St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Pukekohe

04/06/2026

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT / SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION:

The Catholic Church globally has over recent weeks through the liturgical tradition of Easter period given weight to the Holy Trinity, Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. OCIA catechumens are currently discerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit and OCIC children will enter their discussion on the "gifts" later this month. Both programmes, like all other parishes, develop their programmes with Catholic liturgical tradition and feast day calendar in mind.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are rooted within the Bible. Old Testament like Isaiah describes what these are; it is Jesus who gives these gifts to us via the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We affirm receipt of them via the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The gifts are given prominence in Catholic teachings because it is through their "attachment" that we are able to live the priority commandments from Jesus - love the Lord thy God..., love thy neighbour. To be a practicing Catholic is to every day seek to "attach" these gifts to oneself, in fulfilling the commandments.

- Wisdom (perspective / guidance)
- Understanding (insight)
- Counsel (right judgement)
- Courage (fortitude)
- Knowledge (intellectual curiosity)
- Piety (reverence)
- Wonder and Awe

When you know someone with those virtues, some would say - "she / he is filled with the Holy Spirit". They have a joy about them; and that joy or aura is contagious. Isn't it human nature that we tend to "attach" ourselves to these individuals?

The last 30 years has seen greater prominence around the world given by Bishops / Diocese to their schools on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. No matter the charism, the critical importance of these Catholic virtues must support the development of young people through their formative years.

There are plenty of Youtube clips of homilies and lectures on the Gifts. If you wish to use your knowledge gift and want to go deeper then review the writings of St Thomas Aquinas particularly his Summa Theologiae - eight years of writings from the 13th Century which became a foundational document of Western thought including for modern natural law, ethics, philosophy, and reason (expanding Aristotle's arguments). There are also plenty of writings / clips online about the Summa.

St Thomas argued that these Gifts are Godly dispositions that helps us move closer to God. It's that "union" with the Holy Trinity that we fulfil the full potential the Lord has for us all - the Lord "calls you by name". So when one seeks "confirmation", they are responding to the Lord that they, as sinners, will do their best, with the help of the Spirit, to utilise the divine dispositions.

In adapting the seven gifts, Aquinas also makes clear the need to "detach" oneself from the cardinal vices (known in secular society as the seven deadly sins) - the foundational sins for which others emanate: Pride (ego), greed, envy (resentment of), gluttony, wrath (uncontrolled hatred), lust (I want, I want), and sloth (apathy that discards the joy).

Blessed Corpus Christi.

04/06/2026

FOR 8AM SUNDAY MASS PARISHIONERS:

This Sunday 7th June on the Feast of Corpus Christi, one of our current OCIA catechumens will receive his baptism and confirmation at the 8am Mass.

This week his family shifted to Central Auckland. He has linked up with St Michael's Remuera to complete his OCIA programme - last six sessions.

The catechumen has been fully committed and an active catechumen over 15 sessions. He also has had companionship for this journey and attending Mass. It's therefore appropriate (and a joy) that he should receive his baptism and confirmation from St Patrick's Parish and Fr Robert. He will receive his First Holy Communion at St Michael's once his OCIA programme journey is completed.

As we say to all adult catechumens on receipt of a sacrament:
May the Lord's grace guide you always. May the Holy Spirit be with thee always. It is a joy to welcome you home, to the table of Our Lord.

Ad majorem dei gloriam.

OCIA Team 2026
St Patrick's Parish

04/06/2026

FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI:

Sisters and brothers in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate another major Catholic feast day, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Since the 13th Century, we have celebrated this feast day in honour of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

The doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the defining feature of our Catholic traditions. As Pope John II regularly said during his sermons: "The Christian Church comes from the Eucharist."

In our other sacraments, we feel the "power" of Christ within us via water at baptism, or grace and mercy at reconciliation or the last prayer at our death bed. But it's the Eucharist in which we encounter the "presence" of Christ. Our Mass is centred around the receiving of the Eucharist.

The two readings this Sunday will talk about the "manna from heaven", the bread that feeds our physical hunger. But brothers and sisters, listen intently to the Gospel Reading from the Apostle John (6: 51 - 58), where Jesus tells us that he is the living bread and through him we will never hunger or thirst.

During OCIA lessons, we remind our catechumens that the greatest distance in understanding is between the head and heart. As humans, we remain forthright in our ability to measure something or have empirical evidence. As St Thomas Aquinas proudly said, its a human impoverishment that we cannot allow ourselves to be mystified by the Lord who speaks to our hearts.

