Sunday, 7 December 2025
2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Questions for the Week:
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 11:1-10
Isaiah foresaw God’s future when the world will be ruled by a new and ideal ‘King David’ (“a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse”) and the earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord. What do you hope for in your future?
SECOND READING: ROMANS 15:4-9
Paul encouraged the community of believers in Rome to be in harmony with each other in thought and mind. Are there relationships in your life you consider to be harmonious?
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 3:1-12
John the Baptist taught the people to prepare for the kingdom of heaven by repenting of sins and producing “good fruit.” What could you do this second week of Advent to make a positive impact?
©LPi
A Word from Fr Danny:
Advent is not only a season of hope and anticipation. It is also a time in which we allow ourselves to be moved by grace so that we can convert more deeply and let our hope and our anticipation grow. This Sunday John the Baptist speaks clearly with his invitation: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
At this point in the Gospel Jesus is approaching the age of thirty, and the dynamic between him and John teaches us something about how we can go deeper in our own spiritual lives. John urges people to convert and to repent by warning them of the consequences of failing to do so. Our Lord, however, speaks in a different way. He says, When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself.
John urges and Christ attracts. Both are needed, but Christ shows us the fullest and most complete way of going deeper with him during this holy season. Let us allow ourselves to be drawn by his grace.
- Fr Danny
NZCBC in collaboration with Fr Frank Bird presents SCRIPTURE FOCUS THIS ADVENT: You are invited to prepare for Sunday Mass by reading and reflecting on the Scripture we will hear that weekend. Marist priest Fr Frank Bird has for several years been helping people make those preparations through his Living the Word project. As the name suggests, Living the Word is an invitation for Catholics and others to allow the Word of God to shape their lives. You can download the resources, and access other rich content, at www.livingtheword.org.nz/pray
PARISH NEWS & EVENTS
Here’s what's happening
Sunday, 7 December: 2nd Sunday of Advent
5pm Saturday Vigil Mass, Tūrangi | 9am Mass, Taupō
Sacrament of Penance
8.30am | Chapel | Taupō
Prayer for Life
After Mass | Chapel | Taupō
Divine Mercy
3pm | Chapel | Taupō
Parish Movie Night | Triumph of the Heart
6.30pm | Cafe | Taupō
Monday, 8 December
Mass
7pm | Church | Taupō
Tuesday, 9 December
Mass
9am | Church | Taupō
Healer’s Connect
9.30am | Cafe | Taupō
Community Lunch
1pm | Cafe | Taupō
St Patrick’s School Nativity Play
2pm | Church | Taupō
Youth Group
6pm-7.15pm (Year 7&8) | Taupō (Weekly during school term)
6.30pm-8pm (Year 9-13) ALPHA YOUTH | Taupō (Weekly during school term)
Wednesday, 10 December
Ave Connect | Rosary
11.30am | Church | Tūrangi
Mass | Tūrangi
12pm | Church | Tūrangi
Fair-Weather Gardeners
12pm - 3pm | Taupō
Ave Connect | Rosary
7pm | Chapel | Taupō
Thursday, 11 December
Mass
9am | Church | Taupō
Purl Connect | Knitting Group | Last One For The Term
1pm | Cafe | Taupō
St Vincent de Paul Meeting
5pm | Cafe | Taupō
Friday, 12 December
Mass | Anointing of the Sick
12pm | Church | Taupō
St Vincent de Paul Lunch
After 12pm Lunch | Cafe | Taupō
Divine Mercy
3pm | Chapel | Taupō
Holy Hour | Adoration, Confession & Benediction
6.30pm | Church | Taupō
Saturday, 13 December
Mass
9am | Church | Taupō
Sacrament of Penance
9.30am | Taupō
Vigil Mass
5pm | Church | Tūrangi
Sunday, 14 December: 3rd Sunday of Advent
5pm Saturday Vigil Mass, Tūrangi | 9am Mass, Taupō
Sacrament of Penance
8.30am | Chapel | Taupō
Divine Mercy
3pm | Chapel | Taupō
Monday, 15 December
Mass
7pm | Church | Taupō
Tuesday, 16 December
Mass
9am | Church | Taupō
Community Lunch | Christmas Lunch | Last One For The Term
1pm | Cafe | Taupō
Interchurch Welfare Society Meeting
5pm | Cafe | Taupō
Youth Group
6pm-7.15pm (Year 7&8) | Taupō (Weekly during school term)
6.30pm-8pm (Year 9-13) ALPHA YOUTH | Taupō (Weekly during school term)
Wednesday, 17 December
Ave Connect | Rosary
11.30am | Church | Tūrangi
Mass | Tūrangi
12pm | Church | Tūrangi
Fair-Weather Gardeners
12pm - 3pm | Taupō
Ave Connect | Rosary
7pm | Chapel | Taupō
Thursday, 18 December
Mass
9am | Church | Taupō
Friday, 19 December
Mass
12pm | Church | Taupō
Divine Mercy
3pm | Chapel | Taupō
Holy Hour | Adoration, Confession & Benediction
6.30pm | Church | Taupō
Saturday, 20 December
Mass
9am | Church | Taupō
Sacrament of Penance
9.30am | Taupō
Ministers for Sunday, 7 December
2nd Sunday of Advent
Taupō
Tūrangi
THIS WEEK….
Triumph of the Heart is a 2025 film about the final two weeks of St Maximilian Kolbe’s life in an Auschwitz starvation cell, after he volunteered to take the place of another prisoner. The film focuses on the claustrophobic and harrowing reality of the bunker as Kolbe uses his faith to forge a sense of brotherhood and find hope amidst starvation, fear, and internal conflict among the ten condemned men.
Don’t our gardens look beautiful?! If you’re keen to lend a hand on a casual basis, to pull a few weeds, come along on a Wednesday anytime between 12noon and 3pm and join some of our gardening team.
COMING UP…
RETREATS
Retreats
Tyburn Monastery, Ngakuru &
Cluny Retreat Centre, Tauranga
DIOCESAN NEWS & EVENTS
Next Mission Hub Session: All Welcome - Monday, 8 December - 7:00–8:30pm. Online via Zoom Register here
If you’re someone who desires a more missionary Church - if you long for renewal, want support in your ministry, or simply want to stay connected with others who are seeking the same - then Mission Hub is for you. The next Mission Hub gathering will explore “Reconnecting with the Disconnected.”
Read more about the last Mission Hub session and more details for the upcoming one on December 8 here.
Called by Name is a Catholic Summer Camp for children going into Year 7, up to those who have just completed Year 9.
Run by Catholic parents, this event has been supported by the Bernadette Trust through the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton.
The main purpose is to help children enter their tumultuous teenage years knowing they are seen, known and loved by God, that there is a plan and a purpose for their lives.
The camp will endeavour to encourage our youth to begin the journey of taking ownership of their own prayer life, by giving them the time and space at camp to listen to testimonies of older teens, spend time in personal prayer, Adoration, and be given the opportunity for Confession, while having summer camp-style fun with other Catholic kids.
Jan 18 to Jan 21, 2026. Waitawheta Camp, 439 Waitawheta Road, Waihi
INTERNATIONAL NEWS & EVENTS
Click the image above to go to the Jubilee Year website.