In preparation for the 2025 Jubilee, Pope Francis has declared 2024 as a Year of Prayer. The focus of this year is “rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world.”
Whanganui’s Fr Craig Butler to attend pre-Synod gathering of priests in Rome
15 Apr 2024 | Global Church
Whanganui Parish Priest Fr Craig Butler will represent Catholic priests of Aotearoa New Zealand at a gathering of 300 priests from around the world at the Vatican this month as part of the countdown to October’s second session of the Synod on Synodality.
Fr Craig (pictured above) was nominated by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference to attend the “Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting” in Rome from 28 April to 2 May.
The gathering has been described as a “worldwide meeting of listening, prayer and discernment.”
Fr Craig has been a priest for nearly 30 years in the Diocese of Palmerston North, including 22 as a parish priest. He is a member of the diocesan College of Consultors, the Council of Priests and was the Local Administrator for several years until Bishop John Adams was appointed bishop last year. His work has included youth ministry and helping international priests to settle in New Zealand.
The Vatican asked each bishops’ conference to provide the gathering with parish priests with “significant experience in the perspective of a synodal Church”, while also ensuring the attendees are from “a variety of pastoral contexts.”
“I’m humbled to be asked to go,” says Fr Craig. “I’m looking forward to the experience and the chance to meet Pope Francis there, something I never thought I would experience.
“I wrote to the priests of New Zealand recently saying I’ve been asked to go to Rome as a parish priest, knowing I couldn’t possibly represent them all, and asking if they would share with me their experiences of the synodal process.
“While I wasn’t hugely involved with the Synod process at the parish level when it began, when I became Local Administrator, I became very involved. It’s a wonderful way to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to us from people whose voices are not always heard.”
During the five-day meeting, the 300 priests from around the world will participate in roundtable discussions, liturgical celebrations, workshops on pastoral proposals, and dialogue with experts. Its goal is to listen to and value the experience of parish priests, giving them a chance to experience the “dynamism of synodal work at a universal level.”
It is being held in the lead-up to the second session of the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be convened in Rome in October. The first session was held last October 2023 and produced a 42-page Synthesis Report which among other things recommended a “more active involvement of deacons, priests and bishops in the synodal process,” which led to the priests’ gathering.
The priests will have an audience with Pope Francis on 2 May and the meeting will contribute to the drafting of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the second session of the synod assembly.
15 Apr 2024 | Global Church
Whanganui Parish Priest Fr Craig Butler will represent Catholic priests of Aotearoa New Zealand at a gathering of 300 priests from around the world at the Vatican this month as part of the countdown to October’s second session of the Synod on Synodality.
Fr Craig (pictured above) was nominated by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference to attend the “Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting” in Rome from 28 April to 2 May.
The gathering has been described as a “worldwide meeting of listening, prayer and discernment.”
Fr Craig has been a priest for nearly 30 years in the Diocese of Palmerston North, including 22 as a parish priest. He is a member of the diocesan College of Consultors, the Council of Priests and was the Local Administrator for several years until Bishop John Adams was appointed bishop last year. His work has included youth ministry and helping international priests to settle in New Zealand.
The Vatican asked each bishops’ conference to provide the gathering with parish priests with “significant experience in the perspective of a synodal Church”, while also ensuring the attendees are from “a variety of pastoral contexts.”
“I’m humbled to be asked to go,” says Fr Craig. “I’m looking forward to the experience and the chance to meet Pope Francis there, something I never thought I would experience.
“I wrote to the priests of New Zealand recently saying I’ve been asked to go to Rome as a parish priest, knowing I couldn’t possibly represent them all, and asking if they would share with me their experiences of the synodal process.
“While I wasn’t hugely involved with the Synod process at the parish level when it began, when I became Local Administrator, I became very involved. It’s a wonderful way to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to us from people whose voices are not always heard.”
During the five-day meeting, the 300 priests from around the world will participate in roundtable discussions, liturgical celebrations, workshops on pastoral proposals, and dialogue with experts. Its goal is to listen to and value the experience of parish priests, giving them a chance to experience the “dynamism of synodal work at a universal level.”
It is being held in the lead-up to the second session of the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be convened in Rome in October. The first session was held last October 2023 and produced a 42-page Synthesis Report which among other things recommended a “more active involvement of deacons, priests and bishops in the synodal process,” which led to the priests’ gathering.
The priests will have an audience with Pope Francis on 2 May and the meeting will contribute to the drafting of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the second session of the synod assembly.
World Day of Prayer for Vocations and Seminarian Appeal 21 April 2024
On the 4th Sunday of Easter Time, 21 April 2024, we are invited to pray for those called to serve through priestly vocation. The day also marks the beginning of our National Vocations Awareness Week.
We are greatly blessed by the generosity and enthusiasm of our men training for priesthood.
Currently, we have one seminarian Dung Manh Phan at Holy Cross Seminary in Auckland. After returning from Vietnam, in July 2022 Dung studied papers for his degree. In 2023 he joined the year one cohort for his formation year 1 and this year, he is in year 2, studying fulltime towards his theology degree.
Lam van Nguyen, Hung van Nguyen, and Duy Pham, from Vietnam, arrived in New Zealand in 2022 to learn English before hopefully joining the seminary. However, it was with sadness that Duy returned to Vietnam early this year, due to health reasons.
For young people, remember that being a priest is always another option for your life. If you are thinking about it, please talk to any of our diocesan priests you may know. Parents, if your children are interested in the vocation of priesthood, please encourage them, and pray for them. Please feel free to contact our Diocese of Palmerston North Director, Fr Trung Nguyen on 022 062 6726 or email [email protected]
We ask you to please support our Seminarians with financial support and prayer. Please continue to pray for more candidates.
