died for all? The German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “I am a brother to another person through what Jesus Christ did for me and to me; the other person has become a brother to me through what Jesus Christ did for him.”
Prayer
God our Father, in Jesus you gave us the one who died for all. He lived our life and died our death. You accepted his sacrifice and raised him to new life with you. Grant that we, who have died with him, may be made one by the Holy Spirit and live in the abundance of your divine presence now and for ever. Amen.
 
Day 2                           Live no longer for themselves (2 Cor. 5:15)
Micah 6:6-8                   God has told you what is good.
Ps. 25:1-5                     God of my salvation, show me your ways.
1 John 4:19-21              We love because God first loved us.
Mt. 16:24-26                  Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
 
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we live in the life-giving power of Christ, who lived, died, and rose again for us. When we ‘lose’ our life for his sake, we gain it. The prophets were constantly faced with questions concerning the right way to live before God. The prophet Micah found a very clear answer to this question: “To do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” The author of Psalm 25 knew that we cannot do this by ourselves and cried out to God for guidance and strength.
Prayer
God our Father, in Jesus Christ you have freed us for a life that goes beyond ourselves. Guide us with your Spirit and help us to orient our lives as brothers and sisters in Christ, who lived, suffered, died and rose again for us, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
 
Day 3:                          We regard no one according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16)
1 Sam. 16:1, 6-7            The Lord looks not at outward appearances but at the heart.
Ps. 19:7-13                   The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes.
Acts 9:1-19                   Saul becomes Paul.
Mt. 5:1-12                     The Beatitudes.
 
Encountering Christ turns everything upside down. Saint Paul had that experience on the road to Damascus. For the first time he could see Jesus for who he really was: the Saviour of the world. His perspective changed completely. He had to lay
his human, worldly judgment aside. We often judge according to human standards. We make claims or do things “in the name of the Lord” that in reality may be self-serving. In submitting ourselves to the rule of Christ today, we are called to see
others as God sees them, without mistrust or prejudice.
Prayer
Triune God, you are the origin and goal of all living things. Forgive us when we only think of ourselves and are blinded by our own standards. Open our hearts and our eyes. Teach us to be loving, accepting and gracious, so that we may grow in the unity which is your gift. To you be honour and praise, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Day 4:                          Everything old has passed away (2 Cor. 5:17)
Gen. 19:15-26               Don’t look back.
Ps. 77: 5-15                  God is always faithful.
Phil. 3: 7-14                  Forgetting what lies behind.
Luke 9:57-62                 Keep your hand on the plough.
 
Looking back can be helpful and is often necessary for the healing of memories. It can also paralyze us and prevent us from living in the present. Saint Paul’s message here is liberating: “Everything old has passed away”. The Bible encourages us to keep the past in mind, to draw strength from our memories, and to remember what good God has done. But it also asks us to leave the old, even what was good, in order to follow Christ and live a new life in him. What could we learn by reading together the history of our divisions and mutual mistrust?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today and for ever. Heal the wounds of our past, bless our pilgrimage towards unity today and guide us into your future, when you will be all in all, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen
 
Day 5:                          Everything has become new (2 Cor. 5:17)
Ez. 36:25-27                 Receiving a new heart from God.
Ps. 126                         Being filled with joy.
Col. 3:9-17                    Being renewed in Christ.
John 3:1-8                    Being born in the Spirit.
 
Saint Paul encountered Christ, the risen Lord, and became a renewed person. God lives in us by the power of the Holy Spirit and lets us share in the life of the Holy Trinity. This new life becomes visible when we allow it to take shape and live it out in “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” The more we are in Christ, the closer we are to each other. On this 500th anniversary of the
Reformation, we remember both the achievements and tragedies of our history. The love of Christ compels us to actively seek unity and reconciliation.
Prayer
Triune God, you reveal yourself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet you are one. You break through our human boundaries and renew us. Give us a new heart to overcome all that endangers our unity in you. We pray in the name of Christ Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
Day 6:                          God reconciled us to himself (2 Cor. 5:18)
Gen. 17:1-8                   God makes a covenant with Abraham
Ps. 98                           The world has seen the victory of God
Rom. 5:6-11                  God reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ
Luke 2:8-14                   Proclamation of the good news
 
Reconciliation is fascinating and terrifying at the same time; it means renouncing our desire for power and recognition. In Jesus Christ, God graciously reconciles us to himself even though we have turned away from him. God's action goes beyond even this: He reconciles not only humanity, but the whole of creation to himself. Similarly all churches are called to bring forth reconciliation in their communities.
Prayer
Merciful God, out of love you made a covenant with your people. Empower us to resist all forms of discrimination. Let the gift of your loving covenant fill us with joy and inspire us to greater unity. Through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen.
 
Day 7:                          The ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
Gen. 50:15-21               Joseph is reconciled with his brothers
Ps. 72                           God’s kingdom brings righteousness and peace
1 John 3:16b-21            God’s love compels us to love one another
John 17:20-26               Jesus prays for the unity of his church
 
Reconciliation between God and us is the key reality of our Christian faith. Paul was convinced that the love of Christ compels us to bring God’s reconciliation to bear in all aspects of our life. Today this leads us to examine our consciences in relation to our divisions. God gives the grace needed for the healing of broken relationships, including the work of overcoming divisions within Christianity.
Prayer
God of all goodness, we give you thanks for reconciling us and the whole world to yourself in Christ. Empower us, our congregations and our churches in ministries of reconciliation. Heal our hearts and help us to spread your peace. “Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy”. We pray in the name of Christ Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
Day 8:                          Reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20)
Micah 4:1-5                   In the last days justice will reign.
Ps. 87                           Glorious things are spoken of God.
Rev. 21:1-5a                 God will make a new heaven and a new earth.
John 20:11-18               Meeting the risen Christ leads to personal mission.
 
These readings speak of the day when the whole perfected creation finally arrives at its goal, the fulfilment of God´s reign, the day when God will be all in all, when suffering will be transformed into joy, when the Church will be revealed in her beauty and grace as the one body of Christ. Wherever we gather in the Spirit to sing together about the fulfilment of God’s promises, the heavens break open and
we begin here and now to dance to the melody of eternity. As we can already experience this presence of heaven, let us celebrate together.
Prayer
Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we thank you for this week of prayer, for being together as Christians and for the different ways we have experienced your presence. Let us always praise your holy name together so that we may continue to grow in unity and reconciliation. Amen.