Even as Pope Francis was lying in State at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and thousands filed past his coffin, his soft Papal power reached Martinborough’s small Catholic community as it celebrated the milestone 100th birthday of Riddiford family matriarch Yvonne.
A message and portrait from Pope Francis was handed to the local Centenarian by many Catholic friends as they marked her birth in 1925 at a special service at St Anthony of Padua’s Church.
The inscription below the Papal photo reads:
“The Divine Father Francis cordially imparts the requested Apostolic Blessing to Yvonne Riddiford on the occasion of her 100th Birthday – invoking through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary an abundance of Divine graces.”
Celebratory birthday messages were also received from King Charles 111, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and local community personalities marking the event.
A special service was held in a spic-and-span St Anthony’s Church, opened for the birthday occasion after being shuttered by order of the church hierarchy several years earlier.
After a local working bee had cleaned away the internal dust and dirt, polished the wooden pews and added flowers, a group of about 70 locals gathered on April 23 to acknowledge Yvonne Riddiford.
Father Bruce England, celebrant at the special Mass for Yvonne, had been responsible for formally closing the community-built St Anthony’s for earthquake safety reasons despite vigorous opposition from the local Catholic community. It was opposition which, at the time, reached all the way back to Rome after a deconsecration order was issued – then retracted after local legal protests.
As she arrived for the service, Yvonne noted “I’m well and lucky,” and her accompanying grand-daughter Maddy Conway added: “welcome to your church.”
She walked in and sat in a front pew surrounded by her children, grandchildren, family from the region and several who had travelled from abroad.
“It is wonderful to see a church we all love so full,” she commented later, as the service was ending.
Catholic community member Christina Eagan helped open the event, explaining how she and many of the congregation wanted to acknowledge Yvonne’s important support and encouragement in recent years to the struggle to maintain and retain this small but significant Catholic Church,
It was a theme mentioned several times by those attending.
Son Dan Riddiford acknowledged the passing of Pope Francis, then thanked the local Catholic hierarchy “for allowing us to use the church for this occasion.”
Priest Bruce England sparked a round of applause from the congregation as he acknowledged Yvonne Riddiford’s “example to help us to serve with hope, love and generosity,” and for having seen “a century of change. You have lived through the lives of many Popes, through births and farewells…. We thank you for 100 years of light. Well done for all those years.
“You are cherished. Happy Birthday Yvonne.”
England then asked for prayers for the late Pontiff, praising “his very good leadership” of the worldwide church.
After the service and luncheon in the church hall, Yvonne told The Star the celebration “was wonderful and exceeded any expectation I could have had. I thought it was a wonderful and very humbling day.”
“Wasn’t that extraordinary,” she said of the late Pope’s birthday greetings, “extraordinary – a voice from the other side – he had just been dead a matter of hours.
It was extraordinary.” The messages “are very much appreciated,” she added. As for the future of St Anthony’s Church and whether it can be re-opened, the Centenarian said: “I feel incredibly optimistic about that. I think and pray it will” survive.
Born in Christchurch, Yvonne Ada Westmacott moved to the King Country at age two and was home-schooled till going to Selwyn House in Christchurch and then high school at Woodford House in Havelock North.
Yvonne graduated in geography from Canterbury University, worked as a teacher in England and later in Wellington before marrying Wellington lawyer Daniel Riddiford in 1952. The couple had six children. By 1960, her husband was Wellington Central MP, later Minister of Justice in the Holyoake government, before resigning his seat in 1972. Following his death in 1974 Yvonne moved to live on the family’s farm near Martinborough where she remains today, supported by family.