Thank you in advance for your contribution no matter how small.
There are specially marked envelopes in the foyer, or alternatively please pay by direct credit BNZ 020630 0288029 01 your name as payee, and ‘Seminary Appeal’ as reference.
On the 4th Sunday of Easter Time, 21 April 2024, we are invited to pray for those called to serve through priestly vocation. The day also marks the beginning of our National Vocations Awareness Week.
We are greatly blessed by the generosity and enthusiasm of our men training for priesthood.
Currently, we have one seminarian Dung Manh Phan at Holy Cross Seminary in Auckland. After returning from Vietnam, in July 2022 Dung studied papers for his degree. In 2023 he joined the year one cohort for his formation year 1 and this year, he is in year 2, studying fulltime towards his theology degree.
Lam van Nguyen, Hung van Nguyen, and Duy Pham, from Vietnam, arrived in New Zealand in 2022 to learn English before hopefully joining the seminary. However, it was with sadness that Duy returned to Vietnam early this year, due to health reasons.
For young people, remember that being a priest is always another option for your life. If you are thinking about it, please talk to any of our diocesan priests you may know. Parents, if your children are interested in the vocation of priesthood, please encourage them, and pray for them. Please feel free to contact our Diocese of Palmerston North Director, Fr Trung Nguyen on 022 062 6726 or email [email protected]
We ask you to please support our Seminarians with financial support and prayer. Please continue to pray for more candidates.
Thank you in advance for your contribution no matter how small.
There are specially marked envelopes in the foyer, or alternatively please pay by direct credit BNZ 020630 0288029 01 your name as payee, and ‘Seminary Appeal’ as reference.
Warning - Scam Calls Posing as our Priests
It has come to our attention that scam calls are being made where they have pretended to be one of our diocesan parish priests. Using the priest’s name, they ask for help in the form of gift cards or money. Note that none of our priest’s will ask for any money or gift cards and if in doubt ring the parish phone number. If you receive any such calls or texts, that are requesting such, please ignore and do not reply. Text’s often say, “they are in a meeting, so do not phone, but text back and that your help is critical and highly appreciated”. - Do not reply.
You can report their phone number to Department of Internal Affairs, by forwarding the text to 7726, then send in another text the scammers phone number. Then block the scammer’s number immediately.
If you receive a text/email which seems strange, always check the phone number (or email address). If it is a scam, the details will be slightly different. If in doubt, please do not respond to the text but delete it.
If you have been scammed, it’s important that you contact the police on 105.
See below a Stuff article about it happening in Auckland.
Warning issued after scammers posing as priests attempt to swindle church folk
SCAM ALERT - a scammer has stolen my contact details and is pretending to be me. This nefarious person is contacting parishioners, asking for help from me, by name, in the form of gift cards. Scammers are becoming more and more convincing and unfortunately, at least one person has been scammed (that I know of). I immediately contacted the police and my service provider - neither of whom can do very much. My concern is that this person or persons will keep trying using this or a similar process and good people will be hurt. If you received an unusual text (or email) from someone you think may be pretending to be me, please let me know so I can add it to the police report. I hate to think others have been scammed but have not said anything. Please let me know. If you have been scammed, it’s important that you contact the police yourself because what these scammers are doing is criminal and it’s theft. If you receive a text/email which seems strange, always check the phone number (or email address). If it is a scam, the details will be slightly different. This will give you a clue whether it is a genuine text or email. If in doubt, please do not respond to the text but delete it. Lastly, if I ever ask you for anything, it will always be in person or by phone.
Fr Craig
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.
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.
Rededication of Aotearoa New Zealand
Te Ara a Maria
2021-22
This Commissioned Artwork is now on tour around NZ.
Te Ara A Maria - Hikoi Wairua - Whanganui
Prayer for the Rededication
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Prayer for the Rededication
E te Atua aroha mā te whakapuaki i tō mātou whakapono Loving God in professing this faith In which we are united as your people we unite ourselves with the yes of your mother Mary, the first disciple. E te Atua, te Puna o ngā mea ora katoa, te kaihomai o ngā mea pai katoa O God, Source of all life, giver of all that is good We, your people of Aotearoa New Zealand Meet in the bonds of your love Keep us faithful in our response to your love with Mary patroness of our land. E te Atua aroha, ka karangahia houtia mātou e koe ki ngā hua o te ora. Loving God, you call us anew to the abundance of life For which we have been created. In our life with you we mature in relationship with you, with one another, and with our land We repent the harm we have caused in this holy place To our sisters and brothers and to our land. |
In humility we turn to Mary,
Mother of God, Assumed into Heaven. E te Atua, mā roto i te korowai o Maria te whāea o tāu tamaiti, tō mātou whāea anō hoki O God, under the patronage of Mary, the mother of your son, and our mother We join with those gathered in the Hokianga in January 1838 with the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Pompallier first Catholic bishop of this place to dedicate our land of Aotearoa New Zealand To the care of Mary, Mother of God, Assumed into Heaven. I tenei wā, ka whakahoungia e mātou tēnei oati tapu We now renew this dedication Turning to Mary with new fervour In union with her Son Our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with you In the unity of the Holy Spirit God forever and ever Amen |
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
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
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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. 
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What We believe...
National Office of Professional Standards (NOPS)
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Contact:
Phone: 0800 114 622 Postal: PO Box 10199, Phillipstown, Christchurch 8145 Email: [email protected] Website: www.safeguarding.catholic.org.nz |
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