Year 8 Students Search for Pompallier
by Year 8 students from Our Lady of Victories School, Sockburn
In late October, Year 8 students from Our Lady of Victories School, Sockburn, pilgrimaged to Akaroa, one of the four official pilgrimage sites for our diocese. We joined Fr Brian Fennessy and some of his parishioners for Mass in the historic St Patrick's church. The first Catholics arrived in Akaroa in 1840, and in August of that year, Bishop Pompallier celebrated his first Mass in the South Island there. It is a special place, and fitting that we went there in this important Jubilee Year.
Local historian Marie Haley shared history with us about this first Mass, outlining life for Akaroa's first Catholic settlers, and even Bishop Pompallier's first baptisms in New Zealand. It was a day of reflection, prayer, connection, and fun together, and a perfect way to celebrate the end of our Catholic Primary School Journey.
