The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
Cathedral Life Te whare karakia matua o Pita Tapu ki Waikato
Sept - Nov 2026
Inside this Issue P2
Cathedral Diary
P4
A Legacy of Faith, Education and Leadership
P5
From the Cathedral Choir
P6
Breakfast Youth Church
P7
A Night at the Opera and a Night to Remember for St Peter’s Cathedral The Most Reverend Archbishop Emeritus Sir David Moxon at A Night at the Opera - P7
Our Vision
A world where we live in harmony with creation and all people, and where every person is treasured as a beloved child of God and a reflection of God’s good creation.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to be a Christian Community seeking and worshipping God together which strives, with all other likeminded groups and people, to achieve this vision.
OFFICE HOURS Monday-Friday 9 am - 3 pm THE CATHEDRAL SHOP Monday-Friday 10 am - 2 pm Sunday 11 am - 12 pm CONTACT PO Box 338, Hamilton 3240 51 Victoria Street, Hamilton, New Zealand P: 07 839 4683 E: admin@stpeter.org.nz For more information visit stpeter.org.nz @waikatocathedral
September to November 2026
Opening Reflection
Cathedral Life
Cathedral Diary Weekly Events & Services
Creation in Christ Many denominations have come together to add a new festival to the Church calendar, starting this year. Christ in Creation is a celebration of God as Creator; the three persons of the Trinity acting inseparably in their creative work. In the Nicaean Creed we proclaim, “the Father… maker of heaven and earth”, “Christ, through [whom] all things were made”, and “the Holy Spirit… the giver of life.” This feast, though new to us, is an antient feast of the Byzantine (Orthodox) tradition celebrated on the first of September, the start of their liturgical year. In 1989 the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople invited “the entire Christian world, to offer… thanksgiving for the great gift of creation and petitions for its protection.” A series of ecumenical conferences have explored its rich symbolism and relevance today. The four main interrelated themes are: (1) Creation as God’s creative act, (2) Creation as Christological mystery, (3) Creation as Trinitarian mystery, and (4) Creation as sacramental and covenantal. The invitation is now embedded in the Revised Common Lectionary, the readings that we use over a three-year cycle. Though it is an increasing awareness of our failure to care for creation that has drawn us back to this festival, it is an opportunity to reflect on the how the mystery of God is revealed in creation and how we might draw closer to God as embodied being in the wonderous universe in which God has placed us.
Sun
Breakfast Youth Church 8:00 am (term time)
Sun
Said Eucharist (Holy Communion) 8:00 am
Sun
Choral Eucharist (Holy Communion) 10:00 am
Sun
Junior Church 10:00 am (term time)
Mon – Fri
Morning Prayer 9:00 am (online)
Mon
Mens’ Bible Group
Tues
Young Adults’ Group 6:00 pm
Wed
Said Eucharist (Holy Communion) 10:00 am
Thurs
Little Fishes 10:00 am (term time)
Fri
Eucharist in Te Reo Māori 12:10 pm
Fri
Junior Choir 3:30 pm (term time)
The Very Rev’d Julian Perkins Dean of Waikato
St Peter’s Social Group
Newsletter of The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
Page 2
September to November 2026
Cathedral Life
What’s On - Sept to Nov September 5 Saturday
Candlelight Concerts
11 Friday
St Peter’s Social Club
13 Sunday
Animal Companion Sunday Service
18 Friday
HIMS Dinner
19 Saturday
Cathedral Workshop
19 Saturday
Cantata Vespers
20 Sunday
Handel’s Messiah Sing-in (RSCM)
26 Saturday
Candlelight Concerts
27 Sunday
Evensong
October 9 Friday
St Peter’s Social Club
11 Sunday
Friends of Hospital Chaplaincy Concert
17 Saturday
Cantata Vespers
18 Sunday
Harmony Chorus Concert
25 Sunday
Evensong
30 Friday
Light Party
31 Saturday
Cathedral Workshop
November 8 November
Remembrance Sunday Service
