Parish History
Extract from A History of St Thomas More Parish Glenfield 2018
Edited by Clare Russell, May 2018
Note: This page on the website is identical to the first half of the history booklet. Links have been provided for photos and other thoughts from parishioners about each topic.
Early Times
In the early 1950s, the centre of the North Shore was empty space, fields and streams. With the opening of the harbour bridge in 1959, development powered ahead, and Glenfield -
until then a semi-rural area – saw numerous housing settlements follow. Pat Patterson recalls: “There were no footpaths and the road was metal. Across the road a farmer called Parry ran cows. Cox’s farm was further down the road. I think there were four shops where the Mall is now; a butcher, chemist, grocer and Macpherson’s the hardware store. On Sunday mornings, we would walk around to Glenfield Rd and catch the bus to attend Mass at St. Mary’s in Northcote”.
Originally part of Waitemata County Council, first home buyers flooded into the area as building companies established housing estates and it soon became a suburb in its own right. It became evident from the number of Catholics filling both St. Mary’s Northcote and St. Joseph’s Takapuna, that the time had come to establish a parish in Glenfield.
In 1971 a property on the corner of Wairau Rd and Glenfield Rd was purchased. It had an old house on it and an in-ground swimming pool.
A New Parish
In 1972 Fr Purcell from Northcote undertook a survey of the Glenfield area and as a result, the bishop decided to create a new parish. It was named St Thomas More. The first Mass was celebrated in the Hall Rd community hall, but as one of our earliest parishioners, Bob Bovelander remarked, “it was always used for parties the night before, which meant that a major clean up had to be done every Sunday morning, and that smell!”
Bob, along with Steve Crilly, Bruce Patterson and a few others, formed an unofficial committee to spearhead the development of a parish for Glenfield. At that time, the church owned land on a site where the present mall is situated. When it was sold for the mall development, the money was used to buy land in High Rd. Then that land was earmarked by the then Waitemata County Council for a reserve, and the church was given land in Powrie St. in exchange. However, the site was unsuitable for the building of a church, so it too was sold, and the present site was bought, which included the parcel of land below.
A local architect, Angelo Pausler, drew up plans for a church, but Fr Purcell rejected them and the whole project was shelved.
Soon afterwards, Glenfield Primary School Hall became the venue for Sunday Mass and the parish continued to be served by Fr Purcell as well as visiting priests. The community spirit developed early, with many tasks, such as putting out seats and setting up the table for an altar for Mass each weekend, being done by willing hands.
First Parish Priest
Two years later, in 1974, our first parish priest was appointed – Fr Jude McCarthy. A tall man, the table that served as an altar went up on four covered tins, ready for Mass on Sunday morning. The youth remember that Father always used to stop for a chat with them outside any social function and invariably would be invited in for a drink, which he always accepted!
Maureen Ridge remembers “In those days, I was a typist and Father Jude would arrive at our house on a Saturday afternoon, bringing the notes for Sunday’s mass. He and my husband, Maurice, would talk and watch T.V. while I typed. He became a close family friend, and we shared many a family meal”.
We had a small army of volunteers, who went up every Saturday, to get all in readiness. Sometimes that meant putting up posters and decorations for special liturgies too. Then, of course it all had to come down again!
As the area continued to grow, so did the Catholic population and before long the primary school hall was too small. A shift was made to the intermediate school hall down the road. This coincided with the arrival of Fr Jude. A further two parcels of land adjacent to the church property were purchased, giving us sufficient space for a church in the future.
In 1977, Fr Jude was transferred and Fr Bruce Boland became our parish priest. With him came Michael, his faithful dog and constant companion. There must have been a few murmurings among people in those days, because, in his letter for the More News, dated November 1980, Father reminded the parishioners that the funding for a new church takes time and exhorted people to be patient and that would all happen eventually. Father had a remarkable memory for names, and was able to identify any parishioner after a first meeting. He loved socialising, and rarely had a meal at home! By this time mass was also being said at the Albany Coronation Hall, Paremoremo Community Hall and Greenhithe Anglican Church on a roster basis.
A parish committee had become established, Maureen Todd being its first chairperson. It had many groups, including works, finance and liturgy committees, as well as visitors, youth, young mothers and pre-school groups. The Catholic Women’s League was also active. The Presbytery, the original house on the section, had a chapel established in the basement, and doubled up as a meeting room. The swimming pool became a much used magnet for the youth.
Our Sisters Arrive
By now, the pastoral work of the parish had become overwhelming so in February 1978 we were joined by two Australian nuns from the Daughters of Charity, Sisters Margaret and Barbara, and later Sister Gabriel. A new building called St Vincent de Paul House was built on the section adjacent to the original house (where the top car park is now) to accommodate them. Both sisters worked untiringly with parishioners, finding out our needs, and starting many programmes and groups to help meet those needs. From babies to the elderly, their love went out to everyone, and many parishioners had a story to tell of how they were helped by the sisters. The sisters remained for many years, with Sr Jocelyn coming out when Sr Barbara returned to Australia.
In 1994 Sr Mary Gaines began work as a pastoral caregiver in Glenfield, commuting from her residence in Avondale every day. When she was joined in October by Sr Winifred, the pair moved into a house in Glenfield. In January the next year Sr Denise arrived to be a community worker in the parish. Two years after that Sr. Mary left because of ill health. Sr Win moved to Warkworth and in August 2002 Sr Patricia Thompson arrived.
A Caring Community
As well as establishing a Family Living programme, Sr Margaret developed a Catholic Caring Community, with Phyl and Jim Neale as coordinators, which was highly successful for many years. This group was active in helping to overcome the isolation facing many new families. There was poor public transport in those days, and many families didn’t have a car.
The parish was divided into 23 areas, with one person taking responsibility for meeting the other Catholics in that area. The group met in the Sisters’ house, and after prayer and reflection, shared ideas about the best way to help our many new families. A roster was set up for providing meals, babysitting, and transport to appointments where necessary, and generally trying to keep in touch with each other. They did this in part by personally delivering the parish magazine, More News. The Caring group, in turn, worked with the St Vincent de Paul group to reach as many people as possible, using our available resources to the best effect. The contact people were not called on to do wondrous things, just the simple day to day acts that make such a difference to someone who was struggling.
More News
The first edition of The More News parish magazine was printed in February 1980. It was a homemade booklet, with an editorial from the P.P, (Fr Bruce at the time), sundry articles written by the convenors of parish groups, and a feature article on whatever important liturgical occasion was coming up. In those early days, it was collated by Roger Lindley and edited by Bernard Moran. When Roger returned to England, it was taken on by Clare Russell, with the help of Moya and Kevin Hocqard and expanded to include funny quotes, a children’s page and of course, the race results from our parish picnics! Many photos of those early parish days are still around, thanks to the More News. Contributions were sought from fellow parishioners, with some very interesting articles being received. One stalwart of the parish, Bill Blandford, who made a lengthy pilgrimage in his retirement years, reported his travels by mail over several weeks, giving us a personal account of the tour. How different from the social media communications of the present day!
On the social scene, not only were the youth meeting regularly with their Beach Haven counterparts and enjoying the swimming pool, they were fostering many new activities. The annual parish picnic at Wenderholm, instigated by the Caring Community – always a popular event – no doubt helped. Races were held, picnic lunches shared and new friendships made. Several of the youth met up again in later years and went on to marry in the new church!
In 1982, we also had our own first Parish mission, led by the Vincentian Fathers from Australia. By 1980, the population of Glenfield had grown from 2000 (In 1970) to 30,000. The Catholic community was established at around 3,500... Of which 370 attended Sunday Mass at the school hall and a further 300 went to Takapuna or Northcote churches.
Father Neville Browne
January 1981 saw the appointment of a new parish priest, Fr Neville Browne. A man of short stature and even shorter sermons, the altar came down off its tins and plans took place for the church to go up. An ardent sports fan, he had two big book shelves filled with nothing but rugby books. He was also chaplain of the Marist rugby club.
We knew he meant business when he first moved into the Presbytery. Having got a quote for papering and painting the house, he rejected it, stripped the wallpaper in the house the first week and painted it the second. The swimming pool was filled in, as maintenance was too costly. The first task he undertook was to find out, “who is the convenor of the works committee?” It happened to be Norm Price, a Canadian and master builder, who contacted each person on the works and finance committee. The word went out – we’re getting a church. Fr Neville was a real DIY man, and set out to manage the whole project, earning himself the title “clerk of works”, at least behind his back!