Blessed is The Good Shepherd, who takes away the sins of the world.

Deo gratias.

04/06/2026

2026 OCIC FAMILIES:

This Sunday is the second session on Reconciliation with Catherine and Peter.

Your child's First Reconciliation is at 6pm on Wednesday 10 June.

Fr Robert has confirmed several of his colleagues will join him for this sacred sacrament.

This date has been known for some time as they were in a couple of the emails to parents and conveyed to parents two weeks ago at your last OCIC session. Thank you to those parents who have informed the Office in advance, of their absence - we understand especially when trying to shift things to prioritise Reconciliation. We will set aside time for your child's reconciliation / confession, likely before a Sunday Mass.

A practice run of reconciliation will be undertaken this Sunday at normal OCIC session time so its important that your child is present.

Thank you to the small group of families who have responded to the Office for the catch up first reconciliation session on Friday. The 2026 cohort has been very communicative when it comes to missed lessons so please keep it up.

Catherine and Peter will see you on Sunday afternoon to discuss the Beatitudes and Examination of Conscience.

For the parents in the group, Sunday's session is another heavy topic. As with previous years we ask that you review the booklet and if time review online the Ignatian Daily Examen. St Ignatius of Loyola was a forthright teacher on the examination of conscience and remains an underpinning of Ignatian Spirituality.

Parish Office
St Patrick's Catholic Parish, Pukekohe

03/06/2026

ALPHA TO START SOON / REGISTER IF INTERESTED:

The latest ALPHA programme at this Parish will start on Tuesday 21 July and will run Tuesday evenings.

It is open mainly for those outside of the Parish so parishioners please mention it to your friends and family. It is not Catholic centred; it's provides an opportunity across Christian denominations to start a conversation about Christ, Faith and life in a relaxed evening environment supported by good food and conversation.

Please email the Alpha team for more details.

[email protected]

Two other Christian churches in Pukekohe run Alpha programmes so if you look up online Alpha in Franklin then you will see those programmes across the region.

To those wishing to enter the Catholic Faith from a non-Faith background, this Parish recommends that they enter Alpha (in addition to the other things they need to do) before they undertake OCIA. We have also had Christians and reverted Catholics undertake Alpha as part of their journey into (re)-entering the Catholic Faith.

Thank you again to the Alpha Team for the excellent formation efforts and great meals!

Vi'i le Atua / Praise be to God.

03/06/2026

GENERAL HEALTH & SAFETY / SAFEGUARDING:

As part of our Parish H&S and safeguarding policies, the Parish Pastoral Council must make it known (awareness) through its communications channels the importance of H&S in general terms and safeguarding in particular. That awareness should be regular enough to support the permanent communication of it which is on the Parish website.

We now have close to 700 registered families with the Parish. Recent additions has made it timely to communicate the following.

Both individually and collectively, we ALL have a responsibility to ensure that every person has a value and dignity from his/her creation in the image and likeness of God. This is the premise of the safeguarding policy, which can be found on the Diocese website.

Also on the same Diocese link are the details for the National Office for Professional Standards, which is the implementer of safeguarding policies across the Catholic entities including our schools.

https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/services/safeguarding/

At this Parish, the Finance and Risk committee monitors the H&S aspects. The Office is the key point of contact on these. The Parish Priest and Chairman are the responsible individuals under the NZ law, aka as the PCBU. Once you make contact with these persons then privacy obligations will kick in, as per norm.

If you are unable to contact the Office for any H&S matters then please contact members of the Parish Council - list on the foyer noticeboard and on this FB page (posted a few weeks back). The contact details of the Parish Priest is online.

Taking into account dignity and value of a person should dictate the normal everyday interactions with each other. This is particularly the case for a place of worship and reverence - as we teach our children during their sacramental sessions, we must seek to attach ourselves daily to the "gifts" of the Holy Spirit, starting with "understanding" and "counsel".

We take these matters very seriously. We have a formal complaint process that deals with a spectrum of concerns. The Chairman leads on these processes. We have parishioners with a policy, legal, and H&S background who will support in the background, as required.

Note, no current concerns are being dealt with - this messaging is just part of our regular FB messaging (2 -3 times per annum) on H&S and safeguarding.

We are a welcoming Parish and therefore must ensure on a daily basis that we live up to that promise. Blessed day to you all.

Parish Pastoral Council
St Patrick's Catholic Church, Pukekohe
June 2026

03/06/2026

Thank you again to Counties Catholic Men's Group for organising another Parish guest speaker. Open to all parishioners and friends who want to hear this inspiring story of Pastor Lucky.

