3rd April 2016

MALO E LELEI – TALOFA LAVA – WELCOME
 
Who among us has not wondered whether or not God hears our prayers? Who among us has not had moments when we wondered where God is for us? Who among us has not felt the weight of Jesus’s words as he hung dying on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”.
Thank goodness we encounter Thomas every year at this time – Thank goodness the Church repeatedly sends him to us so that with him we can ponder, quest and find Jesus of Nazareth who, in his resurrection, has become for us Christ the Lord. Thank goodness it was Thomas who cried out: “My Lord and my God”.
What happened on Easter morning and thereafter? We could take doubters to the tomb and they would find it to be empty. But what would that prove? Nothing – except that the tomb was empty. They would not see and encounter the risen Christ. The answer to the question “What happened” is found in the lives of all who down through the centuries, have encountered Christ as He has come to us in others who share our humanity.
What a blessing it is that Thomas was among the twelve. What a blessing it is
 that the gift of the twelve has, down through the centuries, eventually come to us. What a gift it is that God’s Holy Spirit has been manifestly at work throughout our church’s history. What a gift is it that the faith of the church is a gift we can receive and rely upon today, tomorrow, and throughout the days of our lives.
 
Father Sanele
 
St Patrick’s Church Altar Server Training
If you have completed the sacramental programme and would like the opportunity to be an altar server at St Patrick’s Church, the training session is Thursday 28th April at 10am in Church. This session is for new and current servers.
Contact Senior Altar Server Andrew Greening 3861233 for more details
 

 
CHILDREN DON’T ARRIVE WITH AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL
 
If you would like your family life to be the best it can be, we have a great course coming up.  Whatever your situation, the practical tools you will learn can help you to improve and strengthen your family life.  Over five evenings you will cover: building a strong family centred on love, meet your children’s needs, set effective boundaries, teach healthy relationships and pass on values that are important to you.  This is an international course sponsored by the parish and held in the Gascoigne Room at St Anthony’s 7.30pm from Tuesday 10 May.  To enrol call or text Ruth 0276700365 or Kim 0222426288, babysitting is available.
 
 

 
News and Views out this weekend.
 
Would collectors from St Patrick’s please take their copies for distribution from the back of the Church.
Decree from the New Zealand
 Catholic Bishops Conference.
 
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference has sought and obtained from the Apostolic See on 7 January 2016 (cf decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Prot. 702/15) approval for the transfer of the liturgical celebration of St Dominic from 7 August to 3 August with the rank of Memorial in the Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of New Zealand.

New St Patrick’s Mass roster
Copies available from the back of the Church. 

Life Teen Holy Trinity 2016
Life Teen is a youth movement within the Catholic Church!! It's run on a Sunday night starting with Mass at 5.30pm followed by food and a Life Night ending at 8.30pm. For Teenagers 12-18 and Young
 Adults 18-35! Come and hang out, have fun, make friends, and encounter Jesus!!! If you are interested in being involved as an adult leader, please come and see what we do!
 
40 Days of Life: Amazingly, 516 babies were saved during the recent campaign! While there are no New Zealand babies in the official figures, many graces were definitely poured out in our city.
THANK YOU to everyone who participated by praying, fasting and being a prophetic sign outside the hospital. You are true heroes. FROM the Core Group.

St Anthony’s School Recipe Book
 
Filled with favourite recipes from our school families, these make a great gift to stash away for Mother’s Day, birthdays and Christmas. 
A great everyday recipe book to go to when you are sick of cooking the same old things!
Only $20 each.
Support the school by purchasing a book and receive a free bag of homemade biscuits.
A sample book and order forms are in the church foyer or contact Kirsten Bouras 3808 856 [email protected] to place your order.
 
They will also be available to purchase after
 10am Mass at St Anthony’s on 10th April.
 

ANZAC DAY SERVICE 25th April
ST PATRICK’S CHURCH 9.30AM
 
Followed by a cup of coffee and biscuits in the meeting room.
On the day, bring a photo of loved ones to place under the altar during Mass.

