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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. 1kg 3, 5. 7-12; Rom 8, 28-30; Mt 13, 44-52 Am I with Jesus inside the house in this journey!!! On this 17th Sunday of ordinary time, the Church reminds us that the greatest of all treasures is the Kingdom of God. In his love, God himself has chosen us, and prepared it for us before time. So, the holy mother church encourages us to pray for wisdom as Solomon did, to enable us to discern the true value and mysteries of God’s kingdom. Lat two Sundays we have seen Jesus after sowing the seeds had gone inside the house to engage himself with His disciples explaining the mystery of God’s kingdom. This helped his disciples to immerse in the mission of Jesus. There is nothing more than to grow in the goodness and commandments of God learning from the master himself. Today’s first reading began in a remarkably interesting way. If you were Solomon what would you ask for? Some of us would, ask for more cars, houses, foods, money, power, children and much more! On the contrary, Solomon asked for wisdom for the benefit of both his kingdom and God’s kingdom. He begged God to give him understanding: “Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil.” I would say there is nothing greater than to be with the Lord in his house and learn to be with Him. An understanding heart is God’s gift (Prov 2:6). We need it every day, and in all aspects of our life, family, work, studies, sports, and in all life’s decisions to succeed. So, the Apostle James encourages us: “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously…and it will be given to you (Jas 1:5). Wisdom was given to Solomon because he asked for it. However, God expects us to ask wisely, reasonably, and not selfishly. In the second reading, Paul reminds us that: “In everything, God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” God is leading us through the storms of life towards our home, and towards his kingdom. Carefully, He orders all the events of our lives to lead us there. This is what we call providence. Simply put, that God’s powerful hand is active in all the circumstances of our lives. “Everything” is utterly inclusive and comprehensive. It has no qualifications or limits. Therefore, neither this verse nor its context allows for restrictions or conditions. “All things” is inclusive in the fullest possible sense. It includes your present trouble, your heavy heart, your poverty, your richness, joblessness, your success and failure, your weakness and strength, as well as your sickness and health. Indeed, “everything” and nothing is left out! Nothing exists or occurs in heaven or on earth without the knowledge of God. By saying that “all things work together for us,” Paul tries to reassure us that there is no discord in God’s providence. This is especially, for those who through their faith in Christ have wisely become God’s friends. He also assures us that, nothing can ultimately work against those whom God has chosen for his Kingdom. Those, who walk faithfully with him and love his commands. Today’s gospel is a continuation of Jesus’ use of parables to teach us about the Kingdom of God. Therefore, it is a call to be as wise as Solomon. Without wisdom, we can neither understand the parables of Christ, nor seek the kingdom of God. Today’s good news is also a call to value what is most precious to us, and for which God has chosen us. Parables are intended to instruct us to prefer the kingdom of heaven to this world, and to ensure that nothing prevents us from entering it. Through these parables, Christ reminds us of the excellence and beauty of eternal life. The kingdom of God is indeed a treasure hidden from the wise of this world. Only those who are wise according to God’s standard look for it and find it. To find it, we must first value it, and when we have found it, we must hide it in our hearts. Therefore, let us ask God for understanding and wisdom as Solomon did, so that we may be wise enough to discern what is good for us, and to make God’s kingdom our priority. Am I with Jesus inside the house in this journey!!! Fr Ephrem Let us pray for all those who are unwell especially Hazel Kingston, 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 and those whose anniversaries occur around this time; Mollie and Jack O’Donnell, Judith Mary Wallace, Emmett Myers, John Seamer, James Todd, Simamao Taofinuu, Mary Walsh and Francis Mallia . No confession Saturday 1st August - Fr will be attending the Chrism Mass Chrism Mass 2020; this year’s Chrism Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Kāpiti Church, Milne Drive, Paraparaumu on Saturday 1 August at 10.30am. All are welcome. We will also be joined by some of the Clergy and laity from the Diocese of Palmerston North for this Mass of Chrism Fr Ephrem’s birthday is Saturday 1st August. The Parish wishes him every blessing and best wishes on his special day. Please remember him in your prayers. Holy Trinity Confirmation Please pray for our children as they prepare to receive the sacrament of Confirmation in August The toilet key has been found and returned to the sacristy. Thank you. The following measures will remain till further notice:
