august 2016 CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF DUNEDIN ISSUE 222 | AUGUST 2016 ABLETcdd.org.nz World Youth Day In July 2016, the Polish city of Krakow hosted World Youth Day (WYD). About two million young people from all over the world visited the city on the Vistula River to hear and see Pope Francis. Pope Francis chose the city of Krakow for its strong ties with Saint John Paul II. The Polish pope was not only closely connected to Krakow throughout his life as a priest, he also initiated World Youth Day. The first such meeting took place in Rome in 1985. Since then, it has taken place every two or three years in various places around the globe. CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR the tablet Celebrations of the 800 Jubilee of the Dominican Family were held throughout the diocese on and about the feast day of St Dominic, 3 August. The celebrations coincided with many occurring throughout the world in recognition of the 800th Jubilee Year of the Order of Preachers – The Dominicans, founded by St Dominic de Guzman in France in 1206. Dunedin, Oamaru, Queenstown and Invercargill held special Masses involving schools with a Dominican foundation or tradition. The charism of the Dominican Sisters, who were associated with many schools throughout the diocese, is expressed strongly in the schools, now staffed by lay teachers. In Southland, Over 1500 students joined with dignitaries and the community on Monday 8 August to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Dominicans. Students from the Catholic schools of St Teresa’s, Bluff, St Joseph’s, Invercargill, St Patrick’s, Georgetown, St Theresa’s, Invercargill, and Verdon College participated in a Mass led by Bishop Colin Campbell. As part of the event a video message from Dominican, Father Kevin Toomey OP, was shared. Schools were presented with special gifts from Dominican nuns, Sister Judith Robinson and Sister Raewyn Benzie. Mayor Tim Shadbolt attended and extended his congratulations. Photos of this event, as well as from other centres, show how widely the jubilee is recognised and celebrated. august 2016 New Zealand Dominican Sisters from the website: dominican family aotearoa new zealand St Dominic, born in 1170, belonged to the noble Guzman family of Caleruega, Spain. After his university studies he became a Canon Regular at the Cathedral of Osma, living a cloistered life dedicated to the public worship of God and personal prayer and study. In 1203, while in France, Dominic, a man of great personal prayer and study, met the Albigensians who believed that spirit, not matter, was good. To counter this heresy Dominic was inspired to found an order of itinerant preachers. His followers, thoroughly educated and prepared to debate the truth, promoted the dignity and worth of all created things. In 1206 Dominic founded a community of women in Prouille, France, to provide a place for women who had responded to his message. From these simple beginnings, Dominican women and men are to be found in almost every country of the world. They find hope and joy as members of a wide Dominican family of Friars, Brothers, Contemplative Nuns, Sisters and Laity. In 1869 Bishop Moran was appointed to the Dunedin Diocese in New Zealand. Ten Dominican Sisters from Sion Hill, Dublin, arrived with him in that city in 1871. Four days later they opened a high school. The Foundress, Mother Gabriel Gill, challenged both her Sisters and herself with the mantra “Are you prepared to do for God what the miners do for gold?” By 1929 there were 120 Sisters in Otago and Southland serving a number of Schools and Colleges. Five years later there were two Auckland foundations in Helensville and Northcote. In 1944 a specialised school for the Deaf was opened first in Wellington and then in Feilding. Later again came St Dominic’s Church and Primary School at Blockhouse Bay and St Dominic’s College at Henderson. As part of an Order founded 800 years ago the New Zealand Dominicans have cherished several mottos which express various aspects of their charism. The main motto is Veritas, meaning Truth. Our object is …to Praise, to Bless and to Preach the God who loves us all. This mission is enabled by another motto… to contemplate and then share with others the fruits of this contemplation. Today, Dominican women continue to respond to the call of the Gospel, discovering new ways of being involved in the world in the third millennium. the tablet CONTINUED FROM Page ONE From the Message of Pope Francis for World Youth Day 2016 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7) The New Testament speaks to us of divine mercy (eleos) as a synthesis of the work that Jesus came to accomplish in the world in the