Pilgrims of Hope
As Catholics, we are a pilgrim people, journeying together through time toward our ultimate home in God. In this life, we walk by faith, sustained by the grace of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, and united in the communion of the Church. To be a pilgrim of hope is to live with our eyes fixed on Christ, trusting in His promises and radiating that trust to the world around us.

Hope as a Theological Virtue
Hope is not mere optimism or wishful thinking. It is one of the three theological virtues, infused by God into our hearts (cf. CCC 1813). It is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision—eternal life with God. As the Catechism says:

“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817).

Hope in the Midst of Trial
In a world wounded by suffering, division, and uncertainty, being pilgrims of hope means walking with courage and perseverance, even when the road is difficult. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we may sometimes fail to see Jesus walking beside us—but He is always there (Luke 24:13–35).

Our journey is marked by the Cross, but also by the Resurrection. We are an Easter people, called to carry the hope of the Risen Christ into every situation of despair, especially where others have lost sight of light.

Walking Together
Pilgrimage is not a solo endeavor. As members of the Body of Christ, we travel together as a Church, supporting one another, sharing burdens, and celebrating signs of grace along the way. Pope Francis reminds us of this synodal call—to walk, discern, and listen together—as a people of hope. We are called to build bridges, not walls, and to be signs of unity in a fragmented world.

Hope in Action
To be a pilgrim of hope means to:

• Live with purpose, trusting that God is guiding history toward salvation.
• Serve others, especially the poor, the lonely, and the brokenhearted, becoming signs of God’s mercy.
• Pray persistently, keeping our hearts open to God’s voice in the silence and the storm.
• Proclaim Christ, not just in words, but in joyful witness.

Mary, Star of Hope
We look to Mary, the Star of Hope, who believed the angel’s message and journeyed in faith. Her fiat (“let it be done”) remains a model for us all. In her Magnificat, she sings of a God who lifts up the lowly and fills the hungry with good things (Luke 1:46–55). As we walk our own pilgrimage, we do so under her maternal gaze.

Here are some of the activities that we have been involved in during the previous weeks.

World Youth Day – 1 August 2025
30 senior students attended the World Youth Day celebration.  The students engaged in different activities, listened to different personal reflections, attended mass, received the sacrament of reconciliation and sang praise and worship songs with different young people in Auckland.  This activity was held in Victory Convention Centre in Freemans Bay.

Sacrament of Reconciliation – started 23 July
The sacrament of reconciliation was offered to students once more.  This was a welcome opportunity presided by Fr. Benedict Francis.  This started on 23 July.  The students were happy to have this personal encounter with Christ especially receiving God’s forgiveness through the sacrament.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament started 24 July
One of the things that the students were asking at the beginning of the year was a personal encounter with Jesus through the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the benediction that comes at the end.  Fr. Benedict Francis agreed to continue this practice that started last year.  He said that this will be done once every fortnight.

• The Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will happen every Thursday (fortnightly) from 10am to 12NN.

PD on Living Life to the Full
This year, we have Frances Payawal and Kirstie Wearmouth who went to do the course. They have started to learn how to incorporate Catholic Teachings to different subject areas such as Science and PE and Health.  A follow up needs to be done with the Science and PE and Health teachers as all those who are teaching these subjects should undergo the course to ensure that Catholic Teachings are explained in their different topics.

New Year 7 & 8 Curriculum
Kirstie Wearmouth has appointed Callum MacLeod to work with Matthew Gravatt at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College to create and pilot a new Year 7 & 8 RE curriculum in line with Tō Tātou Whakapono to roll out in 2026. All year 7 & 8 teachers of RE have also been booked onto PD at Auckland Catholic Diocese to go through the full suite of Tō Tātou Whakapono resources as they become available. There will also be workshops happening throughout 2026 to support teachers with the new resources.

Pope’s Astronomer Talk
On 1 August, 10 gifted and talented Year 10 Science students were taken to listen to the Pope’s astronomer, Br. Guy Consolmagno’s talk as an astronomer at the intersection of science and faith, finding God in all things.

CYSMI

• Meeting with other Colleges – Rosmini College met with Cedric Piggin, Omar Tamayo and Raliemon Lopez to discuss how CSYMI works in Sancta Maria College. With good feedback from the Diocese regarding how things are running in school, most Catholic Colleges in Auckland would like to get in touch with our school.  Our CSYMI has been active in building camaraderie and strengthening the faith of the youth.  This is evident in how the students have been active in their service both in school and in their different parishes.
• Year 7 and 8 Tutoring

Part of the Head committee work is the sharing of their knowledge to the Years 7 and 8 students.  They have been doing tutoring at lunch times in DU3 and DU4.

Youth Ministry in Different Parishes
With the closest parish in our college (St. Luke’s Parish), our students have actively participated in youth events led by former students at the College.  As an output of CSYMI activities, the students have been working towards building the church community through different Parish Youth Activities such as:

• Youth reach-out activities
• Youth Praise and Worship
• Youth Nights
• Youth Mass

Our students lead the praise and worship in St. Luke’s Parish on 6 July.  This has been attended by other neighbouring parishes.  Our students have shared their talents through singing, playing musical instruments and leading in the prayers and readings.

On Monday 23 June, our Vinnies leaders met up for their monthly leadership meeting. In this session, they connected with one another, gained more tools for facilitation and got the chance to plan for their own regionals coming up in term three.

