The Perambulating Priest

Rev Jacqui Stevenson

26 Oct 2010

Wandering round the mall was a top priority for Jacqui Stevenson after the big quake, but it wasn’t retail therapy she was after.

Jacqui, who is vicar of Hornby, Templeton and West Melton, has been visiting workers at Hornby Mall and nearby businesses, to offer support after the shock of recent events. “I just went for a walk through the mall talking to all the people working in shops who wanted to chat, to find out how they were feeling. I’m dropping in on anyone who’s open and asking how they are going and what can we do to help,” says Jacqui.

On the day of the earthquake, she and husband Tim also decided to head out and talk to people. “We went out on Saturday after things came to light. We had no power and things had fallen down around us, so we thought we may as well do something useful and go out and see parishioners and people. People were scared,” says Jacqui.

The parish’s older houses sustained the most damage, and West Melton was without electricity for longer than neighbouring areas. However, for many people, particularly the elderly, the worst effects have been psychological, says Jacqui. “There is some damage in the Hornby area but it’s really that feeling of unrest – the unsettling feeling of what could happen next – and reassuring people that it is going to be OK,” she says.

People have been talking to her about their faith, disasters and mortality, as well as the miracle that no one died during the earthquake. “You can bring God into the conversation,” she says about her roving pastoral care.

WORDS: Megan Blakie