We would like to congratulate Denise Johnson on becoming principal of St Anthony’s School. Denise and her family have a long association with St Anthony’s Church and School communites. The Parish would like to welcome her into her new role and also congratulate Francesca von Lanthen, a past pupil, on being appointed deputy principal. St Anthony’s School Grandparents Mass – Friday 31st July 11.30am Grandparents Mass/ Pōwhi ri to welcome our new families will be held on Friday 31 July at 11: 30 am. This will be followed by a time of sharing and light lunch. All welcome to join in this celebration. Covid 19 - St Vincent de Paul Holy Trinity Parish . In our local eastern suburbs communities, many families are now experiencing ongoing hardship from COVID-19, such as going short of food, losing their job, cut backs in hours of work, digging into savings, debt, and difficulty clothing and equipping kids back at school. Do please continue to keep the sick, lonely, poor and marginalised in your prayers. Your SVDP Conference in Holy Trinity Parish is helping people in strict confidence if we hear who needs help, " following Jesus present amongst those who suffer or may be excluded from society" . Should you know of any households in need of emergency food, winter bedding, clothing items or simple friendly support, do please arrange contact with Tina Quidilla, local SVDP Conference, ph 021 159 2412, email: [email protected] Also, if you wish to donate to your local Holy Trinity St Vincent de Paul group to purchase groceries, living essentials and student uniforms and items for families suffering hardship in the Eastern Suburbs, please pay online to: " St Vincent de Paul Society, Seatoun & Miramar Conference, BNZ Kilbirnie, Account No. 02 - 0576 - 0017817 - 06", or contact Maria Pene, our local SVDP Treasurer, ph 022 428 0427, email: [email protected] 1Chronicles 16:24 “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples.” The kingdom is here, it returns, it struggles to flourish anew. Christ’s resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds of that new world; even if they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly woven into the fabric of this history. Pope Francis: Evangelii Gaudium paragraph 278 United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30th July, 2020 "On this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, let us reaffirm our commitment to stop criminals from ruthlessly exploiting people for profit and to help victims rebuild their lives." -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres People trafficking and modern day slavery is a massive world-wide problem with very few countries immune. The United Nations has set aside this day annually to raise awareness and increase prevention. Human Trafficking Statistics
Home of Compassion Island Bay Winter film screening Gardening with Soul – 5 & 8 August 11am Join us for the feature length documentary following a year in the garden with 90-year-old Sister Loyola Galvin. The film will be introduced by Sr Sue Cosgrove. The Cloister Café will be open for refreshments. Bookings are required – phone (04) 282 1953 or email [email protected] Parish Office Support Roles - Wellington South Parish We are seeking to employ suitably qualified persons to join our Parish Office Support Team in administration and finance roles. Both are part-time, and the parish is open to one person with suitable skills doing both. For a copy of the job descriptions please email [email protected]. Please send your application and CV to Fr Doug Shepherd: [email protected] The Coast to Coast Rosary for Life and Faith will be held this year on Saturday 15th August at 3 pm. Please help lead or join a group in your parish or community. For more information, please go to www.coasttocoastrosary.co.nz or phone Clare 022 1912 886 Apply now – The Suzanne Aubert Tertiary Scholarship is open Tertiary students in the Archdiocese of Wellington and the Diocese of Palmerston North who are entering into their third year or more of study are invited to apply for a Suzanne Aubert Tertiary Scholarship. Each student selected receives $3,000 towards their third year of tertiary study. For more details contact Kevin Crighton at [email protected] https://compassion.org.nz/latest-news/suzanne-aubert-tertiary-scholarship/ for application. Closes on 16 October 2020. The July 26 – August 8 issue of NZ Catholic is out now. Some headlines are: Small change to Opening Prayer at Mass. Mercy sister was hospice pioneer. Dunedin bishop returns to duties. Answering Jesus’ call – vocations feature.
