Sisters of Compassion

News Archive 2000

Sisters Forgive Debt

Some 10 years ago the Sisters of Compassion sold land to the neighbouring Tapu te Ranga Marae. To acknowledge the year of Jubilee and the relationship between the Sisters of Compassion and the People of the Land, this year the sisters have written off the $100,000 mortgage they held on the land.

Bruce Stewart of Tapu Te Ranga
Marae with Sister Josephine Gorman

This is in response to the Jubilee Year 2000, fulfilling a Biblical instruction to forgive debts every seven years. Pope John Paul had initiated a world wide "jubilee year" move in which rich people and countries write off debts owed to them by the poor. "We were looking around as a congregation and thought, what could we do?" says Sister Rae Berry. "So we thought, we’ll forgive the rest of the mortgage." This will make a big difference to ongoing development at the Marae. When told of the Sisters decision, Marae elder Bruce Stewart was "speechless".

He tapu te whenua - The land is sacred.

O tatou whaea te whenua - The land is ourm other

He taonga te whenua - The land is gift

Te Whenua mo te mahi a tatou katoa. - Land is for the use of all.

Celebrating the New Millennium
Peace, Freedom, Justice and Celebration.

‘God gives gratuitously’
Suzanne Aubert