NZ Catholic Newspaper

Several NZ dioceses join wage subsidy scheme

Michael Otto — Sun, 10 May 2020 20:30:00 +0000

Several New Zealand Catholic dioceses have taken up the Government’s Wage Subsidy Scheme to help pay staff.

As of April 24, at least three New Zealand dioceses had joined the scheme, with the total support being given amounting to $1.22 million.

According to a public register with some search capacity on the Ministry of Social Development website, Auckland Catholic diocese had received $625,368 for 95 employees, Hamilton diocese had received $165,880 for 24 employees and Wellington archdiocese received $428,628 for 65 employees.

Christchurch diocesan general manager Andy Doherty told NZ Catholic on April 21 that Christchurch diocese had not applied for the subsidy at that point.

This was “firstly because we didn’t meet the criteria initially and secondly, ideally, we will survive without using this generous offer”.

“We will reassess this position as a diocese month by month.”

Mr Doherty added that individual parishes in Christchurch diocese “have applied directly, and that has proven to be very beneficial to each parish and was processed promptly by the government organisation, which is appreciated”.

Many parishes throughout the country have done likewise.

Palmerston North diocese general manager Tony Murphy told NZ Catholic on April 22 that his diocese had not applied for the subsidy up to that point.

“We are constantly reviewing our current position and may still apply,” Mr Murphy said.

“I am aware a couple of our parishes have made application, but the numbers are very small.”

Auckland diocese general manager James van Schie told Stuff that the wage subsidy helped provide “certainty for staff during this uncertain time”.

He said the diocese was topping up the subsidy so that staff received their full pay.

Dunedin’s Catholic diocese was not on the register, but the Dunedin Anglican diocese was.

The Anglican Diocese of Auckland had received $718,123 in subsidy for 109 employees.

According to a Radio New Zealand article on April 17, the total bill for the wage subsidy scheme across all qualifying organisations had reached $10 billion. Some 85,000 businesses had been processed up to that stage and 1.6 million people were receiving this support.

The scheme is open to all businesses (including the self-employed, contractors and sole traders), registered charities, incorporated societies and post-settlement governance entities, that are adversely affected by Covid-19.

The scheme subsidises full-time employees at $585.80 gross per week and part-time employees at $350.00 gross per week. The employer must keep paying at normal rates or at least 80 per cent of income where reasonably possible. The subsidy is paid in a lump sum and employers are required to keep staff on for the 12 weeks of work that the scheme subsidises.

Businesses are eligible for the subsidy where they have experienced a 30 per cent decline in actual or predicted revenue related to Covid-19.

Before receiving a subsidy, they must take active steps to manage the implications of Covid-19 on their businesses.

[Bullet point] Mr van Schie told NZ Catholic that several measures have been put in place to help parishes in Auckland diocese.

Parishes were told that they were not obliged to make payment of their 15 per cent levy / allocations (diocesan tax) from parish and house accounts for a three-month period (March, April and May).

Also, in consultation with the chair of the Parish Finance Committee, parish priests and administrators in Auckland diocese parishes are granted the authority to transfer funds from the parish account / Catholic Development Fund (CDF) to the house account if the house account is running out of money.

And Bishop Patrick Dunn can provide support and assistance in Auckland diocese to needy parishes and priests that become financially distressed during this period. Parishes have been told that they or the priest should be in touch with the bishop or diocesan general manager if they need help.

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Ten new seminarians at Holy Cross in 2012