Planning for the new church got underway the same year. A feature of the church was to be a glass dome effect over the sanctuary, allowing natural light into the church, and also placing a very clear emphasis on the altar. This was eventually replaced in the plans by the window now in the back wall. There is a very strong spiritual reason for this design. In talks with the architects and the parish council, it was decided that while we wanted natural light to shine on the altar, we also wanted a strong tie in with the outside world, a reminder that God’s creation is everywhere, not just confined to the inside of the church.
Changes to Plan
Some changes were made of necessity. Because of the slope of the land, there was sufficient space underneath the front of the church to incorporate a hall, or community centre. Also, the right hand side of the church (facing the altar) was not completed in brick, as the opposite side is. This was to allow for the addition in future years, of a side chapel. The stained glass window in the back wall was also built in to give this area a more spiritual feel, had the extension gone ahead. However, neither of these projects eventuated, due to financial constraints. The estimated cost of building the church was $320,000. The final contract price - $460,000.
In the mid 70’s, we held a parish wide Annual General Meeting to establish our first fully fledged Parish Pastoral Council and elected a female chairperson, Clare Russell. “This was a great breakthrough for four decades ago!” commented parishioner Phyllis Neale in her contribution to the parish history.
Fundraising
During the Chivalry Rd years, fundraising for a new church began in earnest, when women including Annie Bates, Doreen Thurlow, Leola Meyers, Pat Patterson and Elma Taylor formed a little group. Annie Bates used to hold small card parties in the presbytery basement, the proceeds of which bought the chairs for parish functions. Another long time parishioner, Norma McGrath, was a talented cake maker and decorator. Every year, Norma would make a superb Christmas cake to be raffled for parish funds. It was Annie who donated the beautiful picture of the Last Supper to the church, where it now hangs above the servery window in the hall.
Another early initiative for raising funds was the selling of the parish land. Certificates were issued that stated “The (purchasers’ name) family have purchased one square inch of LOT 1, DP 34125, belonging to the St. Thomas More Parish of Glenfield and leases same in perpetuity to Glenfield Catholic Church”. Alan and Margaret Skinner were involved in various fund raising events and remember when a Maori concert party group performed for the parish.
Parish Fair
The parish fair was resurrected with great enthusiasm. Always popular, it acted as a social meet, garage sale and talent quest … and it raised a lot of money! Fr Neville was in his element, standing on the back of Norm Price’s truck, spinning the wheel for the quick fire raffles. Families had their regular stalls. Annie Bates always did the white elephant stall, Tony Bayer sold his carefully nurtured seedlings, Mary McSweeney and Dawn White on the always popular cake stall, Kevin and Moya Hocquard on raffles, Nicolette Russell did face painting for the kids, and the Russell family kept the kids happy with the candy floss stall. The machine and all the sugar were donated by the Chelsea sugar refinery each year.
Gemma Nobilo was an organizer for a number of years, and well remembers the year of 1986, the first year that it rained. At six am, she found herself having to decide whether or not to cancel the Ferris wheel and mini bikes. After a chat with Fr Neville, they decided to cancel. Gemma then had to plan to get all the stalls inside the Marlborough hall, not knowing if everything would fit. It did, and the day turned out to be a great success.
A Church Arises
In April 1982 the groundwork started for the church and the community rejoiced. We saw a day looming when Mass and celebrations would be held in a fitting place, dedicated to God, which would hopefully bring a church of people together. On the 14tth of July that year, the building permit was granted and building began. Debate was had on a dedicated church versus a utility church/community centre; the building materials of brick vs. concrete block; and carpet vs. lino for the floor covering (this was settled by Stephen Tindall saying that they had just gone through the same exercise at George Courts, and that carpet cost more but lasted longer). The size of the window, designed to be a feature of the church, was originally going to be twice the present size, but the engineers vetoed it because of structural concerns.
By the end of that year we could see the building taking shape. Fr Browne and the works committee worked unceasingly. All the pews were donated from an old Catholic church in Matamata, with working bees held every weekend to strip them down and revarnish them. Working bees were a regular weekend activity, and under the leadership of Peter Dekker and the building team of Sean and Philip O’Sullivan, Jim Neale and others, the church and surrounds took shape. The beautiful lectern, presider’s chair, holy water font and later, the large step in baptismal font, were all made in Kauri by a local craftsman, Ned Jujnovich, also a parishioner.
Dedication of the New Church
On March 27, 1983, the first Mass was celebrated in the new building. The official Mass of Dedication was held on Sunday May 1. The principal celebrant was the Bishop of Auckland, Bishop John Rodgers, with three other bishops participating, including Fr Browne’s brother, Bishop Denis Browne. There were many visiting dignitaries on that momentous day, including the mayor of Takapuna, Fred Thomas, and his wife, Mary; Don McKinnon, the local MP at the time, and his wife; and the local Anglican Priest. A progressive person, Fr Neville asked the chairman of the parish council, who was sitting next to him, to discourage him from going to communion, which she was able to do!
The parish church had a uniting influence, and the Sunday Mass count increased rapidly, including many Catholics from other parishes. The 5.30pm mass on Saturday evenings proved particularly popular for many, especially if there was an overnight test match on!
St. Thomas More StatueIn his story of how the Rosminian priests came to be in Glenfield, Fr John Bland said,“When Fr Neville built the church, he was unable to get a statue of St Thomas More of a reasonable size. In 1962, Archbishop Liston had given the Rosminian community in Takapuna a statue of St Thomas More, as we were all from Britain. After a number of years of being outside, it was taken away to be cleaned and restored. It was about then that we heard Fr Neville talking about not being able to get a suitable statue, so after consulting with the community, we agreed that Glenfield parish should have it. I always say that we planted it in order to get the parish as well!”
Looking Ahead
By 1988 the Diocese of Auckland was facing an acute shortage of priests. A new programme, called “Shaping our Future”, was established, with a view to looking at our parish assets and needs and determining the best use for them. The committee was asked to look at our resources, in order to cover the area with the few priests that we had. One change that came about as a result, was parishes were asked to consolidate their Masses. In October of that year the 8am community lost their Mass, a bitter blow for those who liked an early celebration. The makeup of the community was changing too, with an influx of Catholics from Iraq, India, China, Korea, South Africa and refugees from Rwanda and The Sudan.
Fr Browne remained our Parish Priest until 1989 when his “little brother” as he used to call Bishop Denis – by this time Bishop of Auckland- sent him to Meadowbank parish.
Father Philip Sullivan
In 1989 Fr Philip arrived in the parish from Dargaville, and we were soon hearing some very interesting stories about his previous parish! In his first week here, he had a meeting of people interested in looking after the pastoral needs of the parish. For him, setting up a pastoral committee to oversee the liturgy, social justice, ministry to the sick and caring side of parish life was of paramount importance. Father himself ministered to the prisoners in Auckland prison, part of our parish, with the help of Sr Joan, a Sister of Compassion. In later years, he was helped by Sr Mary Gaines, a sister of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
Another early priority for Father was to reduce the massive parish debt. The area below the church was a weed infested wilderness. After the council issued a weed abatement notice, a working bee was held to remove the noxious Castor Oil plants. Together with parish based advisors, Fr Philip decided to sell the land below the church, no longer needed for a primary school, to a housing development company. This eventually became St Thomas More Lane. The house on the boundary of the driveway into the church, which had originally been purchased for an access way to meet council regulations, was sold. A deal was agreed with the new owners that the common boundary would be moved, to give the church a wider driveway than otherwise possible. The proceeds from both sales were substantial and reduced the parish debt considerably.
One of the first things that Father noticed was the congestion at our two masses and the parking chaos, caused by the fact that we had reduced our masses from three. He, with the bishop’s permission, reinstated the 8am mass, thus solving two major problems while earning the undying gratitude of those who preferred an early mass.
In August 1990 Fr Philip saw the Passionist Family Group movement established in Glenfield. Taking over the role of the now defunct Caring Community, it successfully integrated families of all nationalities into its activities and still flourishes today.
In 1998 Fr Philip was transferred and it became apparent the parish was now so large that more than one priest was needed.
Passionist Family Groups
These groups were originally established to encourage parishioners to spend time looking out for each other on days other than Sunday, with a true Christian approach to forming a family for all, and to follow the Christian challenge to ...”see how they love one another”.
Graham and Shelley Ward were involved in Passionist Family Groups in Paeroa, first as members and then as leaders, and had helped some other Waikato parishes to establish groups. They were asked by Fr Philip to help out in this parish, so in 1990, they became the first Kiwis to leave one parish and establish new PFG’s in their new parish, St Thomas More.