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Wis 12, 13. 16-19; Rom 8, 26-27; Mt 13, 24-43
God gives us time, but do we grab that time!!! Dear sisters and brothers, The first reading today is not easy to understand. The translation from the original language is complex and so when we hear the reading, it can often go over our heads. And those of us who must preach about this reading will often just skip over it—because it is difficult to understand. The reading is simply telling us that God is all-powerful but is gentle and always wants to give us time for repentance. We could perhaps even say that God invites us to change our ways of living so that every aspect of our life reflects His love and compassion. Repentance for us means that we are willing to change our ways of living and even to see that many of our ways of living are not what God is asking of us. Most of us want to follow God. Most of us come to Church because we believe in Christ and accept His Gospel. On the other hand, it is not easy for us to want to give up totally everything that stands in the way of a strong and vibrant relationship with God. The Gospel reflects this reality that we live every day. We find ourselves with a lot of good within us, but also some weedy parts of our lives. The Gospel even sounds like we should not get too concerned about the weeds! Rather, we should cultivate the good seed, that which is really good within us. This seems to be a fairly consistent teaching in our spiritual tradition. We must be careful not to think that we should pay no attention to evil at all, because that is not what the Gospel is telling us. Rather, we need to make sure that our daily attention is on doing good. One of the Psalms tells us: Turn away from evil and do good. Following Christ is not just about avoiding evil. It is much more about learning how to love the good and to do the good and to rejoice in doing good. Following Christ is about wanting to know Christ personally and to rejoice in this relationship and to live from this relationship. Perhaps we should think of the second reading! It is the Spirit of Jesus that will intercede for us and show us the way. It is the Spirit that will come to the aid of our weakness, showing us how to pray and how to live with joy and delight in the Lord. This Sunday we can renew our desire to turn away from all that may be evil within us, to turn away from all that is evil outside of us and still attracts us—and we can ask the Spirit to draw us with love and compassion so that we want to live the fullness of divine life in every aspect of our lives. Let us give thanks to God. Fr Ephrem Let us pray for all those who are unwell especially Hazel Kingston, 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 and those whose anniversaries occur around this time; Patricia Gallagher, Marie Burgess, Marie Hopkins, Margaret (Jean) Cheetham, Agnes Mora, Marie Sparkes-Jackman, Majorie Parker and Velda Ashton. A Memorial Mass for Rae Dawson will be held at Holy Cross Church 9.30am Friday 24th July. All welcome The toilet key in the sacristy at St Patrick’s is missing. If you have accidentally picked it up or have seen it, could you return please. It is on a yellow tag. Thank you. The following measures will remain till further notice:
Covid 19 - St Vincent de Paul Holy Trinity Parish . In our local eastern suburbs communities, many families are now experiencing ongoing hardship from COVID-19, such as going short of food, losing their job, cut backs in hours of work, digging into savings, debt, and difficulty clothing and equipping kids back at school. Do please continue to keep the sick, lonely, poor and marginalised in your prayers. Your SVDP Conference in Holy Trinity Parish is helping people in strict confidence if we hear who needs help, " following Jesus present amongst those who suffer or may be excluded from society" . Should you know of any households in need of emergency food, winter bedding, clothing items or simple friendly support, do please arrange contact with Tina Quidilla, local SVDP Conference, ph 021 159 2412, email: [email protected] Also, if you wish to donate to your local Holy Trinity St Vincent de Paul group to purchase groceries, living essentials and student uniforms and items for families suffering hardship in the Eastern Suburbs, please pay online to: " St Vincent de Paul Society, Seatoun & Miramar Conference, BNZ Kilbirnie, Account No. 02 - 0576 - 0017817 - 06", or contact Maria Pene, our local SVDP Treasurer, ph 022 428 0427, email: [email protected] John 20:21 “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Parish Office Support Roles - Wellington South Parish We are seeking to employ suitably qualified persons to join our Parish Office Support Team in administration and finance roles. Both are part-time, and the parish is open to one person with suitable skills doing both. For a copy of the job descriptions please email [email protected]. Please send your application and CV to Fr Doug Shepherd: [email protected] Engaged Encounter is a weekend experience for couples intending to be married. Remaining weekends for 2020 are 18 & 19 July and 14 & 15 November. Venue is Otari Parish presbytery, 301 Karori Road, Karori, Wellington. Registrations close 2 weeks before. For more details go to the website http://www.cee-wellington.co.nz/ Phone Kate and Simon Olson. 