NZ Catholic: June 14 - 27, 2020 1 The national Catholic newspaper June 14 - 27, 2020 • No. 591 Caritas Lent SVDP launches appeal down National Recovery this year 2 Appeal 10 Ordained at last Lockdown led to seven week delay of ordination – pg 3 www.nzcatholic.org.nz 2 NZ News NZ Catholic: June 14 - 27, 2020 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Caritas Aotearoa NZ Lent Appeal Staying in NZ before ordinations funds down 30 per cent on past years by ROWENA OREJANA Amid the pandemic, Caritas Aotearoa New p17 Zealand managed to raise some $683,000 during its 2020 Lent Appeal, a figure that is more than 30 per lower than the amounts they raised in recent years. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand director Julianne Hickey said, in the past, the Lent Appeal raised $1million. p20 Our Lady of Still, Mrs Hickey said, they “are encouraged by Kāpiti Church the generosity of our communities during these blessed difficult times”. “Their ongoing support and prayers continue to enable us to do our work, and we are thankful for their commitment to helping those in need around the world and in Aotearoa New Zealand,” she said. The reduced amount means community proj- ects in West Papua, Bougainville, the Philippines Julianne Hickey and Holy Land that were supposed to be funded p5 this year would be set aside for next year. n Donations “Caritas is carefully examining our 2020 Caritas communications advisor Rebecca Sees operational budget to focus our expenditure to said the agency is still accepting donations to the Masses help those most in need and make cost savings Lent Appeal. on budget lines such as travel,” Mrs Hickey said. “As the bishops’ agency for justice, peace and resume “Our volunteer programme, Catholic Volun- development, our mission is to serve as [a] vehi- in Dunedin teers Overseas (CVO), will not be sending any fur- cle for all New Zealand Catholics to engage with ther volunteers to the Pacific this year, although the social mission of the Church: to overcome p6 A message for Catholic media we continue to support two volunteers who are poverty, protect lives and relieve suffering. This already in Papua New Guinea,” she added. mission is more important than ever, as we face an p8 Penecost and the fire in our cities Mrs Hickey said priority will be given to com- unprecedented humanitarian challenge in which munities in the Pacific and around the world with the poor and vulnerable will continue to be the Mapping a way forward after lockdown whom Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has long- most heavily impacted,” she said. p9 term relationships. “With the help of our supporters, we can con- “Our priority is to continue to work with our tinue to be love-in-action for these communities, Meghan Markle’s surprise p19 partners on the ground in these communities to providing essential assistance on the ground, graduation speech respond to their most urgent needs. Currently, we both in our region and around the world, to those are working with these communities to help them who are most in need.” On the front cover: At the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for the prepare for the effects of the pandemic,” she said. Caritas is also accepting donations toward its ordination of Fr Peter Trung Nguyen (front centre) on June 6 were Mrs Hickey said they will be supporting these Pandemic Appeal, which will go towards support- communities’ efforts “in health care and mes- ing vulnerable communities’ efforts at Covid-19 (from left, front) Bishop Owen Dolan, Bishop Peter Cullinane, saging, well-being, livelihoods and food, so that prevention. Cardinal John Dew and Bishop Denis Browne, with many priests people don’t go hungry, and to ensure that the “However, we recognise that now is a difficult (back rows). (Photo supplied) spread of disease is contained”. time for many, and some people who may want “No community in the world is immune to the to give financially won’t be able to do so. The ongoing impacts (of the pandemic),” she said. support of our work through prayer and advocacy Mrs Hickey said another on-going project they is just as critical to our success in the midst of have is the development of school and parish the pandemic. We ask our Catholic communities resources for Social Justice Week in September. to join us in raising the voices of those on the “This year the focus is on Catholic Social margins, and in praying for all who are affected Pompallier Diocesan Centre, 30 New Street, Ponsonby, Teaching, which will help us all reflect on the by this crisis, from the sick and the suffering to Auckland. P.O. Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1144. core principles that guide our decision-making, the helpers and the workers,” Ms Sees said. Phone: (09) 360-3067 or (09) 378-4380. participation and involvement in our communi- More information about how to get involved Email: [email protected] ties,” she said. can be found at: www.caritas.org.nz Website: www.nzcatholic.org.nz Publisher: Bishop Patrick Dunn Editor: Michael Otto Journalist: Rowena Orejana Marketing and Administration: Claudia Cachay New vocations director for Chch Design & Advertising: Anne Rose Advertising enquiries contact: by ROWENA OREJANA [email protected] Christchurch Bishop Paul Martin, SM, has ap- NZ Catholic is published fortnightly. Subscriptions: One pointed Fr Tien Cao, assistant parish priest at St year, $73; two years, $135. Overseas airmail extra. The Peter Chanel, Waimakariri, as the diocese’s new contents of NZ Catholic are copyright and permission to vocations director. reprint must be obtained in advance. ISSN 1174-0086 Fr Cao said as the new vocations director, he Member Australasian Religious Press Association and is looking forward to accompanying men “who Australasian Catholic Press Association have received even the slightest call from God to priesthood”. He said his own “first director” of vocation was his mother and he acknowledged the essential role of parents in building a strong foundation St Dominic’s for the vocation of priesthood. “It was God who chose me from eternity to Catholic College be the priest of Christ, but it was the faith and Founded by the Dominican Sisters the life witness of my mother, at home and at Catholic School For Girls Years 7-13 the local church, that made me realise the call,” he said. • Year 9 retreats going well. He said, though, that young men who grew up without much support in their faith life are • Great to celebrate Mass once more in our Chapel. also encouraged and invited to discern priest- hood. • Samoan Language Week well celebrated, led Fr Cao grew up in Central Vietnam and came by Pasifika leadersLisa Pesefea and to New Zealand 12 years ago to be a priest in Christchurch diocese. He was ordained in 2016 Esther Utaiaana. and served in the parishes of Greymouth and • Our first ever school vans well received. Mairehau. Fr John O’Connor, who was the former voca- tions director of the diocese, is currently acting www.stdoms.ac.nz director of the National Liturgy Office. Fr Tien Cao NZ Catholic: June 14 - 27, 2020 NZ News 3 Fr Trung ordained after lockdown delay by ROWENA OREJANA The much-awaited ordination to the priesthood of Fr Peter Trung Nguyen — which was initially sched- uled for April 18, but was postponed because of the Covid-19 lockdown — finally took place on June 6 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Palmerston North. It was a very emotional moment for Fr Nguyen when he thanked his mother and father and the rest of his family who couldn’t be there due to the closure of New Zealand’s borders. His voice broke and he had to pause to collect himself. His family, instead, followed the livestreaming of his ordination on the diocesan website. His parents are in Vietnam, while his five broth- ers and a sister are in religious and diocesan communities in France, En- gland, American, Colombia, Belgium and India. “Thank you, Cardinal John [Dew], for ordaining me a priest today, and all clergy and people who are present really and virtually to sup- Newly-ordained Fr Peter Trung Nguyen (right) at the altar during the ordination Mass. (Photo supplied) port me on this special occasion,” he said. He also thanked resigned “[Being] . self-possessed means “It was a common practice in Zealand. She accepted his decision bishop Charles Drennan, who went being comfortable in who we are Vietnam for young men to serve the after a while. to Vietnam and met his (Fr Nguyen’s) before God. Being content in who parish. Quite a lot of young men “Before I left my family, this is family and invited him to serve in we are and knowing that God has wanted to do it. It was a privilege (to what mum said to me: ‘Go in peace Palmerston North. chosen us for service. And knowing be chosen),” he said. and our prayer is with you and for In his homily at the ordination, that God chose us and loves us. Be- He said even at a young age, there you. Your happiness is our happi- Cardinal Dew thanked Fr Nguyen ing self-possessed is knowing we can was “something in the back of my ness’,” he said. for following Jesus’ call to serve in do nothing by ourselves. We can only mind that said: I want to be a priest”. Before entering the seminary in New Zealand. rely on the grace of God and learn He went to university in Ho Chi New Zealand, Fr Nguyen reportedly “Anyone who makes the decision to be grateful that God’s grace is Minh City and studied philosophy.