The priority of keeping monthly get-togethers low cost was important, and since most of the leaders and members were in the 35-45 age bracket, this was a target comfortably managed. An initiative which evolved following PFG formation was the collection for, and distribution of Christmas hampers to families in need.
The Iraqi people were among those who signed up to join the movement, around 1995. They said “we were blessed to join the PFG in the parish. The charisma of the Passionists shone through the group’s leaders and members as they generously gave their time and effort to make us truly feel members of the wider Passionist family. The parish camps organised and led by the leaders provided us with exposure to a genuine Kiwi culture. These, together with dance parties, birthday parties, the games nights and the monthly activities, were hugely instrumental in helping us, as a migrant community to assimilate into our new home, New Zealand”.
We sincerely hope that newcomers to the parish will “see how we love one another” in a genuinely Christian way, and join in a second new group which we expect to form in this year (2018).
Parish Community Hall
Father Philip’s first major goal was to look at building a parish facility for meetings, religious education courses and seminars, and community social gatherings.
Because of all the activities now happening within the parish, a parish centre had become a pressing need. Once again a major project got underway. Plans were drawn up for a parish hall, but because of the potential cost, the bishop vetoed the idea. However, Father persisted, went back to the parish committee, and they decided to do the whole job themselves.
The remarkable feature of the building of the hall was that from the designer and engineer to the chippies, all the labour, under the foremanship of Peter Dekker, were volunteers. It took four years, countless working bees, and endless morning teas, but every parishioner with any profession, trade or talent, helped out. Many were the working bees on a Saturday morning to the landscaping of the grounds, laying the cobblestones outside the new hall and laying the lawns. Phyllis Neale and Moya Hocquard, along with their husbands, Jim and Kevin, expertly carried out the landscaping of the area, and went on to plant and maintain the surrounding gardens. With a gardening group that Phyl got together, which by then included Laurie and Dawn Mayne, the grounds were transformed into a place of beauty.
Money-raising projects increased, including delivering telephone books (remember them?)
That was a labour intensive undertaking. Applying for grants became a major task, with the ASB bank and lotteries board coming to our aid. A parishioner, Sean O’Sullivan, a professional designer and builder, told Father that “it was the sweetest project I had ever worked on”.
The car park was finally sealed and extended and earthworks began. Finished in July 1993 at a cost of $200,000, it has since seen the celebration of occasions from christening parties to funeral wakes, wedding receptions to silver anniversaries, and “international” dinners to the parish’s 25th Jubilee dinner, a wonderful celebration.
Another event that Father remembers fondly, were the breakfasts that the 8 o’clock parishioners put on after Mass once a year, usually just before the beginning of Advent. This was a very popular event, with Bob Murphy, and Barry Russell manning the B-B-Q, while the ladies buttered piles of bread. It was said that people arriving for the 10 am mass were distracted by the smell of the sausages!
Our Iraqi People
Iraqi immigrants started coming to New Zealand in the mid 1980s. It was in November 1993 when a few Iraqi Christian families identified St. Thomas More church in Glenfield as a Catholic church where they could attend Mass. Since then many more Christian Iraqis have arrived. By 1995 the Iraqi community had grown considerably, and the majority have identified St. Thomas More as their home parish. Fr Philip Sullivan, the P.P. at the time, fully embraced them and was unfailing in his effort to help them to integrate into the wider parish community. He visited them in their homes, and became their guide as they navigated through the settlement process into their new home of New Zealand. He introduced them to Sr. Denise who soon became their bastion as she extended her boundless love and help to them all.
From those beginnings, the Iraqi people continued their journey towards becoming a fully integrated part of the parish community. An Iraqi parishioner commented, “As any migrant community, we struggled through the challenges of restarting and rebuilding our lives and settling in a new country. Through all these struggles, we sensed the compassion of our fellow Kiwis and other ethnic groups, expressed in word and deed”.
Chaldean CatholicsIn April 1996, a group of Iraqi Catholic Chaldeans approached Bishop Patrick Dunn, to express their need for a Chaldean priest to serve the Catholic Chaldeans, who were spread out across Auckland and the North Island. Bishop Pat supported the initiative, which resulted in a visit to New Zealand in 2002, by the late Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid, who promised to send a priest for the service of the community.
St. Addai the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Parish was established in N.Z. In May of 2003 Father Fawzi Koro arrived, who celebrated his first Mass in St. Thomas More church that same month. Ever since then, the Chaldean Mass has been celebrated every Sunday evening for the Chaldean parishioners in the church of St. Thomas More. St Addai’s parishioners continue to engage actively in supporting STM, ranging from material support, e.g. donating and installing the large screen TV in the hall, to providing material for some Catholic education and bible study courses.
Armenian Tradition
Between 1915 and 1917, the genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire government occurred. Over 1.5 million people were killed, with others fleeing and settling all over the world. In 1995, several families arrived in New Zealand via Iraq, to be part of Glenfield parish. One of many Armenian traditions is to gather at someone’s house the day before Palm Sunday, to make the little crosses out of palm leaves that are distributed at Mass on Palm Sunday. If you picked one up, you may like to know that years of tradition lie behind the making of them.
Sister Denise
Sister Denise arrived to help meet the pastoral demands of the parish. She quickly became well known and loved around the community. She soon grew to know the parish, and see its needs. She had a no nonsense approach to everyday problems, and didn’t hesitate to involve people to help out when and where a need arose. She had a great talent for shoulder tapping people, and, before you knew it, you were doing some sort of task that involved helping someone! Sr Denise was a driving force in the St. Vincent de Paul group, and worked closely with newly arrived refugee families that were now coming into Glenfield. She became a much loved figure among the refugee families, and, along with Mary McSweeney, with whom she worked, was often invited to their weddings and celebrations. Mary said “her little treat to herself was to have lunch up at the mall”, where she was just as likely to be stopped by someone she had helped, although she never could remember their names!
Serving in the Beach Haven “Vinnies” shop was another warm memory of Sr Denise for Mary, although she reckons they never made a cent the days Denise was on, as she would give everything away. She worked tirelessly in the parish, answering the phone at any hour of the day or night.
Sr Denise retired in 2013 to a home in Hillsborough. From there, she went to Temuka to nurse her sick sister. She returned to Auckland and lived in the Mary McKillop Centre in Mission Bay. By this time, she was ill herself, and she died on the 17th May, 2015, a much loved and mourned lady.
Father John Bland’s Story
“It was 1993 and Rosmini College wanted to build an auditorium which was badly needed. It involved the Rosminians having to move out of their house. Bishop Pat offered me the parish of Glenfield. Fr John Moss and Fr Ernie Milne were in the community and the presbytery could not accommodate three priests. The finance committee got an office block second hand, put it on site and it became Rosmini House. The diocese paid for this, and considerable volunteer labour assisted with the installation. The original house became a parish centre, and offices and the basement - at that time being used by the St. Vincent de Paul group - was converted to become the Sun and Moon youth centre. This name was given to it because the tiles donated had the sun and moon on them. Fr John said “I connected it to Our Lady of Guadeloupe, with the sun, moon and stars. I think we added some stars. The priests also got a very nice house!
“Then the St.V de P people needed somewhere to store the many goods that were donated to them. To that end, a double garage was built, which was extensively used. One day it was full, the next day, empty! Once again, Sr Denise called heavily on its contents, and many a man being resettled after a prison spell, would be helped out.
“On May 1st I moved in and never having been a parish priest before, wondered “where do I begin?” All my experience had been teaching in schools. In my homily the next Sunday, I introduced myself, and, explaining that we Rosmini priests had only ever taught in intermediate schools before, added “I thought children came into the world as eleven year olds!
“We soon settled in, and quickly came to realise that the parishioners ran the current projects. It was at that time that the bishop, very aware of the diminishing number of diocesan priests, had asked parishes to look at how they could best combine their churches and general resources. This became the “Shaping our Future” project. Although the parish priests attended these meetings, they were largely run by the parishioners, giving us yet another insight into the running of diocesan parishes.”
Prison Ministry
Fr John Moss, aware that Paremoremo (Auckland) prison was in our parish, put out an appeal for parishioners to volunteer as prison visitors. Along with Bill Young, another parishioner who worked at the prison as a Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation (PARS) officer, Jim and Phyl Neale responded to the call. Jim writes: “Having ascertained a would-be visitor’s suitability, Bill takes him along to Mt. Eden or Paremoremo and makes an introduction to a prisoner who has requested a PARS visitor.
