Dear Friends,
We are one day away from our Liturgy of Lament, tomorrow evening, Thursday 5 September, at 7pm in the Transitional Cathedral. Everyone is invited to attend this Diocesan Liturgy of Lament in response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. The intent of the liturgists responsible for the creation of this service is to address what has been, what is, and to give voice to a future for the diocese where we work together for a safe, inclusive church. While we seek a very wide diocesan representation, from those who are members of our Synod and from those who are not, we recognise that this subject can be triggering and deeply uncomfortable to face. To allow people to decide if this liturgy is safe for them at this time, we invite you to click on this link to see the service.
I look forward to welcoming Archbishop Justin Duckworth to our service – this will be his first official visit to our diocese as Archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses and part of the Primacy of our whole church.
Please pray for our Synod – our business sessions begin at 9am on Friday 6 September and conclude with a Synod eucharist mid-afternoon Saturday 7 September 2024 – all at St Christopher’s church, Avonhead. Information about Synod and its business are at this page.
I want to clarify something to you which seems not clear to two recent letter writers to The Press. The sale of the Transitional Cathedral site, as agreed by Synod in June 2024, is a matter depending on a funding pathway to completion of the reinstatement of the Cathedral in the Square. Currently that pathway has not be secured and construction is being paused. Accordingly, the Transitional Cathedral is not currently for sale. Unfortunately, the logic here seems to be misunderstood and is being transmuted into statements which give the impression that the Diocese is unwilling to commit funds from the sale of the Transitional Cathedral site to the reinstatement. We are so willing, but a possible sale is on pause. Nothing has changed in terms of our Synod resolution in June 2024.
This past weekend I was with about 60 young adults from our diocese at The Abbey, a national Anglican event at El Rancho, Waikanae, where circa 250 people in total were present. Paul Hegglun and a diocesan music team led musical worship superbly at this gathering. Thank you for your prayer support for The Abbey. Then, on Monday, it was a privilege to visit our students at St John’s College as well as to meet with a couple of key College staff. Incidentally, at The Abbey, one of the key speakers was Dallas Harema. Dallas is also one of the speakers at our ‘Living Faith’ Diocesan Conference on 26 October 2024. He will be worth coming to listen to!
Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu died on Friday and his tangihanga is taking place through this week with the funeral service and burial tomorrow. Also tomorrow, the successor king or queen will be chosen and crowned, with Archbishop Don Tamihere having a role in this ceremony.
This Sunday 8 September, 2024 is Ordinary 23, and the Gospel is Mark 7:24-37. Two miracle stories are told. They are united by the recipients of the miracles being definitely non-Israelite in the first case and likely non-Israelite in the second case, underlining the whole point of the New Testament, that God’s work through Christ in the world is a work of love inclusive of all humanity.
Arohanui,
+Peter.