Fr Paul Shannahan, SM, died on November 19 at St Joseph’s Court’ Sydenham’ Christchurch. A former leader of the Catholic Enquiry Centre and national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Aotearoa New Zealand, Fr Shannahan was aged 88 and was a priest for 59 years.

Tributes were made at a requiem Mass celebrated at Sacred Heart church, Addington, Christchurch on November 24.

Fr Shannahan’s sister Luisa recounted his West Coast upbringing and his education in Greymouth and at St Bede’s College in Christchurch, where he was head prefect.

An initial approach to enter the Society of Mary seminary was unsuccessful because of health issues, and he joined his family in Blenheim, where he worked for the Ministry of Works.

Luisa Shannahan spoke of her brother’s interests in photography, rugby, and his gaining of a pilot’s licence.

A second attempt to enter the seminary was successful and Paul Shannahan started at Greenmeadows, aged 23. His mainly younger seminary colleagues dubbed him “the old man”, Luisa said.

He was ordained a priest in 1954 and did pastoral ministry in Island Bay, Whanganui and Nelson, and was parish priest in Hastings and Manurewa.

For three years in the 1980s, he led the national RENEW programme. In 1988, he moved on to head the Catholic Enquiry Centre in Wellington.

“After three years at the Mt Victoria site, he not only caused the enquiry centre to flourish, but equally a large rose garden, where his passion for the beautiful blooms was indulged,” Luisa noted.

“Even Maggie Barry took a production team . . . to film a segment for her popular garden show.”

Luisa Shannahan noted that her brother tudied to become a national rose judge, and served as president of the Wellington Rose Society from 1998 to 2004. He would later be awarded a life membership, and was a keen competitor in rose competitions.

In 2006, he was appointed New Zealand director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, a role which saw him undertake many trips to Rome and overseas destinations. In 2013, he was appointed pastor at Akaroa, south of Christchurch.

“There has been a pattern I have observed in Paul’s devoted ministry as a priest,” Luisa Shannahan said.

“He was frequently appointed to new and somewhat run-down situations in the Church, to rebuild, or build them, pastorally, physically and financially. This should have been a big enough job for anyone, but not for Paul.”

She noted her brother’s interest in genealogy, and his being the tenth person in New Zealand at the time to gain a diploma in genealogy. He also worked as chaplain on cruise ships. At various times he did courses on Te Reo Maori, bread-making and gourmet cooking.

In his 80s, while living in Akaroa, Fr Shannahan l completed a Bachelor of Theology by distance learning. Eventually, he retired to Nazareth House in Christchurch.

His was “a religious life so very well lived”, Luisa Shannahan said.

Fellow Marist Fr David Kennerley, SM, described Fr Shannahan as “by nature, a real enthusiast, something of a genuine extrovert, for whom engaging with people happened ever so naturally and easily. And these were the same qualities that would become a distinctive mark of his Marist and priestly ministries”.

“When preaching, he also had an easy, personable tone, and a message to nourish people. Paul was also great at visiting homes wherever he was, and also had a certain knack for encouraging people into things, although at times some may have felt rather too compelled to oblige.”

Fr Kennerly also noted the his fellow Marist was “comfortable in an ecumenical setting”.

“While never one to break Church rules, Paul still made a point of knowing all the rules and working with them to good pastoral effect. Less than a decade after Vatican II, Paul was leading Catholic rite weddings in non-Catholic churches and involving other church ministers alongside him,” Fr Kennerley said.

“He also employed his quick wit to great effect pastorally. In 1974, there was a minor fire in our little church in Clive. It happened the morning after a parish mission had ended. Being a small place, anyone who was even remotely Catholic was quickly at the church. Paul had to drive out from Hastings. By the time he arrived, quite a huddle of upset, even weeping folk had formed. On stepping out of the car, the parish priest, full of compassion and sensitivity exclaimed – well, it looks like the mission was a roaring success.” This anecdote brought caused much laughter in the congregation at the requiem Mass..

“But that was Paul,” Fr Kennerley said, “quickly appraising the scene for what it was, and then encouraging others to be positive.”

“. . . There is no doubt about it – you [Fr Paul] had a tremendous openness and warmth for people – matched with a rather irrepressible energy to be out and about in the community – qualities that proved wonderful for a life of ministry.”

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“Fr Jonathan Kilkelly, priest of Verbum Spei, priest of the Church of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Lowe said.

The congregation responded with lengthy and loud applause for one of their own.

Fr Kilkelly had just given a short speech of thanks.

