Jan 26, 2022
Fr Tom Rouse, Country Leader New Zealand
Just another new year …?
I spent a month over the Christmas and New Year period helping out in the parish of Marlborough. It was a very enjoyable experience. I was able to get back to the type of ministry, as a pastor of a parish, which has given me much satisfaction over my years of priesthood. I was working alongside the acting parish priest, Fr Jacob Kuman, a native Papua New Guinean. He was great company, a Passionist priest who is preparing to leave New Zealand and return to Australia. The diocese will once again take responsibility for the parish next month (February).
It is a large parish that extends from Picton all the way down to Kaikoura. There are regular masses each Sunday in Blenheim and masses twice a month in Picton, Seddon and Kaikoura. On the alternative Sundays, there are Word and Communion services in all of these churches. So, it is a parish that demands a lot of traveling each weekend. Still, I enjoyed traveling around this parish, especially along the coast road down to Kaikoura. In the past I have had the chance to travel around some of the bays that make up the Sounds through which the Interislander ferries make their way out from Picton to Cook Strait and on to Wellington. That is another wonderful world of untouched natural beauty. Around Blenheim there are also the famous vineyards and gentle plains surrounded by hills that lead towards the more distant mountains. So, my time down in the parish gave me the chance to soak in the beauty of the country down in Marlborough.
Marlborough Sounds through which the Interislander ferries make their way out from Picton to Cook Strait and on to Wellington
The people are remarkably friendly, and I enjoyed going out for meals. The conversations were stimulating and helped me to once more get a sense of what were the issues of concern among people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Diversity of cultures gave me a sense of what is the future of church and society in New Zealand. People of diverse cultural backgrounds also brought with them important values that added to the colour and atmosphere of Marlborough.
So, it was there that I celebrated New Year 2022. I was very fortunate to connect with members of my immediate family who live down there. I also found time to exercise. So, it was a time to look at what is important in my life, to renew my commitment to mission as a Columban and to give thanks to God for my faith and my call to priesthood.
I know we still struggling to cope with the spread of COVID 19. Because omicron has made its appearance in the community, the government has declared the whole country to be a red zone. All this makes one wonder just how much longer we must endure the impact of this coronavirus. We should be grateful that we, here in Aotearoa New Zealand, have been spared the worst of this pandemic. Still, the future appears uncertain.
I pray and hope that this is not just another new year. I pray that we can make effective strides in combating the spread of the virus.
Thank you for all your support over the past year. We will continue to keep you informed through our magazine and website about the work of ministries of Columbans around the world. What strengthens our hope that there can be a better future is to read of the work and experiences of our Columban priests and lay missionaries around the world.
May we enjoy the beauty of our own countryside and the connections we have with one another, and may we continue to trust that the future is in the gentle hands of our God who senses our uncertainty and anxieties. May Jesus be our companion and the Spirit our inspiration as look ahead with hope and trust.
Tom Rouse - Country Leader, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
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