We want to commend the hard work that all these leaders have put in throughout this term and hope they all have a good holiday.

Our students are driven to these activities by Prue Rehu and Chris Sullivan.

Hosting the Vinnies Regional Gathering on 6 August
Our SMC Vinnies will be hosting the Vinnies Regional Gathering.  This is an event where students from different schools will share their experiences in serving and hopefully motivate more people to take an active role in reaching out to people in need.

SMC Vinnies Hospice
The work is almost done but we still encourage people to help and create little joys for people in the hospice.  This will be given to the people in the hospice at the start of Term 4 in preparation for their Christmas celebration.

SMC Vinnies
SVDP has identified specific items that they are needing to help people in our society.  In response, the Service Prefects are leading a homeroom donation box campaign.  They are encouraging the school to donate non-perishable goods and hygiene products to help.  This will run from week 3 – 6 of term 3. The boxes will then be collected by SVDP.  The class that gives the most items will be given a thank you gift of PIZZA for LUNCH.

Student Volunteer Army (SVA)
The school has joined SVA in motivating the students to serve.  The SVA Service Award is a nationally recognised framework, designed to formally acknowledge the volunteering of intermediate and secondary school students.  Our students have registered and will be logging their service hours.  Cedric Piggin and Chris Sullivan are leading this initiative, and this has its reference to our old Mother Teresa Service Award.

Retirement Home Visit
A roster of students has been made and there is already a regular visit to Summerset Retirement home.  This opportunity allows students to interact with the adult members of our society, listen to their stories and sing songs with them.  This allows our students to value life and respond the call of Jesus to love the young and the old.  Currently, Amara Kevern and Omar Tamayo drives them to the place, but we are still encouraging other staff to help.

Trees for Survival on 28 July
A group of students participated in the Trees for Survival activity.  This is linked to the call of the late Pope Francis and our current Pope Leo XIV to see the urgency of protecting the environment.   Praneeta Singh and Shane Williamson led 30 students from the college to plant 60 trees (per person).  It was hard as the students explained but was truly worth it.

Catholic Caring Foundation Mass and Recognition
Six of our students (Luke McEnteer, Hannah Ernstzen, Minky Kim, Paolo Lecias, Annette Li and Tina Zhu) and 2 staff (Cedric Piggin and Verna Oliver) were given recognition at our Catholic Caring Foundation Mass on 31 July.  The diocese has recognised their efforts in serving the community both school and the wider community.

PLD on What Catholics Believe in and how this could be included in lessons of different subject areas
Kirstie Wearmouth will be leading the PLD on the Creed and the Catholic Social Teachings and how this could be incorporated in different subject areas.  She will be assisted by the RE department.  One of the goals that we wish to achieve is to ensure that Catholic teachings are seen in all subject areas.

Meeting with Fr. Benedict Francis
Ray Green and Omar Tamayo met with Fr. Benedict Francis regarding his services in the school.  It was a positive meeting as Fr. Benedict has agreed to help the college in school masses and other special character activities.  He also agreed to moving the lunch time masses to Wednesday in 2026.  He was also introduced to the college in an assembly on 29 July, allowing the students and staff to get to know him more.

Pompallier Shield Plans
Verna Oliver and Omar Tamayo has met with Michael O’Donnell of Sacred Heart regarding Pompallier Shield plans.  Verna has started on the booklet and Omar has already sent information to the different schools about the initial plans.  We are aiming to have everything ready before the end of term 3 so that the different Auckland Catholic Schools are fully aware of what they need to do.  A committee has also been formed (SMC) who will ensure that the event will run smoothly.

Bishop Peter Brown
Bishop Peter sent an email saying that he has been praying for the college and has mentioned us to Pope Leo XIV when he met with him.  This is a truly good news as we are remembered and prayed for by these holy men.

Notices from neighbouring parishes
St Luke’s Parish

 

 

 

 

• The Holy Mass on Sunday 6 July 2025 at 10:30am will be a Thanksgiving Mass in celebration of the arrival of our new Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Benedict.  Everyone is invited to share morning tea immediately after Mass (please bring finger food on disposable plates for sharing).
• The ONE celebration of the First Holy Communion will be held on 28 June at the 5pm Vigil Mass (Mass may take a little longer than usual).
• We are seeking a dedicated couple to help prepare new parents for the sacrament of Baptism and Sponsors/Godparents for RCIA/RCIC – if you have a heart for ministry and desire to guide others in their faith journey, please email pastoral@flatbushcatholic.org.nz
•  Online Safeguarding Workshop on Tuesday 15 July 2025 at 7pm – contact Lisa-May Gray on 09 360 3019 or lisam@cda.org.nz for full details.
• WORLD YOUTH DAY is on Saturday 2 August 2025 from 10am – 8:30pm in Victory Convention Centre – join over 1500 young Catholics for this beautiful, faith-filled day.  Contact Carmel at slyflatbush@gmail.com for more information.

St Mark’s Parish

 

 

 

 

 

• Sewing with Friends – join us while we do all our own mending while in each other’s company.  Machines, scissors, thread and needles are all available, and of course tea and coffee.  It is on the second Saturday of every month in the Lyons Den from 2-4pm.

Our Last Star of the Sea Parish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Christ through Sancta Maria,
Mr. Omar Leo Tamayo
Leader of Special Character Mission and Liturgy (DRS)