“The first one or two visits can be slightly intimidating until one becomes accustomed to electronically controlled doors, uniformed officers and prisoners. The real challenge though, is in getting to know the prisoner as a friend and ultimately become a confidante for him. We are advised by PARS that our basic attitude is quickly sensed by those we visit. My prisoner friend explains that inmates rapidly uncover the motives of those who go to the prison as if it is a zoo. Our approach must be of sincere but neutral friendship, and non judgemental, otherwise we are not effective. “We, as visitors, receive confidences about normal family concerns, which an inmate cannot share with prison officers or other inmates.”
Both were engaged in that ministry until they left Glenfield for Ohope, many years later.
Father John’s Learning Curve
A parishioner reports: “I used to organise the collection counters and Fr John told me that they thought that the priests did everything in the parish. He said that after the 5.30 pm Mass there was panic when they couldn’t find the collection on the altar, before someone told them that it had been put away in the safe. Then there was surprise on Sunday afternoon to find that it had already been counted. Then panic again on Monday when going to do the banking to find the safe empty (Emmett Maloney had already done the banking)!”
In 2005 the Diocesan property department indicated to Father John and the Finance Committee that it was time the parish paid for Rosmini House (the priests’ house) as it would obviously remain a permanent fixture and the parish had benefited by the extra accommodation. The bill to the Diocese for the house had been $104,000 and they wished to receive this as final. After considerable deliberation, in the end there was little choice and the parish needed to settle. This happened in 2007. This was achieved through a deposit from savings, a little fundraising by way of a Chris Skinner concert and a mortgage that was repaid in good time thanks to careful spending.
Fr John Moss returned to England after a short time, leaving Fr John and Fr Ernie to serve the parish.
Father Ernie Milne
Parishioners remember Fr Ernie as a real character- a man who was well liked and respected by the Rosmini School boys, and loved by parishioners. He dearly loved his classical music, and if you wanted to get into a spirited debate with him, just tell him that your favourite composer was Beethoven. Fr Ernie couldn’t stand him! He was Radio N.Z. no.1 fan. Certain programmes were sacrosanct. Woe betide the person who disturbed him when he was listening! A concert for his 20th anniversary of ordination was put on for him in December 2004. Background jazz and classical music was provided by several very talented youngsters from the parish.
Sadly, he became progressively more blind, with Fr John printing out the readings and other oral parts of the Mass in increasingly large script, until even that failed in the end. He continued to live in the parish, keeping up with daily events, as best he could. Fr Ernie became ill and died on October 27th.2008. A memorial window was installed for him in the rear of the church. Because the Rosminians must live in community, it then became necessary for Fr John to leave too. Fr John returned to England in 2009.
A Farewell Concert
When, in 2009, Fr John announced that he would be leaving St. Thomas More and returning to England, it was the end of an era. Glenfield had been his Rosmini community for 30 years. That was 40 years service to the Auckland Catholic Diocese. I recognition of his service, the parish what was called a showcase concert at Rosmini College. Helen Ellis, an organiser of the occasion adds, “What he and most of the audience didn’t know, was that we were actually hosting a “This is your Life” show. We copied the format of previous TV shows, when unexpectedly, an important person in the audience becomes the celebrity of the show, and special friends and family, who are hiding in the wings, are brought on stage. The show started with a big surprise – Fr John’s brother from England came on the screen on a video and broke the news to the whole audience. Father was invited on stage, and a string of old friends and acquaintances were brought out to reminisce about old times, with the Tongan choir, of which Father was particularly fond, performing a finale with their amazing energy.
Church Art
Stations of the Cross
It is a little known fact that the beautiful bronze sculptures of the Stations of the Cross in our church were commissioned from the sculptor, Ken Kendall, by Fr Neville Browne soon after the church was opened. They were made to compliment the original crucifix that was also sculptured by him.
Ken Kendall was born and raised in New Zealand. In 1970 he became a professional sculptor. In the early seventies he worked exclusively in terracotta, exhibiting extensively in New Zealand, Australia and in 1973, Washington DC. In 1978, whilst on a study trip to Europe, he turned his attention to the lost wax process of bronze casting.
On his return to Auckland he set up, in close association with his Dutch wife Johanna, a studio and foundry for producing his unique and limited edition bronzes. His works are in the boardrooms of many New Zealand public companies and an increasing number of collectors from Europe and the United States are not only buying his works, but also commissioning bronzes from Kendall.
In early 2018, the Stations of the Cross were mounted on a Travertine stone background, to make them more visible against the red brick walls, a fitting addition in our 35th anniversary year.
Holy Family Icon
It was around 2003 that Fr John Bland suggested the commissioning of an Icon of the Holy Family for St Thomas More church. He says: "I felt that, at that time, there was very little support for family life in the community, including from the government. I came up with the idea of obtaining an icon of The Holy Family for the church. I looked at the internet to get some ideas and sent one to Michale Pervan". It was written (the terminology for the painting of an icon, which is the gospel in its visual form) at the studio of John the Baptist when it began in Herne Bay. Both Fr John and Fr Ernie were very supportive of the idea, and our icon of the Holy Family was the first major commission for the studio and the first art instillation since the church was built.
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
One of the features of the church surrounds is the beautiful grotto and statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and the prayerful Bernadette.
A parishioner, Nasreen Jabbar, sent in a delightful photo of the grotto with her mother, Munira, standing next to it. She writes, “The attached photo shows my mother Munira Yousif, who initiated the installation of the grotto, by sending all the funds needed from London, where she lived. This enabled us to buy the two statues and build it, with the help of parishioners, Tom McNicoll and Peter Dekker.”
It was blessed by Fr John Bland one morning after mass.
A New Crucifix
Fr John’s successor Fr Benedict took the brave step of commissioning a new crucifix for the sanctuary wall. He wanted it to be life size and had specific ideas on how it should look. Initially controversial because of its size, it was hand carved in Gesso (a type of plaster) and sits on a Kauri cross. On the 25th November, 2012, the feast of Christ the King, Bishop Patrick Dunn blessed and commissioned the crucifix in the church.
Marian Devotions
Around 2009, there were many requests for a Marian Devotional area, a place to light a candle. Michael Pervan, from the Studio of John the Baptist, was commissioned to design an appropriate stand. His wooden multi box design complemented the box-like design of the existing altar furniture. It has been a source of comfort to many people since its inception.
Prior to the completion of the stand, the tabernacle was moved from the right of the altar, to on to the altar, to the left of the window. The new stand was installed and blessed on the 30th May, 2010.
Father Benedict Francis
Father Benedict was ordained in 1997 and was appointed P.P. of St Thomas More parish in 2009, following on from Father John Bland. He had previously been a principal of a secondary school in Delhi before coming to New Zealand. Our first Indian parish priest, with a smile as wide as he was tall, he soon gained a reputation as the Energizer Bunny, always ‘on the go’. When asked about highlights of his time at STM Father Ben talked of two things – new priestly ordinations and parties!
Father was grateful for the experience to walk alongside three seminarians during the latter part of their journeys to priesthood. The parish, and Father Ben, were privileged to be a part of three ordinations; Tongan, Fr Maliu Tofu; Fr Brian Lange the boat builder; and Fr Carlos Guleng, the Filipino Design Engineer. Father Ben enjoyed living with each priest and celebrating their new vocation. Father was especially supportive of our ethnic communities, and he encouraged our Iraqi choir to introduce some of their hymns in Arabic.
Parties and gatherings were always important to Father Ben. He loved cooking, and generally sharing his hospitality with everyone. “I was constantly looking for an excuse for the parish to ‘gather’ – not just in ethnic groups but all mixed up! It is all about community.”
Father Ben was in favour of a new and larger crucifix for the sanctuary and during his tenure money was donated for this $30,000 plus project. The cause was oversubscribed and the remaining funds enabled the single large screen that was sometimes hard to view to be replaced by two television monitors which offered greater viewer clarity.
Father Alfredo Garcia
Fr Alfredo arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines in February 2009, as a Deacon. He was ordained in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in May 2012 and served in the parish of Dargaville. In 2015, he arrived in Glenfield, to become our first Filipino parish priest.
Where we are Now
Our parish, as is to be expected, is steadily growing. Our mass count shows increases each year, from 2996 in 1998, to 7733 in 2017. The parish is engaged in all the required ministries, plus many more activities, many ethnic based. Large areas of Glenfield are subject to in-fill housing developments, so we expect the parish to grow accordingly.
Father Alfredo says, “As we continue our journey and look forward into the future, let us entrust to God with confidence our mission and vision through the intercession of St. Thomas More. Uncertain as we are of what lies ahead, let us courageously take on the tasks and the challenges of the future, calling to mind the words of Jesus to Peter: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”[Lk. 5:4] “Do not be afraid for I am with you until the end of time.” [Matt.28:20]”.
