Julianne Hickey, director, and Kate Go, executive assistant, of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand recently returned from a week’s visit to Rarotonga. The purpose of the visit was to accompany a new participant in the Catholic Volunteers Overseas (CVO) programme, Andy Doherty of Christchurch, and to check on health and safety processes for Caritas and volunteers in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of his CVO assignment, Mr Doherty will support the Catholic Bishop of Rarotonga, Bishop Paul Donoghue, SM, in a range of administrative and managerial tasks. These include assisting the diocese to become more self-sufficient; and possibly supporting the diocesan synod process.
In addition to the support provided by Mr Doherty, Bishop Donoghue is considering the need for an archivist for the diocese, as there is some record management needs to be updated.
The bishop said that this could possibly be a new project, and that he thought the person who would be perfect for this job would be someone who was retired and had no time constraints. Desired attributes/skill sets would include someone who is willing to train a local person, and who would be willing to come back six months later to check up on progress.
The Caritas visit also included visits to the Catholic parishes of St Joseph’s and St Mary’s, along with visits to St Joseph’s Primary School, Nukutere College, a meeting with the New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, and with a local environmental justice group.
The visit also coincided with several significant local anniversaries. These included the 125th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny in the Cook Islands, and the associated 125th anniversary of the founding of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School. There was also a dinner to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bishop Donoghue’s appointment as Bishop of Rarotonga.
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