“When I left New Zealand to join the brothers, my grandfather said to me, you tell those brothers that your ordination will be in New Zealand,” Fr Kilkelly said, to much laughter from the congregation.

“I am really thankful to God that I am able to share this grace with you all,” he said.

The new priest thanked Bishop Lowe, Bishop-elect Richard Laurenson, and the priests and parishioners of Rotorua.

He also thanked his family for their “love and patience”. During the first part of the Mass, before he was presented to Bishop Lowe, then-Deacon Kilkelly had used New Zealand Sign Language to interpret the words for his father, Matthew, who is Deaf.

Matthew Kilkelly had taught Fr Kilkelly and his six siblings NZSL when they were children.

Two of Fr Kilkelly’s sisters, Grace and Maureen, who are Sisters of Mary Morning Star, read the Scripture readings at the Mass.

And at the end of his speech, Fr Kilkelly expressed his ultimate thanks – saying “thank you, Jesus”.

The main mission of the Faternity of Verbum Spei is to be a contemplative presence in a diocese and to offer spiritual direction, especially to young adults and students. A notice for their foundation in Boise, Idaho in the USA states that they serve at the cathedral there. Three other New Zealanders are with the fraternity. Br Thomas Fransen (formerly Jacob) made his final profession of vows at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary on November 24.

In his homily at the Mass of ordination for Fr Kilkelly, Bishop Lowe said that words of hope (the translation of Verbum Spei) had been spoken over the ordinand at various points of his life – at his baptism as Josiah Francis Kilkelly at St Michael’s church in Rotorua, with the priest being Fr
Anselm Aherne, MHM; at his first Communion with the priest being Fr Robert Sharplin; at his confirmation, with the minister being Bishop Denis Browne, and at his entering religious life.

And now new words of hope would be said as Fr Kilkelly was ordained as a priest.

Bishop Lowe prayed that Fr Kilkelly would be “a missionary of hope, hope for a broken world”.

Christ is the Word of hope, and you will act in his name, Bishop Lowe said.

At the same time, Bishop Lowe encouraged the ordinand “to be humble and allow yourself to be clay in the hands of the divine potter, so he might shape you”.

After the Mass, a generous lunch was provided by the Rotorua parish.

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Pat Lythe, who retired from the DPC in 2018, presented a short history of the council at a November 18 function celebrating its half-century and 200 meetings.

A celebratory dinner took place at St Joseph’s parish, Takapuna. Many present and past DPC members attended, as did Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe. They also attended the parish vigil Mass just before the dinner. Bishop Lowe was the principal celebrant.

Mrs Lythe, who had not long previously undergone a knee replacement operation, told the gathering that the vision for diocesan pastoral councils came from the Vatican II document Christus Dominus (The Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church).

The document stated: “It is highly desirable that, in every diocese, a special pastoral council be established, presided over by the diocesan bishop himself, in which clergy, religious, and laity specially chosen for the purpose, will participate. It will be the function of this council to investigate and consider matters relating to pastoral activity, and to formulate practical conclusions concerning them.” (CD27)

Mrs Lythe noted that canon law spells out the consultative nature of such bodies.

After Vatican II, Archbishop James Liston asked Auckland Auxiliary Bishop Reginald Delargey to set up a steering committee in Auckland diocese, to implement the vision of Vatican II, Mrs Lythe said.

Under Bishop Delargey, a process was undertaken whereby “more than 33,000 people gathered in homes and parishes and newly established regional groupings, answering two questions. What are the fields of responsibilities open to the Church in New Zealand? What form should renewal of Church structures take, in order to achieve maximum efficiency in this work of working together?”

Out of this process came some 3500 remits, which were processed by a commission for the laity in Auckland.

“One of the first recommendations was to establish a diocesan pastoral council,” Mrs Lythe said.

“In March 1972, Bishop Delargey made parish pastoral councils mandatory throughout the diocese. And in August, he announced there was to be a diocesan pastoral council, which he set up in 1973.”

The first year of the DPC was spent establishing procedures and looking at reports coming out of the commission. It gave advice to the bishop on implementing those reports.

The then Cardinal Delargey moved to Wellington, and Bishop John Mackey, who succeeded him in Auckland, changed the nature of the DPC.

“Bishop Mackey said, ‘no, I want you to foster parish pastoral councils in the diocese, and to focus on two things; spiritual growth and pastoral care’.” He expected that the first part of every DPC meeting would be a reflection discussion on an encyclical or other Papal  documents.