Michael Otto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:10:53 +0000

by MICHAEL OTTO
AUCKLAND — Five New Zealand dioceses have seminarians starting at Holy Cross Seminary in Ponsonby in 2012.
The diverse group of 10 new seminarians features Kiwis, an American and men from the Philippines.
Michael Walker, 31, from Holy Name parish, Dunedin North, was a support worker in the health sector, working mainly in the mental health field, before entering the seminary.
Although many factors have influenced him on his faith journey, a trip to Europe, and especially the Vatican with his brother in 2007, saw him return with a sense of wanting to serve God and others in the community.
A graduate of the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Communication Studies and a post-graduate diploma in public health, Mr Walker hopes his seminary experience will help him grow in faith and hope in God, to prepare him to serve the people of Dunedin diocese.
Anthony Trenwith, 32, from St Michael’s parish, Remuera, Auckland, worked as a lawyer for several years in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
A graduate of the University of Auckland and a barrister, Mr Trenwith’s years in the UK saw him work for the British equivalent of our Inland Revenue Department.
A growing desire to do more with his life and to serve God through helping people attracted him to the idea of a vocation.
Mr Trenwith hopes to grow as part of a community of brothers in the seminary and to keep journeying towards whatever God wants of him and to serve his people in whatever way he can.
Glen Brennan, 22, from St Thomas More Parish, Mt Maunganui and St Patrick’s, Te Puke, worked on dairy farms and orchards in the Bay of Plenty before coming to Holy Cross.
Falling in love with Eucharist and the Catholic Church saw Mr Brennan attracted to the idea of priesthood.
He hopes his time in the seminary will see him learn how to be a father and “physician of souls”.
Mark Bond, 22, from the cathedral parish in Auckland has finished a degree in English and psychology at the University of Auckland.
Asked about what attracted him to the idea of a vocation, Mr Bond referred to Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Lord.”
He linked his own happiness to having his works and thoughts being acceptable to God and his glory. God led him on this journey through various studies, and none of them were satisfying, he said.
He hopes that he will grow in love and have a good sense of community with fellow seminarians and reach out and be Christ to others.
Before coming to the seminary, Tony King-Archer, 30, worked as an accountant.
From St Patrick’s cathedral parish in Auckland, Mr King-Archer said thoughts of a vocation were first triggered by a homily he heard in Northcote parish many years ago.
At the seminary, he hopes to grow in faith and knowledge, fulfilling his vocation potential with an ultimate ideal of conforming himself to the image of Christ the priest.
A later vocation, John Hill from St Michael’s parish, Remuera, Auckland, is a widower after his wife of 30 years, Dianne, died two years ago.
Working in real estate and tourism, and running his own company for a time, Mr Hill had trained for a religious order, the Passionists, as a young man.
Describing the time after his wife’s death as a “wilderness experience”, Mr Hill coped by making his prayers centre on gratitude. He realised he still had a journey ahead of him, and wondered what that was meant to be. Very good spiritual direction and support from his parish priest helped him towards the move to a priestly vocation.
This is a new path he is following and he is open to what it leads to, he said, describing the journey ahead as an “adventure”.
Bryan Buenger, 53, from Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States of America, felt called to priesthood while praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Queenstown during a visit in 2009. He had just walked the Milford Track. This was his fourth holiday in New Zealand.
The Phoenix diocese will not accept new seminarians over the age of 40, so, after discussions with the vocations director there, he wrote to several New Zealand dioceses. After speaking with Bishop Charles Drennan of Palmerston North, Mr Buenger felt attracted to serving there.
A former English teacher, Mr Buenger visited a marae soon after arriving in New Zealand in early February, an experience he described as “wonderful”. Mr Buenger had studied Maori art at university in the United States.
He hopes his time in the seminary will see him learn more of New Zealand’s culture and help him adapt to it.
Three students from the Philippines have all undertaken seminary studies before in their previous homeland before moving to New Zealand.
Nathaniel Brazil, 25, and Ferdinand Miranda, 34, both spent several years in formation at Immaculate Conception Major Seminary in the Philippines before coming to New Zealand last year.
Both spent several months in parishes in Palmerston North diocese last year.
Mr Brazil and Mr Miranda are looking forward to learning more about New Zealand culture and the local Church during their time in the seminary.
Hearing about the possibility of evangelisation in New Zealand sparked Mr Miranda’s interest in serving in the country.
Mr Brazil is looking forward to being a help to the Church in Palmerston North.
Dennis Nacorda, 33, also undertook seminary studies for the Missionary Society of the Philippines before coming to New Zealand.
Before entering the seminary, Mr Nacorda worked as a veterinarian in his former country. Now a student for the Wellington archdiocese, he arrived in New Zealand last year and resided at St Mary’s Parish, Blenheim.
He is looking forward to learning more about life as a diocesan priest during his seminary training.
The 10 new seminarians bring the total number of seminarians at Holy Cross Seminary to 27 with another two being on pastoral years in Auckland’s Glenfield parish and Wellington’s Island Bay parish.

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New Roman Missal finally delivered

Michael Otto — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:44:55 +0000

by PETER GRACE
The new Roman Missal was delivered to dioceses in mid-February. Some parishes have already received their copies.
According to the Liturgy Centre in Auckland diocese, the new Roman Missal costs parishes $237. Many parishes, though, are likely to have more than one set.
New Zealand’s bishops are expected to discuss an official launch date for the missal in their meeting at Waikanae in late February.
There will be no new responses for the people to learn, as those were introduced in Advent 2010. The new responses that will be noticed when the new missal comes into effect will be those for the celebrant.

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