In the parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui, a significant number of our parishioners have arrived here in recent years from the Philippines. Their presence is a great gift for us, as for the diocese and for the country. A number of our new priests and seminarians are also from the Philippines.

Last month at the Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu, Philippines, Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles addressed the thousands of people gathered. He began his one hour presentation with words of gratitude to the people of the Philippines saying:

“I don’t know any church right now in the world right now that is more vibrant than the Filipino church… It’s the Filipino community that is keeping many churches around the world alive…In God’s often strange providence he’ll take a particular church, a particular people, and use them as a means to invigorate and evangelise the rest of the Catholic world, and the Church of the Philippines is playing this role now…”

Thanks be to God!