 
Dove Wellington welcomes all women to their meeting on Saturday 16 April, between 1.15-3pm, at Connolly Hall, Wellington.  
We are thrilled to invite Melody Nunns as our guest speaker.  Melody is a loving mother with a powerful testimony that shows how, through hearing and being obedient to the will of the God, God can and does make amazing things happen.  If you are concerned for your children, if you are searching for hope where there seems to be little, if you long for God to do amazing things in your life; this is a meeting that you do not want to miss. 
We look forward to seeing you there. Queries to Rachel Blackaby on (04) 233 2553

Holy Cross Happy Hour – Weds 6th April 11am in the Parish Centre.  
Seniors are reminded of our next meeting. Come join us for bingo.
Please bring a small plate of finger food to enjoy with our tea/coffee. All welcome.

Medjugorje Pilgrimage 2016
10 in-depth days in Medjugorje only.  Excellent value. See your noticeboard or visit www.mirpilgrimages.co.nz  Contact: Patricia Parsons ph: 0274 219 064. 
Email: [email protected]

Divine Mercy Celebration
You are all invited to join in the Divine Mercy Celebrations to be held on Sunday 3rd April, after the 10.30am Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Tawa. Taking place during the celebration are the Blessing of religious objects, the Veneration of the Divine Mercy Image, Anointing for healing and the Chaplet of Diving Mercy. The celebrant will be Monsignor Roman Walczak, deputy head of Mission, Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See. Reconciliation will be available from 9.45am to the start of Mass at 10.30am. Refreshments will be served after the service.
The Annual Acies (Consecration Service) of the Legion of Mary will take place at St Joseph's Church Mt Victoria on Sunday 10th April 2016 at 2:00pm.
 
The Celebrant will be Reverend Father Francis D'Souza, ICPE Mission.
 
All religious, active, auxiliary members and parishioners are warmly invited to attend and once again consecrate themselves to Our Blessed Lady in Honour of the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord.

Religious Approaches Inequality. 
Public seminar Wednesday 13 April, 7pm Wellington Islamic Centre, 7 Queens Drive, Kilbirnie
 
Inequality has been around since biblical times – based on economic position, gender, race, and other factors. Our Abrahamic religions have approaches to inequality that have many similarities but significant and interesting differences. Come to this public seminar, and learn more about how religions can contribute to the public discourse about inequality, led by our speakers: Carol Ratnam – Wellington Progressive Jewish Congregation Bishop Justin Duckworth – Wellington Anglican Diocese Kerem Caliskan – Pearl of the Islands Foundation All welcome – we look forward to seeing you there! For more information, contact [email protected] or ring Dave Moskovitz on 027 220 2202

Parish Quiz night is coming!
Start organising your team for a fun night out with the Parish Community.
Details to follow soon.
Does anyone have spare St Patrick’s College uniform in good condition for a Year 9 student?
If you do, can you drop it off in the St Patrick’s Church porch with “Sisters of Compassion” on it please. Thank you.

 If you’d like to receive your copy electronically, email [email protected]  put newsletter in the subject line, and you will be added to our list.
Please remember, if you move or change any of your details, please contact the parish office so your record can be updated Thank you.

​BE MERCIFUL
A Pastoral Letter
from the New Zealand Catholic Bishops
April 2016
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus
 
The Year of Mercy, still in its first quarter, has captured wide interest throughout the Catholic world. When Pope Francis called us to open our eyes to the wonder of God’s mercy, he sparked a flame that is warming hearts as we understand more fully the healing and life-giving power of mercy.
 
Assuring us that The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis draws us to shed any fear that guilt might impose, and to approach God with trust and confidence, as a child before a loving parent. This “Year” is giving us an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen or renew our personal relationship with God and with one another.
 
The call to be merciful like the Father takes us to the heart of the Gospel where every action of
Jesus, the face of God’s mercy, models that call. His life makes visible the eagerness of God to offer everyone the gift of mercy, seeking only that we ourselves be merciful. Jesus endorses this with his promise that the merciful “shall have mercy shown them” [Matthew, 5: 7].
 
Mercy is a way of life. It is not a quality that we adopt depending on the mood of the moment. It I
not a set of clothing kept aside for important outings. The merciful are people in touch with their
own weakness and therefore they do not expect perfection in others.
 
The merciful do not ignore or minimise wrong-doing, but they seek to understand before judging,
and, wherever possible, are ready to excuse. As a way of life, mercy directs our outlook and our
expectations, reflecting a particular view of the world and other people.
 
The strength of gentleness empowers the merciful.
 
