iinformnform ISSUE 69 June 2007 Newsletter of the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch We Have a New Bishop Bishop Barry Jones D.D. succeeded Bishop John Cunneen D.D. on the 5th May. You can read more about this in Bishop Barry’s letter to us printed below. I am sure we all congratulate him and offer him our fullest support and assurance of our prayers. A Letter from Our Bishop My brothers and sisters in Christ, of Thanksgiving for the Episcopal Early in May, Bishop John Cunneen Ministry of Bishop John Cunneen is was informed by the Holy See that to be concelebrated by members of his letter of resignation as Bishop ethe New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ of Christchurch had been accepted Conference and the Priests of the as from his 75th birthday with the Diocese. This will take place in the consequence that I, as Coadjutor Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Bishop, simply begin where Bishop on Thursday May 31st, at 7.30 pm. It John has left off. This uncomplicated is the Feast of the Visitation of the and foreseen transition is one aspect Blessed Virgin Mary, a day that is of the Church’s life and reveals a highly appropriate for this occasion further dimension of the pastoral as Mary is the fi rst of all believers and care of Bishop John for our Diocese. Mother of the Church, and I invite He has borne the heat and burden you to come and give thanks to God of the day as a Bishop in our Diocese for his grace at work in the life of the for fi fteen years and, as we well Church and of the one who has been know, the last few years have cost him Bishop amongst us for these past greatly as his physical capacities have fi fteen years. gradually deteriorated. With great “...he has been a great witness For myself, I offer my greetings to determination and constancy Bishop to joy and strong faith and I you as I begin to pick up the load John has continued to grace numerous thank him for his example of offi ce which Bishop John has gatherings with his presence and put down. As I wrote to the Priests wisdom and words of faith, even of a faithful shepherd in the recently, I promise to serve them and though the exertions involved in service of the Lord and his the people of the Diocese in fi delity getting to the various functions, Church.” to the Lord and as best I can. Since alighting from vehicles, climbing my ordination last October as a steps and stairs and walking from one of the Lord and his Church. He has Bishop, great kindness and support place to another were considerable. carefully and cheerfully introduced have been shown to me, especially Over all his years as a Priest among me into some of the complexities of in the matter of prayers for the us, his personality has been a happy the life of Bishop over the last few assistance of the Holy Spirit, and I and serene one but never more months and I appreciate his kindness am both needy for these prayers and so than in his last few years - in spite and thoughtfulness greatly. deeply grateful. of physical weakness he has been a great witness to joy and strong faith In order to recognise this Yours sincerely, and I thank him for his example signifi cant turning point in the life of Barry Jones of a faithful shepherd in the service our Diocese of Christchurch, a Mass 1 “GOD’S WORK IN OUR HANDS” This was the catch cry of the Organisations were varied and Celebration Expo held at St Bede’s included Armstrong Village, Catholic Brother Gerard Mills, College on Saturday, 5th May. Maori Youth, Catholic Social Services, 100th Birthday, “Charity boasted about is charity Catholic Women’s League, Catholics diminished” is a statement few will on Air, Mercy Sisters, Parish to Parish Brother Gerard Mills, known as Rardy challenge. Yet when good works are Accommodation, Tertiary Chaplaincy, by irreverent generations of pupils, invisible, the opportunity to give St Vincent de Paul Society, Korean entered the Christian Brothers with example to others is lost. At the Expo, Parish and Mercy Library. twelves others from the Christian 22 organisations took up exhibit A full page supplement in the Brothers’ High School in Dunedin. stands and explained what they did Press expressed the theme of the He trained in Australia and then was on a day to day basis. Celebration to a wider Christchurch sent back to St Kevin’s to be on the Foundation staff in 1927. He was “It is easy to become depressed over audience than was possible within the confi nes of St Bede’s hall. 19 years of age. As it transpired, he the negative media comment that was to spend most of his teaching