Among the issues the DPC considered while Bishop Mackey was the ordinary were; Communion in the hand, the need for an auxiliary bishop in Auckland, human relationship courses in schools, and working with the then-Senate of Priests.

Mrs Lythe noted that, in 1981, it was proposed that the DPC and Senate of Priests make a joint statement on the Springbok Tour.

“The bishops’ conference had already made a statement calling on the Rugby Union to withdraw its invitation to South Africa, and that Catholic people study the true nature of apartheid, and for the Government to intervene if the Rugby Union did not withdraw.

“The discussion about whether to issue a statement was heated and protracted, and eventually passed. The DPC rarely issued statements of its own, although their revised objectives said it could, but really it was there to be consulted by the bishop.”

Mrs Lythe said that statements by the DPC on their own were only issued in exceptional circumstances.

Under Bishop Denis Browne, the structure of the Auckland DPC was reviewed.

In 1987, the existing DPC was disbanded. Regional forums would be the electoral college for the representatives to the DPC, and the new DPC added five representatives from ethnic communities, two youth representatives, plus two Maori, two religious and a representative from the new Council of Priests, which replaced the Senate of Priests.

Among the focuses for Bishop Browne were inculturation, including biculturalism and multiculturalism. Mrs Lythe recalled the work that the DPC did on the Treaty of Waitangi, and its meeting at Waitangi. Work was also done on the vocation and mission of the laity, which led to the Renew programme. The DPC was also involved in the visit of St John Paul II to New Zealand.

An Auckland synod was held in 1989, and the DPC was asked to administer many of the canonical requirements around the synod, Mrs Lythe said. She became DPC secretary in 1992.

Under Bishop Patrick Dunn from the mid-1990s, the DPC was involved in the development and implementation of pastoral plans for the diocese. There was later a move to themed years, such as the Year for Priests and the Year of Mercy.

Another highlight which involved the DPC was the return of the remains of Bishop Pompallier from France to New Zealand early this century.

Working with overseas-trained priests in recent decades was noted. Another issue upon which the DPC deliberated was the introduction of the permanent diaconate in Auckland diocese. It did not support this move at the time, as it was considered that most of the functions performed by a deacon could be done by lay people.

A Fit for Mission diocesan plan was produced that was outward-looking to carry out mission. This was later updated to be more youth-focused.

In 2018, Mrs Lythe retired after 43 years of involvement with the DPC.

“So the DPC has been meeting now for 50 years, for 200 meetings,” she said in conclusion.

“It is interesting that, in the latest synod in Rome, right now, it is recommended that dioceses establish the diocesan pastoral council. We are way ahead of them. They have been places where lay people representing all parts of the diocese have sat down with the bishop in consultation and conversation. In my opinion, and . . . [of] all the bishops who have been involved, it has been a spectacular success.”

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Dr Rocio Figueroa

Dr Rocio Figueroa, who lectures at Te Kupenga – Catholic Theological Institute in Auckland, wrote a commentary in the The Faith and Belief in New Zealand Report 2023, which was released in November.

The report is “the collation of quantitative and qualitative data gained through an online survey of 1009 people aged 18-77 who live in Aotearoa New Zealand, representative by age, gender, and location, with a representative sample of those from a Māori and Pasifika background”. The survey was held from May 19 – June 2. There were also four focus groups of people of various age groups.

Dr Figueroa noted that 31 per cent of respondents consider themselves Christians, and a further 26 per cent are warm toward Christianity, aligning to some extent with Christian claims and/or values.

“There are many in our society who will be looking to the church to live in a way that is consistent with our identity. These statistics should encourage us to do so,” Dr Figueroa wrote.

“The report also highlights a 96 per cent level of familiarity with Jesus’ life,” she added.

“People feel positively toward Jesus in Aotearoa New Zealand, describing him as loving, caring, kind, and faithful. This should further encourage us to consider the values that people in this country hold most dear, and the need for us to reflect who Jesus is, not just as individuals, but also as Christian communities.”

Overall, the report found that people living in Aotearoa New Zealand value authenticity, with 66 per cent of respondents being attracted to explore spirituality if they see people living out a genuine faith or spirituality first-hand.

Almost half of participants in the research already practice or identify with a religion (49 per cent). This includes Christianity (39 per cent), Hinduism (3 per cent), Māori spirituality, beliefs, and philosophies (2 per cent), Buddhism (2 per cent), Islam (2 per cent), Sikhism (1 per cent), and Judaism (0.2 per cent). A further 19 per cent have spiritual beliefs, but don’t identify with any religion, and 30 per cent don’t identify with any religion or spiritual belief at all. Those with Asian ethnicity (74 per cent) and Pacific Peoples (70 per cent) are more likely than Māori (46 per cent) or Pākehā (39 per cent) to be religious.

