Pastors Desk

Because many New Zealand Catholics no longer identify with symbols and signs used in the Sacred Liturgy, it has become a foreign land.

The Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum concilium (Sacred Council, 1963) charted the course because the Liturgy is the heart, source, centre and pinnacle of the Church!

While the values underpinning the state are supposed to descend from our Judeo-Christian beliefs and ideals, what happens when the state passes legislation that purloins the values on which we base our beliefs?

When we go into people’s homes, it is indeed a privileged space of great grace. These are sacred moments.

Everyone is called to service, not to be the consumer of other people’s generosity. It is not enough to turn up to Mass, give a donation and do nothing for the rest of the week. We are all in this together! We need people to step up and help.

Putting the focus on priests is not to detract from others.

The meaning of spirituality has developed over time as our understanding of culture, religion, and personal development has changed.

Language shapes and defines a group or an individual’s identity.

What has the synod process given us as constructive aims? The covid social and liturgical lockdown has shown us that our presumptions of church life, liturgical and sacramental worship, and parish communication need to change because our habitual patterns have been broken.