appears daily regarding Christianity, A highlight of the Celebration was life at St Kevin’s, although there however at the Expo it felt good to the Debate between prominent were appointments to other of the be a Catholic” says Murray Winder, Catholics Lindsay Freer, Joe Ryan, Christian Brothers’ schools in New acting chair of the Diocesan Welfare Megan Woods, Hayden Ryan, Zealand and Australia. He was to end Council. The day was a celebration Charlotte Boyes, Tony Sewell and his teaching at St Edmund’s School in of Catholic welfare in the Diocese. Clayton Cosgrove over ‘Christchurch: Sth. Dunedin in 1984. the city that cares’. The standard of debate was fi rst class. The outcome, His retirement years were spent not surprisingly, was a draw based on in Christchurch at the Brothers’ audience applause. House in Riccarton, with much time spent looking after the gardens Fr John Adams commenced the and grounds. He had been an activity with a beautiful Liturgy outstanding teacher and proved to be especially prepared by Sr Eleanor the same with his gardening. Capper. Pupils from St James School, Aranui, accompanied the Liturgy In June 2002, at the age of 96, with singing. Brother Mills moved into Nazareth House in Christchurch. This is a Debating Team Celebration is not over yet. Kits of wonderful house of rest with a special suggestions have been forwarded to atmosphere of love and peace. all Parishes in the Diocese with the request that Parishes acknowledge, On his 100th birthday a special in their own way, the theme of celebration was organised by Celebration over the next few weeks. Nazareth Sisters, staff and friends. “Hey, it’s good to be a Catholic. Well done Brother Mills. A long life spent in the service of your Master Murray Winder, - 84 years as a Christian Brother. An Acting Chairman of the Diocesan example of commitment for so many Welfare Day Crowd Social Welfare Council. of us. Dove Catholic Fellowship with God and to enjoy healthy womanhood - being feminine and relationships with others. The theme captivating. It is said that “every of the weekend was “See, I make all woman was once a little girl. And Christchurch provided a beautiful, things new” with emphasis on the every little girl holds in her heart her warm autumn weekend for DCF for restoration of relationships. most precious dreams.” Women’s fi rst convention at St Bede’s Five local Priests generously gave We hope to return again to the garden College on 4-6 May. of their time to be available for city. Meanwhile, Christchurch Dove Ruth Clark from Tauranga was the reconciliation on Saturday morning. Catholic Fellowship meets on the speaker. Ruth is a wife, a mother, On Saturday afternoon Fr Jack second Saturday of every month a professional counsellor, and has O’Connor arrived in time to celebrate at Christ the King Parish Centre, worked overseas in mission fi elds Mass and gave a very real, humorous Burnside, for fellowship, praise with her family. Her passion is and encouraging homily. and worship and teaching, and all to encourage women to have a The Saturday evening session women are warmly welcomed. confi dent and intimate relationship was a fun fi lled time celebrating www.dove.org.nz 2 Pastoral Planning Offi ce SR PATRICIA CLARK service of Sr Patricia who has …AND FAREWELL TO FAREWELLED FROM walked numerous miles around the FR KEVIN JONES CHRISTCHURCH HOSPITAL Christchurch Hospital wards and Fr Kevin Jones from the Portsmouth CHAPLAINCY ministered to thousands of patients, Diocese has been in the Diocese for six families / whanau and staff. At the month visiting his uncle and assisted same time Sr Mary Hanrahan RSM us in pastoral ministry in the Mid was commissioned by Bishop John as Canterbury Pastoral Area, Christchurch the Pastoral Chaplain at Christchurch Hospital and being available for Sunday Hospital and Christchurch Women’s Mass in other Parishes. We thank him Hospital. for his generosity… WELCOME TO FR THOMAS IN BRIEF… GRZEGORZEWSKI… The Christchurch South Pastoral Area has formally begun the process Fr Thomas is a Salesian Priest from with the Pastoral Area Council soon Kielce, Poland, who now belongs to to meet. An evening for each of the the province of Zambia. Prior to Extraordinary Ministers of Holy coming to Christchurch he worked Communion and Lectors has been at fi rst in Uganda from 1987 to 1996 held for the whole Pastoral Area. and from 1997 to the present time in The Prison, Hospital and Tertiary Namibia. His missionary work has Chaplains gathered for a day at been in parish ministry as well as Cathedral House for refl ection and education and youth work.