04 801 6192 or email [email protected] Notice of a public meeting with National’s Hon Alfred Ngaro MP on Referendum and Conscience issues. Thursday 23 July, 7.30pm-9 pm, at the Brentwood Hotel, 16 Kemp Street, Kilbirnie. For catering purposes, please RSVP to Elizabeth: [email protected] . Parking available at the venue. Hosted by David Patterson National Party Candidate for Rongotai (022 170 4184) JOSHUA FELLOWSHIP Come and join other men for a cuppa, prayer and a talk on Thursday 16th July 2020 at 7:30pm (Note: fellowship from 7:00pm for 7:30pm start) In CONNOLLY HALL, Guildford Terrace, Thorndon (behind the Sacred Heart Cathedral). Speaker: Jack Ponting, our Joshua Newsletter Editor on “Gift of JOY, pure and simple” Want to know more? Ring Steve Ready 027-356-9555 or email: [email protected] Marist St Pats RFC – Past Players and Supporters Complimentary luncheon and launch of the Clubs 50th Jubilee Book “C’mon Red” Saturday 25 July at the Hataitai Clubrooms. The Coast to Coast Rosary for Life and Faith will be held this year on Saturday 15th August at 3 pm. Please help lead or join a group in your parish or community. For more information, please go to www.coasttocoastrosary.co.nz or phone Clare 022 1912 886 Pa Maria Marist Spirituality Centre - Revised Programme for 2020, with dates for the Winter Film Series, Spiritual Theology Course and Non-Residential Retreat. If you would like an emailed copy, please contact Brian Cummings SM at [email protected],nz United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30th July, 2020 "On this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, let us reaffirm our commitment to stop criminals from ruthlessly exploiting people for profit and to help victims rebuild their lives." -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres People trafficking and modern day slavery is a massive world-wide problem with very few countries immune. The United Nations has set aside this day annually to raise awareness and increase prevention. Human Trafficking Statistics
Apply now – The Suzanne Aubert Tertiary Scholarship is open Tertiary students in the Archdiocese of Wellington and the Diocese of Palmerston North who are entering into their third year or more of study are invited to apply for a Suzanne Aubert Tertiary Scholarship. Each student selected receives $3,000 towards their third year of tertiary study. For more details contact Kevin Crighton at [email protected] https://compassion.org.nz/latest-news/suzanne-aubert-tertiary-scholarship/ for application. Closes on 16 October 2020. Seafarers Worldwide Last Sunday was the day of prayer for Seafarers. These are very difficult times for many of those who work on ships all over the world. Some crews, particularly those on cruise ships are in a kind of limbo, unable to berth, maybe in quarantine or isolation and unable to get home to families for whom they are often the main or only breadwinners. Other crews are on ships and are still working but are also under stringent restrictions, delivering food and goods between countries where borders are open. Support is offered to all crew members in some ports around the world especially through the work of the Apostleship of the Sea, a Catholic Charity, internationally also known as Stella Maris. Its aim is to help support the welfare of all seafarers irrespective of nationality or belief while they are in port. You may be interested in learning more about at the Apostleship of the Sea and its work at https://www.aos.org.nz/ AND https://www.missiontoseafarers.org/wellington/ Eternal Father strong to save Whose arm has bound the restless wave Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea. (First Verse from a Hymn for all seafarers by William Whiting -1860) This verse of the hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save, is sung in video footage from Marine Nationale de France. Video 2:08 dur. View Video Here (The hymn starts almost halfway in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dlXmuYuAYc "Know you are not alone and that you are not forgotten." Pope Francis speaks to seafarers and fishermen. View Vatican video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuTWFXJq3bk) You may like to offer this prayer for the 1.3+million men and women seafarers across the world. Be with Seafarers, Lord, on all their voyages, to cheer them and keep them safe in all dangers. Let nothing afloat or on shore cut them off from you. May they please you in everything they do. Bless all on board their ship, whatever their responsibility. Enable everyone to do their duty. Help them to be good shipmates and bring them back again safely to their homes and to those who long for their return, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Is 55:10-11; Rom 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9
The Prodigal Sower Dear brothers and sisters, parables are really a form of writing and preaching that the ancient rabbis in Israel used in order to explain the closeness and the goodness and what God was like. Jesus, being a rabbi and having that same kind of mission, he had come to preach the Kingdom of God was here and now, he turned to teaching them through parables. Basically, a parable is an open-ended story. Open-ended stories leave you hanging and it means that you are supposed to, in a sense, close it. And you close it with your own understanding of each parable. So a parable is story, but it is a story without much conclusion, and it says to the listener, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” The Kingdom of God doesn’t mean a place. The Kingdom of God is God Himself. It is a place in the sense it is where He is and where He is adored and where He is loved and where He is cared