The Catholic people of Wellington got behind the local pilgrims and the diocese’s overseas guests, turning up in their hundreds to participate in a fun-filled evening at Te Papa Museum the culmination of a week of Days in the Diocese for World Youth Day pilgrims.
Heath Hutton presented this reflection at Sunday Mass at Ss Peter and Paul, Johnsonville, on Sunday July 27.
Amy Dawson of St Joseph’s, Upper Hutt, returned from World Youth Day in Sydney fired up with the joys of the event. She shared some of what she had learnt with the congregation the following Sunday.
An ongoing challenge for the church will be in building on the momentum of 223 000 young people keen to pursue their interest in the institution and its issues.
I have no doubt that grace was multiplied among us during our hosting of World Youth Day Pilgrims from several countries for ‘Days in the Diocese’.
I wonder what Paul would write to us, the church of the Archdiocese of Wellington today, now that we have just marked 160 years since the archdiocese began? I see his letter reading something like this.
The New Testament writings began around the year 50 CE (common era) when a travelling missionary, anxious about a group of converts that he had called to follow Christ, could not get back to see how they were faring. Instead he wrote them a letter. The missionary was Paul; the letter was 1 Thessalonians.