In fact, I watched not a single DVD and read only fairly lightweight books – because, as those of you more experienced than I in medical matters already knew, rest after surgery tends to mean just that: rest.

However, I did find time to revisit some of my favourite Monty Python skits – and ranking highly amongst those is the “Four Yorkshiremen” sketch.

You probably know the one:  four Yorkshiremen talking together about the “good old days” and trying to outdo each other about both how tough life was 30 years ago but also how happy they were in those days:

1. We used to live in this tiiny old house, with greaaaaat big holes in the roof.
2. House?  You were lucky to have a HOUSE!  We used to live in one room, all hundred and twenty-six of us, no furniture.  Half the floor was missing; we were all huddled together in one corner for fear of FALLING!
3. You were lucky to have a ROOM!  We used to live in a corridor!
4. Ohhhh we used to DREAM of livin’ in a corridor! Woulda’ been a palace to us.  We used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip…….

I think a large part of the appeal of that sketch – for me and I suspect for many others – is that it’s talking about the past.  The past always looks better with hindsight – and you can elaborate, embellish (or straight out lie) without so much risk of being caught out.

It’s not so easy to look to the future though because that presents altogether different challenges.

In Scriptural terms, perhaps, we find it relatively easy to identify with the disciples at the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

They were clear on what they had – five loaves and two fish – and on the fact that even with the greatest amount of generosity in the world that wasn’t going to satisfy 5000.  And that’s not an unreasonable conclusion to reach.

What they hadn’t factored in, as we know, is that Jesus wasn’t asking them to sort the situation out on their own but in conjunction with him.  And so his instructions to the disciples were along the lines of “use what you have” [and let me make up the shortfall] rather than focus on what you can’t do (namely, feed 5,000 with five loaves and 2 fish).

That idea of focussing on what we can do, as opposed to on what we can’t do, isn’t something we find easy.

The meeting of those aged under 60 at the end of June could easily have been drawn into focussing on what we can’t do because there are very real issues facing us when we consider the demographics and the ministries of the province.

To take some of the material that was presented at that meeting:

If we look at our age structure as a Province:

• there are 50 confreres over the age of 75
• there are 52 aged between 60 and 75
• there are 35 aged under 60

In terms of ministries, the figures become even starker. The 2008 Chapter, in its Vision Statement, said that “By 2012 New Zealand Marists will have a ministry which:

• with lay people, promotes the sharing of our charism
• recognises the original call to mission among the tangata whenua
• focuses on young people and “foreign lands”
• prefers missionary parishes

If we take a broad-brush approach, we can say that of the 137 members of the Province, 32 are retired from full ministry and 12 are overseas.  That means that 93 men in the Province are currently engaged in ministry within the Province – and of that 93, 35 are under the age of 60 (but 4 of those are currently overseas).

In terms of the areas highlighted by the Vision Statement, the figures are even clearer.  With the most optimistic interpretation, we have 56 men whose primary ministry is in those areas – but only 15 men who are aged under 60.

We do have to add in to all this, of course, other factors such as:

• the needs of the wider Society of Mary (and so some of our men work in other parts of the world – and others are likely to be called overseas also)
• the under 60s are not the “only available” men in the Province
• the areas of ministry highlighted in the Vision Statement are not the only and sole valid ministries for SMNZ

Nevertheless it is very easy to get sucked into focussing on what we can’t do any longer – an overwhelming sense that the 5,000 is still waiting to be fed and we’re down to 2 loaves and half a fish.

In asking for the under 60s to meet, the 2008 Chapter didn’t, I believe, have in mind for the group to attempt to come up with answers (miraculous or otherwise) as to how we might stretch our diminishing resources to cover all the needs.

The under 60s  as gathered at Tatum Park were not a decision making group, a policy setting group or a “let’s divide up the inheritance and make a run for it” group.

To set the meeting in a context it would be worth re-reading your copy of Our Iceberg is Melting and looking particularly at the section on The Scouts.  It would also be worth re-reading the Vision Statement of the 2008 Chapter.

The Under 60s group can’t ignore the realities of the demographics of the Province and of the implications for our ministries, but nor can it afford to let itself get sucked into a mindset that it has to keep things going as they have been.

One of the starting point for the meeting was “What can we do?” rather than “What can’t we do?”  And to address that and related issues (such as the nature of religious life today; the realities of Community life; the availability of individuals and the needs of individuals as well as of ministries) required some soul-searching and honesty on the part of each individual and of the group.  It’s a dialogue that needs to be continued by the under 60s – and its one that all of us in the Province will need to engage in also – as we reflect on the content and implications of the 2008 Vision Statement.

