By NZ CATHOLIC staff
Some 175 Catholic priests enjoyed fellowship and community at a national assembly of diocesan priests in Rotorua from October 9-13, which was the first time they had met in this way since 2018.
Fr Michael Hishon of Dunedin, chair of the 2023 National Assembly of Diocesan Priests’ organising committee, said the formal welcome at Te Papaiouru Marae on Monday, the formal dinner on Thursday night, and everything in between was a success.
Priests listen to a presentation.
“The organising committee also thanks the New Zealand bishops for calling their priests to this time of uplifting refreshment and spiritual renewal.”
Speakers included Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge, New Plymouth assistant parish priest Fr Vui Hoang, Whanganui parish priest Fr Craig Butler, Pakuranga parish priest Fr Sherwin Lapaan, new Palmerston North Bishop John Adams, Caritas chief executive Mena Antonio, Catholic Enquiry Centre director Rebecca Taylor-Hunt, Auckland Catholic couple Hannah and James van Schie, and Dr Therese Lautua and Lucienne Hensel, who took a leading part in the Oceania and diocesan phases respectively of the current Synod on Synodality process.
In a keynote speech, Archbishop Coleridge said that the Catholic Church was in an Abrahamic moment, going somewhere with the destination unclear.
“The spiritual vitality of the Church is largely found in our immigrant communities,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“The centre of gravity of the Church is passing to Africa, Asia and Latin America. We have a Pope from Argentina. It’s fasten your seatbelts time, we are going somewhere and there is no way back.”
The biblical Abraham was told by God to go on a journey, which he set out on not knowing where he was going, Archbishop Coleridge said.
“We are heading into a future the shape of which is unclear. But the act of faith is that there is one who does know where it is all leading. We must keep our eyes and our ears on God. We have to be on the journey.”
He discussed the shortage of priests and of parishioners, as well as the abuse crisis.
In his second keynote, Archbishop Coleridge said that this is a time for a new surge in Gospel energy. The Church must reach out in new and imaginative ways that it has never done before, in a new evangelisation.
He said that the Church in this part of the world has to have the courage to say farewell to some of the structures which have served it so well over the years.
He said that there are too many churches, too many Masses, too many parishes. In past years, Church and parishes were built on the assumption that most Catholics would come to Mass. Now they don’t.
Archbishop Coleridge said that there has to be a move to larger configurations of communities. This doesn’t mean amalgamations, but it has to be a grass-roots process.
We have to move on beyond consumer Christianity, where going to church is like going to the supermarket once a week, he added.
If we move towards a community of communities, the archbishop said, we are going to have to move to another model of leadership as the current one is not sustainable.
“There is no abundance of clergy. We can’t sustain all the small parishes.”
“But we can’t have the Church without the priesthood and the episcopate. The priesthood must remain, but be resituated, taking its place in a leadership team. It implies a move from a hierarchical to charismatic leadership.”
Not every priest has received the charism of leadership, so perhaps they should not lead, Archbishop Coleridge said.
A leadership team may include lay people, a deacon, a consecrated religious, he suggested.
“We are going to have to focus on preparing people whose charism has been recognised, into leadership teams. We need to do this to empower our communities with a new surge of gospel energies.”
Mr van Schie, who is general manager of Auckland diocese, told the assembly that many of the best qualities he and his wife had learned as a couple had come from priests.
Mrs van Schie noted that one of the biggest threats to faith is apathy.
“Thanks for being here, you are doing a great job, keep going.”
People need to hear those words, she said; the parent with a toddler; the person doing the PowerPoint at Vigil Mass; the person who put our bins out because we were away at this assembly today.
Mr van Schie asked the priests if they had ever “recently, or ever, been genuinely thanked for something? Or given encouragement to someone? Share that moment”.
Summarising the atmosphere of the priests’ gathering, Fr Hishon said: “The attendees thoroughly made the most of what was a very timely gathering, from the welcome at the marae, to hearing the very well-presented and encouraging words from our speakers, enjoying the very best of foods, the local activities amidst the fresh air of Rotorua, and gathering in prayer and very uplifting song.”
“The theme of becoming more attentive at listening to the many ways God speaks to us, through the Holy Spirt and through listening to the voices of God’s people, has heightened our awareness of the incredible power of God’s love that comes to us all through being his children, belonging to his family and journeying together.
“Seeing the way our very diverse group of clergy chose to mix and enjoy conversations with one another, and the energy that was evident through to our final evening’s wonderful banquet meal, was testimony to how powerful our Lord’s presence was experienced amongst us.”
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