14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday 4th July 2009, Year B — Vigil Mass
My dear Parishioners of St Peter Chanel and all Visitors
In today's Gospel, Jesus, accompanied by the Disciples, returns to Nazareth. He comes as a Rabbi with authority to teach and instruct His relatives and those with whom He grew up. He was not welcomed but was treated with contempt. ---" Is He not the carpenter, Mary's son?" ---- and they would not take Him seriously.
Jesus was appalled at their response. Truly familiarity had bred contempt. They thought they knew Him too well and they refused to understand and believe.
In these modern times, our reaction to Christ's message is often the same as the people of Jesus' home town. For if we have come together to see no other point of view than our own, we will close our minds in deliberate misunderstanding. But on the other hand, if we have come together loving Christ and seeking to love one another, then the gulf between us can be closed in Christ. The responsibility is ours --- we can either help or hinder Christ's work. We can open up the door to Him or shut Him out of our lives except when it suits us.
Next weekend (July 11th and 12th) Bishop Denis Brown will be making his Pastoral Visit to St. Matthew's Parish. We welcome him and pray that his visit will be fruitful for their Parish.
May God bless each and every one of you.
Father Joseph
First Reading: Ezek 2:2-5 Second Reading: 2 Cor 12:7-10 Gospel: Mark 6:1-6a
St Peter Chanel Prayer
Heavenly Father, from the First Companions of the Society of Mary, you sent St Peter Chanel to bring the light of faith to the people of our islands.
In hardship and afflictions he gave understanding testimony to Christ by his words, his life and the shedding of his blood.
May our celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection make us also faithful witnesses to the new life he offers us.
Honoured in New Zealand
In New Zealand there are six parishes, four primary schools, one college, a National Shrine and a Diocesan centre dedicated in honour of St Peter Chanel, the Bi-Centenary of whose birth takes place on 12th July 2003. How is it that a saint of French origin is so honoured in this land?
Father Peter Chanel was one of the early group of Catholic missionaries to the South West Pacific which set out from France in December 1836. The group was destined to found the Catholic Church in Western Oceania and New Zealand. Father Chanel and a Marist catechist Brother Marie-Nizier were placed on the island of Futuna, north of the Fijian Islands, in November 1837 and laboured there for three and a bit years. It was a difficult mission: learning the language, coping with isolation, different foods and customs, eventually beginning to bear some fruit.
On 28th April 1841 Peter Chanel was killed by a group of warriors incited by the leading chief of Futuna, in hatred of the Faith which threatened his control over the people.
Eventually the earthly remains of Peter Chanel were brought to New Zealand and remained at Russell for eight years before being sent to France. Peter Chanel was acknowledged as a martyr and declared Blessed in 1889.
He was canonized in the Marian Year 1954 by Pope Pius XII. St Peter Chanel is recognized as the first martyr of Oceania and the Patron Saint of this region. As a foundation member of the Society of Mary he is acknowledged by the wider Marist family - Marist Brothers of the Schools, Marist Sisters (Peter Chanel had a sister in this congregation), Marist Missionary sisters - all of these religious groups contributing to the development of the Catholic Church in New Zealand.
As a Marist, a missionary, a martyr and a Saint, Peter Chanel is of significance to New Zealand. We celebrate the anniversary of his death as a Church Feast day and the Bi-Centenary of his birth will give further opportunity for Russell, Manukau, Te Rapa, Whakatane, Hamilton Diocese, Hastings, Masterton, Otaki, Motueka, and Green Island (and indeed - all parishes and schools) to celebrate, remember and gain strength by Peter Chanel's intercession as the lives of Peter's spiritual descendants continue.
Worshipping Under Southern Skies
Re-Discovering the Beauty of the Mass
Worshipping Under Southern Skies: Re-Discovering the Beauty of the Mass has been commissioned by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference as the national catechesis for the introduction of the Revised Roman Missal.
The Website
Please feel free to stay a while and browse our website. For information, Mass times and contact details, click on the links above.
