Over 600 people gathered in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Palmerston North New Zealand for the ordination of Danny Karatea-Goddard to the permanent diaconate.
Karatea-Goddard is the Bishop of Palmerston North’s Assistant for Māori Apostolate.
The ordination took place on 7 June and was attended by people from Wairoa, Ohakune, Te Awa o Whanganui, all the marae of the Rangitikei, Manawatu and Tararua, and from the local and Maori boarding colleges.
In his homily, the Bishop of Palmerston North Charles Drennan, assured Maru, Danny’s wife, and their tamariki and mokopuna, that ‘in God’s vision for humanity there is no such thing as competing vocations; love is not apportioned. Danny’s primary vocation,’ he explained, ‘remains the vocation of marriage.
‘His service as a deacon will come through his vocation as a husband and father. The strength of his ministry as a deacon will be a reflection of your aroha as a married couple and family.’
Bishop Charles went on to say: ‘I was delighted yet not surprised to learn that as a Maori couple, part of your preparation for this day was a pilgrimage in which family and faith were again woven together, as you visited relatives and the sacred ground of your tupuna o te whakapono.’
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