As we do that, though, it’s worth reminding ourselves that we get energy and hope from looking forward, not backwards; from being confident that we do not have to do everything on our own; and that the faith message for us today is the same as to the disciples at Cana and at the Feeding of the Five Thousand:  “Do whatever He tells you”.

- Brian Cummings

Phil Cody in Davao for MAP meeting

The annual meeting of the provincials and vicar-provincials from Marist Asia Pacific (MAP), took place recently in Davao, the Philippines. The major topics discussed included:

• A report from each province and district.
• The actual status of MAP
• Marist Mission in Asia, especially where it is existing now in the Philippines, Japan and Ranong / Thailand
• Formation, with a particular focus on the theologate in Rome, support of young Marists and ongoing Marist renewal including ideas from the General Chapter (SD 38-41 and 49,50)
• Vocations, especially what is needed for admission and the sharing of resources
• Support and shared planning within MAP, in various areas including training, education and finance.

Some of the key decisions made were:

1. That the Superior General be asked to formalise MAP, providing a mandate for it within the overall mission of the Society and as an expression of sharing of resources for mission. (SD 43-55)
2. That a request be made to the General Administration to continue the conversation with MAP about the overall mission priorities of the Society as a framework for support of our existing mission in Asia and all that is connected with that such as recruitment.
3. That a series of Marist Renewals take place over the next 5 years for those in the region about 10 years professed or ordained.  Marists from outside the region may attend.  Each will last two or three months at Hunters Hill, Sydney.  Topics will include Spiritual renewal, Marist themes and living a healthy lifestyle.
4. That the valuable (2009) meeting of Marists in their first 5 years of profession and ordination be kept on the agenda, noting the initiative in the Philippines of younger Marists meeting regularly for support, reflection and relaxation.
5. That the Common Vocations Initiative be continued with a sharing of resources and information in particular through the internet.  At least two key persons in each region have been suggested to carry forward that network.
6. That a Fund be set up to cover costs of MAP and small scale MAP initiatives.
7. That we look for opportunities for skills development and training.

While the actual time in meetings was fruitful, the wider experience of sharing together in Davao was also of lasting value.  The opening welcome prayer with members of all branches of the Marist family present including Lay Marists and the Filipino students in formation was a highlight.

The participants, enjoyed local hospitality, not least an adventurous boat journey to a nearby island for a picnic and a rescue of a stranded boat!

Kevin Duffy from the General Administration was present throughout the meeting providing an important link for information and ideas.

The next MAP meeting is planned to take place in Oceania from Tue 14 – Thur 16 June 2011.

Gerry Whiteford and Kevin Conroy (obscured)

So I wonder whether everyone in the province who did not come to the Under 60 meeting last weekend are wondering what on earth was being plotted.  Maybe others are not half as paranoid as I am, but I’m primarily writing this article for the newsletter so that others will have at least the basic idea of what the weekend was about.

Twenty five Marists under 60 were present at Tatum Park.  Tatum Park in case you are wondering where on the earth that is – is located about 15 minutes north of the town of Otaki.  Years ago it used to be owned by the Boy Scout movement and there are still remnants of Baden Powell about the place. It’s one of those places that seem to have become uneconomical for someone to run – like lots of retreat centres, but it manages to get by with a small and dedicated staff who do their best to make the place run smoothly with limited resources.

All in all there are 35 NZ Marists under 60 – well there were when the bell tolled.  John Owens turned 60 on the weekend and that really signifies the point – the province is aging and even those of us who like to think of ourselves as somehow “young” are getting older at the same pace that everyone else is!  Being over 60 however is not a crime, nor does being over 60 mean anything like you are no longer young.  The last chapter called for a meeting of those under 60 so that the concerns of that group could be looked at and that the province could work out how our mission might better be shaped for the years to come.

Not everyone U60 could attend.  About 5 of the group are overseas at present, and others were caught in ministry situations that made it difficult to extricate themselves.  But 25 seemed to be a good turn-out of those that we might call the young and the restless.

Basically then the U60 meeting was simply a conversation.  It was in some ways a dialogue between the provincial and the group, it was, as well, a conversation between the men themselves – about the future, about what gives each and all of us hope and life, about ways in which the province and each of us participate in and experience the life of the province and the ways in which together we can support each other going forward.

The weekend gave us a chance to pray together to listen to the General and the Provincial, to celebrate the Eucharist together, to reminisce about the good old days, and the bad, to laugh at each other and with each other, to share everything that is good about being a Marist and to forget the less than positive experiences.  The theme of the weekend was: Accepting the Past, Living the Present and Exploring the Future.

