Divine Retreat Centre
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Departing from one of the busiest offices in Auckland would have been a tough call of the man himself but the thought of not seeing Kerry Coleman as General Manager at the Catholic Diocese of Auckland which included the Office of the Bishop was even more emotional of others as the hard-working man decided to pursue other interests.
For Wenceslaus Anthony and this writer, both founder-members of the Mother Teresa Interfaith Committee, it spelt a more emotional farewell at St John Vianney Church in Hillsborough on June 26, 2016 for his engagement with us was divine.
Exponent of Faith
In more than one sense, Mr Coleman was an exponent of the Catholic and Human faith, for everything that he thought and did was a representation of honesty, integrity and devotion and dignity.
In his role, Mr Coleman was responsible for the wellbeing of a number of Catholic schools and the Church, which in essence brought in the man a unique blend of domestic, cultural, social, community and religious values.
Thus, for a small gathering of his friends and colleagues at St John Vianney Church, it was time to pay tributes to the well-meaning man in the presence of his wife Margaret.
As Chairman of the Divine Retreat Centre (DRC) of New Zealand and Chairman of the Mother Teresa Interfaith Committee, Mr Anthony has had occasions to work closely with Mr Coleman over the past several years.
Great Honour
“He has been a great supporter and a great friend. He had a huge responsibility in dealing with finances of the Catholic Diocese and worked very closely with the Bishop of Auckland. Mr Coleman was instrumental in the DRC NZ Movement becoming an Apostolate of the Diocese of Auckland,” Mr Anthony said.
The Reporter described working with Mr Coleman as a ‘great honour.’
“What a Grace, and what a privilege it has been to work with you because you not only brought dignity, but also faith, the goodness of everything that comes with someone like Mother Teresa. My only prayer is that you should continue to be healthy and happy. With humility, commitment and faith in God, you have been involved in education- one of the noblest professions that one can pursue in life.”
Bible Song
Catholic Church Media Manager Dame Lyndsay Freer paid tributes Mr Coleman and rendered a song from the Bible.
Father Bernie Thomas, Parish Priest at St Peter’s Church, Waiheke Island and Tertiary Student Chaplin outlined the services of Mr Coleman to the Ministry and tertiary students.
Replying to the felicitations, Mr Coleman said that he was pleased with the opportunity to serve the Catholic Diocese of Auckland and praised the work done by DRC New Zealand.
