Father Joe’s Editorial for SMILE – June 2011

The year charges on relentlessly – the Bishop’s Parish Visitation, Beverley Roberts’ Benemerenti Medal, Easter, Confirmation and First Holy Communion Day, the AGM of the Apostleship of the Sea (national organisation), the end of a school term and the beginning of another, the earthquake in the past, duck shooting in the present and the Rugby World Cup in the future …

Next week’s International Dinner is one of our Parish’s social occasions.  There are some who say there’s plenty of religion here, but not much else.  This seems harsh and unfair given what the Parish is about.  Never mind, next Saturday evening there is a social event to mirror the season when everyone heard the preaching in his or her own tongue.  There will be a unity through tongues at this function as we experience the taste of different food and meet with friends and talk with others whom we see only at Mass and hardly know at all.

Security Fencing
The facilities here at Saint Mary ‘s Church are attractive to many people, for many different reasons.  While most of the readers of SMILE will be familiar with Saint Mary’s Church as a place of prayer and devotion, there are people who have other reasons for coming onto our property.  In recent years, we have moved from an open “come one, come all” attitude to a much more security conscious approach to our property and to ourselves.  The gates and fence that have been constructed are there as barriers to those who presume to impose themselves upon us (the priests who reside beside the church) in whatever way they choose, regardless of time of day or night, or the reasonableness of the request (demand).

There are some who will find reason to criticise the installation of this fence, seeing it as a barrier that is being erected to hinder access to the priests.   Any amount of explaining that the fence simply is a sign of the times and provides reasonable security for the priests’ personally will not alter their view.  However, if at any time any of these complainants would like a stranger to sleep uninvited on their doorstep, urinate in their garden, knock at the door loudly and persistently at a late hour demanding money, or fight and sing in a drunken state, then please contact me and I will arrange for that service to be provided at their home address!   

Preference Certificates
Many people will know what I am referring to by this title, while a few will have no idea that there is a legal requirement to determine whether a child for whom the parents seek enrolment in a Catholic School will be “preference” or “non-preference.”  Sometimes the matter of preference or non-preference can be discovered by asking, “Is this child a baptised Catholic?”  

In New Zealand, Catholic Schools are first of all for Catholic children.  The Catholic School system was established in New Zealand by the Catholic community for the education of their children in the ways of faith.  Aquinas College is the “first choice” place of education for Catholic families in the Western Bay of Plenty.  This is the College’s ninth year of operation and it is clearly seen as a desirable place to send children.

The reason for its desirability should be in my view that it is a Catholic College, with an unashamedly Catholic focus – educationally, spiritually and morally.  That it is sometimes less than that, and that those wishing to send their children there are ambivalent or even disinterested in being Catholic, should not weaken our resolve to strengthen its Catholicity.  Local Catholics established this College because of their commitment to their Catholic Faith.   They were unequivocal in their view that it was to pass on the Catholic Faith: that still needs to be our guiding objective.  All other reasons for attending Aquinas College are subservient to that.

Enrolments for 2012 have just closed, and I have signed Preference Certificates for 70 or more likely applicants for places at the College next year.  I would welcome feedback from those who received Preference Certificates (and those who were declined – a handful, from memory) as to whether they were satisfied with the process, the way they were treated and the outcome.   For a couple of years now, in this parish, parents have been asked to complete a questionnaire relating to their understanding of Catholic Character and how they can support their child in the formation of the child’s faith and the practices of the Catholic Church.   I look at the completed form, and, providing that the Baptism Certificate is in order, a Preference Certificate is issued.   This fulfils the requirement for a Preference Certificate and a formal interview is often unnecessary. Both schools have welcomed this process, because it is transparent, clear and efficient.

The New Carpet
Many comments have been heard about the new carpet, particularly the red carpet in the sanctuary.  The principal “enemy” of carpet in a church is candle wax.  That is particularly the case of the red carpet: it is made of solution-dyed nylon, particularly chosen for its buoyancy – when heavy furniture is placed on it, it springs back and doesn’t leave unsightly distracting indentations.  It has the added bonus of being resistant to light, meaning the sun won’t bleach it.   However, unlike wool-based carpet, the cleaning agents used to remove wax will further damage the carpet.   For this reason, I am being extra-cautious and doing all I can to restrict the possibility of wax being spilled on the carpet.   There is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion designated to extinguish the candles at the conclusion of each Mass, and I hope that the previous practice of children availing themselves of soft candle wax to play with will cease.

Joe Stack