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Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem left St Mary’s College in 1961 believing that she could do anything and after applying for a cadetship with broadcasting she has never had to apply for another job.

In a statement for Social Justice Week 2010, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops remind us that at Pentecost we celebrate the commissioning of the disciples to go forth and embrace all peoples and cultures in the name of Jesus.

We also need to ensure that newcomers are welcomed and included in all aspects of parish life, including parish committees and decision-making processes. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, some parishioners are having to adjust to being ministered to by priests and religious from cultural and ethnic backgrounds different from their own.

The keynote speaker and facilitator will be Dr Moyra Pearce, author of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference parish formation booklet Creating inclusive and connected communities and co-author of the Caritas Social Justice Week booklet Your people will be my people.

We were then invited to share lunch with the children on this lovely, sunny day. My grandchildren took me on a tour of their classrooms, proudly showing me their work and introducing me to their friends.

The whānau at Te Kura Tuatahi o Hāto Hēmi, (St James’ School) wanted to support the moemoeā (vision) of whāea Jude Wills and past whānau to provide an opportunity for the school community to host a whānau evening through whakawhanaungatanga and the performing arts, to share the talents of students and whānau of other Catholic schools in our district. Matariki 2010 provided the theme and occasion.

In the past two months the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions have launched their province history, Call to Mission: The Story of the Mission Sisters of Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa 1865 − 2009 in parts of New Zealand where they have had a strong presence.