The combined congregations of Martinborough and Featherston gathered at All Saints Church on the shores of Wairarapa Moana on Sunday the 1st of November to commemorate All Saints Day.  It was a beautiful sunny day and it gave the children of the South Wairarapa Parish a chance to put their mark on the upcoming Thanksgiving and Ordination festival.

Hundreds of giant triangular bunting pieces have been sewn by the Linen Guild at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul and distributed to parishes throughout the diocese, to be festively decorated and then sewn together to adorn the Cathedral at the upcoming festival on the 21st of November. 

Our South Wairarapa whānau have plenty to celebrate, as they will be gathering in force at the Cathedral to support four of their own who will be ordained.  Archdeacon Emeritus May Croft was presiding at the All Saints Day service in the parish and she delivered the official announcement from the bishops: Rev. Philippa Young, Deacon in Charge of the parish, will be priested; Peter Hull, a St John’s College student will be deaconed and return to the parish, and Alan and Kat Maxwell will also be deaconed.

Thanksgiving and Ordination is our annual celebration of all God has done in and through us in the last year, and it’s when we come together to support and honour those called to ordained ministry as priests and transitional deacons. With this year preventing us from gathering the diocesan family as often as we would like, this festival event promises to be the biggest party we have seen in a long time. 

You can join the South Wairarapa whānau, and all of us, for our big celebration at the Cathedral on the 21st of November.  The day starts at 10am, but there’ll be refreshments and live music on the front steps available from 9:30am.  Go to movementonline.org.nz/thanksgiving for more details.

If you have not received your bunting or would like to request more, please email our Events Administrator, Daile Biberstein, on events@anglicanmovement.nz.