For two wonderful days our staff travelled together on a spiritual journey exploring the cradle of the Catholic faith in New Zealand. Under the guidance of Father Kerry Prenderville, our journey started with the visit to Tane Mahuta, gatekeeper of Te Tai Tokerau. Here we were called to the North and stood in awe at the majesty of this magnificent tree which was growing before the time of Christ. We then travelled to the Hokianga Heads where Bishop Pompallier made his first entry to Aotearoa. We were joined by Alan Hessell who shared with us the history of the area. After lunch we travelled to Rawene and caught the ferry to Kohukohu. After travelling to Totara Point we had a beautiful liturgy and honoured all of those who had gone before us. This was the place of the first Catholic Mass in New Zealand. We had a very warm welcome at Motuti Marae and were able to celebrate the Eucharist in the church of St Mary at Motuti. Here we asked for Bishop Pompallier to be raised and the opportunity was given to pray for his intercessions for our personal prayers. The journey was an opportunity for us to reflect on our life journeys and the decisions we make. We are very grateful to Father Kerry for his spiritual leadership and to Sister Salome for her contributions to make this a wonderful journey for us all.
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