Society of Mary

Marist Fathers New Zealand: Life and spirit

Maori

The Father has no favourites: Māori ‘take on’ Christianity their way

For nearly fifty years David Gledhill a Pakeha Marist priest with Irish ancestry has worked in and around Māori.

Fr Gledhill told RNZ’s Jerome Cvitanovich that over the years the Society’s involvement with Māori has changed from the “Māori Missions”; a mission to convert Māori, to impose a faith and structure, to recognising that when Christ came on earth, he took on all humanity and brought all people to himself.

David Gledhill
Fr David Gledhill SM

“We are all contributing to the one mission of Christ”, he said.

“Slowly we start to see the heavenly Father has no favourites and been with the people from the beginning, and in their way they are proclaiming the Good News.”

Fr Gledhill says the Church was wrong to impose its structure on Māori culture, rather it is important to be with the people and see the plan of the Father.

“The Māori do it different…they take it on as Māori.”

“I see the Māori coming as a family to Christ, their way, and I say hell, I’m Irish, there are some good things there and I’d like to have a part of that.”

In the late 1950s David Gledhill joined students from around New Zealand to begin training at the Society of Mary’s seminary in Hawkes Bay – Mount St Mary’s.

His original plan was to volunteer for missionary work overseas. But in his last years of seminary training he was asked to consider staying in New Zealand.

In 1966, shortly after his ordination, his superior sent him a short note advising him of his posting.

“Dear David,” it read. “You are appointed to Hato Paora college. You may do university if you wish. Kind Regards.“

After nearly 50 years of ministry with Māori Fr Gledhill says that once you see the realisation that the Father has no favourites and take part of the ordinary social structures of the Māori you have a great respect for and hope for the future.

Listen to the full RNS conversation with Jerome Cvitanovich

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Source: RNZ

 

Cardinal Dew thanks Marists as 170 years in Otaki ends

stmarysotakiCardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, has announced that as from 1 February 2016, the Archdiocese will take responsibility for the pastoral care of the parish of Saints Mary and Joseph in Otaki and Levin.

Dew has thanked the priests and brothers of the Society of Mary for their pastoral care and leadership in Otaki which the Society of Mary has provided almost continuously since 1844.

The Society only recently took up care of the larger new parish of Sts Mary and Joseph, which combines both Otaki and Levin.

But because of the ageing of its priests and brothers the Society of Mary has found it can no longer provide a religious community to minister to the pastoral care for the parish.

“Given the long history of the Marist presence in this area, this move is not something that we have approached lightly or rashly,” said Father David Kennerley, the provincial of the Society of Mary.

“Indeed, it is with great sadness and regret that we have made this decision.”

Society of Mary will continue to offer its assistance to the parish and the greater Wellington area in Maori Pastoral Care.

Source: Originally appeared in CathNews

Parish withdrawal forces scaling back of Marist support of Māori College

The Society of Mary is withdrawing from Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Palmerston North at the end of 2015.

“The decision to finish reflects our need to consolidate our apostolates and to prioritise our ministries,” Marist Fathers’ provincial, Fr David Kennerley SM said in a letter, Saturday, to Marist priests and brothers.

A consequence of this decision is the Society is to scale back its support of Hato Paora College.

The College, a Catholic Māori boys’ boarding school was established by the Society of Mary in 1947.

Fr Kennerley says the Society hopes to continue to support Hato Paora College into the future, but obviously not with as significant a presence as its has up to this point.

Currently Fr Matthew Crawford SM ministers full time at Hato Paora and lives in the Marist community at Our Lady of Lourdes.

Fr Kennerley says that the withdrawal from Our Lady of Lourdes parish marks the end of 14 years service and will be felt by many.

“We are grateful to all our confreres who have served in this parish and in other parts of this area for their energy and commitment,” he wrote.

Writing to the Palmerston North Diocese, Bishop Charles Drennan said the priests in Palmerston North always felt the warmth of hospitality and welcome at the Marist Community at Our Lady of Lourdes.

“Our diocese has been greatly served by the Shamrock street community over the years and it is with much sadness that I recognize the Society’s need to allocate their men elsewhere in the mission of the Church,” wrote Bishop Drennan.

The bishop said it’s the Marists’ vibrant, generous and varied ministry is what will be missed the most.

Members of the Society grouped by age met recently at Tatum Park to prioritise their ministries in New Zealand.

The meetings were requested by the Society of Mary’s General Administration in Rome.

Reflecting on these meetings, Fr Kennerley said in his May Provincial Newsletter, that without being asked, both meetings had agreed the Provincial and his Council were left to make the final choice for prioritising the provinces’ ministries.

In 2012, the Society of Mary took over responsibility of the Napier Pastoral area that comprises the Napier city parish of St Patrick, St Thomas-Moore parish and the St Mary’s parish in Taradale.

Award winning playwright pens play about first Māori bishop

Mr Aroha Awarau
Mr Aroha Awarau

Aroha Awarau, a Hato Paora old boy and Auckland-based journalist says his next play is going to be about the first Māori bishop.

“A lot of great Māori writers tend to explore Māori issues in a spiritual or Māori world,” says Mr Awarau.

Mr Awarau says the play looks at the election of the first Māori Catholic bishop in New Zealand with a bit of a reality TV twist.

“People can connect to that desire and want of competing for a prize.”

The first Māori bishop, Max Takuira Mariu SM, was also a former student and later on teacher at Hato Paora College.

Despite writing full time for New Zealand Woman’s Weekly magazine, Mr Awarau also wrote and produced the Annual Script Writers award-winning play, “Luncheon“.

He has also had short films shown at international film festivals and is trying his hand at television production as well.

Mr Awarau attended Hato Paora College, a boarding school in Fielding and as a 17-year-old travelled to New York to live with a Jewish family on an exchange for a year.

His final year was at Hawera High School. “What shaped me as an artist really was my time in Hawera,” he said.

Source: CathNews

Pukekaraka Marae meeting proposes two key principles for pastoral care of Māori

Marists involved in the pastoral care of Maori met recently at Pukekaraka Marae, Otaki, to discuss the pastoral care of Māori in a very different Māori world.

The meeting formulated two key principles, the need to work ecumenically and in collaboration with the laity.

The meeting was in response to the the 2012 Marist Provincial Chapter, that asked the Provincial to call together experienced Marists involved in Māori Pastoral Care to propose a project, area and intent, combined in a workable plan of action.

Ten Marists were at the meeting.

Meeting co-ordinator, Fr Chris Martin said “Marists ministering with Māori today are generally working in a very different New Zealand, a post-Waitangi Treaty settlement world, a Māori world with a generally greater resources, sense of Māori identity and language”.