13 Friday
St Peter’s Social Club
21 Saturday
Cathedral Workshop
21 Saturday
Cantata Vespers
22 Sunday
Evensong
23 Monday
Men’s Bible Group
29 Sunday
First Sunday of Advent Service
29 Sunday
Taize
For more details head to www.stpeter.org.nz/news-and-events/ Newsletter of The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
Page 3
September to November 2026
Cathedral Life
A Legacy of Faith, Education and Leadership
From Sonning School to Waikato Diocesan School for Girls
Opinion Piece
“Our girls can change the world, I reckon. Actually, that’s what we expect them to do, really.” Vicky McLennan, Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Principal, Waikato Times, 12 November 2014 The spirit of Vicky McLennan’s comment traces back to 1909, when Mrs May Whitehorn established Sonning School in a small home in Milton Street, Hamilton, with just four pupils. As the roll grew, the school moved to larger premises in Anglesea Street, then to a site on the eastern side of the railway bridge, now the Sonning Car Park. It took its name from Sonning, the Berkshire village from which the Whitehorn family originated. That small school would become the educational predecessor of the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls we know today. Sonning’s character as a private school for girls, with its Anglican connections, was no accident. Whitehorn brought her own English and Anglican background with her to New Zealand. The school would become closely linked with the Anglican vision for girls’ education in the Waikato, with faith, character and service becoming part of that tradition. From its earliest days, education at Sonning was about more than academic achievement. It was about character, service, community, and preparing young women to contribute beyond themselves. A 1918 Waikato Times article (below) described the school’s aim as physical, moral and mental training
An open classroom at Sonning c.1918. (source unknown)
to produce “capable, energetic generous-minded women” who would become good citizens and build happy homes. The language belongs to its era, but the emphasis on capability, character and contribution feels strikingly familiar. The curriculum reflected that breadth: Divinity, English grammar and literature, history, geography, French, Latin, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, physiology, knitting and needlework, class singing and daily drill, with nature study, drawing and brushwork added for younger pupils. Sonning’s prize-givings in the 1920s tell the same story: girls recognised for achievement in Divinity, literature, drawing, sewing, art and music, as well as tennis, swimming and drill. By 1924 the roll had reached 141 girls, and an inspector reported the school under excellent management, with good tuition and a high standard of conduct. Sonning was teaching girls to value the world they had inherited, while giving them the education and capability to shape the world beyond it. Education has a way of opening doors. For the girls of Sonning, it offered opportunities that reached beyond the expectations of their time. It gave them knowledge and skills to contribute to the world around them. That tradition did not end with Sonning. It lived on in the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls and can be seen in the young women Dio sends into the world today. Sonning lit a lively fuse. “Our girls can change the world…”? True. Oh yes. By Sam Edwards
Newsletter of The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
Page 4
September to November 2026
Cathedral Life
From the Cathedral Choir The Cathedral is home to four choirs, the Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Singers, Junior Choir, and Cantata Choir. We caught up with current Cathedral Choir member Gabriella Schuitemaker who joined St Peter’s Cathedral Choir at just five years old.
