For the the past three years, on the 4th Sunday of each month, Fr. Michael Mahoney, the parish priest of South Westland, makes the 750km round trip to Queenstown to celebrate Mass using the Portuguese language, for Brazilian people living and working there.
After mass there is a social pot-luck meal.
There are more than two thousand Brazilians working and living in Queenstown, most with temporary visas. The majority work in the hospitality, restaurant or service industries, often for no more than the basic wage, even though living in Queenstown is expensive.
Fr Michael says employers are keen to employ Brazilians as they are happy people and hard workers.
“They bring their faith with them, in most cases the Catholic Faith”, he says.
“In the end, what holds many families to the Church is not so much what it teaches, but its social outreach to others, particularly those who have needs that are not being met.”
“What attracts modern youth to a church is not its doctrines, but what it does for others,” Fr. Michael says.
The mass is prepared by the coordinating team, and usually has lots of singing and a warm atmosphere. It is important that there be a welcoming mass for these people. Otherwise they would join those who already have changed to the the weekly ecumenical service for Brazilians.
“Prayers of the Faithful are often protracted, as there are lots of people to be prayed for, and no-one minds listening to a potted history of some of those being prayed for, and how they are getting on!”
The mass seems to stop completely at the Sign of Peace, since all make a point of shaking hands or embracing everyone present even though this involves leaving one’s seat and going to all those on the other side of the church. This is how it is in Brazil, and the custom carries on here.
Afterwards all mingle in the school library and share what everyone has brought, meanwhile catching up with the news and perhaps having a fund-raising Bingo for someone back home who needs medical help.
Fr. Michael, who worked in Brazil for over 3o years says, “It would be good if there could be a weekly mass, since it is a point of contact for people who often have very little english and need the support of the Church and its associated community.” However he says he can only find time to do the 750km round trip once a month.
The people are encouraged to participate in the weekly parish masses, but the reality is that many do not, and this initiative is what holds many of them.
Wakatipu Community Presbyterian Church’s Reverend Ian Guy has assisted with one of his church members, Brazilian pastor and missionary Joao Petreceli, who was in Queenstown studying English at Southern Lakes English School last year, to secure him a missionary’s visa to stay on in New Zealand.
Mr Petreceli now leads an ecumenical Global Church service every Sunday at St Andrew’s in Portuguese, with future services also likely to be held in Spanish.
Translators are dotted throughout the rows to ensure any English-speaking people in the congregation don’t miss the message and the worship songs are sung in Portuguese, Spanish and a few in English.
The idea came from a 12-week international Alpha course – a programme designed to explore the meaning of the Christian faith – which attracted more than 50 people from 11 nations.
“We realised that when people are away from their own home and environment, they’re often more ready to explore alternatives, especially spiritually. People are also looking for a place of connections,” Mr Guy said.
“Ideally it’s not just a church service. It’s offering a community and support for these people. Part of the role is mentoring. It’s also about building a worship community and learning to worship together across the nations.”
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