What is Tūmanako?

Tūmanako is a pastoral initiative from the Diocese of Palmerston North.

That means it’s more than a website, collection of articles, or online presence. Tūmanako is envisioned as a hub for pastoral work (ie prayer, ministry, formation, evangelisation) across the diocese.

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We will look back at where we have come from, we will explore where we find ourselves now, and we will invite God to continue to reveal to us where we are being called and how we should strive to live.

I Te Tūmanako o te Kotahitanga | United in Hope

Why is it called Tūmanako?

The word Tūmanako means ‘hope’ in te reo Māori. Our hope as followers of Jesus is very different from what we normally speak about. Chrisian hope is far more than a desire for a ‘possible good outcome’.

Because of Christ’s life, death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, we can have a ‘sure hope’ of the good outcome of any situation: not immediately, and perhaps not in the way we imagine, but eventually, God will lead all things to a good end.

Does this mean we should stop working? Or stop helping? Definitely not! Our part – the part of the Church, the part of every baptised person – is to work with God. We are invited into this amazing journey of hope.

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Thus for a Christian, to hope means the certainty of being on a journey with Christ toward the Father who awaits us.

Pope Francis, quoted in Hope is a Journey

March 2020: United Through Lockdown

When COVID-19 began to impact New Zealand in mid-March, the Bishops of Aotearoa quickly responded by restricting the public celebration of Mass and closing churches. This was soon followed by a national lockdown.

We didn’t want our communities or parishioners to become isolated, so we began a weekly email offering resources, prayers and stories of hope. UNITED ran continuously throughout the Level Four lockdown.

May 2020: Re-united at Pentecost

Our country left lockdown just in time to celebrate Pentecost, often spoken of as the ‘birthday of the Church’. This Pentecost was particularly special for us; it marked 40 years since our diocese began in 1980.

Churches opened, communities re-gathered, and Mass was again celebrated across our diocese. Our UNITED emails took on a new brand to recognise our re-uniting and our 40 year celebrations: ‘I te Wairua o te Kotahitanga’ – United in the Spirit.

July 2020: A New Hope

After fifteen weekly updates, hundreds of new connections made, and over twenty thousand emails sent, we took a step back to seek God’s voice.

Six weeks after our last email, we launched Tūmanako: a new initiative that builds on the work of United and Kotahitanga, but is so much more than a monthly email or list of resources. This is our platform to share the stories of our people, discover God’s voice in our diocese, and unite our communities in the hope that Christ brings.

Where to from here?

The full name for this initiative is ‘I Te Tūmanako o te Kotahitanga’, or ‘United in Hope’. Tūmanako’s goal is to help us all to discover hope in our own lives, in our communities, and in the faith of our Church.

Our dream is that the people of our diocese will become united by the hope they have in Jesus, and that this hope will shape the ways we celebrate, share, serve, and live. 

We’d love for you to join us on this journey. Click here to share your story with us.

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We invite you to join us, to unite with us, as we continue growing in the life of faith while seeking the gift of hope.

I Te Tūmanako o te Kotahitanga | United in Hope

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