On Thursday 7th April the Harinui Syndicate went to the Church to meet with Father Iosepha. He spoke to us about his life and especially about his experiences as a child. We enjoyed hearing about his family, schooling and his favourite things to eat!
Father encouraged us to ask him questions and then he answered them. It is quite hard for 5 year old children to formulate questions and not make statements – but we had a really good go at it! We asked some very good ones.
We looked at all the Holy objects in the Church and talked about their special names. Some of us remembered a lot of them since our last visit to the Church.
After Father came into the Church and talked to us, he showed us around the Church. We enjoyed hearing him explain the special places inside Holy Cross Catholic Church.
Father showed us through the Sacristy, a special room where things used in the Mass are safely kept. We saw the special robes or vestments Father wears when leading the Mass. They come in all the colours of the Liturgical Year. They are very beautiful and have lots of embroidery and applique on them.
Next we walked around to the quiet prayer room. There are chairs set out ready for people to go in and have quiet moments of prayer. People can spend time with God, speaking with Him.
After we went outside with Father and he showed us the fantastic flower gardens various Church groups had planted and were nurturing. They water and weed the gardens to keep the plants healthy. Then we headed across the road using the pedestrian crossing, to safely arrive at Father’s house.
We walked up the drive to the house and looked at the front gardens before going around to the back yard. People from the Church help Father to keep his yard looking tidy and attractive. They mow the Church lawns too!
Later we sat on the deck and enjoyed some treats. We had taken our bucket of apples over to share out for morning tea. It was a lovely surprise when Father and his helpers gave us some yummy treats too. We liked the watermelon – it was so juicy. We loved the cookies – they were sweet and crunchy. We enjoyed the sweets – they were chocolaty and delicious!
It was a very special morning. Maryla said a wonderful, “Thank You!” to Father. She spoke clearly and used great words to express our thoughts of appreciation.
When we got back to class we all drew a picture to say “Thank You” to Father. Nikolao wrote on the front of the card. Mrs de Koning wrote down our thought on stickers to add to the card in cloud shapes. Mrs O’Grady printed out 4 of the photos to put in the card too.
Later, on Friday Mrs Bucheler took a small group of children with her to deliver the card to Father. We had a wonderful time visiting with father and learning more about him and his role in our Church.
