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On Sunday May 28th people from St Joseph’s school and parish in Hawera gathered for the opening of a new Mission Centre.
The Mission Centre is a unique venture for the Diocese of Palmerston North.
It combines the school and parish administration areas in one shared building.
The school and parish secretaries work alongside each other in an open plan space.
The principal and parish priest’s offices are under the same roof.
The bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan noted this has changed dramatically the foot traffic into the heart of the parish.
“Young parents and children and all their energy are a part of the Mission Centre, which is the heart of the school and parish alongside the Church,” he said.
For the school and parish staff, the changes will take a bit of getting used to.
Parish priest, Fr Craig Butler, said the closer contact between the school and parish is a positive outcome, and that he is “enjoying working with the staff of the Mission Centre.”
A parish worker noted that although things are now quite different, the Centre seems to be working well.
The school secretary, Raewyn Donbroski, has received a positive response on the new Centre from parishioners and parents.
Despite the bad weather, Bishop Charles said that the blessing and opening was “a really joyous occasion with lots of positive feedback and excitement.”
It took place after the 9:30am mass. Bishop Charles blessed the rooms of the Mission Centre.
After that there were speeches in the hall and a performance from the school Kapa Haka group.
Among those attending the opening was the Deputy Mayor Phil Nixon.
Kaumatua Ray Edwards encouraged the people to be unified around the success of this new venture.
Source
- pndiocese.org.nz
- Image: pndiocese.org.nz
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