2nd July 2017

The theme of this Sunday is the cost of discipleship. Jesus teaches us today that the Gospel will not always bring peace; it may be the cause of persecution, misunderstanding or even death. There is a price to pay for being a disciple of Jesus. When we look at the history of the Church in our own lifetime, we see almost a return to the brutality of the persecution of the early Church We have seen in our own time the horror of persecution, rape of Nuns and murders of the Bishops and Priests.
Today the followers of Jesus are often asked to give up a lot of the culture and values of the society to walk with Jesus. What is acceptable to the world is not acceptable to us.
It is not easy perhaps living in a society where abortion, premarital sex, gay marriage, divorce and marital infidelity are accepted as normal and even good.
While we all must take up our cross each day and follow Jesus, it does become easier when these is a community of Brothers and Sisters who are there to support, encourage and when need be challenge us. We do it with the Lord Jesus and with the Church. We don’t stand alone.
Fr Gregory
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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.

A big thank you to all the Parishioners for participating directly or indirectly in my 25yrs of priestly jubilee and sharing in my joy. Big thanks to each and every one of you.
God bless you all. 

Adoration every Saturday at Holy Cross Church after 9am Mass

Annointing Mass at St Patrick’s Church Wednesday 5th July 11am. A reminder this will replace the 9.30am Mass on this day at St Patrick’s.

Holy Cross Happy Hour – Weds 5th July 11am in the Parish Centre.
Seniors are reminded of our next happy hour. A friendly game of bingo and a shared lunch.
 All welcome.

If God exists, it changes everything! Alpha is a series of interactive sessions exploring the basics of our faith. Each session looks at a different question, and is designed to create conversation. There’s no pressure, no follow-up and no charge; it’s just an open, informal, and honest space to explore and discuss life’s big questions together. The sessions are available again this year starting at 7.00pm in the Holy Cross School Staffroom on Tuesday 25 July. To enrol please call or text Dave Monastra on 0274477280 or Celeste Hastings on 388 7189. Feel free to bring a friend who may not be a member of the school or parish.

St Catherine’s College end of year Mass at St Patrick’s Church 2pm Friday 7th July
At this Mass 4 students will be Baptised, Confirmed and receive First Holy Communion, and a further 4 girls will be Confirmed and receive First Holy Communion.
We congratulate them and ask that you keep them in your prayers.
This will also be a farewell for the principal Mary Curran who will take up the position as principal of Waikato Diocesan School for Girls at the start of term 3.

Holy Cross Church Roof Repair
The Finance Committee have arranged for the roof over the main Church Nave to be recoated to stop the ongoing leaks that we have had over the last few years.
Edge protection will be installed to ensure workers are safe.
Hopefully there will be little disruption to Church activities and the work should be completed within a month, weather permitting.
We look forward to being able to turn on the heaters at the rear of the church once the leaks have stopped.

Refugee Thanks - AGAIN!
Once more our Parish has successfully set-up a new home for a refugee family of three adults and a 16 year old boy to start a new life in Wellington:

• We collected, sorted and delivered a very large household lot of goods.
• You were particularly generous in your donations of linen - such that we now already have enough beautiful sheets, blankets and towels for our next and final collection of the year.
• Thanks to very generous donations over the whole year we were also able to purchase a significant range of items that were not donated in order to complete the house requirements - indeed we supplied $1100.00 worth of brand new items (which actually cost us $550.00 thanks to the 60% Briscoes sale!).  
• We also had an enthusiastic house set-up team ready to go, though our services weren't actually needed in this regard as fewer families arrived than expected.