Tim Gordon whom many of you will remember in the same band as me (and is now married with two young boys) was the facilitator.  Mark Walls, Chris Martin and I acted as the organising committee but basically the meeting ran along without too firm a hand on the tiller.

It was certainly for me a very positive experience of being a Marist and being with a group of other Marists just celebrating who we were, talking through the issues that we face, being attentive to the others that were there and being challenged by different ideas.  Thank God we do not all think the same way, and I thank God that we can actually share our thoughts with each other, find them quite different and not have a fit about the differences too.

- Tim Duckworth

I do not know what our future will hold, but I have lately been reading a lot of stories from our past. I’ve been collating the translations into English of Charlie Girard’s Lettres reçues d’Océanie. Brian Quin has done the bulk of the translations, various others, like Jack Ward, have also contributed, and I have a group of lay volunteers beavering away.

One Marist, whom I must admit to never having heard of before I read the letters, is Bishop Guillaume Douarre (1810-1853) who was appointed co-adjutor Vicar Apostolic of Central Oceania (in 1841 after Pompallier’s huge mandate was divided up) and then, ordained Bishop (1842) and made Vicar Apostolic of New Caledonia (1847). He was the founding bishop of the Catholic Church in New Caledonia – a foundation that was marked by disaster and difficulty, including the death of Br Blaise Marmoiton.

I came across Douarre’s coat of arms and his motto in our General Archives in Rome. I liked the image of a little boat tossed on a rough sea – very evocative of travel in the Pacific. He obviously means the boat to be also seen as the church – his little diocese struggling against adversity. The motto is the words of the apostles when their boat is going down in the storm on the lake of Galilee (Matt 8:25). The implication is a confidence that the Lord will respond just as he did then. I enjoyed the humour and the faith expressed in the image.

Then, the other day, I came across this passage in a letter by Pierre Rougeyron SM (Doc. 452, Jan 1846):

Having no material resources, we set about securing our food by the sweat of our brow. Monseigneur Douarre set aside his bishop’s insignia; first, he gave us the example of work like other virtues, from that moment and right up till this day, he forgot that he was a bishop so that he could mix with the brothers, or rather he remembered that he had the burden of the bishopric; father in time of need, he wanted to secure a few morsels of bread for his hungry children. From that moment, nothing was any trouble to him, the most difficult and most humiliating work were his share. The episcopate has some glory about it in the outside world, that is in our civilized lands, but in the missions, especially those just setting up, the title has about it dedication and generosity of spirit which accepts this heavy mitre. One has to have been in the missions fully to understand what I have said and what I am not saying.

Now, I’m sure Douarre had his off days, and I have no ideas whether he proved to be a good bishop or not, but, at least on that day, he showed himself to be a good Marist missionary. He was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in.

The more I read of the history of the Oceania mission the more I realize what an enormous and difficult task those first Marists took on. It was far from plain sailing, it certainly was not success after success. They lost quite a few Marists along the way to sickness, violence, shipwreck and vocation crisis. Not all of their decisions were wise ones. Administrations and individuals made plenty of mistakes through ignorance or stupidity.

I have no desire to repeat their mistakes, but we should definitely emulate their virtues.

I present Guillaume Douarre, a confrère from the past, as an example of some of those virtues:

• Humility
• A sense of humour
• Faith
• A willingness to work
• Stickability

If we can keep that spirit alive in the Society of Mary then we can face whatever the future throws at us.

- Merv Duffy

If we step out of where they are set, and focus on the main character in each, then a lot more common ground becomes apparent – especially in the sense of what war means, and does, to a person in their particular context.

Cerdon

(And although I appreciate that The Hurt Locker won the Oscar for Best Film, I actually think Winter in Wartime has more depth to it.)

There doesn’t seem to be any obvious connection between the Marist charism and the book “The Blind Side” (by Michael Lewis) either – especially when we take into account that the book is primarily about aspects of what we generally call American football.

But the more I read what Lewis has to say, the more it seems to me to have a number of relevant messages for us as Marists.

Essentially, the book operates on several levels: on one, it is about an evolution in the game in terms of style and tactics (and of how that impacts on who plays it) and it is also the biography of one particular person who is caught up in that evolution.

If those of you with more than a passing knowledge of football will bear with me and forgive the simplicity of the way I sum things up….the Quarterback is the most valuable player in a team because he is the one who enables the game-plan to be put into action on the field. The role of all the other players (and there are a lot of them) is to protect him and enable him to do his job.

In the early 1980s, a player by the name of Lawrence Taylor revolutionised the game because he proved to be able to not only tackle, but significantly hurt, quarterbacks.