name of the Father (cf. Mt 9:13). Our Lord’s mercy can be seen especially when he bends down to human misery and shows his compassion for those in need of understanding, healing and forgiveness. Everything in Jesus speaks of mercy. Indeed, he himself is mercy. In Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel we find the three parables of mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the parable of the prodigal son. In these three parables we are struck by God’s joy, the joy that God feels when he finds and forgives a sinner. Yes, it is God’s joy to forgive! This sums up the whole of the Gospel. “Each of us, each one of us, is that little lost lamb, the coin that was mislaid; each one of us is that son who has squandered his freedom on false idols, illusions of happiness, and has lost everything. But God does not forget us; the Father never abandons us. He is a patient Father, always waiting for us! He respects our freedom, but he remains faithful forever. And when we come back to him, he welcomes us like children into his house, for he never ceases, not for one instant, to wait for us with love. And his heart rejoices over every child who returns. He is celebrating because he is joy. God has this joy, when one of us sinners goes to him and asks his forgiveness” Krakow didn’t have it on their own – Companion event in Christchurch From 29 July to 2 August, Catholic Cathedral Centre and more). The Pilgrimage on an interfaith theme was led by Fr. Rick and Marian Colleges, Christchurch, hosted a Loughnan and took the whole group from the broken Catholic Cathedral to Companion event to the World Youth Day in the Cardboard Cathedral for a joint prayer. From there the students went on Krakow for the Secondary School Colleges of pilgrimage in smaller groups to the key pilgrimage sites: City Mission, the South Island. Te Rangimarie, The Jewish Synagogue, Cathedral Square, Barbadoes St. Cemetery and St Luke’s site and the Russian Orthodox church. A joint Mass About 240 students of Catholic Colleges was celebrated on the WYD Site in the Catholic Cathedral Hall. In the evening, attended this event that included Pilgrimage, the Papal Mass in Krakov was live-streamed. During the whole 3 days, the Service, Catechesis and Worship. Mission Team set up a chapel on site and offered a prayer space, reconciliation It was a unique opportunity for the Youth and adoration. Sport, activities and dancing were part of the fun activities. (16-18 years) of our Catholic communities On Monday the students journeyed home, hopefully, with strengthened faith to come together and share their faith and a sense of a Catholic community of Aotearoa – New Zealand and the World. experiences. All four Catholic Colleges of the Diocese of Dunedin were well represented at the event. Bishop Colin Campbell presided. The Polish Ambassador and Community were involved in a cultural evening. Catechesis was led by Bishop Charles Drennan (Palmerston North), Sr. Kathleen Rushton rsm (Christchurch), Fr. Gerard Aynsley (Dunedin) and Fr. John Craddock (Christchurch) on the theme of Mercy. The second day took the students into Christchurch parishes and Catholic organisations for a day of service for the community. A Catholic market connected participants to programmes and offers of the wider Catholic Community in Aotearoa-New Zealand (e.g. stalls from Caritas, CathSoc, St. Vincent de Paul, JPII august 2016 Food for Critical Reflection Modern Slavery contributed by alice murray I prepared this speech for a Y11 English presentation. I had first really thought about slavery after a Geography assessment about coffee production, and I thought that slavery would be a worthwhile topic to learn more about, and tell other people about. It has definitely made us think at home, as we have been looking at things like the chocolate and coffee we are consuming, and looking for ethical options to replace them. Alice If I gave you a chocolate bar, and told you it was made in the sacks they were carrying, or moved too slowly, they were some part by slaves, would you eat it? Probably yes? Most beaten until they got back up. If they couldn’t work because people feel so disconnected from slavery, and don’t really get of illness or injury, they could just be dumped, and left to that it still happens, in today’s “civilized” society. But modern die, because it is easier to get hold of more slaves, than spend slavery is not a small issue. It is estimated that 24 million money looking after the ones that are already there. This is people are enslaved right now, to produce products we all buy, what has made slavery a very disposable industry, and it is at an such as clothing, electronics, and chocolate, and we feel so all time low.