School of Mission 2011 Begins 13 February, Sunday!

Join us in prayer as we prepare to welcome our 15 participants to the School of Mission here at St Gerard's Monastery in Wellington. This year's participants come from Germany, Czech Republic, USA, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

The School begins on Sunday, 13 February with the Opening Mass celebrated by our Archbishop John Dew.

Part of the 'rituals' of preparation for the School is the cleaning and setting up of rooms.

Though these rituals are the same, we welcome new faces in our community. It is a huge blessing to have Valerie, Albert, Christine, Susan and Helena in our midst and we look forward to Susilo joining us very soon as well.
These folks were participants in last year's School and this year they will experience the School in a very different capacity, one in which we hope they experience deeper growth in faith, confidence and ministry. \o/

Preparing to entertain angels :-)

A Day of Prayer at St Gerard's

12 hours of prayer offered for New Zealand to come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Before the Blessed Sacrament, we took turns to pray, listen, contemplate, sing, praise, intercede...

 

St Gerard's chapel was soaked in the prayers of the saints...prophetic words were received and proclaimed.  

 

Father Kevin celebrated the Eucharist and reminded us that God in Christ brought heaven down to us...

 

Meesh, Charlene and the ukelele made music for the Lord

 

O Jesus we adore You, O Jesus we adore You, O Jesus we adore You, Christ our Lord!

 those 12 hours were very special to all who participated in the Day of Prayer at St Gerard's.

We are looking forward to having more of these Days.

We hope you will join us next time! \o/

18 December, 12-hour prayer & Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Grow Faith +  Give Hope + + Share Love… 

this Christmas

 

Join us this Saturday 18 December for our 12-hour prayer & Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This day of prayer is offered for New Zealand to come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

We will begin the 12 hours with Eucharist celebrated by Father Kevin at 10am. Father Kev will also be available for confession in the evening. The mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be in St Gerard’s Monastery’s chapel.

You are welcome to sign up for an hour of prayer. Or drop in on Saturday to pray for a while anytime between 10am to 10pm. Just ring our door bell.

Let’s take this wonderful opportunity to pray together for this nation and for our loved ones.

Blessings,

ICPE New Zealand

Is This What You Are Looking For?

Next School of Missions
14 February - 4 July 2010
Wellington, New Zealand


What is it?
It's a 20-week live-in course, chockful of rich and inspiring Catholic teachings topped with a month of hands-on missionary experience.

You'll be immersed in a multi-cultural, international community. Hello Malta, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, etc under one roof. Hello to shared bathrooms, shared meals ranging from potatoes, pasta, rice and "etc.!"


You'll be in the lecture room and the hospitality room, there'll be worship times and wash-up times, quiet times and madhatter times, roll up your sleeves for projects and toilet-cleaning, or maybe a spot of tree-cutting. You'll know you are not alone as you journey with small sharing groups, a dedicated one to one accompaniment, and simply sharing life with a whole bunch of people that God has called and chosen, each by name.

[Participants of the School that ended in July 09]

Is God calling you to be a missionary but you don't know what to do with this call?

Are you a young Christian looking for something that will give your life a sense of purpose, challenge and fulfillment?

Do you have a desire to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Do you have a stirring in your heart to make a difference in the world for Jesus?

"Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like St Francis Xavier who travelled through the Far East proclaiming the Good News until every ounce of his strength was used up… Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth”.

- Pope Benedict XVI, Message to the Young People of the World,
XXIII World Youth Day, 2008

Right on! Do not be afraid! Do not fear when God calls you to draw nearer to Him than EVER BEFORE!

Check out the entries on this blog for more insight into our School of Missions. and contact us if you are interested to pursue this.


The crew at St Gerard's

SOM Shine in Hastings!

Do you know your true identity?

The girls from the SOM team shared the message about our true identity in God to many young women in Hastings. You are beautiful inside out, dear sisters! God's masterpiece, His work of art, His beloved daughters. Never forget who you are!

Ju, promoting our programme at Sacred Heart College, Napier

The youth gathering at Sacred Heart Parish was an evening of fun, games, fellowship and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!

During our time in Hastings, we were blessed by the warm and generous hospitality of the people there, who fed us and accomodated us at their homes. Thank you!

We ran 3 evenings of parish seminars based on the themes of "Knowing the Gift", "Receiving the Gift" and "Being the Gift". They were Spirit-filled evenings. We thank God for the open hearts, eager to receive God’s word for them. People appreciated the variety of the programme and enjoyed the joy and love which shone through the team members.

Young and old came forward to receive prayer, for more of the Holy Spirit, for renewal, for deepening of their faith...the priests were amazed by the number of people who went for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed, God’s grace abounds!

Experiencing the Father's welcome home

Let your light shine for Jesus!!

Using drama, teachings and testimonies, we proclaimed the Good News in St Mary’s Primary School, St John’s College, St Joseph’s Primary School and Sacred Heart College throughout the week.

What a grace to bring the Good News to the young!

Having completed our work in Hastings, we surrender all we have done back to the Lord, and we pray that He who provides the growth, will tend to the seeds sown and bring to completion the good work He had begun in His people. If the Lord wills, this will not be the last time we will see the people of Hastings! \o/

Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city, Amen!

SOM '09 - Praise Him alll you nations! (original post 14 May 09)

International Night - A Celebration of Who We Are!

Nations united in the Lord!

Celebrating the richness of our culture and the creativity God gives us to bring out the varied flavours of His creation!

Our directors Wimpie and Chairny (Indonesia)

Lacy from Canada, transforming from winter wear to summer attire!

She had us wondering what she had under her sleeves the whole evening!

I was glad when they said to me,

Let us go to the house of the Lord!

Michael preparing to sing a classic Chinese children song.

You did fantastic Michael! ni shi hao wa wa!

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people!

The Lord is high above all nations!

Our beautiful sisters (and handsome boy) from Indonesia

Praise the Lord all you nations!

Extol Him all you peoples!

Pavlovas, one of the icons of Kiwi culture!

For great is His steadfast love towards us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity...

For there the Lord ordained his blessing,

life for evermore!

Psalm 133

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