When analysed on the basis of age groups (Generation Z is aged 18-28; Generation Y is aged 29-43; Generation X is aged 44-58 and Baby Boomers are aged 59-77), the survey found that Baby Boomers are the most likely generation to believe that there is an ultimate purpose in life (45 per cent). Gen Z was only 30 per cent for this belief, the lowest percentage.

At the same time, Gen Z was comparatively open to spirituality or religion, as they were the least likely to identify with no religion or spirituality, followed closely by Baby Boomers.

People living in Aotearoa New Zealand are also “warm” towards Christianity, the report found. This comes from three in ten who consider themselves to be Christian, and a further 26 per cent who are warm towards Christianity, aligning to some extent with its claims or values.

Those considered to be “warm” toward Christianity were highest among Gen Z at 30 per cent. (Gen Y was 28 per cent, Gen X 24 per cent and Baby Boomers 25 per cent.)

Commenting on the age group results, Villette Iosefa-Lowe, a well-being coordinator/chaplain at Parachute Music, noted that Gen Z have grown up as digital natives, absorbing a great deal of information through social media, a lot of it about catastrophes and crises in the world, so a finding that 70 per cent of them don’t see an ultimate purpose in life is not surprising.

“Navigating these issues as young people is extremely difficult, as most of us do not have the processing and coping mechanisms that wisdom, age, and experience grants Gen Y, X, and Baby Boomers. Gen Z are left feeling hopeless, unsure of how to process a persistent fear that our world is doomed. There might be a connection between this fear and sense of hopelessness, and a feeling of not having a purpose in life,” Ms Iosefa-Lowe wrote.

But she added that “Gen Z are the most likely generation to explore spirituality because of authentic stories or testimonies from people of faith”, and therefore “it is extremely important that older generations see their beliefs and faith as a legacy to be passed on”.

Looking at the results overall, Professor Peter Lineham, Professor Emeritus of History, Massey University, said that, in some ways, “none of the findings are strikingly new”.

“Aotearoa New Zealand sits alongside many affluent Western societies in their preoccupation with well-being, and limited concern for problems in the wider world until they threaten to disturb that well-being,” Professor Lineham said.

At the same time, he added that “we need to keep a careful watch on reactions to the church. We need to reflect on the proportion of people who were raised in the church and have left it. While they may be interested in spirituality, they will be selective in terms of where it is received”.

Dr Figueroa noted that a finding in the report was that 75 per cent of respondents are attracted to investigating faith or spirituality further, if they were to experience a personal trauma or a significant life change.

“This shows how important it is in any church context to have a trauma-informed framework. If we are called to build the Kingdom of God, it is essential to shed light on those sufferings that persist with long-term consequences, harming children, young people and adults, without distinction,” Dr Figueroa wrote.

“The fact that the most likely way that people have encountered Christianity is through a friend or family member who is Christian (63 per cent), shows how Christians, in their daily lives, need to respond to, and support, those who are affected by trauma, and are trying to find meaning in that experience. Trauma is not solely a topic for psychologists; it is also a challenge for any Christian, in terms of how to talk about God, faith, and hope, with someone who is suffering or has suffered from trauma.”

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“I just couldn’t believe it was such a beautiful place,” Msgr Kiely said in a homily at a Mass at St Michael’s on October 15, which was part of the 90th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the church.

Msgr Bernard Keily preaches at Remuera.

The young Bernard Kiely and his family were parishioners at Epsom when he first visited St Michael’s. He stepped into the church while taking a break from Catholic tennis competitions elsewhere on the site.

“I was here on my own, and I remember wandering around the aisles, just in awe, and having a real sense of beauty, sense that God is here. I guess the purpose of such a beautiful place is to remind us that there is more to life than meets the eye,” he said.

The Kiely family later became parishioners at St Michael’s.

“Mum and Dad were parishioners here for over 30 years. Msgr Arahill had them involved in ministry of course. I celebrated my first Mass here – in the 60th year of this  church in December of 1992,” Msgr Kiely said in his homily.

He also noted that the paintings on either side of the nave – the only “decorative” items present at the opening of the church in 1933 – had been donated in memory of his great Aunt, Nancy Martin.

“So I have always felt a long family connection.”

Msgr Kiely was one of several concelebrants at the Mass. The principal celebrant was the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, and among the concelebrants were Bishop Patrick Dunn and Bishop Colin Campbell.