Edited by Clare Russell, May 2018
Note: This page on the website is identical to the first half of the history booklet. Links have been provided for photos and other thoughts from parishioners about each topic.
Early Times
In the early 1950s, the centre of the North Shore was empty space, fields and streams. With the opening of the harbour bridge in 1959, development powered ahead, and Glenfield -
until then a semi-rural area – saw numerous housing settlements follow. Pat Patterson recalls: “There were no footpaths and the road was metal. Across the road a farmer called Parry ran cows. Cox’s farm was further down the road. I think there were four shops where the Mall is now; a butcher, chemist, grocer and Macpherson’s the hardware store. On Sunday mornings, we would walk around to Glenfield Rd and catch the bus to attend Mass at St. Mary’s in Northcote”.
Originally part of Waitemata County Council, first home buyers flooded into the area as building companies established housing estates and it soon became a suburb in its own right. It became evident from the number of Catholics filling both St. Mary’s Northcote and St. Joseph’s Takapuna, that the time had come to establish a parish in Glenfield.
In 1971 a property on the corner of Wairau Rd and Glenfield Rd was purchased. It had an old house on it and an in-ground swimming pool.
A New Parish
In 1972 Fr Purcell from Northcote undertook a survey of the Glenfield area and as a result, the bishop decided to create a new parish. It was named St Thomas More. The first Mass was celebrated in the Hall Rd community hall, but as one of our earliest parishioners, Bob Bovelander remarked, “it was always used for parties the night before, which meant that a major clean up had to be done every Sunday morning, and that smell!”
Bob, along with Steve Crilly, Bruce Patterson and a few others, formed an unofficial committee to spearhead the development of a parish for Glenfield. At that time, the church owned land on a site where the present mall is situated. When it was sold for the mall development, the money was used to buy land in High Rd. Then that land was earmarked by the then Waitemata County Council for a reserve, and the church was given land in Powrie St. in exchange. However, the site was unsuitable for the building of a church, so it too was sold, and the present site was bought, which included the parcel of land below.
A local architect, Angelo Pausler, drew up plans for a church, but Fr Purcell rejected them and the whole project was shelved.
Soon afterwards, Glenfield Primary School Hall became the venue for Sunday Mass and the parish continued to be served by Fr Purcell as well as visiting priests. The community spirit developed early, with many tasks, such as putting out seats and setting up the table for an altar for Mass each weekend, being done by willing hands.
First Parish Priest
Two years later, in 1974, our first parish priest was appointed – Fr Jude McCarthy. A tall man, the table that served as an altar went up on four covered tins, ready for Mass on Sunday morning. The youth remember that Father always used to stop for a chat with them outside any social function and invariably would be invited in for a drink, which he always accepted!
Maureen Ridge remembers “In those days, I was a typist and Father Jude would arrive at our house on a Saturday afternoon, bringing the notes for Sunday’s mass. He and my husband, Maurice, would talk and watch T.V. while I typed. He became a close family friend, and we shared many a family meal”.
We had a small army of volunteers, who went up every Saturday, to get all in readiness. Sometimes that meant putting up posters and decorations for special liturgies too. Then, of course it all had to come down again!
As the area continued to grow, so did the Catholic population and before long the primary school hall was too small. A shift was made to the intermediate school hall down the road. This coincided with the arrival of Fr Jude. A further two parcels of land adjacent to the church property were purchased, giving us sufficient space for a church in the future.
In 1977, Fr Jude was transferred and Fr Bruce Boland became our parish priest. With him came Michael, his faithful dog and constant companion. There must have been a few murmurings among people in those days, because, in his letter for the More News, dated November 1980, Father reminded the parishioners that the funding for a new church takes time and exhorted people to be patient and that would all happen eventually. Father had a remarkable memory for names, and was able to identify any parishioner after a first meeting. He loved socialising, and rarely had a meal at home! By this time mass was also being said at the Albany Coronation Hall, Paremoremo Community Hall and Greenhithe Anglican Church on a roster basis.
A parish committee had become established, Maureen Todd being its first chairperson. It had many groups, including works, finance and liturgy committees, as well as visitors, youth, young mothers and pre-school groups. The Catholic Women’s League was also active. The Presbytery, the original house on the section, had a chapel established in the basement, and doubled up as a meeting room. The swimming pool became a much used magnet for the youth.
Our Sisters Arrive
By now, the pastoral work of the parish had become overwhelming so in February 1978 we were joined by two Australian nuns from the Daughters of Charity, Sisters Margaret and Barbara, and later Sister Gabriel. A new building called St Vincent de Paul House was built on the section adjacent to the original house (where the top car park is now) to accommodate them. Both sisters worked untiringly with parishioners, finding out our needs, and starting many programmes and groups to help meet those needs. From babies to the elderly, their love went out to everyone, and many parishioners had a story to tell of how they were helped by the sisters. The sisters remained for many years, with Sr Jocelyn coming out when Sr Barbara returned to Australia.
In 1994 Sr Mary Gaines began work as a pastoral caregiver in Glenfield, commuting from her residence in Avondale every day. When she was joined in October by Sr Winifred, the pair moved into a house in Glenfield. In January the next year Sr Denise arrived to be a community worker in the parish. Two years after that Sr. Mary left because of ill health. Sr Win moved to Warkworth and in August 2002 Sr Patricia Thompson arrived.
A Caring Community
As well as establishing a Family Living programme, Sr Margaret developed a Catholic Caring Community, with Phyl and Jim Neale as coordinators, which was highly successful for many years. This group was active in helping to overcome the isolation facing many new families. There was poor public transport in those days, and many families didn’t have a car.
The parish was divided into 23 areas, with one person taking responsibility for meeting the other Catholics in that area. The group met in the Sisters’ house, and after prayer and reflection, shared ideas about the best way to help our many new families. A roster was set up for providing meals, babysitting, and transport to appointments where necessary, and generally trying to keep in touch with each other. They did this in part by personally delivering the parish magazine, More News. The Caring group, in turn, worked with the St Vincent de Paul group to reach as many people as possible, using our available resources to the best effect. The contact people were not called on to do wondrous things, just the simple day to day acts that make such a difference to someone who was struggling.
More News
The first edition of The More News parish magazine was printed in February 1980. It was a homemade booklet, with an editorial from the P.P, (Fr Bruce at the time), sundry articles written by the convenors of parish groups, and a feature article on whatever important liturgical occasion was coming up. In those early days, it was collated by Roger Lindley and edited by Bernard Moran. When Roger returned to England, it was taken on by Clare Russell, with the help of Moya and Kevin Hocqard and expanded to include funny quotes, a children’s page and of course, the race results from our parish picnics! Many photos of those early parish days are still around, thanks to the More News. Contributions were sought from fellow parishioners, with some very interesting articles being received. One stalwart of the parish, Bill Blandford, who made a lengthy pilgrimage in his retirement years, reported his travels by mail over several weeks, giving us a personal account of the tour. How different from the social media communications of the present day!
On the social scene, not only were the youth meeting regularly with their Beach Haven counterparts and enjoying the swimming pool, they were fostering many new activities. The annual parish picnic at Wenderholm, instigated by the Caring Community – always a popular event – no doubt helped. Races were held, picnic lunches shared and new friendships made. Several of the youth met up again in later years and went on to marry in the new church!
In 1982, we also had our own first Parish mission, led by the Vincentian Fathers from Australia. By 1980, the population of Glenfield had grown from 2000 (In 1970) to 30,000. The Catholic community was established at around 3,500... Of which 370 attended Sunday Mass at the school hall and a further 300 went to Takapuna or Northcote churches.
Father Neville Browne
January 1981 saw the appointment of a new parish priest, Fr Neville Browne. A man of short stature and even shorter sermons, the altar came down off its tins and plans took place for the church to go up. An ardent sports fan, he had two big book shelves filled with nothing but rugby books. He was also chaplain of the Marist rugby club.
We knew he meant business when he first moved into the Presbytery. Having got a quote for papering and painting the house, he rejected it, stripped the wallpaper in the house the first week and painted it the second. The swimming pool was filled in, as maintenance was too costly. The first task he undertook was to find out, “who is the convenor of the works committee?” It happened to be Norm Price, a Canadian and master builder, who contacted each person on the works and finance committee. The word went out – we’re getting a church. Fr Neville was a real DIY man, and set out to manage the whole project, earning himself the title “clerk of works”, at least behind his back!