for and where He is listened to. The Kingdom of God means that the listener to the parable has to have faith. You have to put your faith into the words. And, of course, the one who is giving these words and telling us these stories is Jesus, the Son of God. And so it is that Jesus tells the parable and the people listen to the parable, but afterwards he goes into the house. You notice the house always plays a role in the gospel story, because when Jesus goes into the house it means he is with his disciples and he is preparing them for their ministry. And their ministry, of course, is his ministry. The story is very simple. The sower prepares the field. He prepares the field to receive the seeds which are the word of God. The sower now sows the seed and here’s where it begins. And when he does this and he fills the whole area with seeds, he also includes the thorn bushes, and he also includes the places where the people walk, and he also includes the areas where the seed will find rocky soil and will grow just a little bit and then suddenly it will disappear because it has no roots. Any good farmer would say, “You’re wasting your seed. You must plant carefully like we do.” The sower is more than a sower. He’s not just sowing seeds. He’s kind of like almost happy to be in the field flinging these seeds around. It doesn’t matter if they only last a day. It doesn’t matter if they’re in the wrong place. It doesn’t matter as long as those seeds hit the earth some place, or even the sidewalks or what have you. We learn from this parable is everybody should be covered by the word of God. You just don’t pick up with Catholics or Protestants, or this or that, all the things we think would be appropriate for this farmer to be doing. He is prodigal. No-one is outside — even those who are choked, choked by the cares of the world, even those that are trampled down and they seem like people who nobody loves or cares for. It’s not a place for the best of the best if we want a nice, huge wonderful harvest, you see. It’s a place where God comes. And He comes everywhere in every kind of way. Jesus is the sower and the seed is the word of God and the word of God gives life. And then also is included in this now is that every seed must die. And Jesus, the one who is throwing all these seeds down, has told, at another time, the Son of Man must also die, for the seed must die in order to give new life. Well, now we have a whole different understanding. We begin to realise that you can take a parable, a simple little story, and you can begin to see that behind it is an introduction to the heart of God. God has no biases. To God, each and every seed is precious in His eyes, and each and every seed does not have to be tenderly cared for but it has to feel that it belongs. We are called to prepare our heart for the seed and allow it to grow and bear fruits. May the seed of God’s word find our fertile heart to establish his kingdom within us. Fr Ephrem Let us pray for all those who are unwell especially Hazel Kingston, 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 Gwen Carre and Lorraine Arthurs and those whose anniversaries occur around this time; Kenneth (Ken) Masters, Nancie Burge and Lizzie Gamble. A Memorial Mass for Rae Dawson will be held at Holy Cross Church 9.30am Friday 24th July. All welcome The following measures will remain till further notice:
Covid 19 - St Vincent de Paul Holy Trinity Parish . In our local eastern suburbs communities, many families are now experiencing ongoing hardship from COVID-19, such as going short of food, losing their job, cut backs in hours of work, digging into savings, debt, and difficulty clothing and equipping kids back at school. Do please continue to keep the sick, lonely, poor and marginalised in your prayers. Your SVDP Conference in Holy Trinity Parish is helping people in strict confidence if we hear who needs help, " following Jesus present amongst those who suffer or may be excluded from society" . Should you know of any households in need of emergency food, winter bedding, clothing items or simple friendly support, do please arrange contact with Tina Quidilla, local SVDP Conference, ph 021 159 2412, email: [email protected] Also, if you wish to donate to your local Holy Trinity St Vincent de Paul group to purchase groceries, living essentials and student uniforms and items for families suffering hardship in the Eastern Suburbs, please pay online to: " St Vincent de Paul Society, Seatoun & Miramar Conference, BNZ Kilbirnie, Account No. 02 - 0576 - 0017817 - 06", or contact Maria Pene, our local SVDP Treasurer, ph 022 428 0427, email: [email protected] The July 12-25 issue of NZ Catholic is out now. Some headlines are: Church doesn’t require Jesus to be blonde and blue-eyed. New home for babies and mothers. Christchurch parish outreach training planned. Caritas opposes West Bank plans. The next issue of NZ Catholic will be published on July 26. Selected pages from this paper in digital form will be sent to parishes next week. John 20:21 “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Engaged Encounter is a weekend experience for couples intending to be married. Remaining weekends for 2020 are 18 & 19 July and 14 & 15 November. Venue is Otari Parish presbytery, 301 Karori Road, Karori, Wellington. Registrations close 2 weeks before. For more details go to the website http://www.cee-wellington.co.nz/ Phone Kate and Simon Olson. 