Msgr Kiely told the congregation that he loves “celebrating the sacraments here, particularly funerals, because you can see the wonder and awe on the faces of people who have not been here before . . . and as many of you are now doing during my homily, you are gazing about the place”.

“All part of the mystique and genius of this beautiful place, that leads us out of ourselves, reminding us that there is more.”

Priests, people and religious of the parish over its nine decades were remembered by Msgr Kiely.

“Bishop Lenihan, from whom the name of this parish draws its origins – he was George Michael, so we are St Michael’s after him. Bishop Liston was here for the opening. Other bishops came, Bishops Dunn and Browne had connections here.”

Msgr Kiely noted especially that the “Browne family are worth mentioning, because of the six children, two became religious sisters and three became priests”.

The great monsignors of St Michael’s were also noted – Msgrs Bradley, Downey, McCarthy, Purcell and Arahill. “It is like a litany of saints, of great churchmen in our diocese.”

Msgr Kiely thanked current parish priest Fr Tony Dunn for “calling us together with the Church to celebrate this church”.

Also remembered for their parish involvement were the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the Society of the Sacred Heart, the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny and the Sisters of Mercy.

Msg Kiely said that St Michael’s “and the people who pray here give us a sense that God is with us”.

“One of the wonderful things I love about our churches is that we tend to keep them open, and this is a wonderful place to come and sit and be still, and acknowledge the presence and grandeur of God.”

But in being in God’s presence, people are “challenged to be living stones, so that our faith is not just static. So that this is not just a venue”.

In giving a welcome at the start of the Mass, parish council chair Anne Stevenson paid tribute to the vision and courage of those who founded and built the church in the midst of the Great Depression, notably Msgr Bradley.

“We are also indebted to those generations of parishioners who have preserved and enhanced the church right up until this moment, 90 years later,” she said.

“For most of us, the church is a part of our lives, a place of peace, of prayer, and of homage to God.”

Artwork by pupils at St Michael’s School in Remuera was on the walls for the anniversary Mass. After the liturgy, an Italian-themed lunch was served in the hall.

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People made a pilgrimage to The Church of the Most Holy Rosary at Matakawau to pray the rosary – the five luminous mysteries – and to be at a Mass celebrated by Waiuku parish priest Fr Mathew Vadakkevettuvazhiyil.

In his homily, Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil said that “we have a lot of history here”.

“That is something for which we are really grateful. We thank God for that,” he said.

Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil described how the people of the district worked hard to raise funds to build a Catholic church. It opened in 1954, and it is planned that a platinum jubilee celebration will be organised for next year.

The pilgrims at Matakawau on October 7.

A notice on the door of the church stated that the first general meeting was called in January, 1938, for the purpose of raising funds to build a Catholic church in the area.

Fundraising methods included dances, raffles, car evenings, bazaars, and donations. Although these stopped during World War II, eventually a church was built and opened in 1954, at a cost of 3000 pounds.

In his homily on October 7, Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil noted the great faith of these people.

He observed that some family members from the district were in the congregation, including Audrey Halliday (nee Dryland), who was married to Arthur Halliday in the first nuptial Mass celebrated in the church on February 4, 1961.

Sunday Mass is now celebrated once a month at the church, and numbers are small, in contrast to the yesteryear, when the church would be full of people at Mass.

But old, faithful parishioners have died or have gone to live in retirement homes, and young people have moved away.

“But that is not the end of it,” Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil said. “We have a life. It doesn’t matter how many of us are here. And that life must be celebrated.”

He spoke of being visited in Waiuku by the Little Sisters of the Poor recently, and of going with them to Matakawau to pray the rosary. The idea of making pilgrimages to the church was discussed. The Little Sisters organised a vanload of people to be at the celebration on October 7.

Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil hopes that many more people will decide to make a pilgrimage to The Church of the Holy Rosary, “this sanctuary of Our Blessed Mother”, in the next few months.

“Our plan is to invite the people to Matakawau once a month through this year of Jubilee leading to the 70th Anniversary, platinum jubilee next year,” Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil told NZ Catholic.

One of those who made the journey to Matakawau on October 7 was Bishop Emeritus of Hamilton Bishop Denis Browne. After the Mass, Bishop Browne told the congregation that “it seems a long time since the last time I was here to celebrate Mass, [but] it is not that very long ago”.

“One of the things that always struck me when I came out to this part of the diocese of Auckland, in the very early days, was the devotion of the people,” Bishop Browne said.