So where to now?   I would like you to know that Holy Trinity Parish is one of only a very few in Wellington that have actively contributed to every single refugee in-take since the beginning of 2016; many have dropped off or not been able to sustain their contribution.  We are now likely to have just one more collection request this year (probably October) and two requests for House set-up teams (August and December).  This will also mark the end of our two year original commitment to this very special cause and decisions will then need to be made about what happens for 2018.  In the meantime, our kitty is bare, so any on-going cash donations will be gratefully received and are always 100% used for required goods. Also if you have any items for collection, other than linen, before our next formal request nearer October, please just give me a call (3889704).
The on-going commitment of Holy Trinity is sincerely acknowledged and appreciated.  Thank you all once again for your quiet generous donations, Annette Bridgman

On behalf of the families and communities we work with, thank you for your generous donation to the 2017 Bishops’ Lent Appeal. Together with the rest of the Catholic community all over New Zealand, your community’s generous contribution has helped us raise over $990,000.00 – with some donations still arriving.
It is only through help from people like yourselves that we can continue making a lasting difference in the lives of vulnerable communities around the world, including in Aotearoa New Zealand.

St Catherine's College 2018 Scholarships Educating Young Women since 1950 
Apply now to office@scc.school.nz or phone 04 939 8988  Applications close 25 August 2017
 

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.
The coats can also double as a small blanket and cost $60 each.  All donations are tax deductible. Flyers are in the church foyer or contact peterdamianwood@icloud.com or phone 021 325 884.

econference Coming Soon Gospel leadership in times of chaos: the hope of Pope Francis
Join a challenging eConference streamed live free over the internet. Group participation will be facilitated by the Parish Leadership Ministry team and The Catholic Institute, Wellington. Thursday 10 August 12 noon - 4.30pm (NZ time) at the Catholic Centre, 22-30 Hill St, Thorndon, Wellington. To register attendance please email Ann Williams at a.williams@wn.catholic.org.nz   For more information visit  www.bbi.catholic.edu.au/short-courses/eConference-2017

July WelCom is out in parishes and schools this week: New Lay Pastoral Leader for Archdiocese, Fiona Rammell,  Mission Centre for Hawera, ‘God gifts us with many things’, Cardinal John Dew, Crown apology delivered to people of Parihaka, ‘Participation in General Election’, by Bishop Peter Cullinane,  Catholic-Lutheran combined service,  ‘Luther and Rome’, new series by Fr James Lyons,  NZ Catholic Bishops declare first Sunday in October as day of celebration for Suzanne Aubert,  Journey of Faith – Tararua Pastoral Area, A Place for Silence and Contemplation’,  St Mary Magdalene feast day 22 July,Dr Elizabeth Julian rsm.

INTERCESSORY CONFERENCE – ‘Intercessors Arise” Starting Friday 30th June ending Sunday 2nd July 2017 at St Joseph Catholic Church, Mt Victoria. Conference will comprise of workshops, teaching on intercession and equipping and encouraging those who have a heart for intercessory prayer (Whether rosary of other forms of prayer). Opportunity to meet with other Catholic intercessors from around the country. To register contact Francenne email Francenne.Smith@gmail.com or phone 04 238 2966 (Cost $40.00 pp).

Vigil for the Unborn: Saturday 15th July 2017. St Anne's Catholic Church, Emmett Street, Newtown. 10 am Mass. Followed by Exposition & Rosary Procession to front of Hospital. Ends at Noon with a shared lunch. Relying on God's grace, join in this persevering prayer effort for our most vulnerable - especially  the unborn - and those suffering from the tragedy of abortion. For more information contact Family Life International NZ PH: 2378343

Thursday 6 July A Quiet Day with Suzanne Aubert. An invitation to spend time resting and reflecting on an aspect of the life and vision of Suzanne Aubert. 10.30am - 2.30pm, Our Lady’s Home of Compassion, 2 Rhine Street, Island Bay, Wellington. Suggested offering $30 includes lunch. Register at retreat@compassion.org or phone.  04 383 7769. Other days:  3 August, 7 September, 5 October. 

Please pray for our children as prepare to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.
Confirmation this year will be at St Patrick’s Church 10am on the 6th August.

 
On the 8th July the Parish Council will have a planning day for the future of the Parish.