04 801 6192 or email [email protected] JOSHUA FELLOWSHIP Come and join other men for a cuppa, prayer and a talk on Thursday 16th July 2020 at 7:30pm (Note: fellowship from 7:00pm for 7:30pm start) In CONNOLLY HALL, Guildford Terrace, Thorndon (behind the Sacred Heart Cathedral). Speaker: Jack Ponting, our Joshua Newsletter Editor on “Gift of JOY, pure and simple” Want to know more? Ring Steve Ready 027-356-9555 or email: [email protected] Marist St Pats RFC – Past Players and Supporters Complimentary luncheon and launch of the Clubs 50th Jubilee Book “C’mon Red” Saturday 25 July at the Hataitai Clubrooms. The Coast to Coast Rosary for Life and Faith will be held this year on Saturday 15th August at 3 pm. Please help lead or join a group in your parish or community. For more information, please go to www.coasttocoastrosary.co.nz or phone Clare 022 1912 886 Pa Maria Marist Spirituality Centre - Revised Programme for 2020, with dates for the Winter Film Series, Spiritual Theology Course and Non-Residential Retreat. If you would like an emailed copy, please contact Brian Cummings SM at [email protected],nz We are looking for volunteers who can help us collect for the Mary Potter Hospice Street Collection on the 18h and 19th September. All the money raised at the Appeal will be used to help us keep our services free-of-charge for anyone that may need us. It is because of all our amazing volunteers (and the support we receive from the community) that come back year after year to support us, that we are able to continue to provide the great service that we do. If you can help us by volunteering at this year’s street collection, please register your support on our website https://marypotter.org.nz/events/street-appeal/ Help protect yourself from winter bugs. When you’re entering public buildings always use the hand sanitiser. . Be Happy In Aotearoa NZ we are fortunate in so many ways. We’ve acted together to protect ourselves from Covid-19, we’re supporting local; while we’re still being kind, we need to ensure that kindness includes ourselves as well, especially those facing new or unexpected challenges in life. Giving - Do things for others Relating - Connect with people Exercising -Take care of your body Awareness - Live mindfully Trying Out - Keep learning Direction - Have goals to achieve Resilience - Find positive ways to cope with challenge Emotions - Look for the positive in situations Acceptance - Accept the good in yourself; made in God’s image Meaning -You’re a vital part of something bigger than yourself Reflect God of Resurrection, be our companion throughout each day. Encircle us with the splendour of your light. Let nothing disturb us or take away our peace. Open our eyes to recognise the many blessings in our lives and all the possibilities that await us in every moment. May this simple prayer be true in our lives today. AMEN 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. Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30 “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Dear sisters and brothers, this short passage is said by many to be the most beautiful words that Jesus speaks. And the irony is he is speaking it to people who will not listen to him. But instead of being upset and annoyed, he turns back again and he says to them, “You know, the things that have been done here, if they were done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have come back and repented and turned their lives around and come back to the Lord.” And he looks at them. And I suppose they all look back at him and say in their hearts, “Show me that you’re very special.” But then Jesus never lets them go. Why? Because the thing that makes him hook up with everyone — the ones who deny him, the ones who maligned him, the ones that say he’s a fraud, all the ones who want this and the ones who want that, and the ones more interested in many things, but none of them seem to be interested in him, in him and the one thing that marks the Messiah — the Messiah is in love. The Son of God is in love. And he loves them all: the nice ones, the ones who listen, the ones who gather around him and make him feel welcome. But he, also, deep down inside, his feeling is of great love for the ones who walk away, the ones who even curse him and, ultimately, the ones who crucify him. It is Jesus’ love that makes all life possible. He looks up at his Father and what does he say? “Destroy them”? No. He says, “Father, you must forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” He even gives an excuse: it’s not their own fault, they’re just kind of lost and wandering in the darkness, they don’t know where to turn, they have their own little agendas inside them and, no matter how often they fail, they still think that surrendering to you, Almighty Father, to surrender to you is a mistake, it must be something else. And so it is that Jesus shows us how to love. You can’t love and take back. And what does Jesus do? He gives. He gives and he gives and he gives. People reject him and he doesn’t care, he still loves them. And he gives and he gives and he never takes back. We can be very cruel and nasty. And the worst of us are probably the ones who think they never sin, because they hold back the love of God that is waiting for them to say, “Lord, I’m sorry.” These are the magic words. Not that God hasn’t forgiven long before you even ask for it, because He’s God. God loves. He can’t delay this kind of thing. But the words, “I am sorry,” He knows is we opening the gates of our own heart so He can finally walk in. Dear sisters and brothers, if you want to touch God and feel the reality of God’s life and this