From the Vicar…
Dear Friends,
Now that the Church’s festive season has run its course, we enter the twenty-something ‘green’ weeks in which we follow the teaching and healing and confronting ministry of Jesus as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew.
Today we welcome as our preacher the Revd Dr Jim Robb, who is a Christchurch Hospital chaplain. We thought it would be good for us all to have some contact again with the ministry of the hospital chaplains, whom as a Diocese we support. We are fortunate to have Claire Anstice as one of the lay chaplaincy team at Christchurch Hospital.
The Christchurch Hospital Chaplaincy was long associated with S. Michael’s, as the hospital is in the parish and close to the church, and some of the chaplains have wanted to have a connection with a more stable worshipping community than is possible in the hospital. In earlier days the hospital also had a large residential facility for the nurses, and houses for many of the doctors, and so some of them made S. Michael’s their home.
There was once a S. Barnabas Guild for nurses that used to meet and worship at S. Michael’s, and this led to some vocations to missionary work. More recently social changes and medical advancements have changed hospitals and chaplaincy work almost beyond recognition.
We have begun preparing a number of S. Michael’s School pupils for Holy Baptism and then Holy Communion at the end of the term. Marla Hughes in particular is helping me and School Staff with this preparation.
The celebration of Corpus Christi was wonderful. The School Mass in the morning, and the healing Mass at midday were good as always, and the Solemn Mass in the evening was very special, with the Revd Carlie Hannah preaching, lovely music again, and the people of S. Luke’s with us for the Mass and meal afterwards.
At the School Mass on Wednesday this week we shall be joined by senior members of S. Mark’s Church School, Wellington. They are bringing a choir and orchestra, as well as sports teams. All are welcome at this Mass.
At the Solemn Mass next Sunday we shall be baptising Taylor Cansdale who is visiting from Auckland, but whose family attended S. Michael’s School.
May God bless you all.
Peter Williams