Planning for the new church got underway the same year. A feature of the church was to be a glass dome effect over the sanctuary, allowing natural light into the church, and also placing a very clear emphasis on the altar. This was eventually replaced in the plans by the window now in the back wall. There is a very strong spiritual reason for this design. In talks with the architects and the parish council, it was decided that while we wanted natural light to shine on the altar, we also wanted a strong tie in with the outside world, a reminder that God’s creation is everywhere, not just confined to the inside of the church.
Changes to Plan
Some changes were made of necessity. Because of the slope of the land, there was sufficient space underneath the front of the church to incorporate a hall, or community centre. Also, the right hand side of the church (facing the altar) was not completed in brick, as the opposite side is. This was to allow for the addition in future years, of a side chapel. The stained glass window in the back wall was also built in to give this area a more spiritual feel, had the extension gone ahead. However, neither of these projects eventuated, due to financial constraints. The estimated cost of building the church was $320,000. The final contract price - $460,000.
In the mid 70’s, we held a parish wide Annual General Meeting to establish our first fully fledged Parish Pastoral Council and elected a female chairperson, Clare Russell. “This was a great breakthrough for four decades ago!” commented parishioner Phyllis Neale in her contribution to the parish history.
Fundraising
During the Chivalry Rd years, fundraising for a new church began in earnest, when women including Annie Bates, Doreen Thurlow, Leola Meyers, Pat Patterson and Elma Taylor formed a little group. Annie Bates used to hold small card parties in the presbytery basement, the proceeds of which bought the chairs for parish functions. Another long time parishioner, Norma McGrath, was a talented cake maker and decorator. Every year, Norma would make a superb Christmas cake to be raffled for parish funds. It was Annie who donated the beautiful picture of the Last Supper to the church, where it now hangs above the servery window in the hall.
Another early initiative for raising funds was the selling of the parish land. Certificates were issued that stated “The (purchasers’ name) family have purchased one square inch of LOT 1, DP 34125, belonging to the St. Thomas More Parish of Glenfield and leases same in perpetuity to Glenfield Catholic Church”. Alan and Margaret Skinner were involved in various fund raising events and remember when a Maori concert party group performed for the parish.
Parish Fair
The parish fair was resurrected with great enthusiasm. Always popular, it acted as a social meet, garage sale and talent quest … and it raised a lot of money! Fr Neville was in his element, standing on the back of Norm Price’s truck, spinning the wheel for the quick fire raffles. Families had their regular stalls. Annie Bates always did the white elephant stall, Tony Bayer sold his carefully nurtured seedlings, Mary McSweeney and Dawn White on the always popular cake stall, Kevin and Moya Hocquard on raffles, Nicolette Russell did face painting for the kids, and the Russell family kept the kids happy with the candy floss stall. The machine and all the sugar were donated by the Chelsea sugar refinery each year.
Gemma Nobilo was an organizer for a number of years, and well remembers the year of 1986, the first year that it rained. At six am, she found herself having to decide whether or not to cancel the Ferris wheel and mini bikes. After a chat with Fr Neville, they decided to cancel. Gemma then had to plan to get all the stalls inside the Marlborough hall, not knowing if everything would fit. It did, and the day turned out to be a great success.
A Church Arises
In April 1982 the groundwork started for the church and the community rejoiced. We saw a day looming when Mass and celebrations would be held in a fitting place, dedicated to God, which would hopefully bring a church of people together. On the 14tth of July that year, the building permit was granted and building began. Debate was had on a dedicated church versus a utility church/community centre; the building materials of brick vs. concrete block; and carpet vs. lino for the floor covering (this was settled by Stephen Tindall saying that they had just gone through the same exercise at George Courts, and that carpet cost more but lasted longer). The size of the window, designed to be a feature of the church, was originally going to be twice the present size, but the engineers vetoed it because of structural concerns.
By the end of that year we could see the building taking shape. Fr Browne and the works committee worked unceasingly. All the pews were donated from an old Catholic church in Matamata, with working bees held every weekend to strip them down and revarnish them. Working bees were a regular weekend activity, and under the leadership of Peter Dekker and the building team of Sean and Philip O’Sullivan, Jim Neale and others, the church and surrounds took shape. The beautiful lectern, presider’s chair, holy water font and later, the large step in baptismal font, were all made in Kauri by a local craftsman, Ned Jujnovich, also a parishioner.
Dedication of the New Church
On March 27, 1983, the first Mass was celebrated in the new building. The official Mass of Dedication was held on Sunday May 1. The principal celebrant was the Bishop of Auckland, Bishop John Rodgers, with three other bishops participating, including Fr Browne’s brother, Bishop Denis Browne. There were many visiting dignitaries on that momentous day, including the mayor of Takapuna, Fred Thomas, and his wife, Mary; Don McKinnon, the local MP at the time, and his wife; and the local Anglican Priest. A progressive person, Fr Neville asked the chairman of the parish council, who was sitting next to him, to discourage him from going to communion, which she was able to do!
The parish church had a uniting influence, and the Sunday Mass count increased rapidly, including many Catholics from other parishes. The 5.30pm mass on Saturday evenings proved particularly popular for many, especially if there was an overnight test match on!
St. Thomas More StatueIn his story of how the Rosminian priests came to be in Glenfield, Fr John Bland said,“When Fr Neville built the church, he was unable to get a statue of St Thomas More of a reasonable size. In 1962, Archbishop Liston had given the Rosminian community in Takapuna a statue of St Thomas More, as we were all from Britain. After a number of years of being outside, it was taken away to be cleaned and restored. It was about then that we heard Fr Neville talking about not being able to get a suitable statue, so after consulting with the community, we agreed that Glenfield parish should have it. I always say that we planted it in order to get the parish as well!”
Looking Ahead
By 1988 the Diocese of Auckland was facing an acute shortage of priests. A new programme, called “Shaping our Future”, was established, with a view to looking at our parish assets and needs and determining the best use for them. The committee was asked to look at our resources, in order to cover the area with the few priests that we had. One change that came about as a result, was parishes were asked to consolidate their Masses. In October of that year the 8am community lost their Mass, a bitter blow for those who liked an early celebration. The makeup of the community was changing too, with an influx of Catholics from Iraq, India, China, Korea, South Africa and refugees from Rwanda and The Sudan.
Fr Browne remained our Parish Priest until 1989 when his “little brother” as he used to call Bishop Denis – by this time Bishop of Auckland- sent him to Meadowbank parish.
Father Philip Sullivan
In 1989 Fr Philip arrived in the parish from Dargaville, and we were soon hearing some very interesting stories about his previous parish! In his first week here, he had a meeting of people interested in looking after the pastoral needs of the parish. For him, setting up a pastoral committee to oversee the liturgy, social justice, ministry to the sick and caring side of parish life was of paramount importance. Father himself ministered to the prisoners in Auckland prison, part of our parish, with the help of Sr Joan, a Sister of Compassion. In later years, he was helped by Sr Mary Gaines, a sister of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
Another early priority for Father was to reduce the massive parish debt. The area below the church was a weed infested wilderness. After the council issued a weed abatement notice, a working bee was held to remove the noxious Castor Oil plants. Together with parish based advisors, Fr Philip decided to sell the land below the church, no longer needed for a primary school, to a housing development company. This eventually became St Thomas More Lane. The house on the boundary of the driveway into the church, which had originally been purchased for an access way to meet council regulations, was sold. A deal was agreed with the new owners that the common boundary would be moved, to give the church a wider driveway than otherwise possible. The proceeds from both sales were substantial and reduced the parish debt considerably.
One of the first things that Father noticed was the congestion at our two masses and the parking chaos, caused by the fact that we had reduced our masses from three. He, with the bishop’s permission, reinstated the 8am mass, thus solving two major problems while earning the undying gratitude of those who preferred an early mass.
In August 1990 Fr Philip saw the Passionist Family Group movement established in Glenfield. Taking over the role of the now defunct Caring Community, it successfully integrated families of all nationalities into its activities and still flourishes today.
In 1998 Fr Philip was transferred and it became apparent the parish was now so large that more than one priest was needed.
Passionist Family Groups
These groups were originally established to encourage parishioners to spend time looking out for each other on days other than Sunday, with a true Christian approach to forming a family for all, and to follow the Christian challenge to ...”see how they love one another”.
Graham and Shelley Ward were involved in Passionist Family Groups in Paeroa, first as members and then as leaders, and had helped some other Waikato parishes to establish groups. They were asked by Fr Philip to help out in this parish, so in 1990, they became the first Kiwis to leave one parish and establish new PFG’s in their new parish, St Thomas More.
The priority of keeping monthly get-togethers low cost was important, and since most of the leaders and members were in the 35-45 age bracket, this was a target comfortably managed. An initiative which evolved following PFG formation was the collection for, and distribution of Christmas hampers to families in need.