wonderful world He has created for all of us, you’ve got to learn how to give. And the more you give, the more you’ll understand. And the more you understand, the more you realise how much we need forgiveness. Because when you go in that direction, all your little faults, all your little problems, seem to increase. But so does this great feeling that you are with a God who is carrying you through all the difficulties of life. And at times you feel that you are dropped, but He always catches you in time. At times you feel frustrated, but He’s always been there to smile at you. As long as you keep the flame of gift in your heart, He knows that you two, He and you, will walk home into eternal life, together. Fr Ephrem Let us pray for all those who are unwell especially Hazel Kingston, 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 Desmond (Des) Becker and those whose anniversaries occur around this time; Garry Martin, Mark O’Connor, Dennis (Hugh) Manley, Sophia Athenassiou and Frank Folan . Des Becker’s funeral will be Tuesday 7th July at 11am in St Patrick’s Church. 9.30am Mass on that day has been cancelled. A Memorial Mass for Rae Dawson will be held at Holy Cross Church 9.30am Friday 24th July. All welcome Parish Property Project: A Future Full of Hope On the 24th June 2020 Cardinal John Dew responded to our Parish Property review submitted at the end of October 2019. The letter was addressed to Fr. Ephrem, Parish Council and Finance Committee Chairs. I have met with both chairs and with the parish council and finance committee. We will now come together to have a joint meeting this weekend. After these discussions, we will inform the parish of Cardinal John’s response. It is a time of prayerful reflection and discernment for all of us. May I request you to continue to pray at this time of change as we move forward together. Fr Ephrem The following measures will remain till further notice:
Covid 19 - St Vincent de Paul Holy Trinity Parish . In our local eastern suburbs communities, many families are now experiencing ongoing hardship from COVID-19, such as going short of food, losing their job, cut backs in hours of work, digging into savings, debt, and difficulty clothing and equipping kids back at school. Do please continue to keep the sick, lonely, poor and marginalised in your prayers. Your SVDP Conference in Holy Trinity Parish is helping people in strict confidence if we hear who needs help, " following Jesus present amongst those who suffer or may be excluded from society" . Should you know of any households in need of emergency food, winter bedding, clothing items or simple friendly support, do please arrange contact with Tina Quidilla, local SVDP Conference, ph 021 159 2412, email: [email protected] Also, if you wish to donate to your local Holy Trinity St Vincent de Paul group to purchase groceries, living essentials and student uniforms and items for families suffering hardship in the Eastern Suburbs, please pay online to: " St Vincent de Paul Society, Seatoun & Miramar Conference, BNZ Kilbirnie, Account No. 02 - 0576 - 0017817 - 06", or contact Maria Pene, our local SVDP Treasurer, ph 022 428 0427, email: [email protected] Please remember that while those of us who were in NZ during Lockdown are “Covid free” (not including the majority of those returning home in recent weeks!!) the MoH, Government and our Bishops still encourage us in safe practices.
At Church
Alert Level 1 - means the risk of COVID-19 is being managed.https://uniteforrecovery.govt.nz/covid-19/ Enjoy our environment and buy local to support locals There is currently a big push encouraging us to value all NZ has to offer, locally sourced and produced goods and services, places to visit and have fun, and to make time to enjoy our natural environment. With school holidays coming up some of us will have extra time to take advantage of these local (and slightly further afield opportunities). A few things to consider:
Food Bank Each of our churches has a box or basket either in the foyer or just inside the body of the church as a collection point for you to donate food items to be distributed via St V de Paul or the Food Bank to those who are currently in need. Communication with Parishioners Being able to communicate efficiently with parishioners is important for our community. Our Church App and newsletter are two effective methods. Please request to receive our newsletter by email (and save some paper too). Planned Giving and Donations – one ongoing way to help support your parish Unfortunately the banking procedures for depositing parish money have been changed due to bank requirements and we are encouraging those of you who can, to change to Automatic Payments. If you are willing and able to do this, please phone or email Marianne at the Parish office or follow the following instruction: Holy Trinity Parish BNZ Bank account number 02-0536-0185031-000. Use your planned giving number (or your name) as your reference so the payment can be allocated correctly. You will receive a tax receipt at the end of each financial year. A memorial Mass will be celebrated for Father Michael O’Dea in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of Sacred Heart Cathedral on Tuesday 7 July at 5.30pm with a time of remembering after in the foyer of the Cathedral. Michael died in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 17 May. A requiem Mass was celebrated on 20 May (Level 2 of lockdown) and he was buried at the Hawera Cemetery on Thursday 21 May. All are welcome to attend this Mass. Please RSVP to