Essentially, Taylor was bigger, faster and meaner than anyone who had played in his position previously.

The secret to his success was that he attacked from the quarterback’s blindside – behind and to his left (assuming the quarterback was right-handed). Previously teams had been able to defend that but Taylor was simply too big and strong.

The change this brought about in the game was that opposing teams had to devise a method of protecting their quarterback and the only real way to do it was to have someone capable of handling Taylor (or anyone else like him) in what’s known as the Left Tackle position.

And so the evolution in the game became not only a bigger, stronger faster player being picked as Left Tackle – but also that that player now became the second most valuable player on the team roster by virtue of the fact that he protected the most valuable.

The second level of Lewis’ book deals with the story of Michael Oder who is a Left Tackle – and who at the age of 15 was 335 pounds and 6’5” (in USA measurements).

And to state the obvious, there aren’t Marists built like that! So where’s the connection?

I think there are three points we could relate to. The first is the fact that new developments – an evolution – requires of us new responses. Football, as Lewis points out, evolved because here was a new kind of athlete doing a new kind of thing. And other aspects of life evolve also, of course.

It seems clear, I think, that the Church is undergoing a fundamental change at present in the sense that it will do things differently and be viewed differently into the future. What exactly that means and how it will shape up isn’t yet evident. But it will require of us humility, courage, faith, and hope – not timidity, defensiveness or anger at the way the media operates.

Things have – and are – changing and we need to be able to change positively also if we are to relate to the new realities confronting us.

Size apart, we should also be able to relate to the role of the Left Tackle as the protector of the quarterback’s blindside.

As Marists, we aren’t called to be the Most Valuable Team or the centre of attention – we are called to be alongside others and to enable them to do what they are called to do.

We are called to identify, if you like, people’s “blindside” and position ourselves in such a way as to protect and assist them. Interestingly, once teams had started to work out how to counter the threat of Lawrence Taylor, he had one game where he never managed to nail the quarterback.

The talk amongst the critics was that he had lost his edge – but what they missed was that the Left Tackle had done his job so efficiently that he had shut down the threat Taylor posed to his quarterback.

And in the present turmoil we all find ourselves through our charism “being alongside”, “being present amongst the disciples” – and that is something that is hugely valuable, both to those inside and beyond the Church.

And thirdly, there is the question of our own “blindside”.

We each have our own areas of weakness – areas where we are vulnerable when we are under stress, over-worked, frustrated; areas which exist simply because we are human and not perfect machines and so occasionally things go wrong or just wear out!

And just like the quarterback, we can’t protect our blindside on our own. We need to put in place systems and measures of support – we need to take days off and holidays; we need a prayer-life; we need spiritual direction and supervision; we need to have a healthy life-style.

Sometimes, too, we need to be the Left Tackle for others in our Community – to point out (gently!) when someone is not looking after themselves; to provide support and encouragement; to sometimes “be there” when the other person doesn’t even realise what we are doing for them.

The “blind side” is and can be a place of threat and danger – it is also a place that gives opportunity and a chance to create new ways of doing things. And it is where we as Marists are called to be.

Father General in his recent letter to us, “To embrace wholeheartedly our Marist Identity”, points out that by the year 2017 almost half of Marists (he calculates that the total number will be 780 of us) will be over the age of 80. While I’ll still make it under that bar and still will be in the “younger half”, we certainly are greying, hopefully gracefully.

On 25-27 June this year there will be a weekend meeting for members of the province under 60 – by my calculation about 30 of us.

The gathering begins with dinner on the Evening of Friday, 25 June at Tatum Park just north of Otaki.

Last night after celebrating the Feast of St Peter Chanel in some style I was part of a fairly lively Marist discussion of where the Church was headed, where we had come from and what might be our course of action going forward.

One young member of the province – not mentioning any names – thought that a whole lot more of the province should be working in Schools. He was there with four of us who had done between us the best part of a hundred years of it already. Somehow it seemed to him that what we had done and were doing now didn’t seem to be half as worthy as what he was about to do. I’m not sure he would have said I was wasting my time here at Cerdon but simple answers late at night seem the most appealing.

Most Marists I meet are fervently convinced that what they are doing is not only worthy but essential and utterly Marist. Whether that be editing the Messenger, Spirituality Ministry, Parish or Pastoral work, City Ministry, Administration, the Internet or Teaching. No that’s not meant to be an exhaustive list! Others lament that we are no longer associated with the institutions that gave us identity – the schools, retreat houses, large parishes and corporate works we once had.

But we cannot deceive ourselves thinking we are what we’ve always been – a large phalanx of men marching forward unimpeded by age, diminishment or infirmity.