The Iraqi people were among those who signed up to join the movement, around 1995. They said “we were blessed to join the PFG in the parish. The charisma of the Passionists shone through the group’s leaders and members as they generously gave their time and effort to make us truly feel members of the wider Passionist family. The parish camps organised and led by the leaders provided us with exposure to a genuine Kiwi culture. These, together with dance parties, birthday parties, the games nights and the monthly activities, were hugely instrumental in helping us, as a migrant community to assimilate into our new home, New Zealand”.
We sincerely hope that newcomers to the parish will “see how we love one another” in a genuinely Christian way, and join in a second new group which we expect to form in this year (2018).
Parish Community Hall
Father Philip’s first major goal was to look at building a parish facility for meetings, religious education courses and seminars, and community social gatherings.
Because of all the activities now happening within the parish, a parish centre had become a pressing need. Once again a major project got underway. Plans were drawn up for a parish hall, but because of the potential cost, the bishop vetoed the idea. However, Father persisted, went back to the parish committee, and they decided to do the whole job themselves.
The remarkable feature of the building of the hall was that from the designer and engineer to the chippies, all the labour, under the foremanship of Peter Dekker, were volunteers. It took four years, countless working bees, and endless morning teas, but every parishioner with any profession, trade or talent, helped out. Many were the working bees on a Saturday morning to the landscaping of the grounds, laying the cobblestones outside the new hall and laying the lawns. Phyllis Neale and Moya Hocquard, along with their husbands, Jim and Kevin, expertly carried out the landscaping of the area, and went on to plant and maintain the surrounding gardens. With a gardening group that Phyl got together, which by then included Laurie and Dawn Mayne, the grounds were transformed into a place of beauty.
Money-raising projects increased, including delivering telephone books (remember them?)
That was a labour intensive undertaking. Applying for grants became a major task, with the ASB bank and lotteries board coming to our aid. A parishioner, Sean O’Sullivan, a professional designer and builder, told Father that “it was the sweetest project I had ever worked on”.
The car park was finally sealed and extended and earthworks began. Finished in July 1993 at a cost of $200,000, it has since seen the celebration of occasions from christening parties to funeral wakes, wedding receptions to silver anniversaries, and “international” dinners to the parish’s 25th Jubilee dinner, a wonderful celebration.
Another event that Father remembers fondly, were the breakfasts that the 8 o’clock parishioners put on after Mass once a year, usually just before the beginning of Advent. This was a very popular event, with Bob Murphy, and Barry Russell manning the B-B-Q, while the ladies buttered piles of bread. It was said that people arriving for the 10 am mass were distracted by the smell of the sausages!
Our Iraqi People
Iraqi immigrants started coming to New Zealand in the mid 1980s. It was in November 1993 when a few Iraqi Christian families identified St. Thomas More church in Glenfield as a Catholic church where they could attend Mass. Since then many more Christian Iraqis have arrived. By 1995 the Iraqi community had grown considerably, and the majority have identified St. Thomas More as their home parish. Fr Philip Sullivan, the P.P. at the time, fully embraced them and was unfailing in his effort to help them to integrate into the wider parish community. He visited them in their homes, and became their guide as they navigated through the settlement process into their new home of New Zealand. He introduced them to Sr. Denise who soon became their bastion as she extended her boundless love and help to them all.
From those beginnings, the Iraqi people continued their journey towards becoming a fully integrated part of the parish community. An Iraqi parishioner commented, “As any migrant community, we struggled through the challenges of restarting and rebuilding our lives and settling in a new country. Through all these struggles, we sensed the compassion of our fellow Kiwis and other ethnic groups, expressed in word and deed”.
Chaldean CatholicsIn April 1996, a group of Iraqi Catholic Chaldeans approached Bishop Patrick Dunn, to express their need for a Chaldean priest to serve the Catholic Chaldeans, who were spread out across Auckland and the North Island. Bishop Pat supported the initiative, which resulted in a visit to New Zealand in 2002, by the late Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid, who promised to send a priest for the service of the community.
St. Addai the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Parish was established in N.Z. In May of 2003 Father Fawzi Koro arrived, who celebrated his first Mass in St. Thomas More church that same month. Ever since then, the Chaldean Mass has been celebrated every Sunday evening for the Chaldean parishioners in the church of St. Thomas More. St Addai’s parishioners continue to engage actively in supporting STM, ranging from material support, e.g. donating and installing the large screen TV in the hall, to providing material for some Catholic education and bible study courses.
Armenian Tradition
Between 1915 and 1917, the genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire government occurred. Over 1.5 million people were killed, with others fleeing and settling all over the world. In 1995, several families arrived in New Zealand via Iraq, to be part of Glenfield parish. One of many Armenian traditions is to gather at someone’s house the day before Palm Sunday, to make the little crosses out of palm leaves that are distributed at Mass on Palm Sunday. If you picked one up, you may like to know that years of tradition lie behind the making of them.
Sister Denise
Sister Denise arrived to help meet the pastoral demands of the parish. She quickly became well known and loved around the community. She soon grew to know the parish, and see its needs. She had a no nonsense approach to everyday problems, and didn’t hesitate to involve people to help out when and where a need arose. She had a great talent for shoulder tapping people, and, before you knew it, you were doing some sort of task that involved helping someone! Sr Denise was a driving force in the St. Vincent de Paul group, and worked closely with newly arrived refugee families that were now coming into Glenfield. She became a much loved figure among the refugee families, and, along with Mary McSweeney, with whom she worked, was often invited to their weddings and celebrations. Mary said “her little treat to herself was to have lunch up at the mall”, where she was just as likely to be stopped by someone she had helped, although she never could remember their names!
Serving in the Beach Haven “Vinnies” shop was another warm memory of Sr Denise for Mary, although she reckons they never made a cent the days Denise was on, as she would give everything away. She worked tirelessly in the parish, answering the phone at any hour of the day or night.
Sr Denise retired in 2013 to a home in Hillsborough. From there, she went to Temuka to nurse her sick sister. She returned to Auckland and lived in the Mary McKillop Centre in Mission Bay. By this time, she was ill herself, and she died on the 17th May, 2015, a much loved and mourned lady.
Father John Bland’s Story
“It was 1993 and Rosmini College wanted to build an auditorium which was badly needed. It involved the Rosminians having to move out of their house. Bishop Pat offered me the parish of Glenfield. Fr John Moss and Fr Ernie Milne were in the community and the presbytery could not accommodate three priests. The finance committee got an office block second hand, put it on site and it became Rosmini House. The diocese paid for this, and considerable volunteer labour assisted with the installation. The original house became a parish centre, and offices and the basement - at that time being used by the St. Vincent de Paul group - was converted to become the Sun and Moon youth centre. This name was given to it because the tiles donated had the sun and moon on them. Fr John said “I connected it to Our Lady of Guadeloupe, with the sun, moon and stars. I think we added some stars. The priests also got a very nice house!
“Then the St.V de P people needed somewhere to store the many goods that were donated to them. To that end, a double garage was built, which was extensively used. One day it was full, the next day, empty! Once again, Sr Denise called heavily on its contents, and many a man being resettled after a prison spell, would be helped out.
“On May 1st I moved in and never having been a parish priest before, wondered “where do I begin?” All my experience had been teaching in schools. In my homily the next Sunday, I introduced myself, and, explaining that we Rosmini priests had only ever taught in intermediate schools before, added “I thought children came into the world as eleven year olds!
“We soon settled in, and quickly came to realise that the parishioners ran the current projects. It was at that time that the bishop, very aware of the diminishing number of diocesan priests, had asked parishes to look at how they could best combine their churches and general resources. This became the “Shaping our Future” project. Although the parish priests attended these meetings, they were largely run by the parishioners, giving us yet another insight into the running of diocesan parishes.”
Prison Ministry
Fr John Moss, aware that Paremoremo (Auckland) prison was in our parish, put out an appeal for parishioners to volunteer as prison visitors. Along with Bill Young, another parishioner who worked at the prison as a Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation (PARS) officer, Jim and Phyl Neale responded to the call. Jim writes: “Having ascertained a would-be visitor’s suitability, Bill takes him along to Mt. Eden or Paremoremo and makes an introduction to a prisoner who has requested a PARS visitor.