“And we see it again today here as we celebrate this [day].”

“I remember the hard work that went into the building of the church, and it being given the title.”

Bishop Browne linked the name of the church with the dedication of Aotearoa to Our
Lady Assumed into Heaven by Bishop Jean-Baptiste Pompallier.

“As we recall memories and talk about the wonder and beauty that God has given us in this land, let us always remember that we owe so much to Bishop Pompallier, and to those wonderful people who took up his vision when he landed here,” Bishop Browne said.

“His arrival in New Zealand was regarded in a way as a miracle, because he managed to get over the bar on the Hokianga Harbour, and many people foundered trying to get into that beautiful harbour of the Hokianga,” he added.

In his homily, Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil described how the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary came to be instituted by Pope Pius V in the sixteenth century, following the defeat of Ottoman Turkish forces in the battle of Lepanto.

“We are waging a war [today] not in terms of enemies coming to kill us,” said Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil, “but certainly a war against the forces of evil we find every day in our lives.”

“Evil in terms of forms of exploitation, in terms of inability to make responsible choices in life, in terms of upholding the dignity and sanctity of life, in terms of the proper assistance to people in need . . . and again in our own experience . . . we need inner freedom and inner joy, and the means is prayer.”

Several group photos were arranged after the Mass, both inside and outside the church. Fr Vadakkevettuvazhiyil thanked those who had mowed lawns, and who had helped prepare the church for the celebration.

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The mural, by Kairau Bradley, looms over the carpark of the new Whanau Maria complex owned by the Society of Mary. The site is where the former Good Shepherd College was located. The sale of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s half share in the former Good Shepherd College site to the Society of Mary was announced in January, 2022.

Bishop Stephen Lowe blesses the mural.

The refurbished building, which is home to The Logos Project – a youth development organisation which does a lot of work in Catholic schools – and to Marist Laity, was officially blessed and opened by Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe on September 17.

Logos Project programmes manager Sam Mano told people at the opening that the “masterpiece” by Mr Bradley has been “gifted to the community”, and the artwork features three “pou” in columns.

“The middle ‘pou’ represents the family. As you can see, the mother/child. The two ‘pou’ that stand strongly on either side of them represent the protection, the growth and community that Whanau Maria will be in the years to come,” Mr Mano said.

In welcoming people, Mr Mano added that Logos is “a Marist youth development organisation, that has been called to serve young people and communities in our Church and from all over”.

“Today we mark the next step in our story, and it is beautiful to be able to stand here today with everyone who has taken the time to be with us.

      Sam Mano speaks outside the new Whanau Maria building.

“This will be a place of learning, faith, and leadership formation, prayer and hospitality.”

After blessing the various rooms in the facility, Bishop Lowe praised the “Marian spirituality” of Logos, saying it is a fruit of “the mission that began in the Hokianga in 1838”, . . . “that came with Bishop Pompallier, Fr Servant, and the Marist Brothers who accompanied him”.

“That is the beauty of Logos, that spirituality that, like Mary, sees the need, it ponders, and it does something about it,” Bishop Lowe said.

“The mission that started in the Hokianga in 1838 would have been a complete failure if people like those in Logos didn’t step up to the mark.

“So today is a day of thanksgiving for what has happened over the last 24 years [of Logos]. Today is a day of celebration with what the Marists are wanting to continue. And it is a day of praying for the future, that more people may be inspired by the example of Mary, the one who pondered her Son, the woman who even challenged her Son, the woman who was always recognising need, and was so willing to serve.”

                                                A group from Marist College sings at the opening.

A Logos Project facebook post described the opening and blessing as “not only a significant milestone, but an opportunity to create more spaces for young people to connect, share and celebrate often”.

According to the Logos Project website, “it has long been the vision of Logos to provide a central hub for Catholic young people to grow and develop, strong in their faith and identity”.

The facility provides “accessible spaces for young people, their communities and whanau. It offers a variety of rooms fit for purpose for gatherings and events of up to 120 people; EOTC, retreats, liturgies, workshops, and parent groups”.

“These spaces include a teacher common room, a whanau room, a commercial kitchen, a dining room, a large event room with AV equipment, a small courtyard, and a chapel.

“We want everyone who walks through our doors to feel welcome and at home.”

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White roses and other green items laid before the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Those at the Mass were invited to place a white rose or other item like a sprig of rosemary before an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as a gesture of handing the loved ones lost into Mary’s loving embrace. Many people came forward and did so.

The presider at the Mass, Fr Tony Dunn, recounted his own happy and sad personal stories, which were relevant to the occasion.