Tania Halliday [email protected] your attendance for catering purposes. We are looking for volunteers who can help us collect for the Mary Potter Hospice Street Collection on the 18h and 19th September. All the money raised at the Appeal will be used to help us keep our services free-of-charge for anyone that may need us. It is because of all our amazing volunteers (and the support we receive from the community) that come back year after year to support us, that we are able to continue to provide the great service that we do. If you can help us by volunteering at this year’s street collection, please register your support on our website https://marypotter.org.nz/events/street-appeal/ Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Stella Maris – Sea Sunday 12 July If you feel compassionate for seafarers and fishers and would like to help in the work of Stella Maris, Please pray for us on Sea Sunday. As well, you may wish to call the Sella maris National Director on 027 492 0250 to discuss how you can help. Or you may like to support us with a small donation to ANZ 06 0582 0083650 00 (account name Apostleship of the Sea Inc) with your name as reference. Please make sure to email [email protected] or call the above number so we can send you a receipt. Engaged Encounter is a weekend experience for couples intending to be married. Remaining weekends for 2020 are 18 & 19 July and 14 & 15 November. Venue is Otari Parish presbytery, 301 Karori Road, Karori, Wellington. Registrations close 2 weeks before. For more details go to the website http://www.cee-wellington.co.nz/ Phone Kate and Simon Olson. 04 801 6192 or email [email protected] Healing Service Fr John Rea sm will conduct a Healing Service at St Bernadette`s Church, 194 Naenae Rd, Naenae on Wednesday 8 July beginning at 7.30 pm. Please invite all who need Jesus` healing. All are welcome. Enquiries Ph 8198323. The Coast to Coast Rosary for Life and Faith will be held this year on Saturday 15th August at 3 pm. Please help lead or join a group in your parish or community. For more information, please go to www.coasttocoastrosary.co.nz or phone Clare 022 1912 886 SACRED HEART SCHOOL 125th CELEBRATIONS Sacred Heart School opened 125 years in North East Valley in October this year. A variety of functions have been put together to encourage past pupils, teachers and friends of the school to attend and celebrate this milestone at Labour Weekend 2020.If you’ve been associated with Sacred Heart School, you are invited to email your committee at [email protected] or phone the school on 03 473 8362. A Registration Form will be available for you to download soon. Sunday Coordinator. Working for the Catholic Parish of Christchurch West We need leaders who have energy, vision and creativity that want to work as a member of our Parish Senior Leadership Team to help all to live with and in the Spirit, for the Father. To apply, one must have an education in Catholic Theology, ability to plan or vision, desire to Evangelise, experience with a parish and/or diocese. It is a full time position. To apply for one of the vacancies (contact Christchurch West parish for further details), please send us your: • CV • a response to the Job Description (three – page limit) • a statement about your personal approach to ministry Applications can be sent to [email protected] Please turn in all applications before July 11th, 2020 JOSHUA FELLOWSHIP Come and join other men for a cuppa, prayer and a talk on Thursday 16th July 2020 at 7:30pm (Note: fellowship from 7:00pm for 7:30pm start) In CONNOLLY HALL, Guildford Terrace, Thorndon (behind the Sacred Heart Cathedral). Speaker: Jack Ponting, our Joshua Newsletter Editor on “Gift of JOY, pure and simple” Want to know more? Ring Steve Ready 027-356-9555 or email: [email protected] Below is a link to selected pages from the latest issue of NZ Catholic. Most of these pages have been chosen as they might be of interest to younger readers. They also remind people in parishes that NZ Catholic is still on sale in their churches. https://indd.adobe.com/view/aba01a89-256a-4c62-9274-47fc73e642d4 The July 2020 edition of WelCom, is being distributed to parishes and schools this week for Sunday 5 July. Content for July WelCom includes: *Fr Trung Nguyen, newly ordained priest for Palmerston North Diocese. *Cathedral of the Holy Spirit – feature. * ‘Restore all things in Christ’ – Cardinal John Dew. * SVDP – national recovery appeal. * Sacred Heart Cathedral – restoration update. *Solidarity: Lockdowns and Black Lives Matters – opinions by Mons Gerard Burns and Bishop Peter Cullinane. * Returning to school after lockdown – Catholic primary school principals. * Accompanying families with love , respect and guidance – reflection by Sharron Cole. * World Day against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July. * Local and international news and views. July WelCom is also available on our website as a single-page download at this link: https://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/adw_welcom/welcom-july-2020-issue-384/ This is the message that the Church gives us today: which Jesus says so firmly: ‘New wine in new wineskins!’… May the Lord give us the grace of an open heart, of a heart open to the voice of the Holy Spirit, which can discern what must not change because it is fundamental from what has to change in order to be able to receive the newness of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis: Morning meditation 18 January 2016 |
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