“The first one or two visits can be slightly intimidating until one becomes accustomed to electronically controlled doors, uniformed officers and prisoners. The real challenge though, is in getting to know the prisoner as a friend and ultimately become a confidante for him. We are advised by PARS that our basic attitude is quickly sensed by those we visit. My prisoner friend explains that inmates rapidly uncover the motives of those who go to the prison as if it is a zoo. Our approach must be of sincere but neutral friendship, and non judgemental, otherwise we are not effective. “We, as visitors, receive confidences about normal family concerns, which an inmate cannot share with prison officers or other inmates.”
Both were engaged in that ministry until they left Glenfield for Ohope, many years later.
Father John’s Learning Curve
A parishioner reports: “I used to organise the collection counters and Fr John told me that they thought that the priests did everything in the parish. He said that after the 5.30 pm Mass there was panic when they couldn’t find the collection on the altar, before someone told them that it had been put away in the safe. Then there was surprise on Sunday afternoon to find that it had already been counted. Then panic again on Monday when going to do the banking to find the safe empty (Emmett Maloney had already done the banking)!”
In 2005 the Diocesan property department indicated to Father John and the Finance Committee that it was time the parish paid for Rosmini House (the priests’ house) as it would obviously remain a permanent fixture and the parish had benefited by the extra accommodation. The bill to the Diocese for the house had been $104,000 and they wished to receive this as final. After considerable deliberation, in the end there was little choice and the parish needed to settle. This happened in 2007. This was achieved through a deposit from savings, a little fundraising by way of a Chris Skinner concert and a mortgage that was repaid in good time thanks to careful spending.
Fr John Moss returned to England after a short time, leaving Fr John and Fr Ernie to serve the parish.
Father Ernie Milne
Parishioners remember Fr Ernie as a real character- a man who was well liked and respected by the Rosmini School boys, and loved by parishioners. He dearly loved his classical music, and if you wanted to get into a spirited debate with him, just tell him that your favourite composer was Beethoven. Fr Ernie couldn’t stand him! He was Radio N.Z. no.1 fan. Certain programmes were sacrosanct. Woe betide the person who disturbed him when he was listening! A concert for his 20th anniversary of ordination was put on for him in December 2004. Background jazz and classical music was provided by several very talented youngsters from the parish.
Sadly, he became progressively more blind, with Fr John printing out the readings and other oral parts of the Mass in increasingly large script, until even that failed in the end. He continued to live in the parish, keeping up with daily events, as best he could. Fr Ernie became ill and died on October 27th.2008. A memorial window was installed for him in the rear of the church. Because the Rosminians must live in community, it then became necessary for Fr John to leave too. Fr John returned to England in 2009.
A Farewell Concert
When, in 2009, Fr John announced that he would be leaving St. Thomas More and returning to England, it was the end of an era. Glenfield had been his Rosmini community for 30 years. That was 40 years service to the Auckland Catholic Diocese. I recognition of his service, the parish what was called a showcase concert at Rosmini College. Helen Ellis, an organiser of the occasion adds, “What he and most of the audience didn’t know, was that we were actually hosting a “This is your Life” show. We copied the format of previous TV shows, when unexpectedly, an important person in the audience becomes the celebrity of the show, and special friends and family, who are hiding in the wings, are brought on stage. The show started with a big surprise – Fr John’s brother from England came on the screen on a video and broke the news to the whole audience. Father was invited on stage, and a string of old friends and acquaintances were brought out to reminisce about old times, with the Tongan choir, of which Father was particularly fond, performing a finale with their amazing energy.
Church Art
Stations of the Cross
It is a little known fact that the beautiful bronze sculptures of the Stations of the Cross in our church were commissioned from the sculptor, Ken Kendall, by Fr Neville Browne soon after the church was opened. They were made to compliment the original crucifix that was also sculptured by him.
Ken Kendall was born and raised in New Zealand. In 1970 he became a professional sculptor. In the early seventies he worked exclusively in terracotta, exhibiting extensively in New Zealand, Australia and in 1973, Washington DC. In 1978, whilst on a study trip to Europe, he turned his attention to the lost wax process of bronze casting.
On his return to Auckland he set up, in close association with his Dutch wife Johanna, a studio and foundry for producing his unique and limited edition bronzes. His works are in the boardrooms of many New Zealand public companies and an increasing number of collectors from Europe and the United States are not only buying his works, but also commissioning bronzes from Kendall.
In early 2018, the Stations of the Cross were mounted on a Travertine stone background, to make them more visible against the red brick walls, a fitting addition in our 35th anniversary year.
Holy Family Icon
It was around 2003 that Fr John Bland suggested the commissioning of an Icon of the Holy Family for St Thomas More church. He says: "I felt that, at that time, there was very little support for family life in the community, including from the government. I came up with the idea of obtaining an icon of The Holy Family for the church. I looked at the internet to get some ideas and sent one to Michale Pervan". It was written (the terminology for the painting of an icon, which is the gospel in its visual form) at the studio of John the Baptist when it began in Herne Bay. Both Fr John and Fr Ernie were very supportive of the idea, and our icon of the Holy Family was the first major commission for the studio and the first art instillation since the church was built.
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
One of the features of the church surrounds is the beautiful grotto and statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and the prayerful Bernadette.
A parishioner, Nasreen Jabbar, sent in a delightful photo of the grotto with her mother, Munira, standing next to it. She writes, “The attached photo shows my mother Munira Yousif, who initiated the installation of the grotto, by sending all the funds needed from London, where she lived. This enabled us to buy the two statues and build it, with the help of parishioners, Tom McNicoll and Peter Dekker.”
It was blessed by Fr John Bland one morning after mass.
A New Crucifix
Fr John’s successor Fr Benedict took the brave step of commissioning a new crucifix for the sanctuary wall. He wanted it to be life size and had specific ideas on how it should look. Initially controversial because of its size, it was hand carved in Gesso (a type of plaster) and sits on a Kauri cross. On the 25th November, 2012, the feast of Christ the King, Bishop Patrick Dunn blessed and commissioned the crucifix in the church.
Marian Devotions
Around 2009, there were many requests for a Marian Devotional area, a place to light a candle. Michael Pervan, from the Studio of John the Baptist, was commissioned to design an appropriate stand. His wooden multi box design complemented the box-like design of the existing altar furniture. It has been a source of comfort to many people since its inception.
Prior to the completion of the stand, the tabernacle was moved from the right of the altar, to on to the altar, to the left of the window. The new stand was installed and blessed on the 30th May, 2010.
Father Benedict Francis
Father Benedict was ordained in 1997 and was appointed P.P. of St Thomas More parish in 2009, following on from Father John Bland. He had previously been a principal of a secondary school in Delhi before coming to New Zealand. Our first Indian parish priest, with a smile as wide as he was tall, he soon gained a reputation as the Energizer Bunny, always ‘on the go’. When asked about highlights of his time at STM Father Ben talked of two things – new priestly ordinations and parties!
Father was grateful for the experience to walk alongside three seminarians during the latter part of their journeys to priesthood. The parish, and Father Ben, were privileged to be a part of three ordinations; Tongan, Fr Maliu Tofu; Fr Brian Lange the boat builder; and Fr Carlos Guleng, the Filipino Design Engineer. Father Ben enjoyed living with each priest and celebrating their new vocation. Father was especially supportive of our ethnic communities, and he encouraged our Iraqi choir to introduce some of their hymns in Arabic.
Parties and gatherings were always important to Father Ben. He loved cooking, and generally sharing his hospitality with everyone. “I was constantly looking for an excuse for the parish to ‘gather’ – not just in ethnic groups but all mixed up! It is all about community.”
Father Ben was in favour of a new and larger crucifix for the sanctuary and during his tenure money was donated for this $30,000 plus project. The cause was oversubscribed and the remaining funds enabled the single large screen that was sometimes hard to view to be replaced by two television monitors which offered greater viewer clarity.
Father Alfredo Garcia
Fr Alfredo arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines in February 2009, as a Deacon. He was ordained in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in May 2012 and served in the parish of Dargaville. In 2015, he arrived in Glenfield, to become our first Filipino parish priest.
Where we are Now
Our parish, as is to be expected, is steadily growing. Our mass count shows increases each year, from 2996 in 1998, to 7733 in 2017. The parish is engaged in all the required ministries, plus many more activities, many ethnic based. Large areas of Glenfield are subject to in-fill housing developments, so we expect the parish to grow accordingly.
Father Alfredo says, “As we continue our journey and look forward into the future, let us entrust to God with confidence our mission and vision through the intercession of St. Thomas More. Uncertain as we are of what lies ahead, let us courageously take on the tasks and the challenges of the future, calling to mind the words of Jesus to Peter: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”[Lk. 5:4] “Do not be afraid for I am with you until the end of time.” [Matt.28:20]”.