The Vatican, Friday, pushed back hard, suggestions that 40 years ago John Paul II may have been involved in the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl and went out on the town with Vatican monsignors, looking for young girls to molest. Pietro Orlandi, the brother of a missing 15 girl, Emanuela Orlandi, made the allegation. However, Read more
Over a month after the floods that demolished swathes of the North Island, Wairoa’s Catholic school is home to 80 extra pupils from nearby Nuhaka. In a state common to many small settlements after Cyclone Gabrielle, the small Nuhaka settlement 30 kilometres north of Wairoa lost essential services and its wastewater and sewage systems were Read more
Ngā Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand launched their new Whānau Mercy Ministries last Saturday. The new Ministerial Public Juridic Person (MPJP) – known as Whānau Mercy Ministries – is independent of Ngā Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand. The Whānau Mercy Ministries will take up their responsibilities as Read more
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation each year on March 25. The date was chosen from the very beginning for two reasons: it falls nine months before we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and it conforms to an ancient belief that God became incarnate during the spring equinox. However, our liturgical texts Read more
On the last day of their meeting at the Vatican this month, the seven-member Synod of Bishops’ preparatory commission had an audience with Pope Francis. Bishop Daniel Flores, who has been coordinating the synod process for the United States bishops, said the meeting was “very encouraging”. Francis speaks “very beautifully about the Church and about Read more
The Auckland Latin Mass Chaplaincy is inviting church musicians to take part in a sacred music conference. The organisation says the October conference will celebrate the Catholic Church’s musical treasure. It says the weekend conference aims to help and give tools to anyone involved in a music ministry. According to the Catholic Catechism, when a Read more
Plans for Christchurch’s new Catholic Cathedral are now under review, says Simon Thompson, the diocese general manager. “Bishop Michael (pictured) just wants to make sure he gets it right.” He said the new Cathedral precinct would be a fantastic addition to the city, a place where people, including tourists, would be able to “bump into Read more
One of Cyclone Gabrielle’s many casualties was a beautiful little Catholic chapel on the north side of Wairoa’s town bridge. Like many places in Wairoa’s North Clyde area, St Therese’s was swamped. Silt got into everything and did its worst. The same happened at the marae next door – and to numerous homes and properties. Read more
Last week St Joseph’s Home of Compassion in Silverstream was formally handed over to private provider Heritage Lifecare. Heritage Lifecare has been managing the facility since August 2022, which it has since purchased. Heritage Lifecare chief executive Norah Barlow said seeing the home close would have been a shame. “Losing this home and the vital Read more
The pope’s key clergy abuse reform effort is not working, says a papal consultant. Jesuit Fr Hans Zollner made the admission last Thursday to a group of clergy survivors of sexual abuse. Speaking in an online session, Zollner was asked if there is recourse for those who feel their cases have not been properly handled. Read more