03/06/2026

Dear Sisters and brothers in Christ,

If prospective parishioners or general public are seeking further information on both the OCIA (adult initiation) and OCIC (children's sacrament) programmes, please ask them to contact the Office.

The Diocese is very clear on the content and requirements for both programmes. So we have created a process (with timeline) of what enquirers need to do to begin their journey into the Catholic Faith. This includes asking them to register as a parishioner of this Parish, engaging with various resources (or links to platforms) provided, and attending Mass.

Attending Mass even if one is not yet Catholic is important for understanding the primary liturgical and worship service of Catholicism. A practicing Catholic is generally defined by Mass attendance, receiving the sacraments (in the case of the Eucharist, regularly), and adherence to the core teachings of the Faith.

For children under the age of 18 years old, at least one of the parents needs to be Catholic to request the sacraments via the OCIC.

These requirements are in place to ensure an authentic and spiritually safe journey for the enquirer and their family. They have also been approved by our Parish Priest and Associate Priest following consultation with the Diocese to ensure alignment with Canon Law.

A Parish does not operate like a retail store where one expects a 'quick sale'. The Office has again had to deal with enquirers who have been given inaccurate information from a parishioner and it creates an awkward situation for all involved.

On a rare occasion we also have to deal with behaviours from enquirers which don't respect the dignity of the persons within the Office. Speaking to truth also means calling out such behaviours, which we have done.

Enquirers continue to contact the Parish Priest as is appropriate however Fr will inform the Office of that enquiry.

Thank you in advance.

Ia manuia lava / Best regards,

Peter

Chairman
Parish Pastoral Council
St Patrick's Pukekohe

02/06/2026

MONTH OF JUNE - SACRED HEART OF JESUS:

Since the 17th Century, under Catholic tradition the month of June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion is focused on his burning love for us and his divine mercy for us. The middle of the month will see the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus be celebrated on 12 June. At this parish, a Praise and Worship session will be held at the parish that evening - previous post notes the details.

Hundreds of schools, hospital and charitable entities around the world will pray the Catholic Church prayer to the Sacred Heart. This includes in NZ where the Society of the Sacred Heart established themselves and where the teachings of their Foundress, St Madeleine Sophie Barat, can be found at Baradene College of the Sacred Heart in Auckland.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

"O God, who in the Heart of your Son, wounded by our sins, bestow on us in mercy the boundless treasures of your love.

Grant, we pray, that, in paying him the homage of our devotion, we may also offer worthy reparation.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen."

June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

For Catholics, the Sacred Heart is a symbol of Christ's love for humanity - a love that is compassionate, merciful, and faithful, even in the face of suffering and rejection.

This devotion invites us to reflect on how deeply we are loved by God and how we are called to share that love with others.

31/05/2026

BLESSED TRINITY SUNDAY:

As Fr Robert has said in his homily today, the Sign of the Cross is an outward reflection of our reverence of the Trinity. Secular society will know the love of our God when they see us make that sign of the cross. That tradition remains strong in the Roman Catholic and Easter Orthodox Faiths and the sign of the cross is also practiced in other Christian denominations including Lutheran and Episcopalian.

A few years ago, Keith Urban wrote a song called "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" - a nostalgic reflection of when life was much more simpler - one consisting of hard work, strong families, celebrating the joy of life, and staying bound to the Faith.

So in today's Gospel Reading from John 3:16, we are reminded again of God's (the Father) promise to us and sacrifice of the Son so that we might be saved. God is Love, the Holy Spirit binds that divine love represented in John 3: 16.

In a world complicated by humans influenced by the seven cardinal sins, the Second Reading which is a Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians again reminds us of the need to return to that simplicity. St Paul is being hunted by the Roman Empire, but he is not fussed by these worldly things; rather he puts his mind and instruction to the things that really matter. We repeat those Second Reading words:

"Brothers and sisters, put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints will greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you."

That last sentence is the first words and last words we hear from priests at Mass...because that what matters most for us as Catholics. God is Love and through the Holy Spirit, we gather in that divine love and offer up our own love to others so that they might embrace the same grace and love that lives within our hearts.

As St Thomas Aquinas famously said "Love is to the will the good of the other". In a world marred by conflict and short term feelings, we remain steadfast as St Paul did in seeking peace, a peace underpinned by the Trinity, a peace that is everlasting, a peace that sits within the grace of God...who is Love everlasting.