ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC
SCHOOL
TAKAPUNA

NZ CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE
PASTORAL STATEMENT
FIGHTING HOPELESSNESS IN THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE

Brothers & Sister in Christ, In this Jubilee Year focused on Christian Hope, it is a source of great anguish that many parts of our world are at war. Rather than hope, we see in the eyes of women & men, & most distressingly in the eyes of children, a sense of great hopelessness.

Pope Leo XIV has immediately taken up the task of Popes throughout history who speak up for the cause of peace, & for the cause of justice. In his first Sunday address in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo spoke about ongoing death & violence in Israel and Gaza, in Ukraine & the recent conflict in India and Pakistan.

We see, too, warfare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan & in Myanmar, among other parts of the world. Among those conflicts, there is a unique pain in seeing the place of Our Lord’s birth, life, death & Resurrection torn apart by war, by famine & by destruction.

Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, pronounced & upheld the dignity of every human person. We watch in horror as people’s dignity & their basic human rights are demeaned or destroyed in the places where Our Lord walked & preached. War & violence, especially in the context of civilian casualties & insecurity, can’t be wiped away as a problem “over there”, one far from our shores.

We are appalled by the suffering caused by military & political leaders who seem indifferent when sacrificing the lives of innocent people. We urge all world leaders to work for a true peace in ending these conflicts.

Where dignity & rights are trampled upon, we all have a duty to react with hearts of compassion & closeness to our brothers and sisters. Where peace & stability are elusive or seemingly unattainable, our prayers are all the more urgent & necessary.

We implore the Catholic faithful through Aotearoa New Zealand to join us in praying this section from Pope Francis’ prayer for peace:

Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience & perseverance we may opt for dialogue & reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, & may the words ‘division’, ‘hatred’ & ‘war’ be banished from the heart of every man & woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues & our hands. May the glimmers of hope – a ceasefire, a commitment to talks – that we see, be transformed into beams of peaceful light, carried by the prayers & actions of men and women of goodwill, seeking the peace that Christ sought to bring into our world. In Christ, the Prince of Peace.

NEW ZEALAND BISHOPS

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to the six new entrants and their families who have joined our school community this week:

Andrea, Gabriel, Joachim, Leon, Matt and Valerie

Congratulations to the children who received their First Reconciliation on Wednesday evening.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Sacraments are a gift from God and a sign of His love for us. Reconciliation is an opportunity for us to seek forgiveness and healing. It is not a one off; hence why the children received what was the “First” reconciliation.

It was wonderful to see so many parents and whanau support their children receiving the Sacrament for the first time. It was also wonderful to witness the parents and whanau showing the children that this is a lifelong Sacrament, by receiving Reconciliation themselves.

Please keep these children and their whanau in your prayers as they continue their sacramental journey through this year. These children, with their parents’ support, will now be learning about and receiving the gift of the Sacrament of Confirmation, followed by First Holy Communion later in the year.

Monday, the 23rd of June will see three events occurring – Matariki Breakfast, Sharing the Learning and our annual Book Character Parade

Matariki Breakfast – 7:30 am – 8:45 am
Come along and join in the Matariki Breakfast. This is a lovely celebration of Matariki and a great opportunity to catch up with other families in our community.

Sharing the Learning – 8:15 am – 8:45 am
Once you’ve had your breakfast and coffee, you can join your child in their learning space and they’ll be able to share all they have learnt this term.

Annual Book Character Parade – 9:00 am – 9:30 am
After checking out your child’s learning, it will then be time for the Book Character Parade which signifies the beginning of Book Week. This is a great week focused on books. More details in next week’s Principal Message.

We look forward to seeing you all, Monday, 23rd June from 7:30 am – 9:30 am (wet or fine weather … please pray for fine).

MONSIGNOR DAVID TONKS – 50TH ORDINATION ANNIVERSARY
On Sunday, 15th June, 2025 at 10:30am, we will come together to celebrate & congratulate our Parish Priest, Monsignor David Tonks, on the joyful occasion of his 50th anniversary as a priest. This Mass will be followed by a celebration and lunch at 11:45am in St. Joseph’s School Hall. Monsignor David was ordained on the 15th of June, 1975 by Bishop John Mackey, in his home parish of Ellerslie. We are very grateful and thank Monsignor for these 50 years of dedication in his priestly ministry. A planning team has been set up for this special occasion, and we warmly invite volunteers to get involved. Whether you can assist on the day or contribute beforehand by preparing a salad or baked dessert, your help would be greatly appreciated. Please contact the parish office to find out more.

FAREWELL, FR. MARK NAPA
Fr. Mark Napa has been appointed to the Whangarei Parish from the beginning of July, 2025. He will minister there alongside parish priest, Fr. Peter Tipene. Whangarei has been staffed by Marist priests for the last century. Parishioners there will be blessed to have two quality priests of the Diocese serving them. We will sadly farewell Fr. Mark, who has been with us at Takapuna for over four years, on Sunday, the 29th of June, 2025.

sKids Holiday Programme

Please check out the latest community notices which you can find on our school website.