Holy Spirit has been in driver’s seat for Caritas boss

But notwithstanding her many achievements in several fields, Ms Antonio told host Joanna Kearney in the latest episode of the Catholic Kiwi Podcast that her journey to and with Caritas has been “all about the Holy Spirit”.

“I’m an instrument of that,” she said, adding that it comes down to who is “in the driver’s seat”

“And I know that when I was in the driver’s seat . . . things are going not right for me,” she said.

The podcast interview covered many aspects of Ms Antonio’s life, including growing up in Porirua in a Samoan Catholic family where faith was integrated into everyday life. Ms Antonio spoke about how she left the Church as a young person, but she stressed that she never left the faith. Having children of her own saw her revisit that aspect of her life.

Twenty years ago, Ms Antonio was experiencing many difficulties.

“So I’m in Wairarapa now with my two children, we’re on one income, we’re living in a shed, and I’m raising my children, and trying to find part-time work to fit around a young family at that time . . . . I wasn’t getting work as a woman, as a mother, none of the law firms there were taking on, were offering part-time work,” she said.

“While it was hard at the time, you have to start doing something, and so it’s what I call generating options,” she said. Ms Antonio spoke about voluntary work, joining committees, being involved in the social housing sector and being introduced to governance.

Asked how her Samoan and Tokelauan heritage helps shape endeavours by Caritas in the Pacific, Ms Antonio said, “We are the diaspora. So the Pacific people here . . . . whether born in New Zealand or in Australia or settled here, when we are going into our Pacific nations with our programmes, there is the nuance . . . they are the ones that are keeping the home fires going, so to speak. But there is still a relationship there.”

Ms Antonio said she is able to have frank conversations in this sector “because there is a level of understanding and trust that we can come from”.

Asked about particular highlights from her more than four years leading Caritas, Ms Antonio said, “there are so many”. She shared the uplifting recent story of a two-day staff retreat following a period of change. One of the new staff members shared with a colleague that they were “in the right place. God chose me to be here”.

Among other subjects discussed on the podcast were her role as vice president of Caritas Internationalis, passing faith on to her children, public scepticism about charities and the need for accountability, which is taken very seriously by Caritas.

FULL STORY

Catholic Kiwi Podcast: Season 2, Episode 9 — Mena Antonio (YouTube)