One of the most powerful passages in Scripture lies in Jesus' story of the “judgement of the nations” (Matthew 25: 31 – 46). Here it is very clear that the crucial touchstone of authentic human life, and following the Lord, is how we respond to the needs of others: especially those who hunger, thirst, require shelter or clothing, are imprisoned or new in the community. At the heart of every parish and of the Diocese are our outreaches of Christian support.
Being there for others…
Justice Peace and Development (JPD)
The diocese’s outreach is coordinated through the diocese and Commission for Justice Peace and Development. It works closely with Caritas Aotearoa with a special focus being on our Lenten collection and Social Justice Week in September.
The JPD also has focused on land issues, especially in the Taranaki, issues of domestic violence, and end-of-life support issues.
National resources can be found at www.caritas.org.nz. Books on Social Justice may be borrowed from the Social Justice Library in the Diocesan Centre.
Chaplaincies to Prison and Hospital
Whenever anyone is in hospital or in prison each community has a chaplaincy support which is available. All whanau or individuals have to do is ask and the chaplain will be contacted.
The Chaplains are:
Hospital:
Hawkes Bay regional Hospital: Debra Lucy
Palmerston North Hospital: Kathleen Field
Taranaki Base Hospital: Albert Chow
Whanganui Hospital: Norma O’ConnorPrison:
Whanganui Prison: Sean Ryan
Manawatu Prison: Forrest Chambers
Hawke’s Bay Prison: appointment pendingContact details for all chaplains are available via Liam Greer on [email protected].
Deaf
The Diocese has a specialised ministry to and with the deaf community, the fruit of the wonderful work done by the Dominicans at St Dominic’s Feilding. This ministry is continued through David Loving-Molloy who can be contacted via the St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre on [email protected].
You can also visit their facebook page and find helpful videos in NZSL on YouTube.
Social Services
The Diocese does not have a separate, specifically Catholic, social services structure. For the last 30 years we have worked in ecumenical outreaches, strongly supported by the Diocese.
For immediate charitable needs, and the support of those at Ozanam house in Palmerston North (those from the diocese who are undertaking cancer treatment away from home) please contact your local parish or St Vincent de Paul.
For counselling/budget/support of a more formal nature again please make contact through your local parish to:
ACROSS (Anglican/Catholic Social Services, Palmerston North)
Catholic Charities Foundation and The Tindall Foundation
On a regular basis, the Diocese supports a large variety of charities who apply for funding to the Catholic Charities Foundation. The Catholic Charities Foundation is a resource of the Diocese and is supplemented by the generosity of the Tindall Foundation.
The Catholic Charities Allocations Group allocates the funds on behalf of the Foundation and Tindall by funding Catholic and community organisations who are working in areas they have identified as priorities.
Contact the Secretary for information on applying for funds for your organisation – Belinda Blackler
Download the application form here.
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
Website: https://holysepulchrenz.org.nz/
Tribunal of the Catholic Church for New Zealand
The Tribunal of the Catholic Church is the official ecclesiastical court of the Church.
In 1987, the New Zealand Bishops Conference agreed to have the Tribunal of the Catholic Church established nationally for all cases including penal trials, declarations of nullity and cases of vindication of rights provided in Canon Law.
A major function of the Tribunal is to process declaration of nullity cases, meaning inquiring as to whether the marriage is binding for life or not according to the laws of the Catholic Church.
The Tribunal Office for the Wellington and Palmerston North dioceses is located in Wellington. Please use this link for more information: https://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/about/catholic-tribunal/.
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