Interview
The first time Gabriella Schuitemaker sang the solo Once in Royal David’s City, it was, in her words, both exciting and nerve-racking. It is a moment she still treasures, one of many from nearly 13 years in St Peter’s Cathedral Choir. Gabriella joined the Junior Choir at five years old, following her mum and her sister Kezia, and moved into the Senior Choir at 12. She was two-and-a-half when she picked up her first violin, a 1/32-size instrument barely bigger than her forearm, after starting at Twinkle Time. “Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and growing up within the Cathedral Choir community has been incredibly special.” Gabriella, now Head Girl at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, calls her time in the choir an “amazing journey”. “I have been nurtured by the fabulous choir members around me and have been given so many opportunities to develop as a musician.” Among those opportunities was the chance to sing solos, something she says pushed her further than she expected. “The choir has encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, particularly through the opportunity to sing solos, which has helped me grow in both confidence and musicality.” Some of her strongest memories are tied to Christmas. Christingle services on Christmas Eve. Staying awake for midnight Mass as an acolyte. “It was one of the rare times I could stay awake that late and the Whitbourn Carolae mass setting the choir sings at Christmas is magic.” Of that Once in Royal David’s City solo, she says, “It remains a moment that I will always treasure.” Gabriella points to Director of Music Rachael GriffithsHughes and organist Anne Cleaver Holm, along with fellow choristers and mentors. “Their kindness, support, guidance and passion for music have motivated me to continue challenging myself and pursuing new opportunities.” From the Cathedral, music has taken her further than she imagined. She was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, has sung barbershop as part of the Upper Voice National Quartet Champions, played violin in Cathedral cantatas, and performed with the
Newsletter of The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra. “Music has allowed me to form lifelong friendships and experience incredible opportunities that I never imagined when I first joined the choir.” These days her schedule is full. Alongside choir and barbershop, she is concertmaster of the Dio orchestra, Cycling Captain, and a member of the First XI hockey team. “Balancing rehearsals, performances, sport training, cycle races and hockey games and schoolwork can be busy, but I genuinely enjoy every aspect of it.” “Music and sport both provide different challenges and opportunities, and I value the teamwork, discipline and sense of community that each brings.” With school drawing to a close, Gabriella is aware of how much these years have given her. “I feel lucky to have all these opportunities - and am sad to think I am not at school for that much longer.” Whatever comes after school, she wants music to stay part of it. “I hope that music will always remain an important part of my life, regardless of the career path I choose.” “Whatever I do, I hope to stay connected to the musical communities that have shaped so much of who I am.” Page 5
September to November 2026
Cathedral Life
Family Ministry Celebrates Baptisms and Confirmations
Breakfast Youth Church
Sunday 9 August was a special morning for our Breakfast Youth Church (BYC) community as Bishop Philip Richardson led a celebration of Baptism and Confirmation.
From St Peter’s to the Air Force: Ben Begins a New Chapter We recently farewelled our Assistant Priest, Ben Ong. While it is never easy to say goodbye, we know this is the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Although Ben has been serving as Assistant Priest since May 2025, his connection with St Peter’s Cathedral stretches back much further. He first arrived at the Cathedral in 2017 and was recommended for training by this community. He returned in 2022 to complete part of his curacy before leaving for the Solomon Islands in 2024, returning again last year. Earlier this year, the Cathedral was also privileged to celebrate Ben and Hineauripo’s wedding. Reflecting on his time with the Cathedral, Ben shared, “It has been a delight to serve and share in the ministry of St Peter’s Cathedral. I have been so immensely blessed to find a home here. The Cathedral holds a very special place my heart and while it is a departure for this season it is more like a ‘see you later.’ I am on my way to the Air Force to train as a Defence Force Chaplain at RNZAF Base Woodbourne for the next 19 weeks after which I will be posted and start this new journey with my wife, Hineauripo, as we join the NZDF community. Ka nui tō māua aroha ki a koutou katoa.” Thank you, Ben, for your faithful ministry, friendship, and service to our Cathedral community. We wish you and Hineauripo every blessing as you begin this exciting new chapter.