The way of mercy flows from the sacred scriptures that tell of God’s love for our world – a love
revealed above all in the gift of Jesus who came not to condemn but to save, not to weigh down but to lift up and set free. He showed this in the way he became involved in people’s lives, touching a leper and the eyes of a blind man, weeping at the death of his friend Lazarus. He suffered with the suffering, compassionately. Mercy becomes possible when the pain of the other becomes your own pain. Jesus illustrates this particularly well in his parables of mercy.
 
The “Good Samaritan” invests considerable expense and time into helping the wounded traveller, and leaves the lesson that unless we do likewise, helping the abandoned and the most desperate, we will not “inherit eternal life” [see Luke 10:25-37]
 
The three “mercy stories” in Luke, chapter 15, reinforce the greatness of God’s mercy. The three
“findings”: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, come after much patient searching and
heart-breaking effort. The sheep, the coin and the son, speak of the animal, mineral and human
world – the whole of creation. God wants nothing to be lost. Seeking out the lost is the mission of Jesus and the mission of all who follow his way.
 
“Be merciful to me” is not a call to “go easy on me” but rather a plea for help to become better,
stronger, more capable of contributing to life. The merciful reach out with encouragement,
recognising the potential for healing and growth.
Pope Francis writes that mercy is “the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his (her) brothers and sisters on the path of life.” [Misericordiae Vultus 2] Mercy is therefore a personal choice, freely opening the heart to let the stream of mercy flow, thereby changing the way we see other people. It is not be an easy choice
 
because it goes against the grain. I have to forgo my “right” to be annoyed, to be angry, to want revenge! Yet it is by letting go of these “rights” that we find true joyfulness in living.
 
As this Holy Year of Mercy continues, we should each give ourselves generously to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, seeing it as an opportunity for wholehearted thanksgiving no less than for sincere sorrow. This is not an encounter to be feared but rather a home-coming to anticipate with joy. You will find a ready welcome from any priest you approach. Remember, God’s mercy, like love, does not come to an end. In Pope Francis’ words, mercy is greater than any sin. [Misericordiae Vultus 3]
 
The Easter season celebrates the power of light over darkness and life over death. The risen Jesus transformed his weak and unfaithful followers with words of hope and pardon. “Peace be with you” replaced their fear and shame with a joyful awareness of how much they were loved. Loved and forgiven, they become unshakeable witnesses to the whole world of the power of love to overcome evil and to forgive without limit.
 
Our diocesan cathedrals each have special “doors of mercy” for this year, thrown open in welcome and thanksgiving. They reveal a path to the risen, glorified Christ waiting to welcome you – whatever your failings – into the presence of love, the presence of mercy. Come and visit with family and friends and other parishioners. Pass through these doors and hear the echo of those words that brought cheer and hope to broken friendships. “Peace be with you!” Let them
transform you into unbeatable witnesses of a God slow to anger and rich in mercy.
 
As you experience and hold the gift of mercy let it become part of your daily life. Don’t be too quick to judge or take delight in another’s misfortune. Be generous with compliments and do not
withhold your forgiveness when the path to forgive is open to you. Knowing the peace that comes with being forgiven, welcome every opportunity to bring that peace to others.
 
William Shakespeare wrote, “The quality of mercy is not strained. It drops as the gentle rain from
heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest. It blesses those that give and those that
take…. Mercy seasons justice”.
 
The gift of mercy is especially God’s gift to us in this Holy Year with the opportunity to both
encounter mercy and share it. With Pope Francis, we, your bishops, look to this time as a way of
revealing “the Church’s deeply maternal and merciful side, a Church that goes forth towards those who are ‘wounded’ who are in need of an attentive ear, understanding, forgiveness and love.” [The Name of God is Mercy p53]
 
Be merciful just as your Father is merciful [Luke 6:36].
 
John Dew                           Patrick Dunn                                  Charles Drennan
Archbishop of Wellington   Bishop of Auckland                         Bishop of Palmerston North
President, NZCBC               Secretary, NZCBC
 
 Stephen Lowe                   Colin Campbell                             Peter Cullinane
Bishop of Hamilton              Bishop of Dunedin Emeritus          Bishop of Palmerston North
 
Fr Rick Loughnan
Administrator, Diocese of Christchurch