by NZ CATHOLIC staff
PALMERSTON NORTH — Danny Karatea-Goddard of Palmerston North was ordained to the diaconate on June 7 by the Bishop of Palmerston North, Bishop Charles Drennan.
Danny Karatea-Goddard is guided to the sanctuary during his ordination ceremony at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
About 600 people attended the ordination at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, most of them
from the Maori community.
Mr Karatea-Goddard has been the Mäori spokesman for Palmerston North diocese for many years, katekita and adviser mö ngä take Mäori, first for Bishop Peter Cullinane and now for
Bishop Charles Drennan. He and his wife, Maru, serve on the Runanga o te Hähi Katorika.
Mr Karatea-Goddard is a member of the Mäori translation team.
Bishop Drennan said that Mr Karatea-Goddard and his wife are already widely involved
in serving the Mäori Catholic community, as well as civic groups.
“What has made a deep impression on me is the way the Mäori community itself has discerned Danny’s spiritual gifts. Mäori ministering to Mäori is a great blessing,”he said.
Mr Karatea-Goddard is half Chinese. His late mother was a leading light in the New Zealand Chinese community, earning a citation from the New Zealand Government.
Mr Karatea-Goddard said that for him, with his wife alongside and with his community,
“this has been a long journey of discernment about what is best for our faith”.
The vocation of permanent deacon is open to married men as well as single men, and is not intended as a path to priesthood.
Men in the final period of formation for priesthood spend time as transitional deacons.
As ministers of sacrament, deacons baptise, lead the faithful in prayer, witness
marriages, and lead tangi and funeral services. As ministers of the Word, deacons proclaim
the Gospel, preach and teach in the name of the Church.
“I’m proud of both my Maori and Chinese heritage and I hope to continue to be of service to the Church and people from all walks of life,” Deacon Karatea-Goddard said.
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