The $3.6 million extension of St John Vianney House in Ponsonby was formally opened and blessed on August 5, a day after the memorial day of its patron saint.
The extension will allow seven more priests to live there under the care of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. St John Vianney House was built in 2001 and is home to 10 retired or convalescing priests.
Bishop Dunn blesses a new facility.
On August 5, Auckland Bishop Patrick Dunn, Hamilton Bishop Emeritus and former Auckland Bishop Denis Browne and Hamilton Bishop Stephen Lowe blessed the different sections of seven new units which are comprised of three mono pitch roof homes and four double storey homes.
The homes were designed to complement the existing building, while relating to the streetscape of Ponsonby.
Bishop Dunn thanked Auckland Council of Priests chairman Msgr Paul Farmer who spearheaded the project with “dynamism, enthusiasm and outstanding drive”.
Bishop Dunn said St John Vianney House was patterned after Justin Villa, a priests’ retirement house in Melbourne.
He said that before the advent of St John Vianney House, he was very concerned that Auckland diocesan priests had nowhere to go that was their own when they retired or were convalescing from illness.
Justin Villa, he said, was a place that the priests in Melbourne called their own.
“They weren’t there dependent upon the hospitality of someone else. The accommodation was pleasant and spacious. Each priest has his own space where he could meet with friends in his own place,” Bishop Dunn said.
St John Vianney House offered the same benefits to retired Auckland priests with the bonus of being located in the heart of the diocese “where we really appreciate their priestly and prayerful presence”, he said.
“I know it will be a home for priests for many years to come,” Bishop Dunn said, cheerfully adding, “I keep planning to book my own room here, too.”
At the blessing, Msgr Farmer said the fundraising committee was able to raise $1.278 million in over two years. (The rest of the funding came from Auckland diocese).
“We received just on 1100 individual donations, some small, some large, but all given in a generous way. This kind generosity is the sign of the community’s love and respect and appreciation for its priests,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the donors and assured them that they will be kept in the priests’ prayers and Masses for years to come.
Msgr Farmer also thanked Sr Justina, Sr Columba and SJVH cook Elizabeth Tuakolo for their patience during the more than 20 months of renovation and refurbishment.
“Let us pray that this place that we have created together may be for our priests a peaceful haven until heaven,” said Msgr Farmer.
I am Fr. John Vetere in Archdiocese of Toronto, ON , Canada—I knew Fr. Grahame Connolly,SM when he lived at Our Lady of Sorrows and studied in Toronto in the 1970’s. Is it possible to email him? Is he residing there?
Thanks, Rev. John Vetere
Hi Father, I am Fr Grahame Connolly’s niece. I am sure he would really like to hear from you. Would you like to reply to my message and we can communicate so that I can get a message to him. Kind regards Kerri Mason
Dear Ms. Mason,
Greetings! My name is Matthew Horwitz, and I am the director of the library at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, California. Before pursuing a career in librarianship, I studied philosophy and theology at the graduate level. In the course of writing my Master’s thesis, I came across a reference to the doctoral dissertation, Sacramental Character in Five Famous Medievals, that your uncle, Fr. Grahame Connolly, wrote for the Angelicum in Rome.
I would curious to see what your uncle learned in the course of his research—especially regarding St. Thomas Aquinas: his understanding of sacramental character figured into my thesis, which I am hoping to publish at some point. To date, though, I have been unable to gain access to a copy of the aforementioned dissertation; only extracts of it, which do not include the section of particular interest to me, are available (and then only at a few libraries in the U.S.).
I contacted the Angelicum, which appears to be the only library in the world with a complete copy in its collection, and asked them for a PDF scan of it. They rejected my request, however, giving as their reason the fact that the dissertation is unpublished, and that sharing it would be a violation the author’s rights.
In any case, I would like to ask your uncle’s permission to have the Angelicum make a scan of the dissertation for me. (Of course, if he himself has an electronic copy of it that he would be willing share, I would gladly accept it!) Might you be able to put me in contact with him? I can be reached at matthew.horwitz AT stpsu.edu. Thanks for your time and consideration, and I hope that this message finds you well.
Regards,
Matthew Horwitz