Preference of Enrolment at a Catholic School
Steps to take:
- Make an appointment to see the school principal. She/he will talk with you about what you need to do to apply for enrolment at the school.
- Then contact the parish office. We will need you to provide the Catholic baptism certificate of your child and we will organise the Preference Certificate after going through the details.
Sometimes where a child is not baptised, but the parents are Catholic, it may be possible to enrol the child in the school. Please call us to discuss your situation.
Communion to the Sick at home
If a person is consistently unable to come to Sunday Mass (due to age or illness), please advise our parish priest. We will visit the housebound parishioner and where appropriate place them on the weekly Communion to the Sick list.
If a parishioner is unable to come to Mass for just one or two weeks, they can simply make a Spiritual Communionin place of receiving the Holy Eucharist.
In the rest homes of the parish, Holy Communion is brought to the rooms of the Catholics in the facility.
My relative is dying – will the priest come and visit?
Our care for the sick and dying is a high priority for your priest. Please advise us of the circumstances and he will visit as promptly as the circumstances suggest.
What happens at the time of death of my loved one?
Ideally the priest should be called before the person passes away so that the last rites may be administered. When a Catholic dies, the priest is happy to come to offer prayers for the dead.
After your loved one has passed away, speak with your priest about what funeral rites are appropriate in your circumstances. He will also talk with you about dates and times.
You should then call an undertaker to assist with the practical arrangements.
We are pleased to be able to assist you and your family at such a special time.
Going to Hospital – how do I contact the Chaplain?
When you are admitted to hospital (Christchurch) you will be asked if you wish to see a chaplain – please say ‘yes’! Otherwise your details will not be passed onto the chaplain.
You are welcome to advise the parish office as well, and we will pass this information on to the Catholic chaplain of the hospital.
My child is at a State School – do you offer Religious Education classes?
Contact the parish office and we will redirect you to the closest PPRE classes.
Offering Mass for a Special Intention – what do I do?
It is a praiseworthy tradition to have Mass offered for a special intention and especially for the happy repose of a person who has died. Take an envelope from the church foyer or collect one from the parish office and fill in the details on the envelope. If the Mass is being offered for someone who has died, their name will be published in the newsletter so that others may pray for them as well. It is usual to make an offering to the priest of $10 for each Mass offered.
I need food / money / power – can you help?
The normal way to receive help from the SVDP Society is to phone their Christchurch office. Call: 03 3897484 ext 1. or for faster handling texts (no calls) 027 3589400. Please leave your first and last name, address, contact number and your request. A volunteer will contact you within 36 hours.
Parish of the Good Shepherd 