Temuka to host diocesan prayer conference in August

The conference, organised by the Christchurch Bishop’s pastoral office, will be hosted at Opihi Parish in Temuka on Saturday, August 2. The parish centre, St Joseph’s Church, classrooms at the neighbouring school and the St Mary MacKillop Centre and Chapel will be used.

The conference will involve Mass, prayer, workshops, keynote talks and more. It is hoped that the conference will inspire and help participants grow in their prayer lives to become “pilgrims of hope for the world”.

Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen and Fr Chris Eaton from the Missionaries of God’s Love community in Australia will be the keynote speakers.

The Missionaries of God’s Love are a relatively new religious order, founded in Canberra in 1986, reaching out to the young and marginalised in society. Fr Eaton says he loves “bringing the Gospel to young people in new and fresh ways”.

The conference opens with Mass at 9.15am in Temuka. As well as the keynote talks, there will be two rounds of workshops, with each workshop focused on some aspect of prayer, pilgrimage or Jubilee. There will also be times of prayer and quiet.

The Saint Mary MacKillop Chapel in Temuka is a Sacred Jubilee site for Christchurch Diocese, so it is hoped many people will take the opportunity to make a pilgrimage and attend the conference.

FULL STORY

Diocesan Jubilee Year Prayer Conference 2025 (Catholic Diocese of Christchurch)

Fr Chris Eaton – YouTube