RAKAIA AND TINWALD PARISHES.

Readers looking at the scriptures

















ST ITA'S CHURCH RAKAIA

Attached to the Ashburton parish are three small ones The Holy Family Parish Methven, Holy Spirit Tinwald and St Ita’s Rakaia. St Ita’s is a very small parish and was served by the parish priest of Methven. There would be about twenty five to thirty five parishioners there. It is a small New Zealand town with a population of not more than five to eight hundred. The only fame it seems to have is that its a town that you pass through either on the way to Christchurch or Timaru, but one very rarely stops there. I have been told that there is a Salmon Factory here, hence the big plastic salmon stuck on the highway as you pass through. And you think ‘what’s that there for.’

The people are nice good honest farmers. I will ask around and see if there is any interesting trivia to tell you. I did drive around it but that was all over in less than five minutes. St Ita’s church is a classical small town RC Church. You would get about sixty in it at a push. I will be celebrating the Christmas vigil Mass there at 6.00pm. (5.00am UK time)I believe that I will be preceded by a donkey and Mary with a real live Baby. The baby boy was born last Thursday. (Before the baby was born I asked his little sister was she looking forward to having a baby brother she replied, ‘No I’m not.’) I enquired about the mess the donkey might make but was told not to worry father as the poor donkey is given no food or drink that day. It will be interesting. The Parishioners look after the parish with the help of a Mercy sister Sr Mari-Rita. But really it is only a Mass centre, though saying that a group of parishioners meet everyday to celebrate the liturgy of the hours and Mass readings and Holy Communion in sister’s house.

I had a strange experience in St Ita’s. The Church is small though they have a choir loft which on occasions one or two parishioners use. I was preaching one Saturday night and I kept noticing this figure out of the corner of my eye. I did not look up straight away but when I did I got the fright of my life for there was the figure of the Sacred Heart. I thought I was having a vision until I realised that they had stuck a large statue of the Sacred Heart on a chair and he seemed to be looking over the congregation. To me it looked a bit precariously placed, but by all accounts its been there for a few years.

The Holy Spirit Parish in Tinwald is an ageing parish and I cannot see it lasting too long because of the lack of priests and because of its nearness to the Holy Name Parish Church in Ashburton. It is only a mile and half away. Really it is not a Church in the strict sense of the word as it was built as a school and used as a Church. And I am afraid it looks like that, but as you well know one does get attached to our little Churches and it is hard to let go. I feel sorry for the Parish Priest here in Ashburton as he has to deal with four, yes four different pastoral councils and all the worries that entails. It would be hard for a young man but for a man of 74 which the monsignor is, it is very hard and I think not reasonable. The bishop is asking all the councils to look at the situation and come up with a plan that will be fair and just for all in the four parishes. Much the same as we have done in Crowthorne and Sandhurst but that was easy for us compared to the situation here. I attended the meeting of the councils and though they knew the situation no one actually brought up the situation that they face. They were actually more worried how many people would be on the area pastoral council than the actual problem they are facing. But sooner or later they will have to face the closing and amalgamation of parishes. The longer they put it off the harder it is going to be for their priests!