Updates on the communites of Massey and Avondale

On 15 April, Fr James Adayadiel celebrated his 65 years of Salesian life with his community in New Zealand. Fr James joined the province in 1979 and has since held positions of responsibility as well as being Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Apia. Fr James has been an outstanding missionary in Samoa and New Zealand, and he has contributed enormously to the life of the Salesian Mission wherever he has gone.

Provincial Fr Will Matthews was also able to be present as he was on a pastoral visit to the community at the time. The New Zealand community currently has five Salesians who are responsible for the ministering of two parishes, Avondale and Massey, which are both northern suburbs of Auckland. A feature of the Massey parish is that it is populated by a wide variety of migrant families. One such group is that of the migrants from Burma, who have been settling there for over ten years.

Fr Will’s time in Massey coincided with the recent school holidays, so he also joined the Burmese youth as they gathered at St Paul’s presbytery for a day of catechetical discussions run by him. These young people play active roles in the life of the parish, particularly during service at Sunday Masses. The Burmese families in general are extremely appreciative of the love and support that is provided to them by the Salesians in Massey.

Republished from the Australian Salesian Bulletin - Winter 2019
Read or Download the Salesian Bulletin
Subscribe for FREE to the Salesian Bulletin