He spoke of how he was once invited to be present at the birth of a niece.

“What was significant was it was on my birthday, and my mother told me the same time I was born. So I have had a special connection with Maria (his niece),” Fr Dunn said.

But he also told the congregation about another sister-in-law, who miscarried seven times, with four being at about twenty weeks of the pregnancy.

“On one occasion, I was there at the hospital. I held this baby in my hand and baptised it as it died. So it was very sad and tragic.

“But what was even more sad and tragic was my sister-in-law and brother had to carry these tragic losses, and they were very tragic, and I didn’t really appreciate until that time how deep those wounds of grief and loss could be.”

Fr Dunn added that this sister-in-law did have four children, who survived into adulthood. One had recently graduated from police college.

But this sister-in-law “still carried the terrible wound of grief for the loss of these other babies”.

“She told me when things were getting very dark for her, she had this most amazing and powerful dream, then woke from the dream and it was Mother’s Day. She said it was so vivid and real.

“I offer it to you because I think it is very beautiful and consoling,” Fr Dunn said.

“She said that, in this dream, these four children came to her as teenagers, and they had the simple message – they were very happy, and they said to her, Mum you are not to worry. We are OK, you have a family in heaven, don’t give up.”

Fr Dunn said that he thought that “the simple message” is “that children who die in the womb by whatever way or means, or children who tragically die later, they are in the hands of God, in the heart of God, and in a particular way in the hands of Mother Mary”.

At times during the Mass, there were tears shed by people in the congregation. Supplies of tissues were made available.

NZ Catholic inquired as to why the Mass had been scheduled, and was told that the St Michael’s Caring and Support Committee is dedicated to looking at initiatives that embrace the needs of its parishioners and the wider community.  The committee felt that there was a deep need to acknowledge the suffering of those who have experienced the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion or other. “Our Catholic faith is a powerful source of healing for those who have experienced such a loss,” a representative said.

“The sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist help to facilitate lasting psychological and spiritual healing. Offering our loss to the Lord through the Mass, also reinforces the knowledge of God’s love and mercy, offering hope and consolation.”

NZ Catholic was also told that the music for the Mass at St Michael’s was “carefully selected to faithfully convey the sentiment of hope, love and mercy”.

“Being mindful that counselling is often necessary as part of the healing process, Fr Tony had a list of experienced Catholic practitioners to refer to attendees on request.”

The St Michael’s Caring and Support Committee hopes to host a follow up Mass next year, to acknowledge the ongoing need for healing in this important ministry.

The post Care and consolation Mass for Loss of a Child appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

Mr Fouhy, a former headmaster at St Peter’s College, St Paul’s College and Sacred Heart College in Auckland for 32 years, shared some of his insights during a guest speech at the St Michael’s parish, Remuera, AGM on August 13.

Mr Fouhy, who has walked seven Caminos and was about to embark on his eighth – in Portugal – spoke on five areas related to the famous pilgrimage.

“The first thing I would say is that I always carried too much baggage. Ten per cent of your weight is the ideal. It is amazing what we don’t need,” he said.

“I also think it applies to other things in life,” he added.

“The big things – we carry too much baggage of assets, nostalgia, tradition. Schools carry too much baggage. They have got to be simplified. Our Church is carrying too much baggage. We have got to simplify it.

“I found that the Camino is a self-emptying. We learned to just get rid of stuff. And I think there is some good theology there.”

His second insight was that “little things matter”.

Plenty that is little looms large on the Camino – blisters on toes, restaurants that don’t open until late, some part of the pack can be irritating.

Little things can trip up schools, he said, and society is the poorer for the neglect of some little things like manners, dress standards, responding to RSVPs.

“I think the unevenness in society is about the little things – little people are left out of the loop.”

Mr Fouhy’s third topic related to mystical aspects of walking the Camino.

“There is something about the mystical thing. The uncertainty of where to sleep each night, the stealing of privacy, the gaining of purpose, what we do today? I listened to Taize music, I listened to biographies, I had John of the Cross. I reflected on T.S. Eliot’s quartets. The connections with nature . . .

“And somehow walking is a mystical sort of thing.”

This prompted him to encourage a “rediscovery of interiority” – his fourth topic.

Reflection precedes praxis, he said. “Unless we have reflection, we are clanging gongs.”

“Marcellin Champagnat often said that the brothers were to be first at the cross, first at the altar and first at the crib . . . before ministry.

“A good boys’ school has a culture of silence. A good teacher is one who can reflect. A good school is one that can reflect as a community.”