Newsletter of The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
We celebrated one baptism and eight confirmations, giving thanks for the way God is working through BYC to nurture our young people and their families as they grow in their faith and walk with Jesus. It was a wonderful morning of celebration, followed by plenty of cake and yummy treats! Check out the photo from the day. If you haven't made it along to BYC yet, we'd love to see you during the 8am Sunday service. We meet in the Cathedral Centre for muffins, a short devotional, games and prayer, before heading back into the Cathedral for Communion and drawing. And BYC isn't just for young people! We're currently a little short on grandparents and helpers for the dishes, so if you can lend a hand, we'd love to have you. No age is a barrier! Food, faith and fun. We can't wait to see you during term time! For more information, contact Zavier on 021 188 3890 or youth@stpeter.org.nz. Page 6
September to November 2026
Cathedral Life
SAVING WAIKATO CATHEDRAL Church of St Peter
A Night at the Opera and a Night to Remember for St Peter’s Cathedral
What an unforgettable evening of opera, storytelling and world-class performance. A Night at the Opera, held at the BNZ Theatre in August, was a wonderful celebration of opera and Dame Malvina Major, while also marking a significant moment for St Peter’s Cathedral. During the evening, Murray Bindon, Chair of the Cathedral Appeal, announced that the first stage of the Cathedral’s Strengthening and Restoration Programme will be named the Dame Malvina Major Music Centre. Dame Malvina was a parishioner and part of the Cathedral community for many years. Murray described the naming as a fitting recognition of her remarkable contribution to New Zealand’s cultural life and the inspiration she has provided to generations of musicians. The Very Reverend Julian Perkins, Dean of St Peter’s Cathedral, said, “Music has always been at the heart of St Peter’s Cathedral. Dame Malvina was a parishioner and part of the Cathedral community for many years, and we are honoured that her name will now be part of the Cathedral’s story, continuing to inspire generations to come.” The evening featured Madeleine Pierard, Emmanuel Fonoti-Fuimaono, Te Pae Kōkako – The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio, Opus Orchestra and conductor Michael Joel, with Dame Malvina also sharing memories from her remarkable career. Our sincere thanks to the A Night at the Opera Trust, and to everyone who performed, supported and attended. Proceeds from the evening will support the Cathedral’s Strengthening and Restoration Programme. Newsletter of The Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STRENGTHENING AND RESTORATION PROGRAMME
stpeter.org.nz
/saving-waikato-cathedral/ fundraising@stpeter.org.nz @waikatocathedral
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September - November 2026
HIMS Notice No. 79
Come and see how we ring the bells. Sundays 9:15 am to 9:45 am Wednesdays 7:45 pm to 9:15 pm
Photo from Cathedral Workshop on Saturday 30th August. A lot was accomplished at the workshop. The front hedge received a major trim, and repairing the light at the bottom of the car park took all day. A Lady Judi Rose has been planted
at the front of the Cathedral, and we look forward to seeing its first blooms. Here is the happy team. Next HIMS Dinner is Friday 18 September 2026. Susan Allen will be speaking to us so book the date. More to come soon!
Cathedral Workshops
020 4124 6555 | deanjulian@stpeter.org.nz (Day off - Friday) (07) 854 6713 | 027 441 9292 |
Sat, 19 Sept | Sat, 31 Oct | Sat, 21 Nov
pastoralcare@stpeter.org.nz The Rev’d Wendy Tyrrell bells@stpeter.org.nz
Breakfast at 8:00 am Contact Warren: 027 466 5507
The Rev’d Dr Plex John 022 312 9523
Cathedral Prayer Chain
For confidentiality, only the first name of the person will be passed around the prayer chain.
The Very Rev'd Julian Perkins
The Rev'd Robin Olds
NEXT WORKSHOP DATES
In addition to the Sunday prayer list, if you would like members of the ministry team to remember you, or someone you know, in their daily prayers, please let a member of the ministry team know.
CATHEDRAL MINISTRY TEAM
CATHEDRAL CONTACTS People’s Warden | Kay Neilson 021 1522 999 | peopleswarden@stpeter.org.nz
TO ALL OF OUR PARISHIONERS CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY IN SEPT, OCT OR NOV
Dean’s Warden | Dianne Cameron 021 588 399 | deanswarden@stpeter.org.nz Director of Music | Dr Rachael Griffiths-Hughes 027 286 8779 | music@stpeter.org.nz Hospital Chaplain | Gabriel Jens (07) 839 8899
Cathedral Shop
Cathedral Verger | Plex John
The Cathedral Shop has an exciting range of material both imported and local which is appropriate for church and personal use.
Cathedral Administrator | Keri Wilson
Open Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 12 pm. Feel free to contact us via shop@stpeter.org.nz
022 312 9523 | verger@stpeter.org.nz 07 839 4683 | admin@stpeter.org.nz BANK DETAILS The Cathedral Church of St Peter 02-0316-0268898-000
For more information visit stpeter.org.nz @waikatocathedral