St Joseph’s Home of Compassion elder care facility will close in four months. Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy labels the closure as “catastrophic.” Guppy said he attended a packed meeting of family members at the home’s chapel on Wednesday night. “It was a bolt from the blue. “People were obviously sad and wondering what was Read more
It’s time to farewell Monte Cecilia’s outgoing CEO Bernie Smith. Smith told CathNew he is leaving on Wednesday. The Catholic housing trust has been flooded with messages since Smith announced his resignation last month. It’s clear he’ll be missed. Big time. Smith is modest about his involvement with the Trust. “Empowering the disempowered, housing the Read more
Pope Francis has told Catholic youth not to be afraid to make mistakes when on mission. He made the comment last weekend when speaking to the young people gathered for the “Hechos 29” youth conference in Mexico. “I never tire of repeating that I prefer a church that is wounded because it goes out to Read more
American Samoa is celebrating. Particularly the Catholic Church. For the first time, the Pope has chosen a local priest to be bishop of the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago. Father Kolio Etuale (49) is the Chancellor and Parish Priest of Holy Family Parish Tafuna. He will initially be the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese. When Bishop Read more
Parishes and priests will have to be more flexible as change is inevitable, says the Bishop of Cork and Ross Fitan Gavin (pictured). He says there will have to be changes in how priests minister to parishes with more lay people taking on great responsibilities. Priests will share parishes, he says. Right now the Catholic Read more
The Doctrine of Discovery is making headlines, especially in Canada. Numerous individuals and groups want it gone. The Doctrine is a collection of papal teachings beginning in the 14th century. The teachings (called papal bulls) blessed explorers’ efforts to colonise and claim the lands of any people who were not Christian. The explorers would then Read more
Pope Francis’ “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada began with an impassioned apology, setting the scene for the 6-day pilgrimage. The apology is only a first step towards reconciliation. The pilgrimage began Monday, July 25. The first act on the Canadian “penitential pilgrimage,” was the return of two pairs of children’s moccasins on 25 July. “I am Read more
Pope Francis’ first act on his Canadian “penitential pilgrimage,” July 25, was the return of two pair of children’s moccasins. The shoes were not part of the Vatican Museums artefacts but were given to him when Canadian Indigenous visited Rome in March 2022 “The first step of my penitential pilgrimage among you is that of Read more
Pope Francis has arrived in Canada on what he calls a “penitential” trip. The Vatican says the trip’s theme is “walking together”. Francis hopes to reconcile with Canada’s indigenous people for the abuse indigenous children suffered at mostly church-run residential schools. Hundreds of possible grave sites have been found at the schools. Catholic missionaries are Read more
In what he described as the organisation’s ‘worst kept secret,’ Monte Cecilia Housing Trust’s CEO Bernie Smith has handed in his resignation. Smith, who joined Monte Cecilia in 2016, will step down at the beginning of September this year. “Bernie has contributed significantly to the organisation,” says Monte Cecilia Board Chair Ken Brophy. His achievements Read more