So what is our future as Marists in this part of the world?

Undoubtedly there will be some more seconded to other Marist Missions in other parts of the world. We have a long history of men leaving home and family to serve abroad. Sure a few will return home in the next few years too. Most of those will have, as the cliché goes, borne the heat of the day.

I was fascinated a few years ago when studying in the United States to learn words that I’d never really consciously used. Yet these words were on the lips of my teachers and classmates and two of them are apposite here.

Stakeholders and Leverage! The group of under 60s meeting in June are not the only stakeholders in the Marist enterprise, but they are certainly a significant group of stakeholders. Leverage refers to the ability of an individual or group to use the resources, skills and, in our case, the Charism they have in such a way as to make a significant impact upon those with whom they work.

I’m hoping that at Tatum Park we’ll make headway in our discussion of how these stakeholders intend to leverage this creative future together.

- Tim Duckworth

This ministry:

• provides opportunities for individuals and groups associated in any way with the Society of Mary to develop the practice of the spirit and spirituality of the Society,
• builds up self-sustaining networks and groups inspired by the Colinian spirit and spirituality
• provides a place imbued with the Marian spirit for individuals and groups to meet, reflect, pray and make retreats

Denis O’Hagan asked Richard Puanaki to suggest a name. After consulting his family he suggested Pa Maria and provided the following explanation:

Maria, is of course a Maori transliteration of Mary. In addition to its well known meaning of stronghold or fortress Pa also means to be touched or to come close to, be near; e.g. Ka pa te mamae ki ahau (the sorrow touched me/the sorrow was felt by me).

Richard added that he thought this name would be easy to pronounce and spell and that it would “trip off the tongue”.

So Pa Maria denotes a secure place where people can come close to and be touched by Mary.

This year Emmaus, the Spirituality and Directed Retreat Ministry of Jim Dooley and Sr Lyndall Brown has moved with the name Emmaus to new premises in Harriett Street, Thorndon, Wellington.

• Discussed an article by Michael Crosby “Religious life: another opinion about its Scriptural underpinnings” which was a response to Sr Sandra Schneiders’ research on Religious life as a prophetic life form.
• Shared qualities needed for the role of Finance Officer.
• Talked over the role of Lyndsay Freer as Media Consultant.
• Decided to trial a booking system in the context of the Policy on Holiday Houses.
• Received an update on different confreres concerning health and placement.
• Received initial feedback on the communities the Care Co-ordinator has visited.
• Followed up points from the Marist Life Committee regarding Provincial Retreats in 2011.
• Formally signed a new Marist Youth Ministry Trust Deed which will be forwarded to the Charities Commission for registration.
• In Finance covered standard matters for both the Society of Mary Trust Board and the Society of Mary (NZ) General Trust; confirmed practical aspects and finances for the Society’s partnership with Challenge 2000 in the ‘GAP year’ ministry; renewed a loan between the Society and the St Bede’s College Board of Proprietors; approved the rental for Emmaus Spirituality ministry.
• Received an update of the discussions with Marist Holdings concerning a possible Maryknoll community.
• Discussed how best to respond to the call of the Provincial Chapter to reflect on the basic template of Religious Life [DDNZ08 p.11 Recommendations]
• Gave advice how best to facilitate the coming review of the Marist Maori Focus Unit Discussed developments of the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation commission noting www.awakeninguniverse.com.
• Planned for the coming Good Shepherd College Trust Board.
• Received a report on the First Professions in Davao.

Mass celebrating the feast of St Peter Channel. From left: Kerry Prendeville, Michael O'Donnell, Pat Brophy, Frank Bird.

Fifty years ago, in 1960, the national shrine of St Peter Chanel was erected in Russell. To mark the anniversary of the building of the shrine a commemorative Mass was celebrated there on the feast day, April 28.

A group of parishoners from the Mid-north Pastoral Area, which includes the Bay of Islands, gathered to celebrate the event with the local Marist Community. Pat Brophy was principal celebrant and Kerry Prendeville preached the homily. Frank Bird, assisted by Pius Keene and youth from Kerikeri animated the liturgy. Michael O’Donnell came up from Whangarei and gave a short talk on his visit to the island of Futuna in 2003.

A feature of the Mass was the presence of Mr Jack Guy, the builder of the shrine. Mr Guy recalled some of the difficulties in building in such a remote area. Some of the material for the construction was brought from Auckland by barge and the rest came over difficult shingle roads. The total cost for the construction of the shrine was £8172 pounds!

After Mass everyone enjoyed special St Peter Chanel biscuits, complete with picture of the Saint in the icing!

Related Links: www.peterchanel.info