It was a poignant moment as parishioners picked up rosary beads, prayer cards and other sacred memorabilia of sentimental value and placed them in the gaps between foundation slabs at the foundation liturgy of St Luke’s Church being built on Chapel Rd.
“Thousands of people’s prayers will form the foundation of our new church,” said Auckland’s auxiliary bishop Michael Gielen as he explained the significance of the prayer beads being buried at the special service at the new site on Sunday morning (June 14).
“As we stand in the House of God to plant the holy objects, we are reminded of the sacred things you have given us. It’s a reminder of your presence,” Fr Michael said after blessing the religious artefacts, some of which were from Rome.
Currently, the parish rents the Sancta Maria College auditorium for Sunday Masses. This parish worship has been based at the college since February 2006, when 220 people from Flat Bush gathered to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist.
Despite lacking a permanent home, the parish has grown to more than 1400 worshippers and is now a thriving multi-cultural family congregation which initiated the building of a new church overlooking Barry Curtis Park.
Fr Craig Dunford, Minister of St Luke’s Flat Bush, addressed the representatives of the parish including principals of Sancta Maria Catholic Primary School and College, Gina Benade and Louise Moore, saying concrete will be poured on the floor of the church embedding the religious treasures in its foundation.
“Hundreds and thousands have been prayed for and healed by these beads,” he said as he also acknowledged the colourful home-made beads by students of Sancta Maria Primary School.
Marking the auspicious occasion on the feast of Patron Saint Anthony he said, “We’ve been working on this for the last 10 years and hope that the new church will be built by Easter or a little after it.”
The parish is continuing to fundraise for the $10.8 million building project, which includes a community lounge, kitchen, large public courtyard, memorial garden and 125-space car park.
“So far the parish has raised $6.7m over a period of 10 years and is still needing help with $4.1m,” says Fr Craig.
One of the parishioners pointed out that it is rare to witness the building of a church in a lifetime. “Most churches thrive for generations but you hardly get to see the building of a church.”
The Bishop of Auckland, Bishop Patrick Dunn, said the diocese is delighted with progress at the site. “We have been aware of the growing need for a church to meet the demographic demands of this rapidly growing part of Auckland for some years,” he said,
“And we are now very close to making this ideal a reality.”