He built on this in his final topic, saying that walking delivers solutions. He referred to a phrase used by St Augustine “Solvitur Ambulato” – “It is solved by walking.”

“One of the observations that I made was that everyone on the Camino has a problem, life problems, retirement, relationships, addiction – you name it.”

But it is the obligation to walk, the necessity to walk, that solves things. On the Camino, “we lose weight, the body feels better, the head feels clearer, the perspective gets sharper”.

Mr Fouhy offered some final reflections on Catholic schools.

“I’ve done everything you need to do in a Catholic school. I’m not quite sure of the purpose of it,” he said.

“The Camino has a sense of purpose, because you walk every day. You get up and walk tomorrow and so on.

“And I sometimes think the Catholic school is like those index funds – you just put the money in and the money rises – you get your dividend every month. Sometimes we are too flexible with society and without any purpose going through.”

“There are 48 Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand. There are 188 primary schools, most of them pretty small, and there are billions of dollars, I would imagine, in real estate. And yet we don’t know the purpose.”

Despite impressive academic results in some prominent schools, Mr Fouhy warned against assuming all was well and also cautioned against being triumphalist.

He noted a quote by an old Marist Brother – a Brother Marcel – who had taught him, about the need for schools to reclaim their source.

He used to say this phrase: “A river that denies its source soon goes out of existence.”

The post Camino prompts reflections on education and life appeared first on NZ Catholic Newspaper.

A shareholder information meeting was held at the college on August 17, at which headmaster Patrick Walsh explained the need for the new facility.

Mr Walsh said that NCEA results from Sacred Heart are consistently above national averages and schools of similar decile – and this includes achievements in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics subjects. He pointed to the overall 49 NCEA Scholarships achieved last year, which “places Sacred Heart as one of the top performing Catholic High schools in the country”.

Sacred Heart College headmaster Patrick Walsh, proprietor’s board chair Janne Pender, and board of trustees chair Brendan Gibson with an artist’s impression of the new science facility.

The new science facility, which will include nine laboratories, as well as other features, will mean that the college will have “state-of-the-art facilities to match the professional expertise of our science teachers and our talented students”.

“Our outstanding science department, and science students, have been working in sub-optimal classrooms for far too long,” Mr Walsh said.

“They have done an amazing job to get the results they have achieved, but they do deserve better.”

“Science education, as you are aware, is a gateway to rewarding careers and high paying jobs,” Mr Walsh added. “We want here at Sacred Heart College the ideal conditions for each student to fulfil God’s potential for each of them.”

Mr Walsh explained that the new facility comes with a significant price tag of just over $20million.

Those at the stakeholder information evening were told that the cost will be met by a combination of proprietor funding, Government funding – which is allocated to integrated schools for property maintenance and replacement – as well as donations through the Sacred Heart College Development Foundation, and bank funding, with the latter covering about 55 per cent of the cost.

The project will also see the college’s archives have a permanent home, and there will also be some refurbishment of current science classrooms.

Deputy headmaster Jason Cornford told the stakeholder evening that the current ratio of science labs to students at the college is in the vicinity of 1:200, whereas after the completion of this project, the ratio, including [a] roll increase, will be of the order of 1:125, “which will comparable to that of other schools across the city, that we researched”.

Sacred Heart College has been granted a maximum roll increase, so a staged approach will see the maximum roll reach 1500 over the next five years. These additional classrooms will be vital, given the expected growth of the college.

The deputy headmaster added: “With recent Governments across the party divides all promoting the importance of science and technology jobs for the present and future of New Zealand’s economy, it is essential that the students at the school are able to see the future and have experiences that are hands-on and relevant to this vision.”

He noted that somewhere in the region of 45 to 50 per cent of each year-13 year group at Sacred Heart moves on to tertiary study that involves science – including study in fields like engineering, medicine, veterinary science, dentistry and other science-related areas.

Current year-13 student Joseph Bahoo, who has just returned from London where he was an Aotearoa New Zealand representative at the London International Youth Science Forum, spoke about his journey of science at Sacred Heart.

Joseph said: “I am a bit jealous that the new science block is coming after I leave. And I know that future students will utilise it to its greatest potential, and will allow them the opportunity to foster a great relationship with science and lead them to great things in the future.”

Other speakers at the information evening included representatives from the architectural, project management, finance, marketing and governance aspects of the venture.

The meeting was told about expected progress through detailed design completion, consenting, tendering and construction. After a 12-16 month construction period, it is expected that the new facility will be operational some time in 2025.

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