Catholic Parish of Whanganui

COVID LEVEL 2

UPDATE: Wednesday 22 September, 9:30am
(All information will be posted here as soon as it comes to hand )

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Great news: on Tues 21 Sep at 11:59pm, Level 2 allows for indoor gatherings of up to 100 people. This means that our churches will able to operate, which Cardinal Dew is allowing, though at limited capacity and following the additional requirements to:

Wear a face covering (requested)

Scan the QR code or manually sign in using a ballot entry (mandatory)
Keep 2-meters social distancing (family groups)
Receive Holy Communion in the hand
100 person limit indoors

Weekday Masses begin from Wed 22 Sep, with 5:30pm Mass at St Mary’s. The weekday Mass timetable is below.

Our Sunday Masses Timetable is now confirmed and we will do as we did last time at Level 2 when numbers were limited, having 6 weekend Masses.

Please do spread yourselves across the Masses. If you normally attend 9:30am at St Mary's please consider attending 8am Sun or 4pm Sun at St Anne's, as these had room last time when we had the 100 restriction. Bookings are not needed to attend Masses.

Sunday Masses will be very simple* in nature during this Level, but regardless of this, it is wonderful that we will be able to celebrate the Mass and received the body of the Lord in the Eucharist again. Fr John and I are delighted that we can offer the timetable below for you all. If you would like to read at the Mass you attend, please volunteer as there will be no rosters at level 2.

Blessings,
Fr Vaughan.

* Simple means that there will be no singing, altar servers, sign of peace or offertory procession. The collection will take place as people leave the church

Sunday Mass Timetable Level 2 - 6 Masses
Holy Family Church (Saturday Vigil)
4:00pm
5:30pm
St Mary’s Church (Sunday Morning)
8:00am
9:30am
St Anne’s Church (Sunday Evening)
4:00pm
5:30pm

Weekday Masses
Mon 9:00am           Holy Family Church
Tues 10:00am          Holy Family Church
11:30am          St Anne’s Church
Wed 5:30pm            St Mary’s Church
Thurs   12:05pm          St Mary’s Church
Fri 12:05pm          St Mary’s Church
Sat 9:30am            St Anne’s Church

Adoration & Benediction
Wed    6:00pm—7:00pm St Mary’s Church
Fri        9:00am—11:50am       St Mary’s Church
concluding with Benediction on Fridays

Confession
Fri        11:20am—11:40am St Mary’s Church
Sat       9:00am—9:20am St Anne’s Church

This is the same as before lockdown

Churches Are Now Open

Parish YouTube Chanel

Welcome - Nau Mai. Haere Mai.

We are glad you have found us and are wanting to know more about what happens here in the Catholic Parish.

Please feel free to browse the webpages and make use of the downloadable free resources provided here.

If you have any queries not answered here you can contact us by phone or email through the contact information provided at the bottom of each page.

Photo: Hāto Hōhepa (St Joseph's Catholic Church)
Hiruhārama (Jerusalem)

Sunday 21 March 2021 Whanganui Parish Pilgrimage to Hiruhārama (Jerusalem)

2021
First Reconciliation
Holy Communion
Confirmation

+++++ Starting 3 August +++++

Please see the calendar below for new dates

Timetable

Parish Calendar - Level 2 (Churches Closed at Levels 3&4

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT TO THE DIOCESE - SYNOD 2021/2023

On 7 March 2020, Pope Francis announced a synod “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”. In May 2021, the Synodal process was changed into a three-year journey for every diocese worldwide, culminating in Rome in 2023. Pope Francis wants everyone to participate. He wants to hear the voice of all the baptised, especially those whose voices are seldom heard.

Our diocese hasn’t had a Synod before, so this is new territory for us. With the blessing of Cardinal John Dew, the Archdiocese of Wellington have offered to share their experience with us to help us in our process. Right now, we are in the process of creating a team to plan and lead our diocesan synod. They will be responsible for resourcing parish communities, for promoting the synod and for encouraging participation. Finally, they will bring our submissions together into a single document. Everyone is invited to make a submission.

The synodal process is both a global and local experience. Pope Francis is addressing the whole world and we want to do our very best to respond and involve as many people as possible. Given the expansiveness and importance of this project, I think we need to give of our best, including making use of our best people. In my experience, good consultation demands everyone’s input, right from the outset. So, please give some prayerful thought about how we can all best approach this project to give us the best results. In this case the widest and most comprehensive feedback to share with our bishops and lay people who will meet with Pope Francis in 2023.

Ehara taku toa, i te toa takitahi,ēngari e toa takitini.
My success is not mine alone, it is ours
The greatest success we will have is from working together.

Where to from here?

Please look at the official website https://www.synod.va/en.html Don’t be put off by the church language; the team will address this issue.

October 2021 - The Synod process will begin with an Opening Mass on Sunday 17 October at 6.00pm Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Palmerston North. Everyone is welcome to attend. On that day each parish will mark the beginning of the Synod celebrate at Sunday Eucharist.

November 2021 - The consultation process will begin in each parish. More information will follow about this from the organising team.

January 2011 - We will hold a pre-synodal meeting with representatives from across the diocese. The details will follow later this year.

Lastly, and most importantly, this work of creating a synodal church will only bear fruit if we make it a prayerful experience and open ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One of the documents we have received so far encourages the use of an adaptation of a prayer (Adsumus Sancte Spiritus) that was used at each of the Vatican II sessions and various Synods since then.

Fr Craig Butler
Local Administrator

SYNOD 2021 - 2023 PRAYER

We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name.

With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;

Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.

We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.

Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.

All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen

Vatican Synod Website

Lived Streamed Sunday and Weekday Masses
St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

For those unable to get to Mass, please feel free to access daily Mass below from St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

Click to Visit the Cathedral YouTube Chanel

Parish Newsletters

Present & Past Newsletters

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Pope Francis Proclaims “Year of St Joseph” 2020-21

With the Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from today, 8 December 2020, to 8 December 2021.By Vatican News
In a new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.

The Letter marks the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020 and extending to the same feast in 2021... read more
by Vatican News

Prayer to St Joseph

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.

Covid Alert Level 1

During Level 1 people entering our churches need to:

Scan the covid-19 QR codes or use the manual sign in register

Sanitise hands on entry

The celebration of Masses is mostly unchanged with only a few omissions to prevent transmission of viruses so that we all stay well, not having to stay at home; therefore:

There is no holy water at church doors, though people are welcome to take Holy Water for their own personal use
The sign of peace continues to be omitted
Holy Communion is under one kind (Host)

Please remember, if you are unwell stay at home and get tested

If you are awaiting a Covid test result, please refrain from coming to church until you have a confirmed negative result

Thank you for your understanding and support at this time. If Alert Levels change, further updates of what that means for our Parish community will be published here.

What We Do at Each Covid Alert Level

Level 1 – Masses are as normal
Level 2 – Masses limited to 100 people, socially distanced.

Sunday Masses will have an extra Mass 1 ½ hours before the normal times at the same venues:

4:00pm & 5:30pm Vigil (Sat) - Holy Family
8:00am & 9:30am - St Mary’s
4:00pm & 5:30pm - St Anne’s
Level 3 & 4 – Churches closed and 9:30am daily Mass on the Parish YouTube channelwww.youtube.com/channel/UCOhvW87NsoEFVUzPfy8nu2w

Parish Picnic 2021

What We believe...

Want to know more about what the Catholic Church believes on any topic today? Have a read of the Catechism of the Church and the Q&A style Compendium.

If you would like to learn more about the Catholic faith and how to become a member of the Church, we would love to hear from you.